Monopod or Tripod.......

[Crazy Guy]

What experiance do you guy's have of either of these? I have a very low budget £40ish, can I expect to get a resonable tripod for this amount? Or do i go with a better quality monopod?

Any advice welcome.

PS - It will need to support a D60.

 

[pumbaa]

Depends what sort of shots you are trying to take to be honest. If you are trying to take landscapes, long exposure shots, sunsets, waterfall etc, you'll need a tripod. And a decent one to boot. A lot of the guys on here recommend Red Snapper (do a search) - I have a Manfrotto and Giotto's myself so can't vouch for RS personally.

Frankly, having spent peanuts on a tripod previously, I can hand on heart say you get what you pay for ultimately. I only wish I had the Manfrotto when I went to Yellowstone rather than the flimsy 30 quid piece of junk I took with me, which went swimming in the Snake River......

 

[mr ooops]

ive a redsnapper tripod a 3 way head (£75) and its a very sturdy and quality bit of kit, i fell foul of the cheap tripod and it was terrible (its was cheap cheap £20 i think) i can also vouch for the redsnapper monopod as ive just got that too, depends on what you want to use it for both have pros and cons

 

[toadoftoadhall]

I use both, and have done for years. If its nice and bright, and just want to be steady while I take a shot at 1/60 or 1/30, happy to use monopod. Also much easier to take on long hikes, mountains etc. Still use tripods at weddings, and long exposures, 1/4 etc.
What you dont want is a brilliant but so heavy a tripod that you dont take it out anywhere. If you go tripod, get a good lightweight, carbon fibre, ie expensive, but it is then useable.

toad

 

[P-P-S-S]

Which one would be better: a Manfrotto 7301YB, Giotto MTL9251B or a Red Snapper?

 

[TarMoo]

I have owned a tripod in the past and never used it. I went round to see a friend a few weeks ago and he had a Manfrotto 055XPROB which he has owned for years and never used.

I now have a carbon fibre Benro monopod and use it for macro flower shots.

Peter

 

[Mike.P®]

I have had the Redsnapper tripod and monopod for about 5 months now.
I have used the monopod on occasions, I have never used the tripod

Both very good quality though.

 

[Biscuit761]

Horses for courses, was at Rockingham at the weekend, all the pro's were using monopods with their big white (and quite a few black) lenses - one looked as though it would need a pile of bricks to support it !

Have just bought a carbon fibre tripod (Velbon) with a Manfrotto ball head, a great investment IMHO, have used it quite a lot.

Also have a monopod which I take out quite often - Janet hates it as invariably she ends up having to carry it while it often remains unused !

Bill

 

[existent]

I got a jessops tripod for about £40. Probably I could have found one cheaper online but I wanted to see what the differences were between different models and didn't want to wait.

It is quite small and easy to carry around I think (for me at least). I keep it in the car all the time and would take it with me if I'm going somewhere to take some pictures. But I wouldn't take it with me if I'm going for holiday to another country.

It's not as pretty and light as more expensive ones but
it does what I need, and seems to be pretty stable. It also has a spirit level

 

[anthony566]

I have a Tripod and have used this quite a lot and have just got a Manfrotto 694CX Carbon Fiber as it is very very light and will work better for carrying around.

 

[kBm]

Another monopod user here. It has little legs that store away inside the frame which makes it handy when you need to do a self timer shot.

Its big, and wont fit in a standard size suitcase, so stays in the boot most time.

 

[Orwella]

I would say that a monopod is a nice accessory to have in addition to a tripod. Mono's can be very convenient but you lose the full stability of a tripod, and mono's obviously do not work in hands-free mode.

In a straight choice between the two I would definitely take the tripod.

 

[bstonehouse]

I have never had a monopod but would like to try one - do you need an additional head for it ?
I can see how you could pan with just a monopod without another head but what about moving the camera vertically, I would think you need a ball and socket head. Bit loath to buy one without having all this sorted out first. Thanks

 

[anthony566]

Manfrotto are giving heads away free with there monopods at the moment....

 

[P-P-S-S]

Anyone knows if the Manfrotto 7302yb has a spirit level incorporated in its body or head?