My experience with a monopod (a Giottos) is not good. What's yours? :)
I do not find it useful as I still see the shake on long exposure photos and it is still bulky. I tried it also during an airshow and it did not allow me to move the camera as fast as I wanted.
The only use I can see is as a weapon in case someone wants to steal your camera, a little like a baseball bat. LOL

I do not find it useful as I still see the shake on long exposure photos and it is still bulky. I tried it also during an airshow and it did not allow me to move the camera as fast as I wanted.


I have not a monopod,but i took photos at an airshow using the tripod with loose ballhead,following a parallel course with the airplanes and the photos were sharp.I think that if you have an monopod with ballhead you will take excellent images.
I took photo at a Zoo using the tripod + ballhead as a monopod,because there were many people around and they kicked the tripod,and i believe the ballhead is the key ;)

On long exposure photos the tripod is the only option,monopod doesn't work

I have never used it with a camera, but only with a telescope when birding. I wouldn't think it would work well with long exposures as it would be difficult to hold it steady enough. I was thinking of trying a monopod next time I go to Hollywood Beach to take bird photos.

:D :D Gosh Olly you are funny. I have never used one but have always wanted to get one, they seemed easy to use but, I guess I will change my mind now.:D

The monopod I have has a ballhead but I found it annoying at the airshow when the planes fly above you: at some point you have to lift the monopod to try to follow the planes and you end hitting the people around you.

I will take a photo of it when I have some time.

at some point you have to lift the monopod to try to follow the planes and you end hitting the people around you.

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Indeed!That is what i did,and pleople stayed not very close to me :p

Here's the photo of the ballhead attached to the monopod. It is not good enough when using heavy lenses (cannot stop the lens from falling down) but the whole thing was cheap so not a real surprise.
Good ballheads are usually very expensive.

http://www.photoboard.eu/monopodballhead.jpg