Monopod Vs Tripod

Knowing whether to buy a tripod or monopod can be a tricky decision to make. There is a vast range of both products available on the market ranging from a few dollars up to several hundred dollars making your choice even more difficult.

In this article we’ll take a look at the benefits of each and in doing so hopefully make your decision easier.

Monopods – Advantages & Disadvantages

Monopods are undoubtedly smaller, lighter, more portable and on the face of it a much more appealing prospect to lug around all day when out shooting. Many of the compact monopods on the market today fold down very small allowing you to fit them into a large pocket. Some of the best the best carbon fiber monopods available are not only very small but incredibly light, some weighing in at only a few grams.

The main benefit that a monopod has over a traditional tripod is the ability it gives you to move quickly, be mobile and shoot many different scenes quickly or track a or moving subject. If you want mobility, monopods are the way to go.

Wildlife photographers often favor monopods as they enable them to walk around easily, plonk the pod down and start shooting with a matter of a couple of seconds should a subject suddenly appear out of the bushes. In addition the stability monopods offer can be a real life saver when using long focal lengths of a telephoto lens.

When using ‘long’ lenses it is very hard to hand hold a shot and keep it steady enough to avoid camera shake and get a sharp image. Using a monopod on such occasions can be the equivalent of your lens having an extra “Image Stabilization” system built in. In addition a monopod can also help to take the weight of the lens making you more comfortable.

Monopods really outperform tripods when it comes to taking shots of moving objects such as birds in flight or motor cars racing round a corner. The freedom of movement that monopods offer over tripods make it much easier to pan shots and capture a moving subject. Go to any sports stadium and you will see that virtually all of the pro photographers are using monopods.

Which monopod you end up buying again depends on your specific needs. A small compact monopod is ideal for occasional use however if you spend a lot of time out in the field shooting wildlife then a more expensive carbon fiber monopod is probably going to be top of your list.

A great place to start narrowing down your choice is looking at the best selling monopods on Amazon.

Update: Be sure to take a look at our Monopod buyers guide.

Tripods – Advantages & Disadvantages

The main benefit a tripod offers over a monopod are that firstly it offers the ability to keep your camera and lens perfectly still during your shooting, while also allowing you to shoot your photographs hands free.

If you take more landscapes, low light or night shot where your subject is still then a traditional tripod is probably more suitable for you needs. Long exposure such as a twilight landscapes require the camera to remain perfectly still while shooting. The slightest movement can lead to a blurred shot and unsharp image. To avoid this you need a tripod to provide rock solid stability. Even so for such images you will probably still want to use a shutter release cable or your cameras timer delay function to ensure that no movement of the camera occurs by you pushing the shutter release button.

Naturally if you are working in a very controlled environment such as in an indoor studio then a tripod offers the best solution. Indoor shooting like this (or even outdoor macro shooting) is often not time dependent. In other words the additional stability and flexibility (you do not have to hold it up) a tripod gives you means you can take your time to set the shot up exactly how you want it.

When looking to buy a tripod we would advise you not to simply opt for the cheapest models available. Most entry level tripods while offering some support are often poorly constructed and once set up will move slightly when you fire the shutter (either manually or remotely). This is one piece of equipment where the heavier it is the better, as lighter models tend to be inherently less stable.

Other key features are a quick release mechanism to help speed up relocating to different locations without having to constantly screw and unscrew the camera body from the tripod mount. Another must must feature is a center pole that can be extended when required. This allows you to easily raise or lower the height of the camera without having to adjust each of the 3 legs.

At a push you could extend your tripods three legs but keep them closed – mimicking the functionality of a monopod. While this would work for odd occasions it is not an ideal solution.

Check out the most popular tripods for sale at Amazon.

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Tagged as: Accessories, monopod, tripod