Tripods & Monopods

[Honu-Hugger]

Monopods are perhaps an acquired taste. I did not use one for years and when I started there was some awkwardness, but I have since found them to be useful. They eliminate one axis of movement (vertical) and are extremely portable. I try to brace mine against something solid whenever possible, then it becomes as stable as a tripod. I also use it as a gaffer's pole, walking stick, and along with a tripod as a second stabilizing point for SLR/long lenses.

D2

 

[WDG]

I use both, depending on whether I want maximum stability, or some stability with ease of movement. I use the Bogen 4-section carbon fiber tripod with their small (410?) geared head, and the Bogen carbon fiber monopod with a pair of one-way swivels. The geared head is great for the kind of static shooting I prefer, making fine adjustments easy, but no good really for any kind of moving shot. I'd rather have a fluid head for that. The two tiny heads on the monopod give me two axis of movement, to make it quick to flip over to vertical, or adjust the gross tilt.

Like others I use tripod for RF only rarely. If I'm taking the tripod, I'll be packing a Nikon, or something larger. The monopod is more versital for both, but I usually just go hand-held with the RF's.

As far as stability with the monopod, I find that I get fairly good control by having the stick angled just a bit forward, pressing the camera to my eye and leaning into it some. It's sort of like a "loose" tripod. I shot the Blue Angels on the monopod a couple of years ago, and was quite pleased with the results at 200mm. It gave me stable panning I would otherwise have had only with a fluid head on a tripod.

 

[CleverName]

Has anyone tried the 1/4 inch eyebolt and string trick as a substitute for a monopod?

Bob

Never heard of this trick. How's it work?

 

[doubs43]

Never heard of this trick. How's it work?

Purchase a 1/4x20 threaded eye-bolt and screw it into the camera's tripod socket. Attach a string that's long enough to reach the ground when the camera is at eye-level. Bring the camera to your eye and then step on the string while using upward pressure to keep the camera to your eye. The downward pressure of the string and the upward pressure of your hands will tend to give you a steady camera. It's an old trick but still one that works.

Walker

 

[Nikon Bob]

That answers that question.

Bob

 

[former member]

I have a Goldcrest Tripod that I bought in 1970 and it Still Works!!! I use it with the 1000mm Meade. It actually has the 1/4" screw were it should be, ON THE TRIPOD!!!

I also used a Monopod with the 500mm lens for photographing birds on a wetlands. It gave the ability to reposition the camera quickly and gave better stability than hand-held alone.

 

[doubs43]

I have a Goldcrest Tripod that I bought in 1970 and it Still Works!!! I use it with the 1000mm Meade. It actually has the 1/4" screw were it should be, ON THE TRIPOD!!!

My Goldcrest, bought in 1968, has gone bad. It has flip-lock legs and one refuses to even hold the weight of the bare tripod. I used it for a lot of years though. My new SunPak 7500 is quite an upgrade with better leg locks, levels and QD plates.

My father only owned one tripod his entire life...... a Quikset (sp?) that was considered at one time to be as good as there was.

Walker

 

[ddutchison]

...As far as stability with the monopod, I find that I get fairly good control by having the stick angled just a bit forward, pressing the camera to my eye and leaning into it some...

I also read about this technique, and find it works very well for eye-level shots, only way to go, really.

Mono-pods eliminate the small shakes you get in your hands, and from mirror-slap with reflex cameras, but below 1/15th sec. the movement of the mono-pod itself, however slight, starts to become noticeable. I find they are best used in situations where there is enough light for hand-held photography, but you want the extra sharpness a tripod gives. For low-light situations, I still use a tripod.

My main issue with tripods is the attention they attract, and the fact that they are forbidden in many places. When I'm carrying mine, I get lots of comments, and sometimes feel I'm carrying a sign that reads "This person has something worth stealing". When I'm carrying a mono-pod (basically a 2ft piece of metal pipe), people may still look, but keep their comments to themselves.

I never considered a mono-pod until I bought a Bronica-S2 (a four pound 6x6 SLR), and quickly learned that while it is possible to shoot it hand-held, it's not especially pleasant and there's no way I'm going to carry a tripod everywhere.. I have also come to use it a lot with my Nikon F2.

For hand-held daylight photography, I've found that any 35mm RF camera with a good lens will give results almost as good as a tripod mounted SLR, and that's why it's my camera of choice for 90% of what I shoot.

 

[Kin Lau]

Tripod or monopod with a RF? What's the point? As others have mentioned, that's when we go light and unencumbered.

For my SLR's, I use a Vivitar PL300 with an old Manifrotto ball head, especially with time exposures, macro and long lenses. But I still like handholding most of the time. Almost all of my shots on DSLRX are handheld with a 500mm

I do occasionally use a cheap monopod with my long tele's, and it works fine, but that pod's getting much too beatup and it's somewhat short too. I'm looking for a good replacement. The only lenses I use the mono with, are those with a collar around the lense.