Help! New Monopod!

[Luke345678]

Hello there friends,

As some of you may saw from my earlier post, I finally made the move and purchased a brand new Canon 300mm f2.8 IS II lens. This was a big step for me with sports photography as I've been shooting on a 1dx with a 70-200mm lens for quite some time. I've gone through two cheaper monopods as there was really no point in me investing in a nice one at the time. I need a very sturdy monopod that will last. I prefer the clips that you snap on and off rather than the twisty ones to adjust height. I've linked a few I've been thinking about below.

Thanks guys! <3

Option 1: Oben ACM-2400 4-Section Aluminum Monopod ACM-2400 B&H Photo
Option 2: Manfrotto 290 Aluminum Monopod MM290A4US B&H Photo Video

 

[Gary A.]

Between the two, the Oben is significantly superior and supports more than 2x the weight of the Manfrotto while only a few ounces heavier. Remember to get a tilting or ball head for the pod.

 

[Luke345678]

Between the two, the Oben is significantly superior and supports more than 2x the weight of the Manfrotto while only a few ounces heavier. Remember to get a tilting or ball head for the pod.

Thanks for your response. Yeah, I was going to snag this head with the Oben. Thoughts?

 

[table1349]

Yeah, Don't bother with a ball head. Unless you are well versed in using the monopod a ball head pretty much defeats the purpose of the monopod, especially with a big lens. A monopod is designed not as a stick to hold up you camera, but rather as a third leg of a tripod. You provide the other two.

Remember with a big lens you have a lens collar so your horizontal to vertical adjustment is simple. Loosen the collar knob and rotate. When using m 300f2.8 or 400f2.8 I generally attach my lens directly tot he monopod via an Arca Swiss QR clamp. All my long glass with lens collars have arca-swiss feet on them. The advantage to an area-swiss QR clamp is it allows you to distribute the weight on the monopod evenly as you can slide the lens foot where you want it before locking it down. Most sports photographers just screw the monopod into the lens collar foot. I use the QR clamp for the convenience of quickly changing lenses if need be as well as camera orientation with short glass. I have L brackets for my bodies.

If you want a tilt head then I would suggest that you look at the RRS monopod head. Yes it is expensive but it supports 75 pounds. The Manfrotto 234RC Tilt Head for Monopods supports a whopping 4.4 pounds. Not really useful and I wouldn't trust my big glass connected with that little QR plate. There may be other tilt heads out there these days. The tilt head needs to support a significant amount of weight and lock tightly in position.

Keep in mind for sports photography you will want to be low, meaning on you knees. You can easily adjust your angle by tilting the monopod to catch the action at a more flattering angle as well as faces and facial expressions. Helmets obviously are a problem, but if you think about sports like soccer, where are the players looking most of the time? I would suggest that you use the monopod a while first and see if you really need a head.

Best way I have found to hold my monopod when shooting action is to rest the monopod on the ground with the right hand grasping the camera body and the left hand on top of the lens directly over the monopod. That way I can give a slight bit of downward pressure on the whole rig to stabilize it.

Have fun with the 300f2.8. The only lens I love more than my 300f2.8 is my 400 f2.8 and it is a close call either way.

 

[dannylightning]

if you don't mind spending a little more money this is what i bought and its excellent. very sturdy and very easy and quick to extend or retract the poles. the type of locks used are superior to the type on the ones you are looking at IMO. not that those are bad but i like the twist lock allot, it look like you like the snap type better.
this is a killer monopod

i don't use a ball head, its just kind of a pain, i put my siuri ball head on mine once or twice and for me its easier not to mess with the ball head on a monopod.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006JZ7Q34/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 sirui p-324 monopod

 

[Gary A.]

I've used a ball head with success. I've used a tilt head with success. It is all a matter of experience. I find either a tilt or ball head certainly increases the ease of monopod usage. The ball head has a steeper learning curve than the tilt. There are many techniques that you can employ to increase stabilization of the camera/monopod (i.e. hooking your foot). There is no rule in sports photography to shoot from a low angle.

 

[table1349]

Excellent article by Ray Miracle, written when most sports were still being shot on film, but an excellent article. Sport Photos: a how-to and tip guide from Photo.net