(echoing all the stuff everybody has already said
)
I split my usage between tripod (Manf. 190XPro) and monopod (Manf 680B) when I need steadying (the camera, not me!). QR heads on each that use the same plates, so I don't have to change anything on hte camera body. When I travel by air, I don't take the tripod along because of hte bulk, I stick with the monopod. When I drive, I take 'em both. I don't do much in hte way of macros, but I do use the tripod for some of the landscapes I take, for things like panoramic shots, and of course for low-light shots. My longest lens is a 70-300 (wish I could afford a Bigma...
), but I'll often use the monopod even with that, due to the quicker response on catching moving targets. In fact, I was doing that this morning on my way to work, catching some shots of wild turkeys in a field by the road. I needed something, but the tripod was just not the right answer.
Jim