Monopods

A monopod is a single-legged camera support — basically a tripod with only one leg. Obviously a monopod is not as stable as a tripod and it would not be the best choice for most situations. However monopods do have some advantages:

• Lighter and easier to carry than tripods.
• Can be set up much faster than a tripod.
• Can be set up in places which are difficult or impossible for a tripod (e.g. rough terrain or in the middle of a crowd).
• Gives you some added flexibility for different types of camera movement.

You can make a monopod from an old tripod, in fact this can be a good way to get more life out of a tripod which has a broken leg. You can also use a tripod as a monopod simply by only extending one leg (it's not quite the same but close enough).

How to Use a Monopod

The key to using a monopod is to use your own two legs together with the monopod to create a tripod. Rather than trying to hold the monopod perfectly vertical, place your legs slightly apart and lean the monopod towards you. Adjust the monopod head to give you the correct angle.

Bipods

A bipod is a two-legged camera support — a compromise between a monopod and a tripod. Bipods are not commonly used in video production and commercial models are rare. You can create a bipod effect with a tripod by only extending two legs.

That's the end of this tripod tutorial. If you have any questions please feel free to ask in our video production forum.