Digital SLR Photography All-in-One For Dummies. Robert Correll

You won’t grow as tired, either.

       Monopod

Monopods have a single leg that telescopes in and out to the height you want to work at, as shown in Figure 2-13. Most often, you see professional photographers at sporting events using monopods. They stand, sit, or kneel on the sidelines and use the monopod to support the weight of their camera. If using bulky, heavy lenses, you need all the support you can get. You’ll mount your telephoto lens right to the monopod.

       FIGURE 2-13: Monopods excel at supporting large cameras and lenses.

       Walking around with a monopod is much easier than lugging around a tripod. They’re faster to set up and tear down. Setting the exact height you need with one leg is easier than fiddling around with three. The tradeoff for this convenience, however, is stability and safety. Monopods aren’t as stable as tripods, and if you forget they don't have three legs and let go, well, you're in for a nasty surprise.

      Handling an Articulated Monitor

      Using Live View on an LCD monitor gives you the flexibility of shooting when you can't look through the viewfinder. Having an adjustable, also called articulated, LCD monitor lets you shoot from a number of otherwise impossible positions. Although the style may vary, they all swing or move up and out from the back of the camera so you can position them. You can get down low, hold the camera up high, or even point it around a corner. Using an articulated monitor isn’t difficult. Your main concerns should be: