Velbon RUP-L40 Monopod

Comments about Velbon RUP-L40 Monopod:

I was looking for something not too expensive which would be easy to carry on outdoor rambles to support my camera for photos taken at dusk/twilight, and other moderately low-light situations.

This fits the bill perfectly. It is no heavier than a paperback novel. When fully extended I don't have to stoop to look through the camera viewfinder (I'm 5'10" so taller users will have to!). And despite its light weight it seems sturdy enough and is well built and nicely finished. The three clamps on the monopod are made of plastic - this helps keep the weight down, but their longevity would be my only concern.

The RUP-L40 may not come with an adjustable head, but I can unscrew the head from my old Velbon tripod (a 25-year-old VGB-3) and use this on the monopod - although doing so increases the weight of the kit by just over 500g.

Overall I'm very happy with this purchase. Good value for money.

Comments about Velbon RUP-L40 Monopod:

I bought this to use on holiday, as I new that lugging both a camera bag, and a tripod, round was not going to work.

Having had it for 5 months now, I'm starting to find it more and more useful.
It's uses range from festivals, where there simply isn't room for tripods, to trekking in the highlands, where a 2.7kg tripod saps all your energy.

It is well very built, and unless you are going to be using a vast lens, it's very sturdy. I even used our camcorder on it!

Perhaps it's biggest weakness is it's lack of head - The camera simply screw straight on to the top - which means portrait shots are out of the question.

All-in-all, though, it is a recommend purchase, especially at this price!