On monopods: Sure, monopods are no substitute for a decent tripod. However, in some circumstances they're very useful, for instance when birding in the woods. The same applies to trips that involve very long hikes when it's essential so save as much weight as possible. In such circumstances I use a monopod from a Swiss company called "Monostat". It has a funny-looking rubber foot that makes a heck of a difference compared to all other monopods I tried over the years. In fact, I get better stability with the Monostat than with most of the ultra lightweight tripods around. And in the woods, for instance, where I carry the Monstat with my Nikon 60mm mounted over the shoulder, I much quicker on the bird than with any three-legged tripod ...