The Manfrotto 694CX Carbon Fiber 4-Section Monopod is a lightweight, sturdy monopod that will help you get sharper shots with telephoto lenses.

A good monopod is a handy accessory for photographers who shoot at telephoto distances and want to be more mobile than a tripod allows. Using a monopod helps you to better steady your camera, so you can get a sharp shot at a longer shutter speed. It's also helpful when shooting with very heavy lenses, as you won't have to support your camera and lens via your arm muscles alone. The Manfrotto 694CX Carbon Fiber 4-Section Monopod ($212 direct)($569.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is one of the better ones that I've used, but it's also on the pricey side. Its carbon fiber construction keeps its weight down, but it's still sturdy enough to support 11 pounds. Cold weather shooters often prefer carbon fiber as it isn't as chilly to the touch as aluminum, and the material is less prone to transmitting vibration. 

The 694CX weighs about 1.3 pounds and collapses to 21.3 inches. There are four sections, each of which requires you to open a clip in order to adjust; closing the clip locks that section into place. When fully extended it reaches 65 inches in height; at 5'9", I was able to shoot comfortably at less than full extension when I added the 234RC head ($50) and a Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM($569.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , but if you're significantly taller you'll be more comfortable with a monopod with a bit more extension. You can screw the monopod directly into a tripod socket, but a head with a quick release plate is a handy add-on. If you're on a tight budget, the closest aluminum Manfrotto equivalent, the 681B, is just $78. But it is a little bit heavier at 1.8 pounds, and isn't as comfortable to use in cold weather.

There's a hand strap attached to the top, and the bottom foot is rounded rubber. There's no way to change that out to a spike or add a support base, which may be limiting when shooting on uneven terrain. It is rated to support up to 11 pounds, although the 234RC head is only rated for 5.5 pounds. I used the monopod and head combination with a 7.5-pound lens and a 1.7-pound camera. There were a couple instances where the head's tilting method lurched forward under the weight, but it wasn't a frequent occurrence.

The Manfrotto 694CX Carbon Fiber 4-Section Monopod is expensive, but it's a solid accessory for sports shooters, nature photographers, and others who use telephoto lenses. I was able to get sharp shots with a heavy telezoom at 300mm at speeds as low as 1/60-second; even with optical stabilization. That's a feat. And I managed to shoot all day without killing my arms, which would not be the case if I was hand-holding 9-plus pounds of camera and lens for hours on end. You can find a comparable aluminum monopod for a lot less money, but a half-pound weight difference is noticeable if you're carrying heavy gear.

The Manfrotto 694CX Carbon Fiber 4-Section Monopod is a lightweight, sturdy monopod that will help you get sharper shots with telephoto lenses.

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Images, and the devices that capture them, are my focus. I've covered cameras at PCMag for the past 10 years, which has given me a front row seat for the DSLR to mirrorless transition, the smartphone camera revolution, and the mainstream adoption of drones for aerial imaging. You can find me on Instagram @jamespfisher.

I use all of the major camera systems on a regular basis, swapping between Canon, Fujifilm, L-Mount, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon, and Sony systems regularly, and I still find time to use Leica M rangefinders and Pentax SLRs on occasion. I keep an iPhone 13 in my pocket for the rare occasions I'm not carrying a camera.

I'm not a brand-specific photographer, and swap between a Canon EOS R5, a Nikon Z 7 II, and a Sony a7R IV when taking product photos for reviews. I use Flashpoint and Godox TTL lights, Gitzo and Peak Design tripods, and most often reach for a Think Tank or Peak Design backpack to carry equipment.

When it comes to computers, I'm an unapologetic Mac person and have been for the past 20 years. I write in Pages and use Numbers for spreadsheets. I currently use a 27-inch Retina iMac for photo and video editing, but have a Mac Studio on order, along with a calibrated BenQ display. I rely on a LaCie 6big RAID for media storage.

I split time with a few different software apps depending on the type of editing I'm doing. For Raw image processing, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic is my standard. I pair it with a LoupeDeck CT console to supplement my keyboard and trackpad, and lean on RNI All Films 5 presets when I want to give an image a film look. I reach to Apple Final Cut Pro for video editing.

My first digital camera was a 3.2MP Canon PowerShot Elph, and my first interchangeable lens model a 6MP Pentax *ist DL. I have a soft spot for antique film gear, and still use a 1950 vintage Rolleiflex Automat and a 1947 Leica Summitar lens for personal work.

To relax at home, I spend time reading Marvel Unlimited comics on an iPad Pro, kick back with a good (or bad) movie on a 4K LG television with an Apple TV 4K streaming box, and enjoy story-driven video games on the Xbox Series X.

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