Monopods
Velbon Ultra Stick Super 8 Monopod
£39/$70
The Velbon Ultra Stick Super 8 Monopod is so named for its impressive eight leg sections, in a sector where six is usually the maximum you can expect. These, when fully extended, allow it to reach a surprisingly tall maximum height of 156cm, yet when fully retracted the Ultra Stick manages to compress down to a mere 26cm. This is also an amazingly light monopod, weighing in at just 340g.
Having a monopod with this kind of versatility is certainly a benefit, though it’s worth noting that the leg locks themselves are quite stiff and take some practice to get the hang of. In our testing, we found one in particular
