I want opinions!

[Havok]

Hello TPF!

So I've posted a thread here maybe a couple weeks ago about choosing what to buy, and I still haven't decided I was picking between Canon and Nikon, but I was majorily in favor of Canon.

Anyways, I've decided to go with a mirror less sony camera, the sony A6000 to be exact, I love everything about it and the kit lens is already wide enough for me at the moment.

the A6300 is going to take some time to release here in my country which is sad but oh well.

anyways, so my budget was about 1600$ I'm selling my PC for it, so I'll be needing a laptop to do all my photo editing/movie editing on, so I decided to pick up a 13" Macbook pro to go with it all.

what do you guys think of it all?

Sony A6000 with kit lens
Cheap Monopod
Camera bag for about 70$
13" Macbook Pro

all costing me about 1600$

 

[tirediron]

...Cheap Monopod...

I think when I see things like that, I feel like crying. Why would you consider cheaping out on something that's going to support that very expensive cameara you've just purchased????? Especially when monopods aren't terribly expensive to begin with; a good one can be had for <$200 USD

 

[Havok]

...Cheap Monopod...

I think when I see things like that, I feel like crying. Why would you consider cheaping out on something that's going to support that very expensive cameara you've just purchased????? Especially when monopods aren't terribly expensive to begin with; a good one can be had for <$200 USD

I agree with you but I don't have the money for it right now, I've read some reviews on the monopod and it seems to be pretty solid.
I'm obviously going to buy a better when I can.

 

[Gary A.]

If you're planning to shoot a lot of video, I would think a cheap tripod would serve you better than a cheap monopod. Tireiron has a valid point, I'd take my cheap monopod allocation monies and buy a used pod on EBay.

As to the Sony, Sony makes great sensors. I haven't any expertise with Sony, but the negatives I see photogs complain about are with the menu system, lack of manual adjustments and lack of system behind the cameras. But if the lenses you seek to shoot with are available, (in terms of focal length, aperture, quality, and IQ), then go for it. The camera should suit you fine.

Good Luck and Good Shooting,
Gary

 

[OGsPhotography]

You got a macbook pro and a camera for 1600?
Mac Pros here are expensive qq I went with a mac air, works great.

Inwould trade my cheap monopod ( takes up space in closet and was a gift) for A beer. Litteraly one. Im not even sure what closet its in atm.

If you need a monopod for some reason go with the cheap one, its a fn stick. Dont know why @tirediron would recommend spend 200 for one? If you need an awesome one for your job ( you shoot sports? For a living?) I would hope you wouldnt need advice here.

 

[Ihatemymoney]

I use a fishing bag as a camera bag.
Cabelela's always has this one certain fishing bag on sale for 20 bucks ..

 

[pixmedic]

You got a macbook pro and a camera for 1600?
Mac Pros here are expensive qq I went with a mac air, works great.

Inwould trade my cheap monopod ( takes up space in closet and was a gift) for A beer. Litteraly one. Im not even sure what closet its in atm.

If you need a monopod for some reason go with the cheap one, its a fn stick. Dont know why @tirediron would recommend spend 200 for one? If you need an awesome one for your job ( you shoot sports? For a living?) I would hope you wouldnt need advice here.

probably for the same reason I would recommend a good tripod/monopod over a cheap one.
im a big fan of cheaping out where I can. third party flashes, lenses, umbrellas, softboxes....
I spent a little extra money and got a nice manfrotto tripod/pan head, and a manfrotto monopod/ball head.

its not just about the leg(s) holding up.
its also about how well the locking mechanisms work. (and ease of use) The telescoping mechanism. the screw threads. swivel points. weight capacity (mirrorless systems should not tax this part though) Stability. how many sections?
The more gear you put on it, the more expensive it gets when something fails/gets bumped/blown over, and your camera hits the ground....so the less chance of that happening the better.

im not at all saying that you cant find a cheap tripod/monopod that will do everything you need it to do, but i am saying there are perfectly valid reasons for people to recommend the more expensive ones.
its like anything else. you have to find the mix of quality and price that best suits your needs.

 

[robbins.photo]

If you need a monopod for some reason go with the cheap one, its a fn stick.

Well, try to think of it as the fn stick that is keeping your expensive camera and lens from hitting the ground, then ask yourself if that isn't really worth a couple of extra bucks to get something with a decent build quality.

 

[Havok]

If you're planning to shoot a lot of video, I would think a cheap tripod would serve you better than a cheap monopod. Tireiron has a valid point, I'd take my cheap monopod allocation monies and buy a used pod on EBay.

As to the Sony, Sony makes great sensors. I haven't any expertise with Sony, but the negatives I see photogs complain about are with the menu system, lack of manual adjustments and lack of system behind the cameras. But if the lenses you seek to shoot with are available, (in terms of focal length, aperture, quality, and IQ), then go for it. The camera should suit you fine.

Good Luck and Good Shooting,
Gary

I already own a pretty good tripod with a video head from manfrotto that I very recently bought, I want this monopod becuase I'm going to travel soon, and I don't want the bulk of a tripod.
I'm going with the A6000 simply because of its smaller body and its focusing system.

You got a macbook pro and a camera for 1600?
Mac Pros here are expensive qq I went with a mac air, works great.

