National Geographic NG Tundra Monopod with QR Ball Head

Comments about National Geographic NG Tundra Monopod with QR Ball Head:

I have a simple Canon SX110 IS and a S1 IS with good sesitivity and optical stabalization. Sometimes it would be good to have a little more vertical stabalization, expectially when shooting video. My arm always gets tired. My old Bogan 3211 video tripod was way too heavy and not exactly airport friendly.

I set out to find a tripod that was:

Light-weight.
Small enough to fit into carry-on luggage (less than 20").
Was at least 60" long when extended.
...and [here's a big one] less than $60.

That was easy to find on B&H's site. There where only 2 or three that met those criteria. As a bonus the NG Tundra has:

A quick-release head.
A swivel head.
Quick to set segments (The Bogan has the twist type).
A flexible rubber foot I can rest on my belt for stability when the monopod is collapsed.
The swivel/quick-release screw off to make a true, rigid monopod and...
... is about 1/2 inch longer and shorter than I needed

It's plenty rigid though no tripod and strong. I would have to break it to get it to collapse. The monotube is oval shaped making it very easy to hold and feel to rotate.

I am VERY satisfied. If I had to ask for anything else (and this is a stretch), a bubble level would have made it absolutly perfect. It is not something I would throw in the back of a truck and drop bagage on eather. It's mostly Aluminum but there are some plastic parts - it's not commercial strength. At this price, I cannot complain.

Comments about National Geographic NG Tundra Monopod with QR Ball Head:

I bought this to take the weight off my arms when taking photos of birds along a tow path. I was looking for something light and inexpensive and it satisfies those needs. I'm typically sitting on the ground and only extend it to 40 to 60 cms. so it works fine.
I think it is too light-duty for use when I am standing up and to some extent I regret not buying a more sturdy monopod but that would have cost twice as much.
Overall I am happy with it but if you are fully extending it, it isn't sufficiently stable for a heavy lens.

Comments about National Geographic NG Tundra Monopod with QR Ball Head:

I got this to use on safari in Tanzania and it worked well throughout my trip. You spend the majority of your time inside the safari truck so a tri-pod is not applicable and I got the monopod to steady the camera with full zoom. My pictures turned out great and I had no problems with the mono-pod. The only negative was that the foot could come off easier than I would want, but it only happened once and snapped right back on. The quick disconnect was great and the ball held with ease with a digital slr and a 600mm zoom lens.

Comments about National Geographic NG Tundra Monopod with QR Ball Head:

Im not much of a mono/tri-pod user so I bought this mainly with low-cost in mind. Its a decent value for the money.
It is stable as long as the bottom-most section is not extended fully, in which case it becomes wobbly at the bottom. Not a problem for me as I am 5'8" so extending only the first three sections suits my height just fine.
The plastic ballhead holds a Nikon D80 with >=50mm primes comfortably. It is noticeably strained while handling the D80 w/ 70-300VR lens though. It is not rated for that weight anyway, so you get what you pay for. The ballhead is removable however, so it may be possible to affix a heavier duty one to it. I havent tried that yet, but am tempted to take this into the store to see if that works better.
My main gripe about this is the foot keeps coming off. I went on some non-strenuous hiking up Mt. Mitoku in Japan where this was attached to a backpack most of the time. This was a brand new unit at the time, just out of the box. Sure enough, somewhere along the way the rubber foot fell off. Once that happened, the monopod was essentially useless because that hard ball at the end doesnt provide any traction whatsoever on rock or solid ground.
It is an okay product but as with most things in photography, you get what you pay for.

Comments about National Geographic NG Tundra Monopod with QR Ball Head:

THIS MONOPOD WORKS FINE. JUST REMEMBER TO LOSEN THE BALL BEFOR TRYING TO MOVE IT, MINE HOLDS FINE WITH A LIGHT TWIST ON THE SCREW.
HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS AT ALL.

Comments about National Geographic NG Tundra Monopod with QR Ball Head:

Unit unstable with Pentax K10D w/standard 18-55 lensBall head not smoothRubber foot keeps falling off.

Expertise: Amateur

Problems Encountered: Unit unstable with Pentax K10D w/standard 18-55 lensBall head not smoothRubber foot keeps falling off.

Comments about National Geographic NG Tundra Monopod with QR Ball Head:

The ball head is inadequate to support my Nikon D50. It is not possible to tighten the unit, so that it does not move during use. The monopod itself is fine, light and easy to adjust.

Problems Encountered: Ballhead cannot be tightened to support camera.