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Monopods - any good?

alanbeeb said:
So today I was in the hills shooting with a 70-300mm zoom (blame @Lefty !) and just the weight of that lens meant I was struggling to keep it still while standing on uneven ground, quite gusty wind, and at full zoom 300mm I was even struggling to keep it still enough to frame properly. That said - the results I got did not show any signs of camera shake or blur - but it just was a bit tricky to take shots comfortably. I think I'm going to give one a go.
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Haha - which 70-300 have you got? The AF-P? Have you bought it along with the FT-Z adaptor? As Mr P says, in windy conditions there's no substitute for a heavy tripod. (Although I wouldn't be averse to hand holding and ramping up the ISO if it was the only way to get the shot)

Mr Perceptive said:
Don't think for one moment that gusty wind will keep a large lens/camera combo steady on either a monopod or on an extended lightweight tripod, in conditions like that you need a much more serious tripod. I had movement issues above Llyn Idwal with @Lefty due to gusts of wind (using a GFX50S and a Manfrotto 055 Tripod), it was so bad @Lefty resorted to lying on the ground and using his tripod with no extension.
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It was brutal wasn't it?! Although conditions were even more wild when I returned to Snowdonia earlier this year. It was so windy I literally couldn't stand up and was blown off my feet multiple times (I only weigh 9.5 stone).

I was there with Rick Bebbginton (the guy who does some of Nigel Danson's filming for his YT vids). He was a lot more adventurous than me (to be fair - he was just about able to stand up while I wasn't). Here's a shot of him braving the conditions to get the shot at Llyn Idwal.

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Lefty
 
Lefty said:
Haha - which 70-300 have you got? The AF-P? Have you bought it along with the FT-Z adaptor? As Mr P says, in windy conditions there's no substitute for a heavy tripod. (Although I wouldn't be averse to hand holding and ramping up the ISO if it was the only way to get the shot)
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Yes I got an FTZ adaptor on eBay, and the 70-300 AF-P was an open-box discount from Wex. It is definitely a much better lens than the AF-S I had before. Yesterday was my first chance to really use it on a walk over the Pentlands ridge south of Edinburgh. The telephoto perspective compression takes some getting used to.... I might post a couple of shots on the PAW thread.
 
What I would say to the OP is that it will be worth testing the camera and each lens on the monopod with IS switched on and off, and then compare the results.
 
alanbeeb said:
Yes I got an FTZ adaptor on eBay, and the 70-300 AF-P was an open-box discount from Wex. It is definitely a much better lens than the AF-S I had before. Yesterday was my first chance to really use it on a walk over the Pentlands ridge south of Edinburgh. The telephoto perspective compression takes some getting used to.... I might post a couple of shots on the PAW thread.
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Excellent - it's a great lens. I initially bought it as a stopgap while saving up for the 70-200/2.8E, but I've not felt the need to change to the more expensive / heavier lens. I did consider the 70-200/4 which I have owned previously, but it doesn't have full weather sealing (which the 70-300 AF-P does).
 
Mr. P,

Mr Perceptive said:
Be careful with Gorillapods, the legs can be folded beyond their elastic limits where the ball pops out of a socket, breaking the leg. This is particularly true if you wrap the legs around railings, etc, don't want expensive camera equipment crashing to the ground! Used within their limitations they are good pieces of kit though.
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Roger wilco.

I use the gorillapod as I would a regular tripod, but it’s good to know that I shouldn’t bend the legs every which way. I use it a lot for macro and astro pix when I’m on vacation up north, so it’s usually plunked down on a rock close to a chipmunk or holding a camera that’s pointing towards the Milky Way.

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Joe
 
I have a trusty old Benbo (well, in fact I don't, my son borrowed it for his video business six months ago, and I've not seen it since...) a Sirui compact travel tripod ( https://www.cameraworld.co.uk/product/sirui-t-005x-aluminium-travel-tripod-black.html - which a mate of mine bought with a Hassleblad badge on for twice the price ) - and I have various clamps (Neewer do a nice one) bean bags, and I have a 'monopod' that is a walking pole, with a 1/4" whitworth screw on the top - I thought this would be ideal for walking trips, but it's just not as good a pole as my others, so I rarely use it. I select the best tool for the job, before I set out, but as the Sirui will go in my coat pocket, it's usually the one that goes with me. Perfectly ok with a CSC and heavy lens, but maybe not something you'd use with a big/heavy DSLR and a 300mm f4.
 
I use a MeFoto Roadtrip which is a travel tripod that has a detachable leg which is a monopod. Mine is the alluminium version and is still OK to carry. I tend to use this rather than my dedicated monopod as it gives me the benefit of both options in one package.
 
I've had a monopod for years but use it rarely and only really for motorsport events where it works well.
 
I agree with the poster that noted little advantage WRT image quality using a monopod under normal conditions. I use one extensively (Manfrotto MPMXPROA4) for sport shots when using heavy telephotos for extended periods and its a back saver.
 
I use a Carbon Fibre Monopod when shooting with my 500mm f4 lens. The reason is mainly to support the camera when standing as opposed to holding it.
 
I've had a monopod for a couple of decades but only really use it one those occasional times when I go to motorsports events - doing panning type shots. It's fun for that though.

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