During my years in wedding videography, I used to despise monopods. They were much easier to move around than a standard tripod, but adjusting height was cumbersome. During ceremonies, it also would have been useful to have a monopod that could stand on its own, ready for the post-ceremony moments without constantly switching between tripod and monopod.

The COMAN One-Click Lifting Carbon Fibre Monopod seems built to solve a lot of that. First and foremost, it is a speed tool: more stable than handheld shooting, but without the footprint and setup time of a tripod. I do not shoot weddings anymore, but for wildlife photography, it seems promising. I often scan the horizon for hours, looking for whales while holding heavy cameras and super-telephoto lenses. I had also started using an old monopod as both a hiking pole and camera support, so this system makes sense for that kind of use.

I am still testing it at the moment. So far, it looks promising, but it also feels heavy once the fluid head and feet are attached, despite the carbon-fibre build.

The Good:

• Three-in-one system is quite versatile: fast monopod, hiking-pole setup with metal spike, and mini tripod base.

• Decent video head for larger cameras and long lenses.

• One-click height adjustment is fast when changing shooting positions.

• Useful for video, long lenses, events, wildlife, and run-and-gun coverage.

• Can stand on its own in calm conditions.

• Video head can be replaced, allowing the base to be used with other heads, such as a ball head.

The Bad:

• The monopod itself is light, but the large video head and feet make the full setup heavier.

• Self-standing mode is useful, but not something I would fully trust in wind or with an unattended heavy camera.

• Still bulkier than a simple walking-stick-style monopod.

• Get it if you do a lot of wedding or event coverage.

• Get it if a tripod is too slow but handheld is too shaky — that useful middle ground.

• Get it for mobile work with longer lenses or heavier camera setups.

• Get it if you want one tool that can move between monopod, hiking support, and small tripod-style support.

• Pass if you mostly shoot locked-off interviews or landscapes.

• Pass if you want the lightest possible walking-stick-style monopod.