Velbon UP-4000 Monopod first shots
When I got my DSLR I fancied a monopod. I don’t really know why, I think it was maybe because I liked the idea of having basically a collapsable stick that I can transport around, instead of having to snap out legs of a tripod and then get them even on possible uneven ground. With the monopod, it would be a case of standing it up and snapping away.
I deliberated for hours (and I mean that) over what one to get. I looked at the Manfrotto 680b and was ready to buy it. Then I asked myself, do I need such an expensive monopod? I’ve never used one, what if I don’t like it? Hmm.
I then saw one for £7.99 delivered. Again I spent a few moments weighing up the pros and cons. Nah, too cheap and like anything in this world, you get what you pay for.
Well ok then, what do I do now? I already have a mini-tripod made by Velbon. It’s fantastic quality and I’ve had it for 3 years now and it’s still working great. So I had a quick browse of the Velbon monopod range and loved all that I saw. And then I saw the UP-4000 on Bristol Cameras for £15.
It took me all of 20 minutes to quickly read a few reviews and a lot of positives came back so I bought it.
£17.50 delivered from Bristol Cameras
When it arrived I was totally chuffed with it. This thing is ROCK SOLID and has a decent weight to it. It is aluminium I think but is light enough not to tax any muscles carrying it about. The snap grips on the extendable legs are super strong and to test this I leant on it with a lot of my weight behind it. It didn’t budge a bit.
The shaft, althought it looks round on all the photos you see of it, is actually quite square. This is a brilliant choice as it prevents any sort of twisting or movement at all. Again to test this I extended all the sections and then shook it as hard as I could and there was absolutely no rattle or shaking from the monopod. Some amazing build quality for the price.
Some photos
The soft grip allows excellent feel and stability
The foot at the right screws up to reveal a metal spike, and can screw all the way down to cover it. The foot is rubber and very grippy. You can also see the snap shutters here and they are heavy duty. Probably not the best for say wildlife photographs, but for a safe, sturdy platform for everything else, they are excellent.
Here it is fully extended. There is NO bending or sagging. This thing took a lot of my weight and didn’t buckle at all, so it’s perfect for bigger lenses.
The top of the pod has a screw that you screw in to your camera and it’s been brilliantly thought out as the very last bit of thread that you tighten it on to orientates the camera to the front of the monopod. This is a brilliant thing to have as I didn’t want my camera sitting squint on the pod. The top disc is a rubberised finish and once screwed on tightly, holds the camera rock steady.
So if you didn’t already get it, I love this monopod. For £17.50 it is an absolute steal and I can’t see me wanting to upgrade it anytime soon. Absolutely fantastic.
