Mirrorless cameras - monopod recommendations?

P

Phil Graham

Honorary PhD
Mar 10, 2011
651
1
18
Atlanta, GA
Hey all,

With the impending arrival of our first baby, we decided to swap my wife's dated DSLR for something smaller and better. After much investigation (there are so many cameras!) we purchased a Sony NEX-6 mirrorless body and a simple lens package.

So, with that in mind, can anyone recommend a lightweight monopod suitable for the reduced form factor of these mirrorless cameras?
 
Re: Mirrorless cameras - monopod recommendations?

Phil Graham said:
Hey all,

With the impending arrival of our first baby, we decided to swap my wife's dated DSLR for something smaller and better. After much investigation (there are so many cameras!) we purchased a Sony NEX-6 mirrorless body and a simple lens package.

So, with that in mind, can anyone recommend a lightweight monopod suitable for the reduced form factor of these mirrorless cameras?
Click to expand...

I see a lot of these

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...o_MM294A4_294_Aluminum_4_Section_Monopod.html
 
Re: Mirrorless cameras - monopod recommendations?

What's the intended use of the monopod?

While they are useful for long heavy lenses, I haven't found them all that useful otherwise. For available darkness photography, I've found that a combination of reasonably high ISO (800+ should be perfectly acceptable on that body), fast lenses (unfortunately not that many options for the NEX system), and good shooting posture works just as well. Modern image stabilization also can help dramatically. Also bracing yourself and the camera against something (I do carry a beanbag for that purpose).

I've tried monopods, but I haven't used the one I own in years.
 
Re: Mirrorless cameras - monopod recommendations?

Hi Phil,

I recently bought one of these:

http://mountainsmith.com/index.php/trekker-fx-monopod.html

to use when traveling with my now 3 month old Fuji X-pro1.

It's pretty light and stiff and the telescoping cams lock tightly but, overall, it is a cheap piece of crap and probably won't last forever. The 1/4-20 stud is aluminum and needs a spacer ring to work with the camera. Also, it does not collapse as short as some fancy models. But for $30, depending on the intended use, it's not bad.

As already mentioned, the latest sensors have MUCH lower noise than their predecessors and really open up possibilities for hand-held available light shots and longer lenses under daylight. The lower noise also gives more dynamic range under bright light and the tone (density log-exposure, in the old days) curves on the new cameras take advantage of that. There has never been a better time to take pictures. Have fun.

--Frank
 
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Re: Mirrorless cameras - monopod recommendations?

Phil Graham said:
Hey all,

With the impending arrival of our first baby,
Click to expand...

Wait, what? Yay!


Oh, and a monopod. Pretty much most of them I have used have been fine. I like the ball heads to go with them, something small.
As long as they don't slip. I also like using them without the pod touching the ground. Just that ballast helps stabilize the camera.
Seems to me the biggest problem with the small cameras is the motion that happens when one mashes the shutter. Because they are so light. One way around this is to use the 2 second timer.

Have fun, and post some of the shots here.
 
Re: Mirrorless cameras - monopod recommendations?

Jack Arnott said:
Seems to me the biggest problem with the small cameras is the motion that happens when one mashes the shutter. Because they are so light. One way around this is to use the 2 second timer.
Click to expand...

There are 2 factors at play here. The first is that yes, the lighter weight cameras have less mass to damp out vibrations, so a smooth shutter release is more important. On the other hand, there is also no mirror going ka-chunk every time you press the shutter, so with good technique, it is possible to handhold 1-2 stops slower with a mirrorless camera thanwith an SLR.
 
Re: Mirrorless cameras - monopod recommendations?

If you want the best monopod(or tripod) it's Gitzo. Expensive but nice!
 
Re: Mirrorless cameras - monopod recommendations?

Chuck Simon said:
If you want the best monopod(or tripod) it's Gitzo. Expensive but nice!
Click to expand...

Gitzo is good. The older ones can be a little fiddly to erect and take down since the leg sections are not locked against rotation requiring you always to lock the larger sections before the smaller ones. They solved that problem starting a few years ago. (At last count I owned 5 of their tripods, a few ball heads and quick releases, and one large, heavy monopod.) -F
 
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