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I see that most monopod are not very tall when fully extended.

How important is it to choose a monopod that is high enough??

I am six foot two (189cm) and my eye level is roughly around 175cm.

Many monopods only gets to 150cm or 160cm. Adding the height of my camera, it is still usually a few cm lower than my eye level (when I am standing straight, with shoes on)

I would like to seek some advice from experienced monopod user. Do you think it is important to get a monopod that, when everything is mounted, at least meets your eye level at a comfortable standing position?

I tried a monopod in a store today and it is about 5 cm short. Meaning that when I mount my camera on it, standing perfectly straight, the viewfinder will be at the level of my nose, not my eye.

Would that bother you?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Six foot two isn't extremely tall, but it is tall. You might be a little hard pressed to find a monopod that is exactly tall enough to meet eye level like @DannyEdminds stated. Given that, you might try bringing along a couple small pieces of 2x4 wood liquid-nailed together as a small stand to get a monopod up to height. If your not afraid of DIY, you might try to find a better solution, such as finding a way to extend the monopod's inner tube...the feet usually pop out...you might be able to find a cheap piece of similar aluminum tubing to extend it by the right length. \$\endgroup\$
    – jrista
    Commented Nov 20, 2011 at 1:22

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I've found that I like my monopod tall enough so that the viewfinder is pretty much exactly at eye level. If it's much lower than that then I find that after only a short period of use, my neck starts to cramp. It should also be noted that if I'm shooting something above me (birds in flight for instance) then I'll tend to have the viewfinder above eye level, so I can look up through the camera without having to crouch, so in my case I like the monopod to be capable of extending about 5-10 cm above eye level.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I wonder if there is some sort of aluminum tube that has 1/4 20" screw joints on both ends so that I can attach it to add height to a monopod that is short? Ideally a solid piece of aluminum would give the best strength, but I am unable to find anything similar. \$\endgroup\$
    – Gapton
    Commented Nov 21, 2011 at 8:09
  • \$\begingroup\$ Definitely not a fan of neck pain. I took your advice and exchanged the monopod that I purchased with a cheaper but taller one. (Manfrotto 695CX to 694CX, 5 sections to 4 sections, max height is about 8 cm difference) Now when fully extended with a monopod head, the VF is easily above my eyebrow (bare foot). It just feels that much better, and I know I always have 1 inch extra, gives me a peace of mind. Lastly it is cheaper, and 4 sections is stronger. \$\endgroup\$
    – Gapton
    Commented Nov 21, 2011 at 14:25

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