Sirui Monopod Carbon Fibre

The Sirui carbon fibre monopod at the Murray Street shop really is leaning over like a drunken sailor.

The trick is made possible by three things: the light wright of the rig, the three metal feet, and the ball socket at the base of the pod.

I have a similar arrangement on a monopod made by another firm, but nowhere near as easy to use or as sturdy as this one. and the range of movement possible with the Sirui is far greater.

 Ever since seeing Peg-Leg Bates dance in 1958 I have admired the one legged solution to photo steadiness. Admittedly, it is nice to have a good tripod ( Sirui make them as well ) for long video recording, architecture, or star shooting, but the price you pay in weight and haulage means anything smaller is good

I use my monopod with a one-axis tilting head for still and video when I will be moving through crowds and need to elevate the camera position. It also becomes a steady video platform when I can sit down in a chair for a recording. ( Always sit in preference to standing up for a long time or you may just fall over in a faint. Ask me how I know… ) the journey to a show is a lot easier if it doesn’t involve a tripod.

Note that the feet collapse up the pole when not needed and there is a rubber foot under the base of the shaft. The ball socket will allow the thing to take a steady stance in spite of uneven ground. It is even conceivable that you could bend way over sideways while still benefiting from some solid surface. 

You can pop the top to substitute a pan/tilt head but that sometimes makes the whole thing swivel in 13 separate dimensions. I stick to the one-axis and just turn the pole in my hands.

I thought the little bubble level was a bit ambitious...

All images and text by Richard Stein