recommended Monopod for travel w/ Mamiya 7 ?

[Ken Lee]

I would like to carry a monopod along with my Mamiya M7, 80 and 150mm lenses.

I have seen that some have little feet which can extend, but don't know if they are a gimmick or not. I have also seen that some have a piece that one can stand on: same question.

A quick release device would be nice, but I don't want to splurge on carbon fiber or other costly feature.

Thanks !

 

[bob cole]

KEN, a monopod is just a collapsible aluminum pole with a 1/4 in. screw thread on top to attach a ball head...All it does is steady the camera so get the least expensive you can find...I've picked up several over the years at garage sales for $5 or $10 apiece... If you need it fast, it'll cost you much more...regards, bob

 

[tomw]

Hey Ken,

Where did you find these exotic monopods? All I've seen are some of the Bogen and Gitzo models. If you're tempted by the little feet one, I'd check it out personally before buying to see if the feet wouldn't fall off with repeated use. I presume that unless you're putting your 8x10 on it, they would be OK. Might be a bit fiddly to extend them, though. I've been thinking about monopods, too, so I'm interested in user impressions, too.

 

[Ken Lee]

Here is a link to a "self-standing" monopod: with miniature tripod legs at the bottom. Looks kinda neat.

Here is a link to a monopod that has a sort of triangular bracket at the base. I presume that you can place a foot on it to steady it.

(I no longer have my 8x10: I went back to 4x5 and Silver printing, and got a Mamiya 7 for travel. It is, to use the vernacular: sweet. )

 

[tomw]

My impression of the one with feet is that it might be tough to level the camera unless the ground you put it on is level. Hard to tell, but it didn't look like the swiveling head swivels to any great extent. The above might not be an issue if the feet are independently adjustable.

The one with a kick-stand looks more like a gimmick to me, since I can't figure out why you'd need one--the monopod's foot should stay where you put it, assuming the foot is rubber.

What head are you thinking about? Or will you just use it as is?

 

[pbjbike]

Joe has a monopod for sale.

 

[Ken Lee]

Tom - I think I may just stick with my small collapseable tripod, since as you say, it's no easy trick to get things level with those legs, and the utility of a kickstand doubtful, now that you mention it.

Many thanks !

 

[IanForber]

Ken,

I use a monopod with my M7II and find it v useful. Its one of the Manfrotto/Bogen Neotec 'pods that extend just by pulling and you can then collapse it v quickly by pressing a trigger that sits underneath the head (I use the QR tilting monopod head). Manfrotto make an attachment that'll fit to most 'pods to add free-standing feet (mainly so you can change lenses without having to risk your gear falling over - can't see the point frankly as I wouldn't trust it in the first place). I love the fact that I can extend, compose, take a pic then in 2 secs, recompose to knee height and re-take (if needed). Just me I suppose...

Ian

 

[JeffGreene]

Ken:

I've got a used 682B with the enclosed tripod feet. I use it with my Mamiya 6, but have never used the enclosed tripod legs. They are really only usable on level ground, and even there, there are stability problems. I've been lusting after the neotec 'pod mentioned above, but won't spring for one until a used one appears. IMO if you are interested in the 682B for the enclosed tripod feet, you'd be better served with a lightweight travel tripod.

 

[muihlinn]

I have using the bogen/manfrotto with legs for a couple of years now. It works fine for many things, but I never was satisfied about how it works with the M7. Too unstable support if the shutter speed is under 1/30 so, no advantege there.

 

[Finder]

How sensitive are you about shake. A monopod is really only giving you a stop or two longer exposures with the normal lens - I use a Mamiya 6. It can be more useful with the 150mm where handshake can become fairly apparent at exposures of 1/60s.

What do you mean by travel? If you are heading into the wild, then a small, light tripod is far more useful. If you are heading into crowds and small confined places, then a monopod is better.

I have a three section Manfrotto monopod (479). One, it is tall enough for me to stand up straight when using it - I've used smaller ones where they are a little too short and to steady the monopod AND you body is too much to do. I also like the lever locks as it makes changing height quick and easy - twist collars are a pain IMHO. Since I move the monopod back and forth to frame, I would imagine little legs on the foot would be a pain - the monopod does not need to be perfectly plumb to work.

To be honest, I don't use the monopd that much. Either carrying any form of support is too much weight and bulk, or the difference between a monopod and my CF tripod is not really significant and the monopod stays home. I find table-top tripods fairly useless. There never seems to be a surface in an area worth shooting from and ground-level shooting is not something I am interested in.

 

[Benjamin Marks]

Where are you travelling? There are walking sticks from outdoors-y companies that have a 1/4 thread screw on them. If you are going to be in an urban setting, I would take a little ball-head tripod (mini - seven to nine inches) and brace aganist a wall, bench, car, tree etc. for slower shutter speed times. There may be issues using a monopod inside a museum. When travelling, I place a premium on LIGHT weight, unless the gizmo can double to some other purpose. That extra pound, when carried around all day, can really make you miserable.

I once packed a backpack full of Pentax 6x7 equipt. Yoikes. What a load.

 

[Pherdinand]

The "self-standing" monopod feature is a bullshit. You don't want to put a mamiya 7 on that monopod and let it "stand" on those small flimsy feet. A duck fart will make it crash into the ground!
The step-on feature is handy in case of slippery surface, though.
For travel, try to find a monopod that can be retracted into a smaller piece, like the 4-piece monopods are. For the mamiya it does not have to be super steady. Also,l CF in a monopod is somewhat nonsense - the monopod is not as heavy as a tripod; 600 grams or 400 grams, not such a big difference for the triple price.

Quick release, not too often seen on monopod heads. But it's on the head anyway, you could pick a head that fiots your wishes.