Monopod...

[BuS_RiDeR]

In a situation where a tripod is not available... Would a monopod help prevent motion blur at slow shutter speeds? I know the rule of thumb says that handheld below 1/45 is not recommended. But how much difference will a monopod make?

For example... I took this at my nephew-in-law's birthday party...

EXIF data
Camera: Canon
Model: Canon EOS 50D
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1/15 sec
Aperture: 2.8
Focal Length: 50mm
Flash Used: Yes(pop-up)
Lighting: Natural Light/Indoors

Would a monopod have helped at such a slow shutter?

 

[gsgary]

Why was your ISO100, ISO400 would have given you 1/125 at the same exposure, i would never use a monopod under 300mm

 

[tirediron]

I don't find monods to be a huge help unless you can mount them to the lens vice the camera body. They will help to to some degree; maybe get you down another couple of stops in shutter-speed but that's about it.

 

[tirediron]

Why was your ISO100, ISO400 would have given you 1/125 at the same exposure,...

Yeah... that! ^^

 

[cgipson1]

With a monopod, I find that I can shoot up to 2 stops (confidently) under what I can shoot handheld.. and more if I can brace it against something (and you would be surprised how often there is some brace on!) The biggest advantage on a long shoot, is that the monopod takes the weight off of your arms.. after a while, it makes a big difference. When your arms get tired, you shake... especially an out of shape old fart like me. I usually carry some lightweight velcro straps with me, and if there is an upright pole, tree branch or something else available, I strap the monopod to it.. very stable then.

I use one for backpacking a lot, where I don't want to carry a tripod...

 

[480sparky]

.......... maybe get you down another couple of stops in shutter-speed but that's about it.

I've always been told that's the entire purpose for monos. They're not intended as a substitute for a tripod, just as a lightweight, space-/weight-saving method of gaining 1 or 2 stops.

 

[GeorgieGirl]

So is there a need to turn IS off with a monopod as there is with a tripod?

 

[BuS_RiDeR]

Thank you all for your input. I appreciate it.

Why was your ISO100, ISO400 would have given you 1/125 at the same exposure, i would never use a monopod under 300mm

Well... that's a good point. And for some, a simple answer... Honestly though, I never thought to change my ISO.

As I mentioned in a previous post... I have some health issues to deak with atm... And sometimes those health issues effect my memory... both short term and long term. Look here if you are interested in details.

But again... Thank you for the information.

 

[gsgary]

I hope things keep improving, my father lost his fight with cancer back in 1984 at only 45, my mother in law had to have half of here stomach removed last year so i know a bit of what you are going through

 

[BuS_RiDeR]

I hope things keep improving, my father lost his fight with cancer back in 1984 at only 45, my mother in law had to have half of here stomach removed last year so i know a bit of what you are going through

Cancer sucks. I'm sorry you or anyone really.... has to deal with it.

Things are getting better for me, slowly but surely. Photography is one of the things that helps me cope.

 

[Dao]

My 2 cents.

I found that monopod is quite useful when I use it for shooting macro shots of insect.

- When I taking macro photos of insect, very often that I am not in the best camera holding position.
- I am using a flash and that limited me to 1/250 max (flash sync speed) (1/200 when I use my ebay radio trigger)
- I usually set my macro lens to 1:1 ratio, so it is not going to be autofocus. Therefore I usually move my camera back and forth to nail the focus.

With the monopod, I am able to get more successful captures. So basically I have the camera on the monopod (no head, just body attached to the monopod directly), extend the monopod to the desire length and lock it. With the support of the monopod, it is a lot easy for me to slightly rock the camera back and forth until the focus indicator beeps. Then I press the shutter right away. I usually position the center focus point a little higher then the point I like to focus. So when I move the camera forward, the view should shift down as well because the monopod act as a pivot.