[Leica] OT: Best monopod for wildlife photography

[afirkin at afirkin.com (Alastair Firkin)]

I've now used the Manfrotto without a ball head straight onto the collar of 
the 70-180 and 280 apo and find it easy to adjust sturdy and I'm a very 
happy monopodder

Cheers

--- wildlightphoto@earthlink.net wrote:

From: wildlightphoto@earthlink.net
To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org>
Subject: Re: [Leica] OT: Best monopod for wildlife photography
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:08:38 -0800 (GMT-08:00)

James Laird 

>I've recently acquired a 400mm 6.8 Telyt R with shoulder stock and
>after my first trip into the wilds I realize my plastic Velbon monopod
>I got on sale years ago is just not up to the task. I need a good
>sturdy but light monopod with quick release ball head that can support
>the Telyt and my 40D or SL2 without wobbling. The head must be able to
>go completely vertical in able to attach to the shoulder stock
>hardware. Any suggestions?

Just as with cameras there's no best monopod.  My requirements are:

1) easy to adjust one-handed, because I frequently change from standing to 
sitting to kneeling and back again, and because terrain varies enough that 
one moment I might be facing uphill and the next moment downhill.  I find 
the twist locks as on the Gitzo and Tiltall models to be less optimal than 
the locks on the manfrotto models.  OTOH the twist locks don't get caught in 
brush as easily.

2) supports a lot of weight as requrired.  SWMBO used my monopod as a 
walking stick in treacherous terrain in Alaska a few years ago.  It did the 
job well, but I'll refrain from guessing how much weight it handled.

3) extends long enough (I'm 6'1" tall)

4) collapses short enough that I can use it comfortably while seated.

A ball head on a monopod IMHO is less than ideal.  I prefer a simple 
inexpensive tilt head such as the manfrotto #234, see 
http://reallyrightstuff.com/tripods/03.html

The lens's tripod mount already has the rotation degree of freedom so 
duplicating this in the monopod's head is pointless.

The monopod I'm using an older Bogen 3218B, which I believe has been 
replaced by the Manfrotto 681B.  It was readily available inexpensively from 
a colleague, it's sturdy enough for the 560 & DMR (and as a walking stick, 
in a pinch), I can raise and lower it quickly and easily one-handed (the 
other hand is keeping the camera/lens from flopping over), it's tall enough 
for me, and it's taken several years of abuse.  Sometimes the leg locks get 
caught in brush, sometimes it doesn't collapse short enough.  If it were to 
be destroyed I'd get another one just like it.

http://wildlightphoto.com/leica/monopod.jpg


Doug Herr
Birdman of Sacramento
http://www.wildlightphoto.com



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