Using a monopod

Eirebear

Hi guys, this might sound like a bizzare question....but i have never used one before and find it all a little strange.

I bought a cheap monopod on a whim today, but find the concept of putting my camera on the end of a pole a bit wierd.
What are the best ways of balancing it and keeping it steady?

Any tips?

Paulw

You can stabilise it against a leg, or against another object (fence, pole, etc).

It gives you a bit more stability than just hand holding. It reduces one axis movement (up/down) but still gives you left/right, front/back motion.

Eirebear

Cheers Paul, is it best used with a release cord like you would with a tripod?
I suppose thats a daft question but im just making sure!:o

Paulw

Can't say I've ever used mine with a release cord.

I found this "How to use a monopod" article very good.

Hope it helps.

Eirebear

Nice one, Thankyou

ThOnda

The firmer you hold the camera on the monopod, the more steady it will be.

Eirebear

ThOnda wrote: »

The firmer you hold the camera on the monopod, the more steady it will be.

Yeah, i quickly found that out after giving it a try with the ****ter release....what was i thinking?!:o

Im gonna take it to Inverness on Sunday with me and see how it goes....practice makes perfect and all that

quilmore

my monopod had been gathering dust for the last year or so, but now I've got a heavy lens with a support I've started to use it again

in my case I'll be sitting on something small or directly on the floor and the monopod will bring me the camera to my eye level without having to hand hold it, great for avoiding sore wrists, elbows and shoulders

I'm on the look for one with some movement but without a big head (and pricetag), here is one link, but still too expensive for my budget

dakar

I was using my monopod (aluminium manfrotto, not sure which model that I picked up cheap and 2nd hand on ebay) with no head and found it so restrictive that I mostly left it at home.

But since I picked up a head the lets me flip it over to portrait format and has a quick release plate (Manfrotto234RC, also cheap on ebay), it's given the monopod a new lease of life. Now I use it as kind of a trekking pole without the camera attached, and then click the camera on and Hey Presto, a marked improvement in camera shake on my low-ish light evening landscapes! Still doesn't beat a tripod of course but makes me more likely to grab the camera if I'm heading out for a stroll.

Eirebear

dakar wrote: »

I was using my monopod (aluminium manfrotto, not sure which model that I picked up cheap and 2nd hand on ebay) with no head and found it so restrictive that I mostly left it at home.

But since I picked up a head the lets me flip it over to portrait format and has a quick release plate (Manfrotto234RC, also cheap on ebay), it's given the monopod a new lease of life. Now I use it as kind of a trekking pole without the camera attached, and then click the camera on and Hey Presto, a marked improvement in camera shake on my low-ish light evening landscapes! Still doesn't beat a tripod of course but makes me more likely to grab the camera if I'm heading out for a stroll.

Yeah i bought a moveable head with it, it seems to add a bit of stability to the pole if nothing else.
Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated.

AnimalRights

After reading this thread for the 2nd time I decided to use my Tripod and hood cap and also shot in Raw for the 1st time!
Going to look now at the results, obviously I'll hope there is a difference in quality!
70-200L USM f/4 was the Lens in question.

The tripod was bought by the father in law years ago for a video camera....both have since passed away.

/edit
Looking at the pictures now, I realise Raw can only be used on the top half of the dial?
I took some shots on Sports on bottom half of the dial, rest with P, still can't get to grips with M yet, I need to learn more about what shutter speed to use.

Eirebear

Eirebear wrote: »

Yeah, i quickly found that out after giving it a try with the ****ter release....what was i thinking?!:o

lol....ive only just noticed that, well done for picking up on my typo swear filter!

AnimalRights

Tripod image

The Raw shots don't let me edit them and I receive the message

"In order to edit a RAW image it must be converted into an editable image type.
This can be achieved using RAW images task, or by clicking the display the original image in the viewer"

Can someone explain that in English for me plz.

Paulw

RAW is not a format that you can use. It's raw information. You need to convert it to DNG, PSD, Tiff, JPG or something else. Many applications (Photoshop, Lightroom, DPP, etc) all allow you to open a raw file, but then you process it in to one of the above formats.

You can't post raw images for viewing, you must convert them to jpg or similar.

Roen

Monopods are primarily used by attaching them to lens collars rather than cameras, to rotate the camera from portrait to Landscape format you loosen the locking nut on the collar and twist the camera and lens combo.

Using them directly with a camera would be restrictive to say the least!

Eirebear

AnimalRights wrote: »

Tripod image

The Raw shots don't let me edit them and I receive the message

"In order to edit a RAW image it must be converted into an editable image type.
This can be achieved using RAW images task, or by clicking the display the original image in the viewer"

Can someone explain that in English for me plz.

I take it from that message that your using ZoomBrowser?

If you go to the right hand panel and click on Edit>Proccess RAW image

RAW images task will then open up with your selected RAW image, which you can then process and convert to jpeg or Tiff

Eirebear

Roen wrote: »

Monopods are primarily used by attaching them to lens collars rather than cameras, to rotate the camera from portrait to Landscape format you loosen the locking nut on the collar and twist the camera and lens combo.

Using them directly with a camera would be restrictive to say the least!

doesnt having an adjustable head do the same trick?

Roen

Not really,
if you were shooting macro for instance moving the head 90 degrees will bring the camera a (relatively) large distance from the subject, forcing you to move the whole set-up to get your original subject back in frame.

With a collar all you need to do twist the camera and lens and you'll be in portrait format without once losing sight of what you're shooting.

It's the difference between rotating your camera and lens about a line running through the center of the lens front to back versus around whatever arc your adjustable head transcribes.

AnimalRights

Eirebear wrote: »

I take it from that message that your using ZoomBrowser?

If you go to the right hand panel and click on Edit>Proccess RAW image

RAW images task will then open up with your selected RAW image, which you can then process and convert to jpeg or Tiff

Yeah Zoombrowser, thanks for the help!

Eirebear

Roen wrote: »

Not really,
if you were shooting macro for instance moving the head 90 degrees will bring the camera a (relatively) large distance from the subject, forcing you to move the whole set-up to get your original subject back in frame.

With a collar all you need to do twist the camera and lens and you'll be in portrait format without once losing sight of what you're shooting.

It's the difference between rotating your camera and lens about a line running through the center of the lens front to back versus around whatever arc your adjustable head transcribes.

Got you now, cheers!

soccerc

Eirebear wrote: »

doesnt having an adjustable head do the same trick?

It does, but be aware that if you are using a heavy lens you are putting the camera mount under pressure.

Carrigman

I bought a Manfrotto monopod on impulse when I was in Conn's Cameras a couple of months ago. I had always been highly sceptical as to their value much preferring to use a tripod instead. How wrong I was! I find the monopod (which I use without a head - just straight to camera or lens) extremely useful in situations (hiking for instance) where a tripod would just be too heavy to lug around. It gives me that extra bit of stability which can make all the difference between a duff shot and a good one. I'll be going to the Saltees in a few weeks to do some bird photography and I'll be bringing the monopod instead of the tripod. Highly recommended.