Slik Lighty Pod III Monopod With Ballhead (618-719)

I am very happy with this purchase! I use it on my GoPro Hero 8 and it is by far better than other sticks i had. It is also super long so it can be used for creation of drone-like vids.

The feel is compact, solid and certainly sturdy enough to hold my Canon EOS Rebel T5i/700D with a standard zoom lens. Although the advertised load capacity is 6.6 lbs, I do worry about whether it will be adequate to support my camera (1.2 lbs) with a Sigma 500 mm ultra telephoto zoom lens (3.2 lbs) attached if and when I decide to get that lens or something similar for a trip into the Amazon rain forest later this year. Meanwhile I’m still trying to get used to steadying the monopod while taking a photo; I guess it’ll take some practice because thus far I have used only bulky tripods. My only other nit is that the ball head lacks separate controls for vertical and lateral adjustment. On the plus side, however, I discovered that the ball head is removable and can be replaced by a more advanced one that provides more precise control.

It’s now 9 years since I bought it. I still use it several times a week and it still works ‘good as new’. I’d give it 6 stars if I could!

I’ve had it about 6 months and used it quite a lot – mostly at sporting events (where you may want to shoot a moving target at high zoom). It gets 5 Stars – which I only give when a product exceeds my expectations. It’s light enough to leave on the camera while you carry it around, so minimal time wasted setting up, and I’ve often found myself using it as a pistol grip without the foot extended. It’s rugged – I don’t anticipate ever having to replace it. I sometimes want to tighten the top mount just enough to grip the camera but still be able to move it against the friction and it does that well too.

One sees a fair amount of discussion about the ‘weight’ of camera that ball top mounts are good for. I’ve tried this one with a Canon S5 (1.5 lb) with teleconverter (.5 lb) with the weight concentrated about 10cm (4in) away from the camera. It handles this with ease so out of interest I taped a 1lb lead weight to the front of the lens – still no problem.

I had started out looking at cheap monopods; but they don’t come with a ball head mounting and by the time you’ve added a reasonable you’d be close to the price of the Slik in any case.

I originally purchased a much less expensive brand of monopod for an upcoming garden tour. It fell apart the first time I extended the tubes all the way. The Slik monopod is about three times more expensive, but the quality difference is obvious from the moment you first touch it. It also includes a decent (for the price) ball mount. It has a written three year warranty and clear instructions in English and Japanese. The ball is screwed to the monopod and to the camera and both connections depend on friction to keep them from loosening. Something to watch.

I have had a lightweight Slik tripod in my home studio for years and have been impressed with how sturdy it is and how well it has performed over the years. Like my tripod, this monopod is intended for light duty and would not be suitable for a heavier professional camera, but it appears it will be up to the challenge with my little EOS and 18-200mm lens.

All in all, I hope it will be a good compromise between price and quality.

Very nice monopod, very convenient to have the ball head already attached, which makes it a great value. The pole is very sturdy. I read a review that the very bottom slide-out pole was “bendy”, but I actually took both hands to that bottom section and could not bend it even when I tried. It’s lighter than I expected, but still substantial. This item may not be what professionals want to invest in, but for me to take pictures of my son’s graduation and scenic photos on vacation when I need my big telephoto lens, this monopod really fits the bill! Very pleased with this purchase.