Tripod vs. Monopod

Tripods are stationary tools while monopods are meant for photographers who need a compromise between stability and mobility. A tripod has three legs and can stand by itself while supporting your equipment. A monopod is a single pole meant for you to hold onto and plant on the ground for added stability.

A landscape photographer who intends to carefully choose his positioning and wants the maximum stability would choose a tripod. Meanwhile, a sports photographer who wants to gain some extra stability while still being able to quickly pick up and move (or jump out of the way!) would go for a monopod.

Sometimes private places like parks, zoos and museums have strict rules against tripods but will be lenient when it comes to monopods. If their concern regarding tripods is that the device takes up space and creates a falling hazard for other visitors, then you might be able to get away with a monopod.

Construction Material

The two main materials used to make tripods are aluminum and carbon fiber. The difference between the two is weight and cost.

Carbon fiber tripods are extremely light, and usually very expensive. Someone who will spend a lot of time carrying their tripod around such as a travel photographer who is a frequent flyer and covers a lot of ground on foot might look into spending more money in order to get an ultra-light tripod.

Aluminum tripods are cheaper and certainly capable of getting the job done, but they are heavier. I don’t mean heavy as in carrying a cinder block vs. a feather… they are still manageable for walking around. But the difference is certainly significant. An aluminum tripod might be a good choice for someone who wants to save money and won’t be carrying the tripod around for extended periods of time… perhaps leaving it in the trunk of their car.

Tripod Parts

A tripod has two main parts:

1. Legs
2. Head

The legs determine the tripod’s minimum and maximum height, and the head holds the camera/lens in place and allows you to adjust its position.

Picking a tripod head requires you to choose between a ball head and a pan head. A ball head is a ball & socket joint that can be loosened, rotated in the desired direction and then tightened to hold its position. A pan head has separate controls for rotating vertically and horizontally. Ball heads are more expensive but sometimes not as strong as a pan head at the same price point.

Some tripods are sold as a complete package, however many photographers prefer to evaluate the choices for each part individually. For example, my tripod consists of Induro legs and a Giottos ball head purchased separately.

Monopod Parts

Like a tripod, a monopod also has two parts: the leg and the head. Although some monopods can attach directly to a camera, an adjustable head is usually used in order to easily change the position of the camera and quickly uncouple the two.

Also like most tripod legs, many monopods are telescoping. The monopod is made of sections which can be unlocked and collapsed for storage and transport.

Camera Attachment

When evaluating a tripod/monopod, take a look at exactly how the camera attaches. How stable is the attachment? Is it easy or unnecessarily difficult to attach and remove the camera? Ultimately every camera will attach to the tripod head via its threaded hole, however some heads do this via a quick release mechanism. A small plate attaches to the bottom of your camera, locks into place on the tripod head, and can then be released with the flick of a lever or press of a button.

Weight Capacity

It’s extremely important that all the parts of your tripod/monopod are strong enough to support the weight of your gear. The technical specifications of every part of a tripod should state the maximum amount of weight that can be safely supported.

Take inventory of your gear and know the heaviest possible configuration (e.x. heaviest camera body + battery grip + heaviest lens + largest flash), then make sure whatever you buy can support that weight. B&H’s site lists the weight of every item under the “Physical” heading of the “Specifications” tab.

Choosing the Right Tripod/Monopod

Like all other “what gear should I get?”-type questions, choosing the right tripod or monopod means figuring out what you want to do and making the choice that fits your style as a photographer. Do you require all the stability you can get, or do you need to be somewhat mobile?

When figuring out the price, it generally comes down to the smaller, lighter and more advanced products being more expensive and the bigger, bulkier, heavier, less-intuitive ones being cheaper.

Regardless of whether you choose to spend money on a carbon fiber product or save with an aluminum model, you should not try to save money by choosing a poor quality product. Getting a good, strong, high quality tripod/monopod is important considering it will be supporting hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of your photography equipment. Is it worth it to save a few dollars on a tripod if it’s going to tip over, collapse or fall apart under the weight of your $1,500 camera and lens? Absolutely not.