Anyone ever tried legs on a monopod?

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I use the Three Legged Thing Alana carbon monopod, which holds plenty of weight and is solid fully deployed. It takes strain off my arms and back when standing for an extended period of time, especially with the Z9 / 180-600 combo. I got their Doc Z deployable foot but I find it is fidgety and it adds carry weight, and would never trust it to hold my camera set up without keeping a hand on the monopod or camera. I was also paying too much attention to my own feet, and uneven surfaces were problematic. So now I just go with an inexpensive spike foot with removable rubber cover and a monopod head up top. For carry purposes, I added a size-matched ring that has a QD socket onto the monopod shaft (Leofoto, got it on Amazon, see photo), and I use a Magpul dual QD strap (one plug goes into the camera plate, the other goes into the ring adapter). It is a good set up, for times when mobility is important, and it's very easy to pop the camera strap on and off with those QD plugs. Obviously a monopod will never be as stable as a tripod, but the set up is useful and it really helps with back fatigue. It's also nice when sitting or kneeling for a while using that heavy camera/lens combo.
 

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Celticursa said:
Have a look at the Sirui P-424FL carbon fiber monopod…equipped with the Wimberly MonoGimbal head, it has totally replaced my need for a gimbal-equipped tripod except in completely fixed-position situations where you’re waiting for the “wall hanger” moment. I don’t yet do much video but it’s definitely worth a look for your situation.
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I second this emotion. I have the Sirui as well with the Wimberley monogimbal. The feet provide a lot of stability and allow me to angle the monopod around away from pure vertical without bracing the bottom with a foot or leg. This is useful on uneven or muddy/damp terrain. I have used it with the Z 400 f/2.8. It is optimal though with the z400 f/4.5 or the Z 100-400.
 
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Rob Pedowitz said:
I use the Three Legged Thing Alana carbon monopod, which holds plenty of weight and is solid fully deployed. It takes strain off my arms and back when standing for an extended period of time, especially with the Z9 / 180-600 combo. I got their Doc Z deployable foot but I find it is fidgety and it adds carry weight, and would never trust it to hold my camera set up without keeping a hand on the monopod or camera. I was also paying too much attention to my own feet, and uneven surfaces were problematic. So now I just go with an inexpensive spike foot with removable rubber cover and a monopod head up top. For carry purposes, I added a size-matched ring that has a QD socket onto the monopod shaft (Leofoto, got it on Amazon, see photo), and I use a Magpul dual QD strap (one plug goes into the camera plate, the other goes into the ring adapter). It is a good set up, for times when mobility is important, and it's very easy to pop the camera strap on and off with those QD plugs. Obviously a monopod will never be as stable as a tripod, but the set up is useful and it really helps with back fatigue. It's also nice when sitting or kneeling for a while using that heavy camera/lens combo.
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Looks like a great setup
 
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Chiguy said:
I have been using a Benro Model A48FB monopod with my D500 it has 3 folding drop down legs it can act like a small Tripod it's sturdy aluminum weighs 2.4 lbs. I'm using it with my Tamron 150-600 G2 lens it works great. They also make this for video
Benro A48FD Classic Video Monopod With S6 PRO Video Head
$264.95
Adorama Camera
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That looks really nice. Is the video head pretty decent quality?
 
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CJC2 said:
I would never want to put my expensive gear on one of those tinker toys. NOT very stable holding any weight. Best of luck.
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I have a series 4 Gitzo monopod that I carry my 600f/4 on for miles with no issues. Granted it’s built like a tank but not the best for video.
 
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I use a monpod with legs when hiking any distance that makes my heavy tripod too much to carry. The feet are nice but the set-up is not stable enough to leave stqanding alone with even a medium telephoto. I tried adding a tether from the lens to my vest so I could have both hands free. Too much trouble. Ends up, I almost never deploy the three feet.
 
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CoyoteCreationsNW said:
I use a monpod with legs when hiking any distance that makes my heavy tripod too much to carry. The feet are nice but the set-up is not stable enough to leave stqanding alone with even a medium telephoto. I tried adding a tether from the lens to my vest so I could have both hands free. Too much trouble. Ends up, I almost never deploy the three feet.
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Thanks for the insight. I was sorta worried about them being cumbersome.
 
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I’m just returning a monopod that has three little legs at the base. Frankly, I find they’re in the way and when I used it, they got pretty muddy. Nope. Just neeva good leg a some height.
 
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Patrick M said:
I’m just returning a monopod that has three little legs at the base. Frankly, I find they’re in the way and when I used it, they got pretty muddy. Nope. Just neeva good leg a some height.
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Thanks for the input it’s good to hear from folks that’s tried them
 
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Years ago I had a Manfrotto monopod with 3 metal legs that folded down for use. Not particularly essential or even useful. My monopod setup of choice for several years now is a Gitzo with the Wimberley MH-100 head. Works very well.
 
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tjphxaz said:
Years ago I had a Manfrotto monopod with 3 metal legs that folded down for use. Not particularly essential or even useful. My monopod setup of choice for several years now is a Gitzo with the Wimberley MH-100 head. Works very well.
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I have the Gitzo series 4 monopod and the RRS monopod head. Very good setup but for video at times it’s just ok. For photos it’s great.
 
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I have one. It can be locked so there is no sideways movement or loosened so there is a small amount of sideways movement. I’ve only used it once (but to be fair I’ve only used the monopod once since I got the foot). I was shooting a grizzly that was on a hill above me so I had the lens pointing slightly up (it was far enough away that it wasn’t way up) and my arms got tired handholding waiting for the bear to raise his head up. So I got the monopod out. It worked well for that, keeping the weight off my arms and keeping the camera reasonably stable while I waited. I was sitting, it wouldn’t have been tall enough standing — I’m 6’2”.
 
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sh1209 said:
Thanks for the insight. I was sorta worried about them being cumbersome.
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I often use my iFootage Cobra 2 with the feet not deployed. It then becomes a normal monopod, but if you were on (say) tree roots, the feet can wrap around them as the feet can be adjusted independently of each other and the mini tripod they form when taken off the monopod is useful too.
 
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