a photography walking stick?

I've been thinking of getting a monopod for when I take my camera walking.  I like a walking stick when hiking on uneven ground.  I have a light tripod but it's bulky to carry with me and a pain to set up and take down when hiking with others.

I also was thinking that my landscape and wildlife photos would do better with less hand movement.  I can manage 1/30th of a second without any blur, but for longer exposures, I want something to help steady my camera.  

The thing is, the monopod I can afford isn't great.  It has a rubber/plastic/synthetic grip that I doubt will agree with my skin.  I'm also not good with telescoping sticks (I have a nack of breaking advanced tech).


What if... and I'm just dreaming here... What if there was some sort of attachment I could add to the top of a wooden walking stick to make it fit my camera?

Is it possible to make my dream come true?

Here's a nice Instructable on doing it with inexpensive, standard hardware bits that will give you some ideas!

https://www.instructables.com/id/Versatile-Walking-Stick-Camera-Monopod-and-Stylish/

How about something like this?

Quarter inch bolts or threaded rod is the standard.
I found few occasions to use a monopod, but some people like them a lot. Great for holding a camera ready for something to happen, animals or sports. It might help get you to 1/15th.

Adding a shoulder strap to a tripod is a tip I found useful.

Given that it isn't too complicated, expensive or heavy… sounds worth a try to me.

If I take the tripod with me, I usually end up doing fairly long exposures in dark areas. But then again, the tripod isn't exactly small or leightweight.
Also I regret taking the tripod with me more than not taking it with me … right now it is holding the 3G antenna and will probably continue that job for a few more months.

If I was making it, I'd use one of these. I think I'd find it easier to install than a t-nut.

T Melville wrote:If I was making it, I'd use one of these. I think I'd find it easier to install than a t-nut.

that looks neat.  Something that shape would work well.

I'm trying to see the tpi (threads per inch) on that.  It says "bolt pitch 20" - but 'pitch' is the metric measure of threading and for a camera mount, it is usually "pitch = 1.270"  Whereas in imperial, it would be written "1/4-20 UNC"



I'm wondering if I could find something like this is brass or a non-plated metal.  I like brass because it's softer than the female connector in the camera so any cross-threading is less likely to break the camera than the easily-replaceable mount.  

Pretty sure those are ¼-20. That's what I searched for, because I think that's the thread inside most cameras. No luck when I googled ¼-20 brass hanger bolts. ¼-20 brass toilet screws, though... Might have a look in the plumbing section.

Here's a link to the ones in the picture.

r ranson wrote:

T Melville wrote:If I was making it, I'd use one of these. I think I'd find it easier to install than a t-nut.

that looks neat.  Something that shape would work well.

I'm trying to see the tpi (threads per inch) on that.  It says "bolt pitch 20" - but 'pitch' is the metric measure of threading and for a camera mount, it is usually "pitch = 1.270"  Whereas in imperial, it would be written "1/4-20 UNC"



I'm wondering if I could find something like this is brass or a non-plated metal.  I like brass because it's softer than the female connector in the camera so any cross-threading is less likely to break the camera than the easily-replaceable mount.  

In either case, ALL threads have a "pitch" which is the distance between each turn of the thread, axially. It is expressed differently in Metric and "Imperial".
Metric is how far ONE thread is from the next, as in M8 x 1.25, which is 1.25mm between threads. The pitch can be all sorts of (decimal) fractions of millimeters, but usually round-ish amounts like 0.8 or 1.25 or 1.5.
Imperial is how MANY threads are within ONE INCH of length, as in 1/4-20, which has 20 threads per inch. The pitch (usually) is a whole number per inch, such as 13 or 20 or 32 (there are exceptions, but usually on giant threads like 4-1/2 tpi).

1/4-20 is the standard camera tripod mount.

You should be careful about the length of the screw that goes into the camera, it is a shallow hole and it is possible to damage the camera by driving too long of a screw in there.
If it's too long, you can poke through the bottom of the hole, strip the threads, or break off your mounting stud in the hole...

I never did get a wooden monopod yet.  But one day, it would be nice.

I ended up getting a telescoping monopod for pretty cheap and it's still wonderful.  I can adjust the hight for different camera angles and it's great for getting down low to the earth and shooting chickens (with my camera). It's also mors likely to make it into my bag as it is about 10 inches when folded, but extends to 6 feet.

But, as a walking stick, I don't like it as it has a foam grip which feels weird on my skin and a bit too much spring to make a good stabilizer.