How To Use Monopods and Tripods For Sharp Photos

If you want sharp, clear and detailed photos, you will need to invest in the gear that will help you get that kind of results. Over the past year I have accumulated three different kinds of mounted assistance for my camera that seems to work well for me. The first is a monopod. Of course, monopods are not as steady as a tripod will be because there is only one leg holding the camera steady, but they do allow for greater freedom of movement and setup when you take the shot. And if lighting conditions are decent, they are a nice compromise. A monopod is easily adjustable, easy to carry, and will help add stability to your camera and lens.

The second piece of equipment that has helped me get sharper photos is a light-weight tripod. Face it, there are times when you are going to be on a long trek somewhere outside that requires more than a monopod, but a big old gorilla tripod is just going to be way more than you want to have to lug around for that long a period of time. This is where a light-weight tripod can come in handy if lighting conditions allow. One of the main drawbacks to lightweight tripods is how much weight you can safely put on them in terms of your camera and lens combination. They are not meant to support heavy super-telephoto lenses, but for many 200mm - 300mm lenses they will still do fine.

Finally, the absolute best piece of mounted assistance for your camera/lens is the rock-solid, heavy-duty tripod. If you are working with macro shots, this is almost mandatory as the small tolerances that you have in depth of field pretty much require that your camera be as stationary as possible. They can also handle the extra weight that 400mm - 600mm lenses bring to the situation if that is necessary, and they make windy conditions much less of a problem for the nature photographer. You can't go wrong with one of these monsters, but they will wear you out if you aren't used to carrying them for long distances.

This three-pronged approach to camera stability is working pretty well for me now and I'm sure that your photo results will be able to benefit from this approach as well. So when do you use what? Well, nature photography is a constant exercise in compromises, and what works for one photographer does not necessarily fill the bill for another. Just experiment and see which piece of camera stabilization equipment works best for you under which circumstances.

The good news is that none of these pieces of equipment need to be very expensive. Of course, like anything else in photography, if you want to spend a lot of money you can do that very easily. But good quality monopods, light-weight tripods and heavy-duty tripods do not have to break the bank. You can get all three for under $200 if you know where to look on Amazon and read the reviews listed there. Happy hunting!

The photo at the top of this post is one taken using a monopod in good lighting conditions.