Do you want to take extraordinary long-exposure landscape shots? Are you interested in fascinating Sports photography? Your answer is probably yes, I guess. But you are wondering what gear you need to do such photography. Monopod vs Tripod is the accessory that will satisfy your above requirements with great ease.
Now the question arises, what is the difference between a tripod and a monopod? Which one is better for what use? You will get your answer in a short while from this article.
Tripods and monopods are considered external camera accessories to get superb-quality pictures in landscape or action-filled sports photography. Monopod vs Tripod has been used extensively for almost all fields of photography for a long time.
However, a tripod is suitable for some fields and a monopod is preferable for other fields of photography. So, here, we will present an informative comparison of both gears regarding their design, versatility, and performances in different areas of photography.
What is a Monopod
A monopod is a single-legged foldable stand, made of very light materials to take and stabilize the camera for clear and quality snapshots. It is made of several sections for height adjustment up to about 68 Inches for the convenience of the operator. SIRUI, Leofoto, and Manfrotto are some good monopod brands.
Why use a monopod
A monopod is used for support of camera load and for providing stabilization from camera shake. A monopod is also used for the agility of movements due to its lightweight.
What is a Tripod
A tripod is a three-legged stand, foldable and designed to take camera load, to provide greater stability for the camera during any photo shoot. It can be guessed easily from its name how many legs does a tripod have.
It has more stability than a monopod, making it more versatile in the different sectors of photography. But it has got more weight due to its structure. Neewer, Vanguard, Benro, and Geekoto are some good brands for tripods.
Monopod vs Tripod- Key Features
Stability and mobility are the two important features that you need to look into these gears. We will discuss key design features of Monopod and tripod as below:
Design
A tripod has mainly two parts: a foldable legged part to rest on the ground and a head part to rest the camera. A ball head or other type of head is used for tilting the camera to take snapshots. it is generally made from aluminum alloy or carbon fiber.
A monopod is made of only one part, sometimes with foldable attached legs, with 4 or 5 foldable sections to keep inside the backpack or travel bag. It is also made from aluminum alloy or carbon fiber for portability.
Camera setup
The camera is mounted on the top head part for both the tripod and monopod. However, the load carrying capacity is different for these two gears. It is obvious that a tripod can take more loads (up to about 20 pounds) than the monopod due to its stability.
Durability
Both the gears are durable enough since they don’t have any electronics or delicate parts. These are quite solid and weatherproof and hence not prone to potential damage from dust, water, or bad weather.
Maintenance
These gears are not complicated and hence no such maintenance is required for these stabilizers. Only you need to protect them from hitting with hard objects for any mechanical damage.
Price
Price is dependent on various models but lower than other stabilizers like a glidecam or a gimbal. Also, the Tripod price (About 100 to 300 dollars) is higher than the monopod (Approx. 50 to 200 Dollars)
Tripod Vs Monopod – Performances in photography
We have compared these two gears and judged their performances in practical photography. Now we would like to look into their performances in different types of photography for review.
Portrait Photography
Portrait photography requires taking snapshots from quite a short distance, mostly taken in the photography studio. As the subject is static with illuminated background, a tripod is the best option for clear and stable snapshots.
This type of photography also takes place in beautiful outdoor locations for which it is manageable to place a stable tripod to support the weight of the camera and lenses.
Landscape Photography
A larger depth of field is a prerequisite for landscape photography, meaning the operator wants to capture long distances in focus for creating attractive landscape images. This is achievable by a low aperture setting on the camera with long exposure or slower shutter speed and a low ISO setting.
By using a tripod here, which is more stable for heavy cameras and lenses, you can get very clear and sharp images. Also, Stability is much more important than mobility for this type of photography that allows you to engage with a tripod for stunning landscape images.
You can watch this video for performance comparison
Car/Automotive Photography
There are some aspects of Car photography. Car photography is executed both in the studio and outdoor locations. Again there are still car photo-shoot and rolling car shots. So, we will be discussing both the scenario below.
Still car photography: The camera operator can place his camera in front or at the corner for low-angle shots. As the operator gets enough time to shift the camera and accessories, mobility is not more important as stability. Hence using a tripod is the best option.
