Monopods?

[dmr]

Does anybody here use a monopod?

Tripods are bulky, and there's some stuff I want to shoot where I need to stop down a bit and slow down the shutter.

How slow can you reliably go with a monopod, assuming a RF with a 40mm lens? Can you go 1/4 second reliably? One second?

I do think I have a very steady hand, at least for my age. I can reliably handhold at 1/60, most of the time at 1/30, and some of the time at 1/15.

Also, there are some monopods out there that have kind of mini-tripod legs that extend out of the very bottom. Is it worth it to get one of these? Do these actually help that much.

Thanks in advance, gang. 🙂

 

[Pherdinand]

Monopods very efficiently minimize vertical camera shake. Depends on the camera design as well, but it should help something like 2-3 stops versus the handheld speed that you can handle.
Of course no pods help against subject motion.

Anyway, i have the feeling that monopods were not really invented to help against camera shake, but more to help against fatigue when one uses a big camera or lens for a longer period, and needs more flexibility than a tripod can allow.

The mini-tripod-end monopods are not too good in my oppinion, at least the few i have seen live and touched. Except maybe a very small and well balanced camera, like a small PS digital. I would not trust to keep a larger camera on them without hands, and if i put my hand there, there's no advantage of the tripod thing.

I was hesitating between a monopod and a tabletop tripod, and in the end i bought a manfrotto tabletop with the condition that within 2 weeks i can exchange it into a monopd, ifd it turns out to be worthless.
I still have the tabletop.🙂
It is small and portable, and it is very sturdy for all my cameras and lenses (longest lens i have is a 135mm), and this includes a rolleiflex tlr too. The only disadvantage is, you need an elevated surface (like a...table top?🙂 but yuou can also "fix" it by pressing it horizontally on a wall or something) or you have to shoot from "frogs' eye" perspective.

 

[Pherdinand]

ABout the string idea ("no-pod"), it's funny that the guy is patenting it, since i've seen the idea all around the Internet for quite some years already. You can best use the tripod bushing with an appropriate screw and some strong string or fishing line or such, it helps a bit. But it's not as good as a monopod in my opinion.

 

[dmr]

Thanks for all of the quick replies, gang, I didn't expect this response! 🙂

As for the string-pod, somebody on one of the local boards here swears by it, but I've heard some swear at it. I think I posted this link here right after it was posted locally.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1041948/1_image_stabilizer_for_any_camera_lose_the_tripod/

As I (think I) said, all I need is a few stops over what I can hand-hold now. I do have a tripod, but I've been putting off and putting off re-shooting this scene just because I don't really feel like dragging a tripod down there, setting it up, you know ... 🙂

 

[Pherdinand]

pitxu, i'm also not attacking the guy🙂 kudos that he started up a process to make a commercial version.

 

[hans voralberg]

Monopod is great, but sometime I find them too long