3Pod Carbon Fiber Monopod Mini Review

I recently came upon a new house brand called 3Pod at Adorama – the giant New York-based camera and electronics store.

And the first product I tested is a monopod. It’s called the: “3Pod Orbit 4-Section Carbon Fiber Photo/Video Monopod with Fluid Base and TiltHead with Quick Release.”

While that’s a very long official name, what it is – well it’s a monopod. And a darned fancy one at that.

Let’s start with the good news. This is a carbon fibre monopod and it’s inexpensive. At under $120 it’s the least expensive CF monopod I can find. Like all Adorama house branded items, it’s very high quality for the money.

This is the monopod designed for the every day photo or video shooter — these are your bread and butter working tools. They aren’t well-known and they aren’t expensive but they are good quality.

The 3Pod monopod is lightweight and features four fully adjustable sections. It has a cushioned grip, and flip lock legs for a more stable shooting experience. Adorama touts this as being designed for both photo and video because its pivoting fluid base with tripod foot allows for balanced and smooth swiveling and panning, great for adding dynamic motion to a shot.

This monopod has a unique feature: a base that offers 3 locking feet for a more stable experience. They don’t recommend using it like a tripod, i.e., walking away from it set up like that. It’s just for more stability and I tested it – it works – as long as you don’t expect it to act like a tripod.

The price points on this product combined with the functionality, usability and quality it offers really can’t be beat. You don’t get the lifetime warranty you’d get with a Gitzo product, but you also don’t get the super high price. A five year warranty seems more than fair for an item costing $119.95.

Highly recommended.

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Filed under: Gear, Photography, Reviews Tagged: 3pod, Adorama, monopod, Scott Bourne