Wanting to buy a monopod...any suggestions

SitterS · April 23, 2007

Hope I am asking this in the right thread. I am looking to buy a monopod. I am a small person and the weight of the 70-210 plus a battery grip gets pretty heavy for me. I think this would help with my sport shots. Any suggestions on a good monopod at a decent price.

Shane

ian408 · April 23, 2007

Hi Shane!

Take a look at the sticky above for more info.

Generally speaking, the Bogen's are pretty good monopods. The model
3016 should do the trick for you.

SitterS · April 24, 2007

Thanks very much! Will check out the information above as well as the 3016.

Shane

ian408 · April 24, 2007

You're welcome!

Mike02 · April 25, 2007

Check out my signature; now is it the 70-210, or the 70-200 youre talking about?

SitterS · April 26, 2007

Oops. It is the 70-200. Will have to check out the 679b. Thanks Mike.

Shane

z_28 · April 26, 2007

I have Manfrotto 679B with 3025 3D head for severeal years yet,
and it was good choice.
So after Mike02

Mike02 · April 26, 2007

SitterS wrote:

Oops. It is the 70-200. Will have to check out the 679b. Thanks Mike.

Shane

Glad I could help :P.

P.S: If you want to buy it with a swivel/tilt head, I highly recommend the 3232 combo, it's worked very well for my D200 and my 70-200 (without the grip), so it should be comparable to your kit's weight :P (And it's only $60 bucks

!

urbanaries · April 26, 2007

Hey Shane!

I have the same issue with my 70-200. I asked Ian for some help and he delivered in this thread

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=53477

i now use my monopod every time I use the 70-200. Even if its not extended, it really helps to hold the weight in the monopod grip as opposed to the lens. My performance using it has increased immensely. I bought a $40 Bogen without a head, as for now, I only use it with the lens that has a tripod mount

good luck! you'll love it.

SitterS · April 27, 2007

I appreciate all the responses from you guys. You guys are the best! Now I need to get off my butt and get one ordered. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Shane

BigAl · April 29, 2007

I use a Manfrotto 679b monopod with a Manfrotto 234rc monopod head and a belt mounted monopod bucket with my Bigma. Works like a dream.

I have showed the monopod bucket on DGrin before, but here again:

dcyphert · June 18, 2007

Need a MonoPod for my setup
I need some suggestions for a good monopod that will support a Canon 30D, battery grip and a 70-200mm IS USM L; I'm not sure what that all weighs, but I know the lens alone is 3.3 lbs. It's a little on the hefty side when your at a 2-3 hour event. I'm leaning towards Bogen/Manfrotto or Gitzo and want to keep the cost at or under $100.

cmason · June 18, 2007

I have the Manfrotto 680B, with the 3229 head. This monopod is very substantial, and very well built; it would serve nicely as a weapon should you need one on a dark, lonely street.

It is one of the more compact monopods, a key consideration for packing. I recommend it. However, I have been considering a smaller, even more compact monopod, as this one seems, I don't know, overbuilt I guess. I also like the idea of the "tripod extensions" offered on some models, and which can be added to the 680.

So I went to the local shop, and checked out their stock. I tried a few models with the 'tripod extensions' and concluded that they in no way made up for a tripod, and in the end were of no use. Basically, with the legs extended, the monopod, with weight, would sway at the lightest touch, and take quite a while to stop. I found I could hold steadier with the monopod extened as usual, than with the camera sitting on the legs. I addition, I realized that the legs would only work on flat, level ground, since unlike a real tripod, they can not be adjusted. Since I rarely run into level ground, this was a deal breaker. I dropped that idea.

While I was there, I was extremely impressed with a few Induro models, especially the Induro MXC34 and the MC24. These Carbon Fiber monopods are a new brand made by the same company that owns Mamiya, Pantone, Pocketwizard, Tenba, Sekonic, etc. The MXC34 was essentially the same dimensions as my 680, about half the weight, and included the legs I mention above. The MC24, was about two inches shorter, about half the diameter as the MXC34, and seemed ideal for what I wanted. I will likely go back and buy it...putting my 680 up for sale...

dcyphert · June 18, 2007

cmason wrote:

I have the Manfrotto 680B, with the 3229 head. This monopod is very substantial, and very well built; it would serve nicely as a weapon should you need one on a dark, lonely street.

It is one of the more compact monopods, a key consideration for packing. I recommend it. However, I have been considering a smaller, even more compact monopod, as this one seems, I don't know, overbuilt I guess. I also like the idea of the "tripod extensions" offered on some models, and which can be added to the 680.

So I went to the local shop, and checked out their stock. I tried a few models with the 'tripod extensions' and concluded that they in no way made up for a tripod, and in the end were of no use. Basically, with the legs extended, the monopod, with weight, would sway at the lightest touch, and take quite a while to stop. I found I could hold steadier with the monopod extened as usual, than with the camera sitting on the legs. I addition, I realized that the legs would only work on flat, level ground, since unlike a real tripod, they can not be adjusted. Since I rarely run into level ground, this was a deal breaker. I dropped that idea.

While I was there, I was extremely impressed with a few Induro models, especially the Induro MXC34 and the MC24. These Carbon Fiber monopods are a new brand made by the same company that owns Mamiya, Pantone, Pocketwizard, Tenba, Sekonic, etc. The MXC34 was essentially the same dimensions as my 680, about half the weight, and included the legs I mention above. The MC24, was about two inches shorter, about half the diameter as the MXC34, and seemed ideal for what I wanted. I will likely go back and buy it...putting my 680 up for sale...

Thanks for the info...I was looking at the 680 on a few sites...

Wanting to buy a monopod...any suggestions

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