monopod experience

G

glenurse

Active member
hi all.
so im getting close to purchasing the camera (3000 bucks still scaring the bejesus out of me) anyway i ll primarily be using it to film some band footage at some shows, i recently saw a guy with a dvx100 @ at the front of the stage on a monopod and it seemed to doing a good job of steadying things.
anyone have an idea of which one i should buy?, i need something light and portable.
cheers
 
Hey
I worked with a guy last week that loves his monopod. He said he got his for $30 at bestbuy. He likes using it to steady his hand held shots as well. The one that he had was for smaller cameras though because when it was fully extended it was kind of wobbly, not meant for that much weight. I will probably get one in the future.
Brian
 
They are great for run & gun shooting but take some getting used to. Find one with a quick-release head would be my advise.
 
Yeah, definitely want quick release!

I found it is one area I didn't get what I paid for. I have a had a cheap £14 monopd for years, and decided to upgrade to a sturdy, expensive Manfrotto. It is very heavy and sturdy, but I still prefer my old cheap one, and never use the manfrotto at all.

I use a monopod continuously. For handheld shots, I hold it like a steadycam and walk around. I hardly ever shoot without it now.
 
Get a Bogen Manfrotto...they come in many sizes and are very well made.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...122&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

You can get a small pivot elbow to fit on top that incorporates a quick release plate.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...491&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Also, they make a belt pouch that will support the bottom of the mono pod for hand holding.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...532&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation
I could not shoot hand held with a DVX100a without these.
 
Man I sure agree with Abracadabra on this one. The Manfrotto pods are made so much better then most of the cheap pods... and I'd still consider the Manfrottos to be dirt cheap! I bought a Bogen (manfrotto) at a local camera shop for $45 5 years ago and it's really light and sturdy. It's probably about like the one Abra posted the link to.

The only thing I will say about the Manfrotto pods is the FIRST thing you should do is take a Dremel tool (or hand grinder with thin disk) and carefully cut off the 3/8" bolt/sleave which is designed to push down so that it reveals the 1/4" bolt that is needed to mount the DVX... OR you can get a cheap head with a quick-release plate such as the 3229 for an additional $30... but that adds significant weight to the package even though it is the lightest head you can get at .6 lbs... The reason I say to either use a head or cut off that 3/8" bolt is 'cause after years of use it finally cut it's way into the plastic on the bottom of my DVX... and rather then pushing down out of the way it halfway grabbed the plastic as the 1/4" bolt was grabbing the internal nut... and suddenly... it broke. FUDGE! I had to go handheld for the rest of the day.

After you get a monopod you'll realize all the shots that it makes possible. If the leg is sturdy then you can do crane shots by putting the leg in your chest and holding your arms up to support the cam. You just turn the LCD down so that you can look up to see your framing. I do that so much that I finally bought a 7' monopod so I could REALLY get up there. (That stick was big bucks.)
 
I bought the bogen monopod that has retractable legs. They give you some additional uses for the tripod (like as a cheapee crane of sorts), some modest use for extra stability with legs out if you stand on them, and the extra bottom weight makes it a bit easier to use as a stabilizer. Get a tilt head, quick release better. I have an extra 3229 set if you want to buy it (2 actually, One new one used), I am going to switch to a 501 head just so I can swap quickly between 503 tripod head and monopod.
 
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