BenroAdventure 3 Series Carbon Fiber Monopod (MAD38C)

4 Year Update:I felt compelled to update my review and reinforce how much of a workhorse this monopod is, and give a big shoutout to Benro's customer service. I've been using this for action sports photography in all environments, baseball in the wind and dust, hockey in frigid rinks, soccer and football in heat and humidity. It still works as flawlessly as when I first used it.As for Benro...the tripod screw/nut that holds the mount on, and ultimately the tripod or gimbal head, came loose and disappeared. I reached out to Benro asking for a replacement. I received a prompt reply asking for further information and for shipping information. I received a replacement within a week, along with the necessary "wrench" to tighten it. Kudos to Benro!Original Review:I have had this monopod for a few months now, but just recently had the opportunity to really put it to work. I cranked out roughly 4500 shots of a softball tournament on a cloudless, 85° Colorado day. Here was my setup for the sake of possible comparison:This monopodSirui K-30X Ballhead:  Sirui K-30X 44mm Ballhead with Quick Release, 66.1 lbs Load Capacity Canon 70D body:  Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) The surprisingly solid vertical Vivitar grip:  Batteries, Chargers & Grips / BG-E14 Battery Grip Canon Canon's 2nd generation 100-400mm:  Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens That adds up to roughly 8.5 lbs of camera, grip, lens, and batteries.Hot:LightweightEase of extension (I prefer flip locks)StableNot Hot:5'2" fully extended, so it may not work well for those much taller than ~6'1" (when shooting vertically)I am very happy with this monopod. It is featherlight, and extends evenly with a buttery amount of resistance. It also supported my gear with nary a hint of effort. I am just under 5'11" and was well aware I would not need a 5 section monopod. If you're on the taller side of average, this monopod could be too short. I typically let the ball head rest in the side groove when I shoot vertically (75% of the time), which would be difficult for the taller photographer. I anticipate that hiking/backpacking/wildlife will be no problem either.

This is a review of the Benro Adventure 4 Series Carbon Fiber Monopod (MAD49C). (Amazon has a confusing mix of reviews under this style name/number. It's offered in several options (aluminum, with & without heads, several leg configurations...).So: this review is of the 4 section carbon fiber Benro monopod -- without a head. I own 3 full size Benro carbon tripods, 2 "Travel Angel" tri's --one aluminum, one carbon, and several heads. The first tri I bought -- a twist leg version -- crashed after about 6 years of relatively tender use. Boo. Customer support said the bad leg couldn't be fixed, & sent it back. I fixed it, but relegated it to low use (spotting scope support). The other tri's have been fine so far -- though all are flip-lock style.Fitted with a Benro B-1 head this monopod is lovely for birding -- it supports my D810 w/Tamron 150-600 lens without a quiver. If feels incredibly solid, and if you're looking for the absolute lightest weight you might want to look elsewhere. But that solidity gives me confidence in mounting a big camera and big lens. Quick to deploy, solid in set up, lightweight & sturdy for the support it delivers. What's not to love? It is a monopod -- so it doesn't have the solid, three-legged support of a tripod. But it sets up far quicker and, if you can steady your side-to-side motion, it's almost as good. Critically, I get better bird shots because the monopod is simpler to set up than a tripod. Any brand's monopod would offer that, usually, but it's difficult to beat Benro's quality and pricing. This is a great monopod at a great price.

I have the Adventure 2 Benro Aluminum Tripod with the B2 ball head, and it is stable, strong and light enough to carry around. Now I have purchased the Adventure 4 Benro Aluminum Monopod and use the Beike ball head with the swivel motion locked down. This momopod is about an inch and a half in diameter - way heftier than I expected. I am 6' tall, and it goes way taller than I would ever use, so I will do like they say, and not open each section to it's full extension. This is like a club! And can be used in self defense if chased by a dog or get in a scrape while taking photos... Worth every penny. I like the swivel foot also. It appears dampened in motion a bit, so it is not wobbley at all. Wonderful Monopod! Over-engineered is a word that comes to mind. Buy one.Additional note after 2 months: This has by far been the most beneficial purchase to my photographic hobby. I've been using it with a Nikon D300 with Battery Pack and Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 with built in tripod mount. I've got to be approaching 10 lbs with that gear, but it balances well on this Benro Adventure 4 monopod. It is a beast, and steady, rock solid. It helps hold the weight of the setup I have, so there is no weight on my arms as I am taking pictures. It helps to be able to carry this weight as I'm waiting around taking local wildlife photos. This is the best $65 I've ever spent on photo gear!

I use it with a 3-Pod pistol grip with the grip pointed forward. It holds a longs lens assembly with ease and allows you to adjust while supporting the lens. It's a pretty heavy duty rig but if you use it a lot it requires a lot of tightening. It has o-rings at each of the leg joints. I figured out pretty quickly that if you forget your 7mm socket wrench you can roll the o-rings up to act as lock rings. Some instructions on adjustment would have been nice but it seems you can just keep tightening the nuts and it keeps working. It slows you down if you walking down the trail and stumble across a perfect photo op.Once you are set up it helps with image stabilization on long shots allowing you to run at lower shutter speeds. It also takes the load off your arms and shoulders if your are waiting around for nature to happen. It is also short enough to fit in most suitcases even with the pistol grip attached.

It's of a very good quality made from carbon fibre and magnesium making it Light weight but very sturdy, I bought it purely for my binoculars for star gazing, the pad on the bottom is quite large giving it more stability from moving side to side and sliding forward when I am at an angle, you can adjust the leg clips but the factory setting seem fine for now, carbon fiber is very strong but easy to crush so be careful and mindful, basically use your head. I have one gripe at the price point I would have liked a storage bag doubling as a carry so you can sling it over your shoulder till needed apart from that all is good and I would highly recommend this monopod

Je recommande! J'aime tout de ce monopod, son pied, sa hauteur, son fonctionnement. Il répond à 100% à mes attentes. J'ai monté une rotule sur la vis, ce qui le rend un peu lourd mais ça ne me dérange pas.J'ai essayé 2 autres modèles plus bas de gamme et j'étais toujours déçue... (P.S J'ai détesté le mécanisme twist lock) Mes attentes étaient élevées! Alors, j'espérais que ce modèle serait meilleur. Et Oui!!! Il est parfait.

La opción del modelo MAD49A, es tambien el modelo MAD38A. Estoy teniendo muchos problemas con el vendedor para la devolución. Tengan cuidado si van a comprar algo.

De Petite taille une fois rangé, un poids qui sait se faire apprécier, une fabrication qui semble robuste et une fois déployé il est idéal par sa grandeur. A voir à l'usage, mais semble un très bon rapport qualité/prix!

Bien que je ne l'ai pas encore essayé, il me semble très correct. Il manque juste une housse!