Harold,
I regularly use a Velbon RUP4 monopod with Nikon ED50 scope, which is similar to your MM2. I find it particularly useful for mixed habitat e.g. woods /open areas and lakes where the occasional extra magnification comes in useful. I love the speed with which I can undo two or three leg clips, extend the monopod and get onto the bird. I find it so much lighter, but more importantly, so much more compact on my shoulder than a tripod. A shoulder carrying strap is essential.
Technique is important – you need to persevere. There are a number of techniques in posts on this forum worth looking at. I extend all the monopod sections fully, place the foot on the ground in front and to the left of my feet and push the scope down into the ground at 30 -45 degrees to the vertical with my right hand on the top of the scope. I find that this damps out motions (and wind/breeze blasts) better than a vertical monopod. It also avoids having to adjust the height precisely to bring the scope to eye level – I just angle monopod left or right, towards or away from the vertical. It is obviously not as good as a tripod, but it is at least as good as binoculars.
In theory you need a head that will allow you to angle the scope upwards to look up into trees and into the sky. Whilst I have a lightweight 3-way head on my monopod, in practice I have never needed/used it. I get all the elevation adjustment I need by tilting the whole monopod and scope combination backwards or forwards. However, if you spend a lot of time on cliff edges looking at birds near vertically below you then an adjustable head would probably be useful ! A lightweight ball head may be more than adequate, as some heads can be 400g + which is not far off the weight of the monopod !
I have both the 27x fixed eyepiece and the 13-40 zoom. On-balance I find the zoom better than the 27X because I often don’t need more that 20x, and the lower the magnification the less the movement. 13x can be useful for a scan to pick up the bird with a quick zoom in to confirm the ID. Having said that I find the scope perfectly usable to 27X on a monopod, and most of time it works fine to 40X – but in depends on the strength of the wind. However, I sometimes reach for the brighter 27X e/p in the late afternoon/early evening on a dull overcast winter’s day (we seem to have had those for months now).
I have no problem with the “What do I do with it when I eat my sandwiches” issue – I place it on the ground or hang from a convenient gate/fence/tree. I don’t eat my sandwiches standing up, so my monopod doesn’t need to stand up !
I also have no problem with the “What do I do with an extended monopod while I am using my binoculars” issue. I lean it against my left shoulder and put my left arm around it onto the left side of my binoculars.
In respect of the lightest tripod beating a monopod this is down to your personal balance of weight/convenience in the habitats that you "bird". I also have the lightest tripod available for my height and straight scope and it weighs about 1100g. That’s pretty much double the weight of my monopod. I would however reiterate that the weight-saving is not as important to me as the increased convenience for the sort of birding I do, with the emphasis on “for the sort of birding I do”. YMMV.
Everyone has their own personal balance of weight/comfort/convenience/stability. Some have a one-size-fits-all set-up and accept the limitations. Some prefer to optimise, and have different kit for different circumstances. If you spend a lot of time scanning stationary flocks of thousands of gulls looking for colour rings a tripod pretty much has to be essential. If you only need a quick look then a monopod is fine. Everyone’s birding is different, and changes over time. Your optimal kit for today’s birding may not be optimal for tomorrow’s !
My advice is try a monopod. I agree with the post above re carbon fibre or aluminium – the weight saving and extra rigidity of a carbon fibre monopod over an aluminium one is IMO insignificant. I also agree that you need to pay attention to the maximum height, which needs to be higher than eye level (including the head) to compensate for different ground levels, and to get you extra height when you need to look up at a steep angle (if you need to do this). I chose a Velbon RUP4 because I am 6 foot and use a straight scope so I needed the height.
Apologies for the length of the post. I hope you find something useful.
Mark
