Monopod or tripods on vacation

brucenz · April 21, 2011

Hello everyone

I'm spending a month in north american in July and need to travel light. I am torn between carrying a tripod with me or a monopod.

1. What would people recommend (for serious predominately day shots and some travel night shots, cityscapes, people at locations, lights etc?
2. Can people recommend good travel tripods or monopods?
3. Does anyone shoot portrait on a monopod and which monopod would be best?

Camera Olympus E3 Pro, lens - various, expenditure US$0 - US$150

Thanks
Bruce

Wicked_Dark · April 21, 2011

I have a small Slik tripod that I take with me on vacation. It weighs only a couple pounds and is steady enough for what it is. It folds to about 15 inches and has rubber feet that can be screwed back to reveal spike feet. Ball head, no frills and doesn't come anywhere near eye-level, but it serves the purpose for those sunset/rise or long exposure shots I can't get otherwise. and it's not too heavy. the drawback is that it doesn't handle much weight so in awkward positions it can get tippy with a heavy lens. I've never used a monopod so can't comment.

Art Scott · April 21, 2011

I carry both of these when I travel, Giottos MT9180 tripod & Giottos P-Pod, the tripod is discontinued but info on it is still available on the net, they both have their uses......both can get low for close up / macro photos ....the tripod is a 4 section easily backpackable tripod, sturdy enough to with stand heavy stormy winds and still give photos that show no signs of shake......the monopod (P-pod) is also very stable and has legs that can be screw in to the bottom to help stabilize in strong winds....but they are not meant to leave camera on for self portrait...they can also be screwed in near the top to get you camera very close to the ground.......I have used both of these for many years.....the tripod might seem a bit heavy but I wil take slightly heavy over cheap light and unstable any day on a trip that might very well be a once in a life time trip.
Tripod cost me around $159 us and the P-pod was less than $100 (now approx $115)......
here is a link to show the uniqueness of both .....
MT series tripods - http://www.giottos.com under the heading Professional tripod System, click the MT to see why I like this series of tripods...

P-Pod - http://tinyurl.com/3sgj38t click on the more images link to see how the feet go on near the top for low to ground shooting...

hgernhardtjr · April 21, 2011

I find this HorusBennu to be excellent and have been using it extensively for close to a year now with no problems http://cgi.ebay.com/HorusBennu-1128TT-Camera-Tripod-Monopod-w-Ball-Head-/270529680358?pt=US_Tripods&hash=item3efcd353e6

It has been through a lot, but still does the job and does not shake or slip; I reviewed it here: http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=176088 — still excellent bang for the buck in my opinion. It simply works and works well as a travel tripod and monopod with my 5dMkII and 70-200 f2.8 is.

ImageX Photography · April 22, 2011

I think a tripod would be best. That way you can do longer exposures if needed. I use a Manfrotto 190CX3 Pro. It is very small and lightweight for a tripod. Very high quality too. You could purchase the 190CX4 Pro and it would have 4 leg sections instead of 3 and would fold up even more compact. I really like my tripod and I specifically bought it to be semi small and portable. I think you would really like it.

Here is the CX4 Pro with 4 leg sections. It is an excellent tripod and perfect for most macro shooting as well... due to the tilting column and fold flat legs.

EDIT: Ooops.... just noticed your limited price range. The Manfrotto 190CX4PRO is usually much more than your budget allows. I did find an excellent deal at B&H!! They have it for nearly half price! http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/548526-REG/Manfrotto_190CXPRO4_190CXPRO4_4_Section_Carbon_Fiber.html

brucenz · April 24, 2011

Thanks everyone, very helpful. I will check everything you have suggested out.

njdrew1 · April 28, 2011

How about a monopod that has legs that come out of the bottom when you need them? Take a look at a Manfrotto 682B.

Monopod or tripods on vacation

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