Monopedia

[bkrownd]

Can anyone suggest a very light good-quality monopod for under $150? I'd
like something that doubles as a good walking stick, built to take that kind
of abuse. My camera will be 1kg or less. Also, I'd like one extendable to
at least 64 inches, if not more, and it doesn't have to collapse to anything
less than a comfortable length for walking-stick use. I have no experience
with them, so I can't compare the reputations of the companies, or the merits
of the monopods and mounts, other than the above size/weight requirements. TIA!

(Are the Gitzo or Bogen brands worth a premium of almost twice the price of most others?)

[bkrownd]

Hmmm...a couple days after starting this thread I finally saw the "tripods etc"
forum way way down at the bottom. Anyhow, an update...

Well, after looking at the options I came down to the Gitzo Monotrek and
the Leki Horizon. The Leki is taller, which is important because I'll be
aiming up into the trees mostly. It's also shock cushioned, and I'm guessing
it's the better trekking pole. (I don't need a fancy monopod, but it HAS to
earn its keep as a mountaineering pole) I started leaning toward the Leki.
The final straw was that the Leki cost a lot less and ships for free (a major bonus
for hawaii residents), though I'll need to get a cheap swivel head to put on it.

Whew...now I have to settle on a teleconverter.

[yendikeno]

For a swivel head, the Bogen 3229 seems to be pretty popular.

[bkrownd]

I was looking at that one, but I got a simple Slik ballhead to begin with - mostly because
of its light weight. The pan-tilt heads seem like they might be more stable while tracking, but
they're quite heavy, and portability is supreme until I get more experience with this thing.

[bkrownd]

I used my Leki Horizon trekking pole / monopod for the first time today, as well as my Nikon TC-E17ED teleconverter and HN-13 hood. I went cross-country on the 1881 lava flow looking for some landmarks I saw on my USGS map, and the Leki helped me maintain balance on the extremely uneven surfaces. I like the shock absorbtion, so I'm glad I got the Leki. The picture taking went well, too. It was nice to have the camera ready at or above head level without having to keep my arms up there. The Slik SBH-100 ball head worked fine, providing just a bit of resistance so the camera felt stable but could be aimed around easily without feeling wobbly.

The birds were out in force, the weather was nice and cool, found an old road I hadn't noticed before, and some mysterious rock piles, and I encountered one hidden marijuana garden in the wilderness.