The 3 Legged Thing Trent 2.0 is a no-fuss monopod from 3 Legged Thing’s ‘Punks’ range. That means it’s a bit more down to earth and affordable than the company’s premium products, but effective nonetheless.
Whether or not you think you need a monopod is up to you. If you shoot a lot of sports and wildlife with big, heavy lenses, a monopod will save you a lot of muscle ache and get you sharper shots too.
But a monopod can also give you a more stable platform for everyday shooting, especially video. A monopod will eliminate any vertical movement and a lot of any potential camera shake with it. It won’t replace a tripod, but it will go places tripods can’t.
Specifications
Max Height: 2.02m
Max Height with Docz2: 2.08m
Min Height: 60.4cm
Min Height with Docz2: 65.7cm
Leg sections: 4
Max Leg Tube Diameter: 29mm
Load Capacity: 30 kg
Weight: 0.73kg
Weight with Docz2: 1.22 kg
Key features
The 3 Legged Thing Trent 2.0 is notable for a number of things. First, you can get it with or without 3 Legged Thing’s Docz2 triple-foot attachment. This is useful, but it does add almost 50% to the cost and to the weight too. But the Docz2 feet do lend extra stability for panning shots, and they let the Trent stand on its own, leaving you two hands free for sorting you camera gear.
You might not want the Docz2 feet for every job, in which case you can unscrew the unit from the base of the monopod, and screw in the regular Trent Boot (rubber foot, in other words).
The other notable feature is that it does not come with a head, even as an option. Some say monopods don’t need heads and that they just get in the way and slow you down; others might want a head to be able to use the camera at a different angle to the monopod. You can fit any regular head to the Trent 2.0 easily enough, but you’ll have to source one yourself.
A third notable feature of the Trent 2.0 is its maximum height of 2.02m. For most of us, that’s well above eye level, so here’s a tripod that you can use on a downward facing slope without having to crouch down, for example. In my testing, I only ever needed to extend three of the four leg sections.
Build and handling
The Trent 2.0 may be from 3 Legged Thing’s Punks range, but it feels very well made. The leg locks grip tight, the Docz2 feet fold out easily and give a good firm stance on the ground, and the thick rubber grip at the top gives you a solid hold.
The spring-loaded attachment screw at the top is a nice idea. It means you can fit a camera directly or screw on a tripod head with the larger 3/8 inch screw fitting.
If you bought the Trent 2.0 with the Docz2 feet but decide you don’t want to use them for whatever reason, you can unscrew them and screw in the Trent Boot (foot) supplied with the monopod.
Performance
Even more than the legs of a regular tripod, a monopod leg has to be super rigid because it’s taking all of the torsional stress of the camera on its own. I’m happy to report the Trent 2.0 feels rock-solid. I’ve used plenty of smaller, lighter monopods that don’t, and plenty of removable tripod legs that can serve as monopods which are even more disappointing. The Trent 2.0, however, is definitely a cut above.
The Docz2 feet are more than just a novelty too. They incorporate a small ball head which allows a few degrees of movement away from the vertical in all directions, allowing some freedom over the camera angle for both static shots and panning.
The feet are not an alternative to a tripod, and neither would 3 Legged Thing claim that they are. But they do let you stand the monopod upright while you need to do other things, and could, if you must, leave the camera on top – but you would only do that at the minimum height and you wouldn’t want to step too far away. The real value of the feet is the extra stability they give you while shooting.
Verdict
The 3 Legged Thing Trent 2.0 is a really good, no-nonsense tripod that goes a lot higher than most and yet feels completely rigid. The Docz2 feet might look like a bit of a novelty, but they are both effective and useful – as long as you don’t imagine they turn the Trent 2.0 into a tripod. (Though you can actually detach them and use them as a separate mini tripod – neat!)
The one thing missing is a head. It’s easy to understand why this isn’t included as standard since not everyone wants one on a monopod, but if 3 Legged Thing is going to offer the Trend 2.0 with the Docz2 feet as an option, it could at least have done the same with a tripod head.
