I bought the Tamron 150mm-600mm lens over the weekend, and oh man, is it a beast! I'm not the largest or strongest of men, so even though I haven't used them in the field, I will undoubtedly tire of holding them quite quickly. What are your thoughts on getting a monopod and tilt head? I have never used either.
I am one of the very few people who actually uses a tripod most of the time. It is a lot to carry so a monopod is certainly a viable alternative. A lot of serious photographers use monopods for large tele lenses and I see them being used at zoos so I think that is a good choice. Remember, you still have to carry everything around, so it will not make the load any lighter, just more stable when shooting (especially for extended periods). Make sure you get a head with a quick release plate so you can pop the lens off the monopod in an instant when you need to.
I am a monopod fanatic. I hate tripods because they are heavy, slow and clumsy. I use my 500mm with my monopod all the time, unless I am in a hide (blind) where I can rest the lens on a ledge or window frame. I use a Gitzo carbon fibre monopod, which is long enough for me, relatively light, quite rigid and easy enough to lengthen and shorten as required (test this out at a dealer, if you can, before you buy). The key piece of equipment is the head. I would not be without my Manfrotto 393 long lens monopod bracket Long Lens Monopod Bracket 393 - 2 Way Adjustable Heads | Manfrotto which cannot recommend highly enough. But I never use it in the way shown in the Manfrotto photo: I mount my lens so that the swinging upper bracket is in the same orientation as the fixed lower one, so the lens fits inside the U shape: this is stable and with the right tension in the nuts where the upper bracket pivots, it is easy to adjust the tilt for rapid shooting. It is also significantly cheaper than the gimbals type of head which is really designed for tripod shooting. Hope this helps Alan
Thanks guys. I think that I'll definitely be getting a monopod and tilthead then. Gentle Lemur, your monopod and bracket cost almost as much (in Australia) as my lens!! I can't spare the cash at the moment, so I'll have to go for a budget version.
