Caltar Photo - Video Heavy Duty Lightweight 8x Carbon Fiber 5 Section Monopod (Black)

Sturdy and light I would be glad to give it five stars, if I cold see into the future. My experience with extended mono-pods and tripods is that the adjusters will loose their grip over time. Admittedly I have in the past always had the type that use a lever to snap / lock into place. I have damaged an expensive lens on a tripod because one of the legs collapsed. This would never happen with a mono-pod, what happens with the mono-pod is that one of the extensions tends to lose grip and it slowly starts to drop although of course you are holding it so it is simply an annoyance. This kind has the keepers that tighten into place so in theory this should not be an issue. Just takes a wee bit longer (maybe a second give or take) to setup. Works as intended and is light and sturdy. Time will tell in the long run how impressed I am with this setup. I have the mono-pod connected to a pistol grip type of ball head so that I can get my camera angle wherever I like quick and easy while having the mono-pod in a static position. Then take my shot. Personally I am loving this over my old setup. This works great for taking shots that are over head, at my feet, or out on the horizon. And It is much quicker and convenient over a tripod. With the 5 axis stabilization of the Olympus O-MD and this combined, there are very few instances where I need a tripod and my keeper rate in varying light conditions it probably around 80%.

As you will note, there is no information regarding this monopod's fully extended height in the product description, hopefully, this was not intentional. Bottom line: this monopod is only 56 inches tall, fully extended. I bought a ball head (3 inches in height) but with this attached and the monopod fully extended, it just barely brought the camera up to shooting height when it was in a horizontal (landscape) position. As soon as I moved the camera to vertical (portrait), it was necessary to stoop to look into the camera viewfinder. I'm only 5' 10' so I think most people my height or taller will find this monopod's height barely adequate or too short, especially if you don't add a head of some kind.I wanted to like this monopod because it is small, light, very well made and an excellent value for the money but given it's fully extended height I had to return it. I'm assuming that there is a monopod out there that will better suit my needs. Hopefully I can find one that will not break the bank.

Someone else posted the only real problem is it is too short. I am only 5'6" and it does not bring the camera to eye level when standing. It is well made and light weight. I mostly use it from a seat in stadiums so it works for the most part.

Just over 16" collapsed, 56" fully extended, comes with a sturdy sheath with an adjustable shoulder strap. Carbon fiber construction so it's very light. Seems sturdy enough. Screw locks hold very well, no slippage under weight. I like it because it easily fits into my photography back pack, go bag, or valise. Good value since the alternative of similar size is $100. Didn't get 5 stars because I haven't had it long enough to assess its durability.