Will a monopod be stable enough for my Digital Ixus

[vanderwijk]

Recently I have started to make some pictures in the dark using my Canon Digital Ixus 55 and I found that they all turned out unsharp because I had moved the camera (examples in this Flickr set). I noticed that when putting the camera on a solid surface and using the 10 second self-timer the photos turned out much better. But since it is not always easy to find a solid surface with a good angle to the object I am trying to capture, I think I need a tripod.

In the shop I saw that there are also monopods (one-legged version of a tripod) and since I think a tripod might be a bit overkill for my tiny camera I am wondering if I could also use a monopod as they are much lighter and cheaper.

My only concern is whether I will be able to keep a monopod completely still to prevent my photos to become blurry. Does anyone have experience with monopods and would it be a viable solution for me or should I just buy a tripod? Thanks!

[inkista]

Nope. A monopod won't do what you want. A monopod is roughly equivalent to camera stabilization, so it won't be good enough for a 10 sec. shot. On the other hand, you don't have to get as heavy/sturdy a tripod for a small camera like an Ixus as you would for an SLR with a telephoto lens on it.

Have you looked at smaller travel tripods like the gorillapod or ultrapod? That may be more what you're looking for.

[vanderwijk]

Thanks for your helpful comment! I thought that a monopod might not be stable enough, but it is very useful to have this confirmed by you.

I'll have a look at the gorillapod and ultrapod, they are certainly a good size, but I am not sure if they will offer much benefit over my currently used method of finding objects to put my camera on. Usually the tree, park bench or garbage container are not in a good position to make a nice shot and I guess in those situations only a full height tripod will help.

[WooD]

From the way I read your original post, your not actually shooting at a 10 second shutter speed, but sitting your camera on something and using the 10 second timer.

If thats the case, I think a mono pod will be of help to you.

You should be able to score good shots down to 1/60 using a mono pod.

[vanderwijk]

Yes, you are right, I don't use a 10 second shutter speed, but I use the self-timer so a single shot will be taken 10 seconds after I press the button. I found that simply pressing the button in the dark can already cause my photos to be blurry and using the 10-sec self timer I can avoid this.

What do you mean by 1/60 (1 second exposure time?), if it is 1 second, then I will have to rethink my options because I never use exposure times longer than a second and I still believe a monopod would be the most practical for me. Decisions, decisions...

[Footski]

What is meant by 1/60 is actually 1/60th of a second. At speeds of 1/60 or above a monopod will do fine as long as it is held steady. You will not need to use the self timer either as the camera will be held securely on the monopod.

If you are going to be shooting at less than 1/60 upto a second or more then the chances are that the monopod will not be held securely enough and a decent tripod will be your best solution..

Obviously if you are going to us ea large zoom lens then the required shutter speed will need to increase to keep the images sharp.

[gazsus]

I can highly recommend the gorillapod mentioned before, I have one that holds my DSLR and point & shoot Lumix. They're very handy for getting the right angle for a shot as the legs adjust to almost any conceivable position.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by vanderwijk

I'll have a look at the gorillapod and ultrapod, they are certainly a good size, but I am not sure if they will offer much benefit over my currently used method of finding objects to put my camera on. Usually the tree, park bench or garbage container are not in a good position to make a nice shot and I guess in those situations only a full height tripod will help.

That's true, but where the ultrapod/gorillapod can help you is in having the ball-head at the top of the tripod give you the ability to point and hold the camera at any angle, which the table/bench/garbage can/beanbag doesn't. So you'll have a few more choices, even if you can't choose exactly where to place the camera. Undoubtedly, a full-height tripod is a better choice, but it'll be a lot larger/heavier to shlep around, as well as being more expensive.