Do you actually use a monopod as a ...

[RMD]

Find monopods very useful,especially when you add an accessory
walking stick knob which gives you a walking pole :

 

[snusmumriken]

Old school tripod, I recommend carbon fiber, and a cable release.

I’m not going to carry a tripod as well as a stick!

 

[Sirius Glass]

Old school tripod, I recommend carbon fiber, and a cable release.

I’m not going to carry a tripod as well as a stick!

That was for readers in general, not you.

 

[Vaughn]

I have a walking stick with a standard camera thread on top that had a wood knob such as in a couple posts above. Came in handy a few times just walking around with the TLR. It lets me use a little under 1/50th second with a little more confidence. But most of the time I use a 2 lb CF tripod -- too short for anything else, but a nice height for the waist-level finder on the Rolleicord.

 

[MattKing]

Monopods are particularly useful with cameras that have waist level finders on them.
The geometry of the shutter release is also important.

 

[jwd722]

When my granddaughter was in high school (now entering Junior year in college) she played Varsity volleyball, basketball and softball and I took hundreds of pictures of each sport at each game.
I used a Nikon D500 with a 80-200 2.8 lens on a monopod with a medium ballhead kept loose so I could swivel freely. Worked like a charm and kept me from getting fatigued.
Also use it at times with an RB67 and/or Bronica EC in place of a tripod.

 

[250swb]

I can see why people like monopods, photographers have always been keen to test what they can get away with. But I just don't see the point, even carrying the lightest flimsiest tripod is better than a monopod given a tripod can be weighted to increase rigidity. Maybe there is a case to make if you are photographing in crowds and a tripod is going to be in the way, but like many photographers who collect junk I've got two monopods and they have barely left back of the wardrobe.

 

[foc]

I used a monopod but not for photography!
When I had my photo shop, I kept one under the counter beside the cash register/till just in case of a smash and grab. It was a very heavy duty monopod.

 

[grain elevator]

I don't use one but I see the aforementioned as a benefit: I can be used in self defense (mainly thinking dogs, if someone puts before me the choice of getting stabbed or losing my camera, I won't take chances). But it's not a primarily a weapon, which is a huge legal advantage in many jurisdictions and for air travel.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I can see why people like monopods, photographers have always been keen to test what they can get away with. But I just don't see the point, even carrying the lightest flimsiest tripod is better than a monopod given a tripod can be weighted to increase rigidity. Maybe there is a case to make if you are photographing in crowds and a tripod is going to be in the way, but like many photographers who collect junk I've got two monopods and they have barely left back of the wardrobe.

Can a monopod be used as a walking stick if the camera is removed?

 

[btaylor]

Can a monopod be used as a walking stick if the camera is removed?

Indeed! Last time I was in Yosemite I used one in exactly that way, it was very handy. I bought an inexpensive aluminum travel tripod from B&H (all in with the case and ball head I think it was under $150) and as a bonus one leg could be removed to use as a monopod. It even has a nice foam handgrip, and the ball head screws onto it. Worked great as a walking stick with the spike out. And of course it did its duty to steady my Rolleicord.

 

[juan]

Yes, I use mine extended like a hiking pole. There are knobs that fit the camera screw, so you could use it as a shorter walking cane.

 

[Helge]

Monopods are particularly useful with cameras that have waist level finders on them.
The geometry of the shutter release is also important.

That’s an interesting idea. Never heard about/thought of that.
You can hold the camera onto your body for extra stability.
Good if you have conflicting emotions about straps and MF gear.

 

[xya]

50 years ago I bought my first simple aluminium tripod. Legs folded, but extended, it's like a monopod and it's not heavier. Aluminium or carbon fiber, there are many tripods that you can fold in a second, legs still extended, and move on. You can lean on it like on a walking stick, use it as a monopod for short exposure times and still unfold it for longer exposure times. And yes, a cable release helps a lot for tripod use.

 

[Pieter12]

One of the advantages of a monopod is extreme flexibility (of position, not of the materials) to follow action and move quickly to another position. And no matter what tripod you use, a monopod is going to be smaller and lighter for the equivalent strength.

 

[MattKing]

That’s an interesting idea. Never heard about/thought of that.
You can hold the camera onto your body for extra stability.
Good if you have conflicting emotions about straps and MF gear.

I use a really short strap on my Mamiya C330. In use, it becomes more of a upper chest level finder.
Using it with a monopod and a quick release is really effective. And the front shutter release that pushes the camera toward you, rather than down, adds to the efficacy.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I use a really short strap on my Mamiya C330. In use, it becomes more of a upper chest level finder.
Using it with a monopod and a quick release is really effective. And the front shutter release that pushes the camera toward you, rather than down, adds to the efficacy.

When I owned a Mamiya C330 I used a Porroflex or a prism. The joy of eliminating the left right reversal was continued when I traded it in for the Hasselblad and I got the 45° PME [prism with a meter].

 

[250swb]

Can a monopod be used as a walking stick if the camera is removed?

