Decent monopod?

Hi, can someone offer their suggestion for a decent monopod? By decent I also mean "cheapest" too.

Never used one before but going to Vegas soon and find that lugging a tripod around the Strip might not be Happy Camper Making material for myself or the other tourists who might trip over it.

Looking for something that I MIGHT use 2-3x a year at the most after this. (Actually been doing photography semi-seriously for 6-8 years now and never owned one and rarely even use my tripod more than 3x per year.)

Ideally it would be light weight, very small when closed, and can support a 40D with either Tamron 18-270, Sigman 10-22, Tokina fisheye on it when in use.

Any ideas?

I use the Manfrotto 681B , With a 234RC Swivel/Tilt Head. I really like it ,works great and it's built strong ..

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …_681B_Monopod_B​lack_.html

sphillips45 wrote in post #7869600
I use the Manfrotto 681B , With a 234RC Swivel/Tilt Head. I really like it ,works great and it's built strong ..

I have the same combo. The 681B is really strong and sturdy. The 234RC could be a little smoother, but I am not complaining too much for the price.

I use a Manfrotto 679B with the 234RC tilt head. It does a good job with my 50D and 100-400.

With the 100-400 I have it aligned so it tilts up and down with the 234. If I want to change from Landscape to Portrait I rotate the lens in its collar. I also have a plate on the camera body aligned 90° from the tele so the body can rotate from Landscape to Portrait by tilting the 234 head when using a smaller lens.

I just purchased the 680B off ebay for $42.

I hope I am happy with it. Is there any major difference between this one and this one you guys are using?

ClickClick wrote in post #7878206
I just purchased the 680B off ebay for $42.

I hope I am happy with it. Is there any major difference between this one and this one you guys are using?

That one is very good as well. It's a 4-section monopod which is not quite as stout as the 3-section 681B. You lose a little in weight capacity but you gain the compactness of a shorter package when folded up.

I saw a 680B at a local bigbox store here, seems pretty nice.

A Canon Monopod 100 is about $30 and includes a ball head.

I would prefer the smaller size of the one I got from ebay, that way I can rig some kind of primitive strap on the bottom of my shoulder satchel to carry it around.

I will try to utilize the tiny table top tripod as much as I can in some places (on top of trash cans, steps, small childrens heads... LOL).