Pentaxian Registered: March, 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Posts: 9,363 | | Review Date: June 18, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sturdy, comes with ball head/carry case, good grip, rubber/spiked foot | | Cons: | Ring instead of lever to tighten legs | |
I just treated myself to a Dynatran carbon fiber monopod complete with ballhead. Since I hike a lot but have a somewhat weak knee a walking stick is mandatory, and I figured I could take advantage of that and get myself a monopod.
I bought the monopod from Henry's in Canada, something like 60$ shipped (CND). It comes with a carrying case that is very well made.
The monopod is very light, however the head (removable) is a bit on the heavy side, but it's very sturdy. The same can be said of the hole monopod. The head swivels laterally, which is great for panoramas, and is graduated in degrees! The ballhead is independant of the lateral swivel, Both lock in place firmly. There is a quick release plate. The camera can be put completely vertical. There is also a bubble level on the head.
The monopod foot has a strong spike but you can unscrew a rubber foot that covers the spike for fragile floors. The extending lens lock positively in place, however instead of a "flip switch" like some other tripods have, to extend or lock the legs you have to loosen a ring, which works well but maybe not as fast.
The monopod can be extended to be taller than I am, which might be a bit overkill but could come in handy on certain cliffs. Using three of the five sections will be enough for a walking stick. It's around 20 inches long when collapsed, including the head. One thing surprised me (not sure if it's standard) but the head screw is not the same size as the camera screw hole so I need to use the head. My other tripod has a "permanent" head so I have no experience with this.
I compared offerings from Manfrotto, Velbon and Gitzo and I would have had to pay over 150$ for an equivalent. Apart from the minor aspect of the locking rings, I have nothing but praise for this monopod. I can hardly believe I've gone so long without one.
Highly recommended!
EDIT : I've now come back from a week-end long hike with the monopod and I learned a few things.
First, walking with a K20D plus Sigma 17-70 mounted on top of the monopod works but gets tiresome. Since I had a few ludicrous climbs to do on this hike, I decided to remove the camera and head from the monopod for the difficult parts of the hike, and place them in my backpack. This gave me a really, really light and sturdy walking stick... I'm impressed at the sturdiness. The only thing I noticed is that the lowest leg section is rather flimsy (smaller in diameter) compared to the others. But since the monopod gets taller than me if I use that section, there's no real problem there. My first evaluation stands and is now supported by experience.
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