Err, yes of course it can, but a hiking pole is 'better' because it is much lighter, and if you are hiking using two is better than one anyway. So do people take two monopods with them on a hike or is the 'hiking pole monopod' thing an illusion of it's real usefulness? I can imagine taking two hiking poles and a small tripod, but other than as balance for doddery old men one hiking pole is worse than none at all if you are covering any distance because it unbalances the effort of walking to one side of the body. Two things to observe are that most hiking poles will take a small tripod head suitable for a P&S camera or your GoPro, but the question was about monopods. And if you are seriously using a monopod as a walking stick due to infirmity and not an energy saving walking aid perhaps consider informing the rescue services where you are going before setting off.

 

[polka]

What I use almost always with my MF cameras and their WLFs, I call it my "belly pod", and I find it rather effective.

 

[JPD]

I have a monopod somewhere, in its original packaging. I think it was on sale 25-30 years ago, so I bought it. Haven't used it yet, but maybe one day.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Err, yes of course it can, but a hiking pole is 'better' because it is much lighter, and if you are hiking using two is better than one anyway. So do people take two monopods with them on a hike or is the 'hiking pole monopod' thing an illusion of it's real usefulness? I can imagine taking two hiking poles and a small tripod, but other than as balance for doddery old men one hiking pole is worse than none at all if you are covering any distance because it unbalances the effort of walking to one side of the body. Two things to observe are that most hiking poles will take a small tripod head suitable for a P&S camera or your GoPro, but the question was about monopods. And if you are seriously using a monopod as a walking stick due to infirmity and not an energy saving walking aid perhaps consider informing the rescue services where you are going before setting off.

I was in the Grand Canyon National Park in the winter. They do not clear the snow at the observation areas so it got icy. Between people walking on the ice and snow and the melt freeze cycles the ice got thick, clear and very slippery. I took a fall and I did not notice the lens hood departing the lens, replaced later by a computer trip to KEH for very little money. I brought one hiking pole that had a rubber tip which cover an ice pick and a pair of crampons. When I used the single hiking stick, traction was stable but when I stopped to take a photograph the hiking stick was in the way. The crampons provided better traction but needed to be removed when one got to the end of the ice and snow only to be reinstalled at the next patch of ice although it one keep them one to walk on pavement the small rollers made them a little awkward. For some unknown reason the shops wanted the all friction devices removed before entering their premises. Go figure.

 

[Pieter12]

Err, yes of course it can, but a hiking pole is 'better' because it is much lighter, and if you are hiking using two is better than one anyway. So do people take two monopods with them on a hike or is the 'hiking pole monopod' thing an illusion of it's real usefulness? I can imagine taking two hiking poles and a small tripod, but other than as balance for doddery old men one hiking pole is worse than none at all if you are covering any distance because it unbalances the effort of walking to one side of the body. Two things to observe are that most hiking poles will take a small tripod head suitable for a P&S camera or your GoPro, but the question was about monopods. And if you are seriously using a monopod as a walking stick due to infirmity and not an energy saving walking aid perhaps consider informing the rescue services where you are going before setting off.

The ageist remarks are not welcome here. are You upset because you don’t see mommy?

 

[btaylor]

Err, yes of course it can, but a hiking pole is 'better' because it is much lighter, and if you are hiking using two is better than one anyway. So do people take two monopods with them on a hike or is the 'hiking pole monopod' thing an illusion of it's real usefulness? I can imagine taking two hiking poles and a small tripod, but other than as balance for doddery old men one hiking pole is worse than none at all if you are covering any distance because it unbalances the effort of walking to one side of the body. Two things to observe are that most hiking poles will take a small tripod head suitable for a P&S camera or your GoPro, but the question was about monopods. And if you are seriously using a monopod as a walking stick due to infirmity and not an energy saving walking aid perhaps consider informing the rescue services where you are going before setting off.

Ha! I guess I’m one of the “doddery old men.” You may not have noticed, but a single walking stick- a stave- is pretty common and has been in use for thousands of years and not just by the infirm. It was standard issue with the Boy Scouts when I was hiking as a kid. But for everyone’s benefit I’ll let the authorities know when I go out for a hike with my monopod and Rolleicord

 

[abruzzi]

I use mine as a carbon fiber walking stick that I can occasionally attach a camera to. When I collapse the top section it’s a perfect height for a MF SLR with a waist level finder. I used it extensively in Spain the last few weeks, but unless you put a tripod head on top, it’s really only useful for level shots. I attached a arca-type QR clamp, but no head. An idiot in an F-150 15 years ago made it so I need a walking stick for any king of strenuous walking, and Toledo, Grenada, and Barcelona (well, just Park Güell) had a fair amount of that.

 

[MattKing]

You may not have noticed, but a single walking stick- a stave- is pretty common and has been in use for thousands of years and not just by the infirm

If it was good enough for Gandalf ....

If memory serves, one of the well known manufacturers actually makes a walking pole with a monopod head on it.
Or is it a walking pole manufacturer who makes it - I'm not sure.