Inwould trade my cheap monopod ( takes up space in closet and was a gift) for A beer. Litteraly one. Im not even sure what closet its in atm.

If you need a monopod for some reason go with the cheap one, its a fn stick. Dont know why @tirediron would recommend spend 200 for one? If you need an awesome one for your job ( you shoot sports? For a living?) I would hope you wouldnt need advice here.

well its mid-2012 13" Macbook pro, should do me just fine , also I would get a good one, just not yet, I want to know how much I'd be using a monopod before wasting money on something I wouldn't use that much.

I use a fishing bag as a camera bag.
Cabelela's always has this one certain fishing bag on sale for 20 bucks ..

I'm going to be carrying two bodys and some lenses, I'll need the protection lol

You got a macbook pro and a camera for 1600?
Mac Pros here are expensive qq I went with a mac air, works great.

Inwould trade my cheap monopod ( takes up space in closet and was a gift) for A beer. Litteraly one. Im not even sure what closet its in atm.

If you need a monopod for some reason go with the cheap one, its a fn stick. Dont know why @tirediron would recommend spend 200 for one? If you need an awesome one for your job ( you shoot sports? For a living?) I would hope you wouldnt need advice here.

probably for the same reason I would recommend a good tripod/monopod over a cheap one.
im a big fan of cheaping out where I can. third party flashes, lenses, umbrellas, softboxes....
I spent a little extra money and got a nice manfrotto tripod/pan head, and a manfrotto monopod/ball head.

its not just about the leg(s) holding up.
its also about how well the locking mechanisms work. (and ease of use) The telescoping mechanism. the screw threads. swivel points. weight capacity (mirrorless systems should not tax this part though) Stability. how many sections?
The more gear you put on it, the more expensive it gets when something fails/gets bumped/blown over, and your camera hits the ground....so the less chance of that happening the better.

im not at all saying that you cant find a cheap tripod/monopod that will do everything you need it to do, but i am saying there are perfectly valid reasons for people to recommend the more expensive ones.
its like anything else. you have to find the mix of quality and price that best suits your needs.

like I said, I want to know how much I'd be using a monopod before wasting money on something I wouldn't use that much.

thank you all for your comments!

 

[OGsPhotography]

@robbins.photo When I used a monopod my hand was holding the camera as well. So no the stick doesnt do much.

 

[robbins.photo]

@robbins.photo When I used a monopod my hand was holding the camera as well. So no the fn stick doesnt do much.

Well, if it doesn't do much why even bother to buy a cheap one?

 

[OGsPhotography]

I didnt and wouldnt thats the point @robbins.photo thanks for clarifying. It was a gift that takes up space save the 20$ and buy a beer or two money well spent.

If you NEED a GOOD monopod for some reason unknown to me then by all means.

 

[robbins.photo]

I didnt and wouldnt thats the point @robbins.photo thanks for clarifying. It was a gift that takes up space save the 20$ and buy a beer or two money well spent.

If you NEED a GOOD monopod for some reason unknown to me then by all means.

Ok, well I'm not one to recommend a monopod for most, about the only situation I've found they come in handy for is shooting sports in a gym or from the bleachers, where a tripod would take up too much room but you'd like to support the weight of a camera and fairly heavy zoom lens.

I guess there might be some folks out there who have found other uses for them, but really that's about the only valid use I've ever found for one. As for expensive vrs cheap, frankly anything you are going to use as a support for expensive gear isn't something you want to buy the cheapest option for, regardless. Just my humble opinion of course, YMMV

 

[Derrel]

Call me cheap...but here in the US, used camera bags are extremely inexpensive at second-hand stores. The last bag I purchased was a LowePro small bag, perfect for a mirrorless camera. It measures eight inches tall, eight inches wide, and five inches from back to front, has a shoulder strap as well as belt loops, external expanding pocket, under-lid pocket, and an internal flap to make an inner bottom compartment and top compartment if desired, and has a zippered top plus a Fas-Tex buckle closure. I payed $3 for it at a thrift store. And it's almost new.

Camera bags and cheap filters are the two highest-profit items sold by camera stores. A $70 bag new probably wholesales from China or Malaysia for $6.99 per unit. If you wish to save money, I would look for a small camera bag in the luggage/computer carrying area at some stores in your country, not in a photo store as a camera bag, but something more like an insulated lunch tote, or some other personal "luggage" type case.

 

[zombiesniper]

Hello TPF!

So I've posted a thread here maybe a couple weeks ago about choosing what to buy, and I still haven't decided I was picking between Canon and Nikon, but I was majorily in favor of Canon.

Anyways, I've decided to go with a mirror less sony camera, the sony A6000 to be exact, I love everything about it and the kit lens is already wide enough for me at the moment.

My opinion is you looked at option A, then B. You wieghed the two options (pro's and con's). Then you ditched them both and went with option C.
No wait that fact.
My opinion is to not buy a bunch of stuff then go on the internet looking for opinions unless you want to hear things you may not like.
No wait.
My opinion is all monopods suck! Use a fing stick.
No wait.
My opinion is all tripods suck! Rest it on a midget!

The internet will never make up it's mind.
Just be carefull with the monopod and test it to see if it has enough quality/strenght to not wreck your more expensive equipment.