Using a trekking pole as a monopod

Has anyone ever used a trekking/hiking pole as a monopod? I am considering buying a Leki Sierra Antishock hiking staff which has a tripod screw on the top. It extends from 2 feet to about 5 feet (plus the height of the ball head and camera) and sells for about $70. Any comments on Leki as opposed to another manufacturer of hiking staffs?

What can I say, they do work. I don't use a Leki, but a hiking stick is a hiking stick is a hiking stick. You might want to get the small Bogen ballhead (3009 or 3001, forget which) and retro-fit it to fit the tripod screw so that you can lean the monopod back towards you to take a picture. (The best set up, of course, is described in the Really Right Stuff catalog mentioned elsewhere on this web-site).

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Oh, and here are some <a href="http://www.midwinter.com/~piaw/rainier.htm">sample pictures</a> taken with one.

I have a hiking stick with a tripod screw on top but I no longer use it because it does not extend high enough to allow me the stability I need. I found that I had to bend over to look through the viewfinder and that bending nullfied most of the advantage of having the extra support. Bent knees and bent back just don't make for a stable setup. If you can comfortably get the camera to eye level without bending then it might work for you.

 

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I ended up getting a fancy Gitzo monopod that weighs only one pound. I do lots of hiking up the BIG mountains we have in the west (not like those puny hills on the east coast) and when you are a desk jockey five days a week every ounce counts. When the camera is mounted on the Gitzo it easily comes to eye level and I can hold it much more steadily.

I bought the trekking pole about 2 months ago and am very pleased with it. I have found that it buys me between 1 and 2 stops, even more so when combined with my 75-300 IS lens. My slides shot at 300mm for 1/30 using both IS and the monopod are sharp (slide evaluated on a light box with a loupe).