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Monopod/Tripod questions

etrigan63

Active member
My trip to Grand Canyon/Sedona has shown me that my Manfrotto 3001B Pro + 3030 Head is too heavy to travel with. When I was in Sedona, I saw the TrekPod, a combination monopod/tripod that also doubles as a walking stick. I checked around and found that Manfrotto has a similar offering in the form of 682B mono/tripod and I was thinking of topping it off with a 488RC2 ballhead. Has anyone used this combo? I am going for light and easy to carry and not dropping $1000 (for a Gitzo Traveller and ballhead).

Links
Manfrotto 682B
TrekPod Go
 

dfarkas

Workshop Member
Carlos,

The self-standing monopods don't lend a great deal more stability than one might expect from a monopod. They aren't tripods and they wobble a bit with no way to "tighten" them down. The 682B is designed more for security and convenience when shooting with long lenses on a monopod for an extended period of time. Also, at 2.4 lbs before head it is pretty heavy for a monopod. The 488RC2 would be a little overkill on a monopod also as it weighs in at 1.5 lbs. The 484RC2 or 486RC2 would be better choices if you went that route.

There are ways to spend less that 1K on a nice Gitzo setup. ;)

David
 

etrigan63

Active member
TBH David, my budget for this is about $200. I don't know how much I would get if I sold my current tripod and monopod (the aforementioned Manfrotto 3001B+3030 and a Manfrotto 3245 - both in perfect shape) to settle on a small, portable tripod+ballhead capable of holding up my kit.
 

etrigan63

Active member
Well to put this thread to rest, I ended up getting a Manfrotto 190XDB and 484RC2 ballhead. Whole thing ended up being $160 and weighs 3 lbs.
 
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