Canon 100-400 L which monopod ?

[dragons girl]

Hi all

I just picked my self up a 100-400 L lens , just wanted to find out what would be the best monopod and head to use ? I have a 550d body and will mainly be using the lens for birds sports and wildlife .

What do you use or recommend ?

cheers
Kylie

[kiwi]

Do you actually need a monopod ? 100-400 is not that heavy is it ? They are not very useful for birds for example in my opinion.

If you do need one, only a lightweight one, manfrotto have a good range, and check out Fiesol carbon fibre ones too

[bluey1960]

I picked up a Manfrotto 679B for a song off ebay. Was looking for a suitable head until I saw Kiwi's post were he said they were just another something that can break or something along those lines anyway. So I screwed my 60D straight on and for what I do at any rate, it's worked great.

[Michaela]

I use a Manfrotto 681B monopod an 234RC head combo with my 100-400 all the time and it works really well. It's almost impossible for me to hold the camera steady enough for small birds without it. In the future I may look at getting a lighter monopod for when I go for long walks, but this setup is working OK for me at the moment.

[Bennymiata]

I have a 60D and a 100-400L, and I've tried using it on a monpod, but find it very cumbersome to use.
Generally I either hand hold it, or use it on a tripod.

[strictfunctor]

I have a Manfrotto 694CX monopod with a 488RC2 ball head. The thing I found to be important was that the monopod be at least as tall as me. The longer it is the more options you have for bracing it at an angle to the ground and you. A ball head with a slot on the side lets you hang the lens out to the side, rather than unstably perched on top. You don't need to tighten the ball head. This way you get the support, without slowing down your movement for framing. Quick-release is a must.

[dragons girl]

Thanks for the recommendations

Price wise i am looking at getting the 681b and the 234rc head . I will be going to a few stores over the weekend to try this combo out !

cheers
Kylie

[Speedway]

I have a cheap $43 Ebay one thet has had a lot of use over the last 2+ years with my 7D and 150-500 Sigma and is still going strong.
Keith.

[brownie]

I have a Manfrotto 790B but at full extension it is not tall enough for me to use without bending over. Not only that but the thinner sections at the bottom tend to flex.

I find that by only partially extending the thicker sections and tucking the bottom of the monopod into the front of my shirt so it wedges into the top of my trousers behind the belt buckle, it provides a more stable support than pure hand holding. The camera is restricted up/down movement and my arms/hands can control tilt. With the elbows touching the torso there is very little movement at all.

I found this most useful when using the camera in ‘video mode’ as I could move around and the results were not like the shaky handhold that drives David Stratton to despair.

Granted, having a monopod tucked into the front of ones trousers is not pretty. Something like a flag bearers ‘belt flag carrier’ (http://www.paradestore.com/detail.aspx?ID=526) or a similar rig would offer a more elegant solution.