Gitzo monopod

soumya63 wrote in post #6019924
I have one and I love it. I have fitted it with a Manfrotto 234RC monopod quick release and use it with my Canon 20D with battery grip with 24-70mm f2.8L, 70-200mm f2.8L and 300mm f4L with canon 1.4x tele-extender. It is so small light and portable that I have no reason to leave it behind. It has a belt clip so it hangs unobstructed till it is needed.

I was first skeptical about the rigidity of the monopod when I first saw it in the showroom. It has 6 segments (generally considered poor for rigidity) and the smallest segment is as thin as a pencil. However when extended fully, I was very surprised to find it is very rigid within its specified load rating. it does not bow or flex. None of the segment has any wobbly play. Segments are locked secured by Gitzo twist lock system. I was very impressed by its engineering and craftsmanship. I then compared it with few other leading brand monopods in the showroom, but can not convince myself to save some money to buy something bigger and bulkier which will ultimately gather dust like my other monopods due to their ungainly size. I would rather carry a tripod than a monopod if I have to carry that much bulk.

My daughter often use it with her Canon GL1 and Vixia HF 10 cameras. She also use it as a boom for shotgun microphone.

Let me summarize my reasons for this purchase
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1) It will fit in my camera bag so I can carry it in my cabin baggage. This is very important for me as I often travel short distance by air without any registered baggage.
2) Small and light enough to carry always in my camera bag or hang from my Kinesis harness system
3) I am a very happy owner of Gitzo 2222 traveler tripod and delighted by their quality when I compare it with my other tripods from other makes. In my opinion Gitzo is the very best I can buy and I am sure if I use it within its limit (9.9 lb), it will outlive me.