Can a Promaster Monopod Outdo A Tripod For Long Exposures

Let me preface this piece by stating that Promaster never stated that their air-cushioned monopod could ever be a replacement for a traditional tripod. Nor did they state that this could be as good or better than in-camera image stabilization. But with mirrorless cameras these days being so light in weight and claiming in many cases up to 5 stops of handheld image stabilization, we figured we’d take the Promaster Air Support Monopod through some unconventional tests.

The Big Picture: Promaster Air Support Monopod Review Conclusions

For its size and weight, the Promaster Air Support Monopod certainly packs a punch above its weight. I love that it came with a 3-leg folding base that added extra support and stability in a flash when needed. It’s super quick to expand or collapse, and the air cushion support makes the whole process silent. Having used a Manfrotto 685B Neotec monopod that has a pistol grip quick release mechanism, I was skeptical if the Promaster model would be a worthy addition to my kit. I have to say that it exceeded my expectations in many departments when I used it at an international sporting event. What I like the most about it is how easily I can collapse it and tuck it away; the Manfrotto had to often be used as a walking stick as I trudged my way back to the parking lot after sporting shoots. You’d definitely benefit from having a ballhead on the Promaster monopod. Just don’t get a huge one as it’ll look odd on this slender accessory.

The Promaster Air Support Monopod misses out on a star for not being moisture resistant. On pretty much every other front, it’s a great monopod to own.

Pros

• Effortless height adjustment, especially to raise the height of the monopod
• Air cushioned, silent adjustments for height
• Thin and lightweight, but not flimsy.
• Thick foam cushioned palm grip makes it comfortable to hold the monopod in all weather conditions
• Sturdy three-leg folding base that you can trust to hold up your gear without you having to be around it (in some conditions). Kinda like a tripod and monopod all in one
• The base comes with a ball joint that moves back into place quickly. This is especially useful when shooting sports like tennis, where you would rather lean in or out slightly, than have to loosen the ballhead to achieve this, then find it dipping when you least expect it.
• The three-legged base is detachable in case you want to go back to a traditional one-legged setup. But it folds quickly enough for you to get it out of the way when you need to
• So much quicker to set up than a tripod. Also is less visually obtrusive to carry around
• Comes in two variations, with one capable of supporting significantly more weight for heavier lenses and cameras. We tested the one meant for higher loads
• Screw thread on the top of the monopod is reversible between ¼”-16 thread on one side and a larger 3/8”-16 thread on the other

Cons

• Not waterproof or water resistant. Keep it out of rain and snow, and possibly humidity too

Who Should Buy the Promaster Air Support Monopod?

Monopods aren’t always for everyone, but there’s no reason the Promaster Air Support Monopod can’t change that. At this price point and size-to-weight ratio, it can do a fantastic job as a tripod too, when coupled with the three-leg folding base. And with mirrorless cameras and lenses being so much lighter than their DSLR counterparts, you could get away with doing long exposures with this accessory. I’d recommend this for mirrorless sports photographers for sure, but even DSLR users with some long lenses could just as easily use the Promaster Air Support Monopod. For travel and nature photographers too, this could be an accessory you carry with you on the days when you don’t want to lug around a bulky, heavy tripod.

Gear Used

Build Quality

That 3-leg base is a real lifesaver. It is so much easier to leave it standing this way than to have to carry it around all the time. The monopod is well machined, smooth, and cold to the touch, except for the foam-padded area. Overall, this is a quality piece of machinery that any professional photographer would be happy to use

Ergonomics

If you removed the 3-leg base, this would look like pretty much every other black monopod on the market. But with the legs folded, it almost looks like a longstaff of some sort. It’s slim enough to hold in the palm of your hand, even for people like me with small hands.

Ease of Use

The legs click into place so you can audibly be assured they’re locked. They are also easy to fold back to allow you to slip the monopod back into its slim carry case. Increasing the height is as simple as holding the top of the monopod and pulling upwards. It helps if you place your foot on the base to allow for faster height increase.

To drop the height of your monopod, simply hold your camera and then press the buttons seen above to allow the monopod to collapse.

Once it’s fully collapsed, it will look like what you see in the image above.

