There’s still photography, and there’s still photography.
Thought. What about using a string instead? Attach to the bottom of the camera. Step on the other end, pull the camera upwards to tense up the string. Voila, instant fixed distance, and the stability should be pretty comparable to a monopod.
Could perhaps be made retractable, too, e.g. from that wind-up mouse cable thingy.
I think @jlw has mentioned using a 300mm lens before, perhaps even a 300mm f/2.8. That’s almost guaranteed to be a heavy lens. A string in’t going to work.
Not even close to as versatile. You can use a cameras strap for about the same level of stability you suggest, with the old looped over the elbow, wrapped around the wrist method.
I’m planning things like ziptying the monopod off to the luggage frame and using a go pro to record shots from over my shoulder or up over my head, etc on an impending road trip. I am worried that on a motorcycle I affectionately call “Old Buzz” the end of pole vibration may be too much. We shall see.
Yes, that’s definitely a problem. (Maybe hang the string from one’s shoulders or over head, so it is in tension instead?)
Not every one of my suggestions have to be good! 
I have 100 ideas, one is good, and I don’t know which one. 
It will definitely be a vibrofest. Try shooting at short shutter to avoid blur, and then some frame-by-frame image stacking to remove the shakes? There may even be some software out there for it, see that boingboing post about unshaking shaky camera footage. E.g. here:
(I never understood why they don’t have safety belts on the spaceship seats.)
Or here:
So as we know unshaking is possible, now the problem is how to design the pole so the vibrations character matches the software’s best abilities…
That sure is a mighty fancy stick.
You can also speak softly, when carrying it.
It’s what I use. One of the best purchases I’ve made, honestly. Only way it could be better is if collapsed just a /wee/ but smaller or was lighter, but it’s a great sweet spot between price and other advantages.
The string trick certainly helps with stabilization - not as much as you might think, particular with large, heavy gear. But those who are primarily interested in stabilization will usually get a tripod rather than a monopod.
In my case, as a performance photographer, the main reason for the tripod is that is it supports the weight of my gear. My lens and camera, combined, are about 3kg (6.5ish lbs). Holding that at eye level for 2-3 hours gets painful fairly quickly, and many photogs are using even heavier stuff…
I’d suggest purchasing a basic steadycam setup (or making one, the basic version is relatively simple after all) and maybe some neoprene padding or the like between the bike’s body and whatever you do end up mounting the camera onto could also help reduce transferring vibration and produce a smoother video.
Nope. 
This one is the bomb. Half the weight, twice the load capacity, removable swivel foot.
Costs more, but if you want a serious low-priced monopod, it’s well worth the price:
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