Rolling shots: For rolling shots car photography, a larger aperture setting, slower shutter speed, and low ISO is commonly used to get crispy rolling shots with a blurry background. Hence stability is of prime importance for slower shutter speed. So, Tripod is much more suitable than a monopod.
However, taking snapshots of a sports car requires a much higher shutter speed and burst shots. Again mobility is also important in this case making it feasible to use a monopod.
Wildlife Photography
For wildlife photography, there are quite a few aspects again. Many people use a tripod for capturing sharp snapshots of wildlife animals by placing a tripod and waiting as long as it takes to get clear and attractive snapshots.
However, there are some events of wildlife photography for which time is very less and mobility is a key factor. Hence, you can use a monopod for being more agile in taking snapshots. So it is possible to track the movement of animals and to take many crispy wildlife photos.
Sports Photography
Who doesn’t want to enjoy action-filled sports like football or basketball game? Who doesn’t like to capture photos to keep the memory of a legendary game or players?
Sports photography is an amazing sector to record twists and turns of the games. The use of a tripod is very common for sports photographers for taking photos and videos of thrilling games.
That’s why you can see a number of photographers on the sideline with heavy cameras and telephoto lenses placed on the tripods.
However, there are situations when a photographer needs to move quickly for clear and close shots of the game making it necessary to use a monopod. So, monopods are commonly used for sports.
Studio Photography
There is no quick movement necessary for studio photography or portraits since the subjects are static in a position. Nowadays many kinds of photography take place in the studio like portrait, food, clothing, product, car or vehicle photography, etc.
So, Tripod is preferred over the monopod for its stability and capability to take heavy cameras and lenses for all types of studio photography.
Night Photography
Many people want to produce stunning night images of landscapes and scenery. As natural lights are insufficient, you need to increase ISO setting to a certain extent for night photography.
As a tripod provides more stability from camera shake, it is again preferred for night photography.
Street Photography
In street photography, mobility is a significant factor as you need to move frequently along the street for capturing snapshots. Hence it is quite difficult to place a tripod in the middle of the passenger way path. So, a monopod is clearly ahead for this type of photography.
Astro Photography
Astro photography requires long exposure or slower shutter speed with heavy telephoto lenses to allow maximum light from distant stars or subjects to become visible in the images. So a tripod is clearly the winner for this type of photography because of its amazing stability and load capacity.
Monopod Vs Tripod For video
Both of the gears may be used for video making with DSLR or Mirrorless cameras. For small documentary or short film video making, the monopod might be the choice for its lightweight, compact, and portability features.
However, for long filmmaking with heavyweight cameras and lenses, Monopods are not suitable and you need to use tripods for greater load carrying ability and stability.
Tripod with monopod combo
Nowadays, Some tripods are available in the market that may be used as a monopod by disassembling the structure. So if you buy this combo, you don’t need to buy a monopod and a tripod separately.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which is better tripod or monopod?
Both the accessories have some important features that make them suitable for a specific field of photography. Tripod provides greater stability and load capacity while a monopod provides greater mobility.
So monopods are preferable for sports and wildlife photography for their lightweight and quick portability features. While Tripods are preferred gear for portraits and landscape photography, Car photography, Low light, and astrophotography.
When should you use a monopod?
Monopods are designed with lightweight and quick portability features. This requires less space to set up and can be carried easily as this can be folded into a small piece to put inside the backpack or travel bag.
Hence monopods are preferable for action sports and wildlife photography for their benefits.
Can a monopod replace a tripod?
A monopod needs to be handheld most of the time and used as required. Some monopods are designed with foldable legs to provide stability. This is a great piece of tool for use in crowded places or streets to acquire minimum space.
However, a monopod cannot replace a tripod as a tripod provides much more stability and load capacity for photography or video.
Are monopods effective?
Yes, Monopods are a very effective tool for camera stability in some areas of photography like sports, streets, or wildlife.
Specially monopods are very much suitable for their lightweight and occupying very small space in a crowded places like streets, markets or sports events.
Conclusion
So, we have described a comparative review of features and performances for monopod vs tripod and mentioned their applications for different fields of photography. Both of the accessories have some pros and cons while designed to provide some benefits for photography.
You should check the requirement first and use your judgment to select the best tool that you need for your photography or video.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to send an email.
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