Monopod or Tripod? (differences)

martinturner

martinturner

martinturner

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3 legs versus 1 leg?

In what instances have you found using a monopod over a tripod really useful?

I am presuming long exposure shots really have to be done using a tripod as no matter how still you think you are holding the monopod its still going to move left/right?

Macro shots (using a zoom/macro lens), they often suffer from camera shake if not taken using a tripod. If I was to use a monopod would I still notice camera shake? Or again, is it a case that I should use tripod?

Want to get a sense of what is good for what and when? What benefits have you found from one over the other. Do you even use a monopod?

:)
 
In virtually every case you could come up with, I'd say having a tripod would be better for the photograph. The only real way in which monopods excel is in their weight and convenience. If you're going walking, for example, you can also get walking poles with handles that come off to reveal a screw to fix a camera.
 
Well I use both just about as much as each other.. but there comes a point where you just can't use a monopod and you need a tripod..

When i'm doing sports stuff and motorracing I always use a monopod if using a big lens, as a tripod is to cumbersome, and I find myself having to sometimes just get up and change postion with no time to faff around with legs or adjustment, bearing in mind i'm mostly shooting over 1/60sec shutter speeds which can be perfectly sharp on a monopod with some practise..
That said if I can get away with hand holding with smaller lenses I ditch the monopod, I only use it if i've got my 300F2.8 or my friends 500F4 as they're heavy..

If i'm doing anything where i'm in the same place for a long time, or doing something which requires extreme steadiness landscape/etc I use a tripod with remote release.. I'd recommend a tripod for pretty much everything except sports and stuff where you're constantly moving about but still need the support..
With a decent tripod you can have shutter speeds which last an hour if you like and still have perfectly sharp pictures,

Some people swear by tripods, but i'd say that they'res a time and place for both supports, you can get a entry level manfrotto monopod for about £50 anyway, they're very handy but only as a rest and not a full support..
 
V-Spec said:
Well I use both just about as much as each other.. but there comes a point where you just can't use a monopod and you need a tripod..

When i'm doing sports stuff and motorracing I always use a monopod if using a big lens, as a tripod is to cumbersome, and I find myself having to sometimes just get up and change postion with no time to faff around with legs or adjustment, bearing in mind i'm mostly shooting over 1/60sec shutter speeds which can be perfectly sharp on a monopod with some practise..
That said if I can get away with hand holding with smaller lenses I ditch the monopod, I only use it if i've got my 300F2.8 or my friends 500F4 as they're heavy..

If i'm doing anything where i'm in the same place for a long time, or doing something which requires extreme steadiness landscape/etc I use a tripod with remote release.. I'd recommend a tripod for pretty much everything except sports and stuff where you're constantly moving about but still need the support..
With a decent tripod you can have shutter speeds which last an hour if you like and still have perfectly sharp pictures,

Some people swear by tripods, but i'd say that they'res a time and place for both supports, you can get a entry level manfrotto monopod for about £50 anyway, they're very handy but only as a rest and not a full support..
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Basically what he said, having only ever used a monopod a handful of times i cannot really comment, but at many sporting events you'll see the photographers using monopods with their long lens' so they can quickly move about
 
Awesome reply thank you!

What about macro shots, if I am using a telephoto zoom/macro lens set on macro to a macro of something 1ft-3ft away? Monopod doable, or should I chose a tripod?

Trying to weigh up if buying a monopod would be of any use to me. I am borrowing a mates tripod at the moment, which has been great, but cumbersome as repositioning is frequent with the macro stuff.

EDIT: I dont plan on taking fast shutter speed sports shots, although my main reason to ask was that I was experimenting with fast shutter speeds catching water dripping onto an item in my kitchen sink last night. I found it pretty cool with the tripod, just cumbersome the adjustments. Was wondering if the monopod would have sufficed?
 
martinturner said:
Awesome reply thank you!

What about macro shots, if I am using a telephoto zoom/macro lens set on macro to a macro of something 1ft-3ft away? Monopod doable, or should I chose a tripod?

Trying to weigh up if buying a monopod would be of any use to me. I am borrowing a mates tripod at the moment, which has been great, but cumbersome as repositioning is frequent with the macro stuff.

EDIT: I dont plan on taking fast shutter speed sports shots, although my main reason to ask was that I was experimenting with fast shutter speeds catching water dripping onto an item in my kitchen sink last night. I found it pretty cool with the tripod, just cumbersome the adjustments. Was wondering if the monopod would have sufficed?
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I think a Tripod would easily be the best solution for you,
 
I've been using my tripod a lot recently, and yes for repositioning I imagine a monopod would be easier, but there are a lot of things you lose with it also. One way would be to buy both and then possibly sell the one you like the least. However tripods are a better allrounder from what I can see
 
on many tripods you can extend only one leg and use it like a monopod. you can't do this the other way round (though I think somene did market a monopod that did convert by attaching extra legs).

for me that would swing it to a tripod as the first purchase. if you feel the need for a monopod later, add one then.
 
Manfrotto do a monopod which can have 3 legs come out of the bottom (the 682). I bought it for a stationary video camera during our Christmas panto (while we operated 2 others on video tripods). Couldn't really recommend it for use a tripod though as it's not particularly stable, and certainly not for long exposures, but it allows a degree of flexibility when out and about I suppose.
 
I use my monopod to support the weight of camera / lens and my tripod to keep camera / lens steady (if that makes sense)
 
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