Is a mono pod really that useful?

cjm..where do you plan to get your monopod? im thinking of having one too. the house parties that i will be attending to this coming holidays will be all cramped and setting up a tripod is such a hassle...

I use mine all the time. Helps a great deal. I would not want to be without one. In fact I just lost mine and had to order a new one with a new ballhead today.

I should also add that I use mine for videotaping. While at games and everyone else is trying to handhold video cameras for 1+ hours, I just put mine on the pod and it works great.

I use mine when I'm shooting football in crappy lighting conditions. Otherwise, I handhold everything.

GlennSter wrote in post #2357933
cjm..where do you plan to get your monopod? im thinking of having one too. the house parties that i will be attending to this coming holidays will be all cramped and setting up a tripod is such a hassle...

I agree with that. I am not a big Tripod guy myself. I own 2 very good ones but I only use it for the rare time I do night photography because I like being on the go.

I was thinking of probably picking one up either from a Canadian seller on eBay or maybe even locally. I thought about US retailers but what's the point? Stuff like pods are usually pretty much the same there as here.

Anyone ever hear of BENRO?

could you link me to a canadian seller in ebay too?

thanks bro!

I love my monopod

makes my macro shooting WAYYY better. takes the weight of the camrea of my arms...

Comfort factor allows me to shoot better and longer.

I use a monopod alot and find it very handy. Based on Skip's (POTN veteran) recommendation I bought a Manfrotto 680B monopod and the 486RC2 ball head with quick release. Its the perfect combination of quality & price and I would highly recommend that combination to you. I was in a hurry to purchase so just ordered from Henry's.

GlennSter wrote in post #2359076
could you link me to a canadian seller in ebay too?

thanks bro!

Here is a current search of Canadian sellers, mostly they are Henry's but the prices seem not bad. CLICK HERE

Without a monopod, you're forced to deal with 3 Axes: X, Y, and Z. With the tripod, it'll help eliminate one of those axes, thus giving you a more stable shot.

I don't think they are that usefull... to me they just get in the way, it is better to just practice keeping you camera still or get an IS lens. I only shoot motorsport so I'm not sure what they are like for nature or animal, but for that It could be usefull because you have such long and big lenses

Woogie wrote in post #2360093
Without a monopod, you're forced to deal with 3 Axes: X, Y, and Z. With the tripod, it'll help eliminate one of those axes, thus giving you a more stable shot.

Very good description. But the x and y axes are still prone to movement. Movement is movement and if you need help in the z direction you probably need help in the x and y. The reason I am saying this is because I have had a monopod for about half a year so far and I am still learning/perfecting how to use it, steady it. If I would give that much attention to my hand holding the camera, I'd probably get the same results as from the monopod.

I primarily use it for macro work, where to change focus I have to move the camera. So in my opinion, the monopod is good when you need to move the camera...ie to focus or for panning.

I also use a remote shutter release along with my monopod to further prevent movement on shutter release.

cjm wrote in post #2354749
This is a n00bie type question but I have to ask because I have never really used one. Is a mono pod really that useful? Does it really help that much? Is it easy to use? Any avid monopod users have any input I would love to hear from you.

Also what is a good one to buy that is easy to use?

I absolutely recommend a monopod. I lived with just a tripod and one that was a little heavy for my taste. After I picked up my Benro tripod/monopod, I see that I end up walking out with the monopod very often.

Esp. useful for long shots and on days when the sun's not too helpful (which is almost all days in a place like Hong Kong).

cjm wrote in post #2359047
Anyone ever hear of BENRO?

My Benros are awesome value for money. I occasionally test them trying to push the monopod down with my weight They are really strong, trust me!!

Surely a monopod cant get you sharp results at slower shutter speeds? ok you have managed to remove any vertical movement but you still have to hold the camera+monopod steady from horizontal movement, I guess you could lean it up against a wall or something..

Ive never really looked into monopods much, ive got a Manfrotto 190 ProB with the 804RC2 head as a little Christmas present

Nick