In the beginning stages of doing research on these 2 monopods, I was a bit sceptical of what the construction of the SIRUI 204S might be like. I had worked with MANFROTTO MONOPODS in the past and had always liked their solid construction and ease of use. I had not seen a SIRUI 204S, but I had heard some positive comments about the great features it had to offer but I had read negative comments about the locking and binding of telescoping sections. I decided to test them both side by side. I purchased both monopods myself since both manufacturers did not feel it was necessary to provide me with the product because they felt that their products had already been proven in the marketplace. I wanted to see for myself how they stacked up against each other.
Both Monopods are well constructed out of good quality aluminium and stand at 27.5 inches collapsed. Extended The MANFROTTO is 76" high and the SIRUI is 63". Although I am partial to clip locks on the MANFROTTO's extension tubes the SIRUI twist locks seem to function ok. I did have a bit of difficulty with one extension tube and twist lock in the beginning but the problem seemed to go away. I will come back with any updates.
The MANFROTTO comes with a nice plate and sled for mounting your camera to for easy access of sliding your camera on and off without having to unscrew it all the time. The MANFROTTO also supplies you with 2 replacement screws should you lose one and they store in the side of the plate so you don't lose them.
Now for the meat and potatoes! The SIRUI BLOWS The MANFROTTO away in terms of features as far as a basic monopod goes. The stabiliser feet on the SIRUI are 6.75" vs. 4.5" on the MANFROTTO. Deploying the feet are also easier on the SIRUI which requires pushing a single button instead of wrestling with the MANFROTTO way of deploying the feet. The SIRUI also allows you to lock out the tilt assembly at the base so you can actually use it as a tripod if you put a sandbag on the base for stability. By putting a sandbag on the feet for safety you can avoid an accidental tumble with your gear on it in case of a sudden breeze or imbalance issue. The SIRUI also breaks apart so you can use the base separately as a table top tripod which also tilts. I found this to be very handy when using my Dji OSMO MOBILE . You can use the SIRUI as a standard MONOPOD by retracting the feet and using the single rubber plug that is standard on the bottom or switching it out with the included spike tip which you can use it on soft materials like sod, sand, dirt etc. The spike also has a protective cap(included) so you don't accidently hurt yourself or someone else. Also included were 3 allen keys for making adjustments and tightening the spike on the bottom of the monopod.
I enjoyed using the SIRUI 204S and will most likely keep it to use and further test.
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