Customer Reviews

Sima SMP-1C Monopod

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

"You get what you pay for"

Most of the time that cliche is true, but there are products out there that break this rule. The Philips DVP642 is one of them, a great quality, versatile product selling at a bargain price. This is not.

I was hoping the same of this product from all the "glowing" reviews on here. However, this quality of this monopod is very disappointing. First of all, you have to ask yourself, why do you need a monopod over a tripod? For myself and most, it's because we need some stability and portability for our telephoto zoom lenses. However, telephoto zooms are long and heavy so the monopod should be designed strong and solid to live up to the task. This monopod doesn't even come close.

Here are it's bad points:

-The aluminum construction is very cheap quality. The leg segments wobble laterally when you extend and close them. It feels like thin, cheap aluminum and the monopod feels it could break in half like a toothpick at any time.

-The head is very cheap and not solid. No matter how tight I tightened the head, my camera would slope down. The workmanship of the head is so cheap that at any point, you think that you're going to break the PLASTIC tightening screw if you tighten it too much. I think we've all experienced that in the past.

-The leg locks are not tight. When you push down on the monopod, the leg segments slide back into themselves.

In the end, it was a risk I took hoping that I could get a high-quality product for a cheap price. Sometimes, you can get away with that. Walmart sells a very decent functioning tripod for only $30. In this case, I should've bought a REAL monopod. Oh well, I wasted $16 that I could've used to help pay for a higher quality monopod.

The SMP-1 is very inexpensive. It's much lighter than my other monopod and has easier to operate flip-locks for the extension sections. The head flips in one direction, but with that you can angle the partially extended monopod to brace a camcorder against your body. The monopod has a minimal foam handle grip at the top. It has only a short wrist strap so you can't use the strap to help brace the monopod by using it around your neck, or carry it that way either. The monopod extends to 60" and collapses to 17". I doubt that the monopod is very durable, but it's light enough that it won't be left behind either.

The minute I took the monopod out of cover it broke. The mounting head fell apart from the leg. The glue they use is very bad. I didn't return the product because I think the replacement would be the same quality and it was not worth the affords. I just fixed it myself.

This is a great, economical monopod that we recently got to use with our Canon Rebel. I was pleased with its size, both when collapsed and fully extended. I felt that it was well worth the cost.

I would have rather had a squeeze release on the leg, but that would have increased the price. My only real complaint about this monopod is that the foot for the camera doesn't detach; that made it a little awkward actually screwing the camera on...

Great product for the price.
However, Amazon did not specify how much it can handle. My experience is about 5 lb. Tried 8 lb on it, start to feel shaky. Still usable if you handle it carefully, but not solid for 8 lb of load.

This is a good little monopod for the price. It doesn't feel overly rugged, but it seems adequately made. It is very lightweight, and I really like that it has 4 sections instead of 3. This lets you add a little more to the overall height, while taking a couple of inches off the collapsed length. It collapses down very small (one of the main reasons I chose this monopod). In fact, it's small enough to strap right on to the side of my camera bag and not get in the way. It has a bit of flexibility without feeling flimsy, and it does come with a quick release. If you're the type that's not too rough on your equipment and you just want something to help you steady the camera at times when a tripod isn't feasible, then this should serve the purpose nicely.

I bought this monopod to use places I want a good steady shot, but dont want to fumble around with a tripod. Opens quickly, closes quickly. It doesn't come with a carry bag, and the cell phone clip is a joke. I wish they had left that out and put a carry bag instead.

For the price, I don't think you can ask for anything more. They must have revised their product because mine DOES come with a quick release.

On top of that, they now include a cellphone clip (for those who have camera phones). So you screw that clip to the mount and clip (spring loaded) your cellphone on it. It's a joke, but hey, it came free with the monopod. :)

This monopod does a great job for my camera. You have the quick, easy-off, it attatches to your camera by a screw, and you can press the button on the side of the monopod and just slide your camera right off of it quickly. I wanted a nice, inexpensive monopod for my new zoom lense. I have a Canon 35mm, and I recently purchased a 75-300 zoom lense for it, and I needed a monopod to stabilize the shoot. If I knew then what I know now, I would buy it again. Nice product.

Low price, simple, light, Great for the $$ ! I recomend this mono pod. I got it for my recent vacation trip, never took the camera off! East to carry over shoulder when collapsed and opens up Fast. I love it !