The base has a ball joint to allow you to tilt the monopod slightly in any direction, without having to move the base itself. In the image above, you see the locked position, which prevents the monopod from tilting. The monopod can still be rotated freely in the lock position

Simply pull upward on the collar lock, and then your monopod is free to be tilted around. This is a great feature to have for sports photography

The Main Test

When it comes to international horse racing, the Dubai World Cup is the biggest event on the planet for this sport. I tested out the Promaster Air Support Monopod here with a Sony A1 attached to a Sony 300mm f2.8 GM and a Nikon Z8 attached to a Nikon Z 400mm f4.5 lens. Below are the images taken with these combinations

The monopod did not hinder my panning from left to right to track the horses as they whizzed past me. I did this both with the collar lock unlocked and locked. It took me about 30 minutes to get used to the fact that the monopod was so lightweight.

The Quirky Test

Okay, so the monopod held up very well in a scenario where it’s expected to shine. But what about in a non-standard test environment for an accessory like this? Could the Promaster Air Support Monopod even replace a tripod in some scenarios? That’s what I set out to test one evening, to see if this could shoot long exposures without any visible blur when pixel peeping into the image. I set my Nikon Zf with a 24-120mm f4 Z lens and slapped on a Maven filter to shoot some long exposures at shutter speeds that I would ordinarily only shoot with a very sturdy tripod. Below are the results from that test.

I couldn’t have been more surprised to see how sharp the results were (see 100% crop below of one of the images). The above frames were set at either at 15s or 20s shutter speed value, with image stabilization turned OFF. Yup, off, not on.

It’s a little over 1kg or 2 lbs 4 1/2 oz with the leg base attached. But take the legs base off and it’s only 1 lb 6 oz / 0.62 kg; a lot lighter than many professional tripods. I am seriously considering taking this on my next holiday abroad as it nailed 20-second exposures with ease. It’s one sturdy monopod and base.

Declaration of Journalistic Intent

The Phoblographer is one of the last standing dedicated photography publications that speaks to both art and tech in our articles. We put declarations up front in our reviews to adhere to journalistic standards that several publications abide by. These help you understand a lot more about what we do:

• At the time of publishing this review, Promaster is not an advertiser with the Phoblographer.
• None of the reviews on the Phoblographer are sponsored. That’s against FTC laws, and we adhere to them just the same way that newspapers, magazines, and corporate publications do. Others don’t always make declarations.
• Promaster knows that it cannot influence the site’s reviews. If we don’t like something or if we have issues with it, we’ll let folks know.
• The Phoblographer’s standards for reviewing products have become much stricter. After having the world’s largest database of real-world lens reviews, we choose not to review anything we don’t find innovative or unique, and in many cases, products that lack weather resistance.
• In recent years, brands have withheld NDA information from us or stopped working with us because they feel they cannot control our coverage. These days, many brands will not give products to the press unless they get favorable coverage. In other situations, we’ve stopped working with several brands for ethical issues. Either way, we report as honestly and rawly as humanity allows.
• At the time of publishing, the Phoblographer is the only photography publication that is a member of Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative. We champion human-made art and are frank with our audience. We are also the only photography publication that labels when an image is edited or not.

More can be found on our Disclaimers page.

Tech Specs

Taken from the Promaster Air Support Monopod AS431 product page

Kit Specifications:

• Maximum Working Height: 63 1/2″ / 161.3 cm
• Minimum Working Height: 24 7/8″ / 63.2 cm
• Folded Length: 24 1/8″ / 61.3 cm
• Maximum Load: 15 lbs 7 oz / 7 kg
• Weight: 2 lbs 4 1/2 oz / 1.03 kg
• 4-Section Aluminum

Note: Kit specifications are with 3-leg base installed & soft foot

Monopod Specifications:

• Maximum Working Height: 60″ / 152.4 cm
• Minimum Working Height: 21 1/4″ / 54 cm
• Closed Length: 21 1/4″ / 54 cm
• Weight: 1 lb 6 oz / 0.62 kg
• Base Connection Port: 3/8″-16

 Note: Monopod specifications are with soft foot installed.

Base Specifications:

• Height: 4 1/2″ / 11.4 cm
• Closed Length: 9 1/8″ / 23.2 cm
• Weight: 14 1/2 oz / 0.41 kg
• Connection Bolt: 3/8″-16