Madhukr

Hi, everyone. I am new at bird photography. I have a canon Mark2 with a 100 400mm lens. Just bought a tripod. But was wondering, if monopod is a better deal for bird photography.

Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

Neither go hand held, but if you have to then a tripod with a gimbal head.

NoSocks Loc: quonochontaug, rhode island

You'll still get some motion blur with a monopod. A tripod is always superior when you want to be needle sharp.

Old Timer Loc: Greenfield, In.

Definitely a gimbal head for birds. I use my gimbal more than any other head. Adjusted to your own likes and it will make hand held almost obsolete and will get better shots overall.

Bultaco Loc: Aiken, SC

if you have steady hands neither, if you shot from a blind a tripod, walking a mono is lighter. Gimbals are the best but expensive, a ball head will give you good results.

d2b2 Loc: Catonsville, Maryland, USA

I have a number of tripods and one monopod. I rarely use the monopod, and use a tripod more and more, over the years. If I am in a situation where a monopod is sometimes easier to work with, I do not carry both; when walking, I have a lighter, composite tripod and I extend only one leg, then using it like a monopod. It is a bit clumsy, but much better than simply hand-held, on some circumstances.

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Fast shutter hand held.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

I have tried hand-held, monopod and tripod with ball head. My choice by far is the tripod. Make sure it is tall enough so you do not have to stoop and heavy enough for your lens. Unless your camera has very little noise, then I think your 400 may be too short unless the birds are cooperative and fly near you. I zoom out and pick a bird hoping it will fly closer to me. If it does, I zoom in. Bigger birds, especially raptors, fly in more predictable and slower patterns. You have to be very fast to get songbirds. Try to keep the sun behind you. Shoot continuous and be prepared to waste a lot of "film". And be very patient. Good luck and enjoy.

haroldross Loc: Walthill, Nebraska

It really depends on the type of bird photography you are doing.

The tripod is the most stable. If using the proper technique with a monopod it can be very stable.

If I am shooting an eagle in their nest, the tripod work wells for me. For birds in flight, I prefer handheld or a monopod.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

A tripod for sure gives you the strurdiest platform, for birds in flight I always shoot handheld!

Jim Bob

OP did not inquire about head.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

I always try to use mine...

SX2002 Loc: Adelaide, South Australia

All mine are hand held, I find anything else is too slow unless you're only shooting stationary birds...

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

With a 100-400mm lens you might find more freedom shooting hand held. It is certainly light enough, and the focal length is not beyond what can be hand-held for the typical exposure settings you are likely to use. I use all three modes - tripod, monopod and handheld.

If you have a very stable tripod, you can shoot earlier and later in the day without resorting to astronomical ISOs. The downside of tripods is that you have to jump around the legs when tracking birds in flight, and they add about 5-7 lbs to your kit.

Monopods are inherently less stable, but I use mine mainly when I am shooting hand-held as a way to take the load off my arms. I don't rely on mine to hold the camera steady.

Hand held is my choice for active wildlife, especially smaller birds.

I shoot with a 100-300 F4, 150-600 Sigma Sport, and a 600mm F4 and 1.4X TC. The first two lenses I have no trouble hand-holding, but the 600 goes on the tripod.

Since you are new to bird photography, I would suggest that a gimbal head is a good thing to get. You needn't spend $700 for a Wimberley Gimbal, you can get great results using Manfrotto's 393 - smooth action, extremely sturdy, and only $180. You can really beat on it and it never lets you down. If the moving parts get grit in them, they are nylon bearings, and held together with standard screws so it is easy to dismantle, clean, and lube with a dry lubricant. I've had mine 12 yrs and it as good as it was when it was new.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

TRIPOD

Stability and ability to follow the animal's movement and still stay stable.