monopod

[desi]

Hello there,
I am in the market for a monopod. I am not wanting to spend more than approximately $30 USD if possible. I want something light enough to hike with and the ability to take a vertical shot with the monopod still attached - this may mean adding a head so please feel free to recommend there as well.

Any recommendations?

thank you,
desi

[EntityDesigns]

Poormans monopod:
I had a past co-worker suggest just taking a screw with the same threads as the tripod base and attaching a string (preferrably plastic twine for tieing down stuff) and at the other end a heavy washer. So basically you just step on the washer and steady your shot. Best of all it cost almost nothing. ;)

[Bail]

I am not sure what camera you use but make sure it could support the weight!

I bought one of those cheapo "SIMA" monopods when I had my Canon Powershot. It worked ok on the sima. I noticed some flex in the pod but I didn't really care. When I upgraded to the 20D It could barely support it even with the smallest lens. If I put the battery grip or flash or any diffrent lens the ball would slope down and the monopod would collapse.
So if you have a SLR, Avoid SIMA mono pods.

I went and got a the cheap Bogen manfrotto mono pod for 30.00 @ Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Bogen-4-Section-Light-Weight-Monopod/dp/B00009R6CO/sr=1-1/qid=1166224601/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-3258501-4732450?ie=UTF8&s=photo

It hold up my camera with the battery grip, flash and 75-300mm zoom lens with no problem!

[Fraggleroxer]

I am not sure what camera you use but make sure it could support the weight!

I bought one of those cheapo "SIMA" monopods when I had my Canon Powershot. It worked ok on the sima. I noticed some flex in the pod but I didn't really care. When I upgraded to the 20D It could barely support it even with the smallest lens. If I put the battery grip or flash or any diffrent lens the ball would slope down and the monopod would collapse.
So if you have a SLR, Avoid SIMA mono pods.

I went and got a the cheap Bogen manfrotto mono pod for 30.00 @ Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Bogen-4-Section-Light-Weight-Monopod/dp/B00009R6CO/sr=1-1/qid=1166224601/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-3258501-4732450?ie=UTF8&s=photo

It hold up my camera with the battery grip, flash and 75-300mm zoom lens with no problem!

thats a great monopod. its worth double that in useage factor

[desi]

Thanks, EntityDesigns for the poorman's monopod idea - I will have to try that out. It would be nice to have monopod that I could have in my bag or my pocket.

Bail and Fraggleroxer - I appreciate the tip on the Bogen. I didn't know Bogen had one for that price. I added that one to my Amazon wishlist. =)

[AdamLyon]

I liked the idea of a monopod but couldn't get around the practicality of it... so I purchased a Jacko "Royal Series" walking stick/hiking pole that doubles as a monopod. The head of the screws off and you can either screw your camera right into it or attach a head to it. I found this to be much more functional than stowing a monopod in a bag or slinging it over my shoulder. I believe I paid about $30 for it new off of eBay. There are definitely more functional monopods out there, but this was a great 2-in-1 solution for me.

The only thing to note about this is that the screw on the monopod is the size of the camera mount, not the size of a normal head mount, so you'll either need to find a head that has the smaller mount size, or get an adapter that will step up the size of the screw.

[mark robinson]

I was considering a monopod but instead bought an Ultra-Pod mini tripod. It is easily small enough to fit in a pocket, stable enough to hold a Panasonic FZ20 rock solid and, best of all, has a velcro strap sytem that enables you to clamp the pod securely on a branch, fence, gate or whatever. It basically peforms the same function as the Gorilla Pod but is smaller lighter, more stable and quite a lot cheaper.