Ease of Use

Extending and folding away the Sirui P-204S is a breeze. The twist locks of the three leg sections require a half turn (180°) to open and lock off and they all lock easily and firmly.

 

A good push down on the monopod when its fully extended and the locks do not budge.

At its maximum height of 1600mm, a camera mounted directly to the monopod plate sits at eye level, if you are 6ft 1in like me. Of course, a tripod head can be added to the monopod’s plate which would provide additional height too.

Unlike most other monopods, the P-204S has a panning function with limitless 360° movement. Other monopods without this function would rely on an additional head, which in some such cases would be supplied. The solid blue metal lock at the top releases the panning motion and locks it off. 

  In the main setup where the feet are attached, the panning function is not needed because the ball joint at the bottom provides full movement. However, that ball joint is part of the removable spider, so the panning feature has its real use when the P-204S is setup without its spider.

Panning with a monopod is a great aid for action photographers, enabling a quick change in shooting direction. However, the panning motion of the P-204S does not fully equip filmmakers, because there is no friction control on this lock - it’s either locked off fully or unlocked fully. 

We would like to see friction control added to the panning lock for greater control over the speed of panning. Nevertheless, the motion is smooth through the well greased lock. Of course, an additional fluid video head can be attached to the P-204S for smoother panning.

As mentioned, the stabilising feet are part of a detachable spider, that includes a ball joint giving a tilt of up to 20° in any direction. If you are tracking movement of wildlife at distance, even birds in flight, the 20° tilt should provide enough angle coverage.

We found the ball joint a little sticky and needed to place a foot on one of the stabilising feet in order to keep them all to the ground and help the ball joint move fully for tilting. 

The feet themselves measure 170mm, which is significantly longer than the feet found in most other monopods. We felt completely at ease to leave the camera be, mounted to the freestanding monopod. This is more than can be said of other many other monopods that feature smaller feet and require a constant hold.

Conclusion

It is immediately clear that the Sirui P-204S monopod is an excellent bit of kit. 

All throughout using the monopod in a wide number of outdoor shoots, these first impressions have lasted, if not bettered.

Build quality is superb. After our extended use, the locks work as well as they did one day one. The aluminium tubing is hard wearing, as are the blue metal locks.

Sirui has clearly thought through what a monopod can do, with an impressive feature set essentially making this a 3-in-1 device; a monopod with stabilising feet, a monopod and a mini-tripod. The latter two work completely independently - you can have both at the same time.

We love the tilt angle limiter and the 170mm feet provide that extra bit of stability - you can leave the monopod with mounted camera unattended, safe in the knowledge it will still be standing on return. 

(A side note - monopods like this with stabilising feet are handy supports for other devices, such as lighting panels.)

Now, this is not a comparison test or monopod round up, it is a test of the Sirui P-204S. But in the same breath we would say that you would be hard pressed to find a better monopod. Forget for the price, we mean full stop. 

The Sirui P-204S is a tad less expensive itself than the direct competition like the Manfrotto XPRO4, Benro A48TD and Kenro video monopod. However it does not come with a head, while these others do. 

Sirui throws in a few accessories for the price; a transport bag, additional metal spike, rubber foot and top plate with screw. The same cannot be said for all monopods. 

In its own right, the Sirui P-204S is hard to beat. It is stable, durable and crams in a bucket load of useful features.

For more information about the Sirui range of monopods, please visit the Sirui website. 

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	5
Features	5
Ease-of-use	5
Value for money	4

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