Sirui P-326 Carbon Fibre Monopod (Black)

This review is for those who want to get serious regarding their photography & this is going to be a long review so please bear with me. I'm not going to say anything regarding the delivery of the product, as it was top notched. So let's start shall we?I'm not a professional though I'm an amateur photographer, & I'm getting into wildlife photography. I must agree, I don't know why these two well reputed companies (SIRUI for SIRUI P-326 & Nikon for Nikon 200-500mm F5.6) sold their products at such a low price! Anyways let me divide it into pros & cons.CONS(We judge negative aspects first)-1) Opening this monopod to its fullest with a lens like 200-500mm attached, there is a slight shake/wobblieness at the end section of the monopod. (I know, everyone would say why opening all the sections? So for all those, I just wanted to be sure that is it really that good?!)2) This won't be a deal breaker for some but for me it was as I by chance forgot to remove the attached clip & string that comes with this monopod & while doing bird photography mainly, a slightest of that noise alerted the birds & they flew away. (You can say my fault, though it was).3) I wished this monopod came with a carrying case, which was a let down for me.4) I'm not sure, but I'm using Nikon D5300 with Nikon 200-500mm, which this monopod held all the burden like a champ! Don't know about other Heavier Bodies Mounted on it. So it's neither a CON nor PRO.5) A worthless compass attached to it! It's like a toy which I used to play in childhood. *LOL*PROS-1) Carbon Fiber! I don't know who made the design of this product, but that man should definitely get a cookie! This monopod is one of the best of all in this department. Carbon Fiber is light & absorbs shocks more properly than all metals! It is a huge bonus for me.2) Ever wondered why all "PROS" use Carbon Fiber Monopods & Tripods? It's because of their durability & easy handling. It's light weight & compact.3) I was not sure about this product to reach my height level, but oh boy! It just nailed it. I'm 178cm & this gets even taller than my eye level if you open all the sections to the fullest.4) It is so compact when folded, that my Camera bag looks bigger than this monopod.5) I guess this is the only monopod which has a spike underneath the foot(Under 7K). This spike was a huge bonus for me, especially while shooting wildlife.6) Even the rotating knobs are made out of Carbon Fiber! No cheap rubber!7) The foam is very well made & prolong usage of it while holding it, sweat is kept to it's minimum.(Depends on your hands).BONUS TIPS-1) Please never ever open 'ANY MONOPOD' to it's fullest! It's because if some sections would be inside, then it would increase more stability & wouldn't wobble at all.2) If you are getting into wildlife, get this monopod & a ball head of SIRUI K-10X/ OBEN BE-117. It would definately help you out with panning shots as well as while doing vertical shots.3) While using heavy lens like Nikon 200-500mm or anyother, always mount your tripod collar with the Monopod/Tripod Screw.4) Never ever, I mean it! NEVER EVER hold your camera with lens like 200-500mm attached to it. You won't even notice, but soon your mount would get damaged & it would result in an very expensive repair! So always hold your Tripod/Monopod collar which came with your lens. Another thing, NEVER EVER use a camera strap hanging on your neck with heavy lenses attached to camera body.(It's due to the same reason I stated earlier).5) Always mount the lens first on Tripod/ Monopod & then mount your camera with the lens.Are you people still reading this? Should I give you more explanation regarding this product? It's so good after Nikon 200-500mm that one can't resist buying one! "CARBON FIBER" It's the same material from which Lambos are made! Go buy it right away!Conclusion- If you want to take wildlife photography as your career or want to be serious regarding your photography, this monopod is worth every penny!For any queries contact me. Happy Shooting!*2020 Update*I've been using this Monopod for over 3 years & it's easily able to support both my Nikon D850/D500 along with Nikon 200-500mm. Also, one side note, I was on a trip & I somehow ended having sand inside the monopod legs. It's an advice to clean them instantly as it will be very hard for anyone to remove afterwards (in my case it was). And even after that, the monopod is working the same as I got it in 2017!

