What monopod for travelling

[DCR62]

I am doing a bit of travelling and would like to take a lite weight monopod that ideally collapses small enough to go into my back pack.

Any experiences to assist?

[nardes]

I have only used a monopod with a 300mm or 400mm lens and the biggest benefits in my experience were:

• The monopod reduced the amplitude of my hand held shakes so it allowed better framing and following of birds in trees or hopping around in shrubs.
• The monopod helped support the camera/lens combination thus reducing fatigue and allowing me to rest in between the action shots.
• It really didn’t substitute for a tripod in terms of providing that desirable rock-solid stability, but it did help limit the range of user motion.

The model I used was a Giottos Carbon Fibre with twist locks which was very easy to operate, folded down small but was still chunky enough to feel like you had something of substance under the camera.

Cheers

Dennis

[Wobbles]

DCR62,
depends on how you define small & light weight (eg. 55cm, 0.5kg) - you need to consider what you want to put on it (i.e. heaviest lens/camera combo) and how much you are prepared to spend. Like tripods you get what you pay for... work out what you can afford then get the next most expensive

Small means either (too) short (how tall are you?) when fully extended or lots (5+) of leg sections this can effect rigidity if not high quality. Light weight usually means carbon fiber again this can effect rigidity if not high quality and for CF high quality means $$'s. Load capacity wise, if you only have a entry level DSLR & kit lens not going to be a problem, if however you have 'Pro' DSLR and lens then you need to be careful about manufacturers specs... for example, even though a Canon 1D and 500mm lens physically weighs less than 8kg putting it on most pods rated for 8kg will cause serious flexing in use.

If you have the cash get Gitzo, otherwise Benro/Induro or Feisol.

Cheers
John

[DCR62]

Thanks guys.

[Babu]

I agree with John. Get a Gitzo CF monopod if you can fund it.

You might also want to consider adding a tiltable monopod head/ clamp + Arca Swiss type plate or L bracket. I've found it very helpful when spending a lot of time in forests photographing animals and birds in the tree tops. Some people favour pistol grips but I prefer something like the RRS MH-01-Pro + B2-Pro II clamp.
It's good to be able to quickly release the monopod when the situation changes and you want to go handheld.

[oneeyedphoto]

Agree with Wobbles. I have a Benro CF C49T. Nice extension (I'm 192cm), lightweight and supports my gear. Straps onto the side of my backpack. Not cheap but I only like to buy once.