tripod or monopod?

my husband and i are going to be hiking in glacier national park and i want a lighter weight tripod to take with us... someone also suggested a monopod but i've never used one and am unsure of the stability.

i'd like to pick something up for around or under 100.00 if possible.

ideas?

What camera/lens are you planning on mounting on this tripod?

i'll be taking my xti w/ sigma 70-300 apo and my sigma 10-20...

What is your intent?

Do you want to mount a camera/lens on something and then get out in front of it (in other words, leaving it by itself with no hands on it)? If so, then there's no question whatsoever that a monopod is NOT the proper choice.

A monopod's real claim to fame is holding the weight a heavy camera/lens off your arms so that you can have it in position to shoot for long periods of time. A monopod does add a little stability (mostly in the vertical direction), but is nothing like a good tripod for holding a camera steady.

A cheap tripod is not something that most of us would recommend to anyone using quality SLR equipment. They have been known to tip over, break, etc., and that is not good for the camera equipment. The latches and adjustments on cheap tripods tend to slip.

You'd be much better off spending $250 or more on a good tripod than buying a cheapie. The reason is that you would probably buy five of the cheapies (due to failures or dis-satisfaction) during the expected lifetime of the good one.

skip---thanks for your help. good points. i hadn't thought about wanting to set up and pose in front of the cam, but you're right, we'll probably want to do that. which i guess puts a monopod out of the question.

any recs for that price range? i'm going to check out my local cam shop and see if they happen to have any used (maybe something that is higher quality)...

amberfiddles wrote in post #5751973
any recs for that price range? i'm going to check out my local cam shop and see if they happen to have any used (maybe something that is higher quality)...

This is the current replacement for my Bogen/Manfrotto 3021BPro, topped with their 488RC2 ball head: Manfrotto 055XProB/488RC2 tripod/ball head. This is, by far, the most-often recommended rig on this forum. Many members have the rig and most who do give it high marks.

Depending on where you are going and your future needs you might want to consider something like a gorilla pod. I don't have one, but if the place you are going is featured in terms of limbs and rocks, you might get by with something small and simple and save a lot of weight.
If you are wanting to to landscape work or low light work or studio work later, the high quality tripod is the way to go.

A monopod can be great.

Another option is if you use hiking poles - like Leiki - really nice in the hills. One model has a standard screw that fits the tripod socket of the camera. So you can hike more easily, and double duty a camera support. The poles are height adjustable - and act much like skiing poles - I was floored the first time I used them in Colorado - made the walking SO much easier, both going up and coming down the mountain.

There are tricks to using a monopod effectively - some not so obvious. There is a GREAT article on the various ways to position a monopod to be much more stable - search on (please don't flame me...) Nikonians board for monopod - great article - even has footprints you can put on the floor, just like Arthur Murray (if you missed the connection, you're too young - google it).

fxk---so glad you mentioned that b/c i want to get some hiking poles for this trip anyway--didn't even consider that as an option. i will def check into it! thanks!

skip---thanks for the help and link!

poloman--thanks. i found a link to gorilla somewhere else, but someone told me they tried to use it for their 70-300 and it wouldn't hold up. i did hear they make them to manage diff weights so it is still something to ck into...

SkipD wrote in post #5753804
This is the current replacement for my Bogen/Manfrotto 3021BPro, topped with their 488RC2 ball head: Manfrotto 055XProB/488RC2 tripod/ball head. This is, by far, the most-often recommended rig on this forum. Many members have the rig and most who do give it high marks.

I picked one up a little while ago, and attest to it's high marks.

I tripod ring would be nice to hold the 70 to 300 too
You can certainly do without it but it does help balance the lens and you will get less creep using the ball head.

BTW, you could also get a tripod and use it as a monopod (extend only one leg)

You can usually have two but not three...

Stability - Light Weight - Low Cost

You can have two but usually not three of the above.

However, often a tripod can be relatively stable and inexpensive and lighter in weight if it is shorter. Obviously a shorter tripod requires less materials and is therefore (all other parameters being the same) lighter in weight.

I have a great Giottos Carbon Fiber MT-8180 tripod which is tall, extremely sturdy but, being tall and VERY sturdy, It is a bit heavier than I like to carry boonie-tromping even though it is carbon fiber.

I use a SLIK 330 Pro as my carry along tripod for overland hikes. I don't use this tripod for long-long exposures with a heavy lens such as my 300mm f/4L IS but, it is fine for lighter lenses such as the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS and even the 70-200mm f/4L IS with my 1.6x cameras.

I have switched heads and use my Giottos MH-1300 ball head from my Giottos MT-8180. This head includes an Arca compatible quick release. I use a Really Right Stuff L-Bracket with this head. The L-bracket is a much more solid way of attaching a camera than a standard ball head and quick release. This is especially true when using a non-tripod ring equipped lens. Placing the camera in the vertical (portrait) position using an L-Bracket keeps the camera/lens over the head rather than being cantilevered over to the side as with a standard ball head quick release mounting.

http://reallyrightstuf​f.com/QR/05.html

I don't raise the center column because this diminishes the stability. In fact, I purchased a shorter center coulmn which saves me an ounce or two over the longer column.

I paid well under a hundred dollars for this tripod and it suits me very well.

Mono pod for wildlife and "quick" scenics,
tripod for real studies and long shutter landscapes.

SkipD wrote in post #5753804
This is the current replacement for my Bogen/Manfrotto 3021BPro, topped with their 488RC2 ball head: Manfrotto 055XProB/488RC2 tripod/ball head. This is, by far, the most-often recommended rig on this forum. Many members have the rig and most who do give it high marks.

Except that this is not going to be particularly good for serious hiking - it is too heavy.

If "hiking" to you means a stroll of an hour or less - then fine. If hiking means a serious all day walk with gear in more rugged terrain, then absolutely not. Generally, you will want a tripod that is <3lbs and a ballhead of about 12 ozs for anything more than a short stroll - if you will actually use it. In my experience, the usage goes down exponentially as weight goes up.

As RPCrowe has said, you are going to pay a stiff premium for a light but stable tripod.

Spending <$100 is not going to get you very much. You really need to expect to spend $300-400 for a decent lightweight rig. Many of us have spent nearly $1000 to get the same thing but in a high quality setup that is durable and reliable. The tripod problem is deceptively complicated.

Here is some reading for you:

http://bythom.com/supp​ort.htm
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/t​ripods_&_heads.shtml
http://markins.com/cha​rlie/report4e6.pdf

J.