Very Light weight ; compact ; good finish carbon product.But I felt bad that product comes without any carry bag, which was knew to me before ordering but still at this price tag bag makes a sense.Bottom spike is much shorter , better it would have been extended for depth-grip.Handgrip quality is certainly average. Lock and dial for direction creats noice during birding which distracts , better if it is made of same carbon material. Full opening of monopod leads to shakyness.Average chinese product indeed. Obviously little disappointed.Note - After a week usage , heat sealed strap for direction dial could not survive. Real bad quality.

I have used it outdoor with sirui ballhead and is really awsome. Recond it. Also I used it as a walking stick while hiking for a full day. Really durable.

The product is largely as described. It handles very well and lightweight and compact for travel. Its sturdy and the camera balances well.

Amazing value for money. Have been using it on my photography trips and its a breeze to carry it around while traveling or shooting. Its lightweight, sturdy and good build. Looks, feels and works like a Pro.

Excellent. Shot a wedding with it, then took it to Thailand for a trip. It performed as espected. Carrying it was so easy due to its light weight.

Sturdy n comfortable gripping very light. Ofcourse it is easy to carry for travelling.

Bought it to use with Canon 80D and EF 100-400 mk II with 1.4x TC. Using it along with Manfrotto MHXPRO-BHQ2 Ballhead. Works fine for me.

My monopod came well packaged in quality box and looks to be a great quality build, however when extended you have to make sur that you slide the leg back at least 1" before locking as it is not very sturdy fully extended.You get a lot of wobble at the extremes of each section, I believe this is an unwelcome feature of the later models and was not a problem with previous versions, also the grip isn't glued over the entire section so it twists when you swivel the monopod with any weight on it I'm not convinced it will last very well and is back in the box probably will sell it on ebay as it's not much use with my heavy lens attached. Too expensive for the quality

Firstly - bear in mind there is no head with this product - you'll need to add that separately, I added the  Pergear®Heavy Duty Photography Camera Tripod Ball Head 360 Degree Fluid Rotation Tripod Ballhead For DSLR Camera Quick Release Plate  head on - so to the tripod - I needed something to bear the weight of my Canon SLR, Telephoto lens, Extender and Large battery pack - for sport/plane photography, so it needed to be substantial - as these elements are around 5kg when combined.Hay to say that its all great - the monopod is long enough to have the camera looking upwards with me standing (162cm to the base of the purger head), its very light, in fact the head is the same weight, the locking Mechanisms are solid in use, the foot has a spike which has easy retraction, it comes with a carrying handle and carabiner, and when retracted its less then 40cm, even with the head its only around 46cm Pergear®Heavy Duty Photography Camera Tripod Ball Head 360 Degree Fluid Rotation Tripod Ballhead For DSLR Camera Quick Release Plate

This is a very good monopod. Packs up very small for travelling (also very handy when shooting sitting on the floor) and has a more than adequate extension. Personally, I taken off the strap and naff compass. I prefer using a simple single action ball head on the top so have also removed the platform and mounted the head directly to the column. The only reason for knocking off a star is that you need to very firmly tighten up each of the locks to get a good rigid stick. (The G-Locks on Gitzo gear are definitely better.) Plus there is always a very small amount of sideways movement at the joints. That's pretty much immaterial in practice because when bearing down vertically with a heavy load on top it is all very steady. To get better you will need to lash out about twice as much on a Gitzo but I preferred the size and lightness and value of this one.

VERY light, surprisingly so, so a bigger bonus, the Manfroto head is heavier. I would have preferred to have the small 3 legged tripod on the bottom, but I have anyway. The round circular base on the top is a mystery it just flops about and actually detracts from a stable base, I shall remove ASAP. I have bought specifically for the carnival in Rio where I doubt there would be room for a proper tripod due to the crowding. I have never used a monopod before, I looked at many, but the cheaper ones were flimsy, i wanted one to be able to cope with a DSLR and 70-200 f2.8 lens. For the price this seems hard to beat

I was very tempted by the Gitzo travel model, but in the end went for this far cheaper option. It's an absolute delight and the build quality is first class. Sirui is making some real in-roads into this market by providing excellent quality at significantly lower cost than the competition.