SIRUI Camera Monopod P-326 6 Section Carbon Fiber Compact Lightweight Travel Monopod

Don't look any further. This is the monopod to get. This is an excellent monopod. Very light and very sturdy. It is very stable with no flex if you open it properly. No monopod is meant to be extended all the way. The proper way to extend a monopod is to extend each section about 95% or less. This will eliminate the possibility of flex and increase the rigidity. The carbon fiber material makes it very light weight vs other monopods made out of aluminum. This model has been manufactured and been around for many years. This model has been used by many professional photographers over those years. I am a retired professional photographer. I have been an avid user of tripods and monopods. Both tripods and monopods have a very important place in professional photography. Monopods are also used as walking sticks and trek poles for hikers and climbers. This monopod is an excellent choice for a walking stick and trek pole. It is also great for the elderly to increase their walking stability. The design is very similar to the Gitzo monopod that sells for four times the price.

I have been looking forever for a monopod. The prices vary widely from aluminum to carbon fiber. There are monopods with feet and the ones without feet. I think personally the feet add unnecessary weight. If you get a sturdy tripod it won't be the same as having feet to be able to place it down on the ground but the weight difference is significant.The monopod comes with a hand strap with a sort of cheap compass. I have heard it doesn't work well but I checked it out against the compass on my iPhone and if you hold it flat on your finger it is accurate. The hand strap comes off if you choose to have it less bulky although it doesn't make it bulky enough you'd want to remove it.The monopod comes in 5 sections. Most of the time, at least in the aluminum,the 5 section monopod starts to have some give to it when you have it fully open. This carbon tripod does not have that problem. This thing is very solid. The foot comes with a retractable spike. Don't know what would happen if you have to replace the rubber foot but I haven't heard anyone complain their rubber foot wears out. Think you would have to use this every day for quite a while before it would wear down.Btw here are the specs:Model：P-326Material: Carbon FiberSections: 6Tube Max Dia: 32mm/1.3inchTube Min Dia: 16mm/0.6inchMax Hgt: 1560mm/61.4inchMin Hgt: 395mm/15.6inchWeight: 0.4kg/0.9lbLoad: 10kg/22lbAt 15.6" fully closed and less than 1 lb this tripod hits all the things on my checklist. I'm looking for a ball head a bit down the road or I could use it with the camera attached directly to the monopod. You do have a choice of a tilt ball head which gives you more control on the monopod since it has only one lever and it doesn't pan. You could also use a regular ball head if you find one with only one lever. If you have two many levers you'll be trying to adjust the ball head and the monopod will become harder to handle.Watching the reviews on youtube.com a few people mentioned that the newer models have a two piece tab if you pull it out all the way. The older models evidently have a one piece tab that makes it much easier to remove and reapply it in case you have to take the monopod out and clean it. Also the newer models the neoprene grip is not tightly glued and it does have some play in it. Whether this is an older model or an even newer model than they reviewed this particular monopod I received does have the one piece tab.The neoprene hand grip is a nice little touch though. For aluminum monopods and tripods this is helpful when it's cold. For carbon fiber monopods it does hold a bit of the cold but not as much as aluminum. Nice feature to have just in case.The rubber grips to unscrew are very easy to handle. You could easily get your whole hand around them and turn them all at once. The carbon fiber legs move very easily.My one wish is that the monopod came with a ball head. I realize though it would add to the price.For the price and what this monopod offers it's pretty much a no brainer to purchase this.

I just got this about 15 minutes ago. Although I think this is a fine product, and it certainly is as described- I will be returning it for a monopod that has a removable foot with a 3/8" screw. I will be traveling shortly, and have a Leofoto monopod foot, and I mistakenly assumed that the foot on this monopod was removable- but it is not. You can twist the foot to expose the spike for added stability, but the foot is not removable. Sad, as I really like this monopod.

I have had this monopod for just over 10 years. It is 99% as functional as the day I bought it. The metal spike tip no longer rotates out and in due to too much crud that has gotten jammed into the mechanism but this is an insignificant issue. I did look into buying a replacement but you have to buy the whole bottom section and not just the tip so I simply attached a Walgreen's rubber walking cane tip and it is actually better than original equipment. (By the way, the customer service at Sirui is fantastic.) I would not go in the field without this Sirui. The only photography I do is landscapes and occasionally wildlife so I am hiking in mostly wilderness areas. This is a great tool when shooting wildlife. I mounted a Manfrotto ball head to the top which gives added flexibility when shooting on uneven ground. But more often I use it as a hiking stick and do my still photography on large and heavy Gitzo tripod. When I visit Big Cypress National Forest (nearly monthly) I am walking in 6 to 12 inches of water with uneven footing and lots of prairie grass clinging on to my boots. Inside the cypress domes the footing is less stable with lots of fallen branches in the darkened water. On more than one occasion this stick has braced me and prevented me from going down. The stability this stick offers is great. If something should happen to this monopod I would replace it immediately with the exact same model.

I love the compact size and light weight of this monopod. Initially, I would have preferred quick release latches for the monopod sections rather than the twist mechanisms, but these twist locks work really well. They are very secure and it's easy to twist multiple sections at one time. The monopod is rated for 22 pounds, and it will easily accomodate my Canon R5 and 100-500mm lens. Even though there are 6 sections, it does not feel wobbly at all. There is a nice little carabiner that I can use to secure it to my daypack. Great quality and value at this price!