Amateur Photographer verdict

The 3 Legged Thing Taylor 2.0 is a sturdy, well-made monopod that represents good value for money. Its decent height yet short collapsed length makes it especially well-suited for travel.
Pros
  • Useful maximum height
  • Portable folded length
  • High build quality
  • Impressive load:weight ratio
Cons
  • No matching tilt head available

The 3 Legged Thing Taylor 2.0 is a 5-section monopod that collapses down to 44.1cm yet extends to 158cm (5ft 1inch), making it a great choice for travel. Fully extended, it’s significantly shorter than the 2-metre-tall 3 Legged Thing Trent 2.0, but it’s still well-sized for photographers of up to around 6ft 2in in height, as the camera’s viewfinder should align with your eye rather than the top of your head.

3 Legged Thing Taylor 2.0 at a glance

  • $89.99 / £79.99
  • 5-section magnesium alloy
  • Maximum height: 1.58m / 62.2 inches
  • Folded length: 44.1cm / 17.4 inches
  • 677g / 1.49lb weight
  • 30kg / 66lb load
  • 3leggedthing.com

Crafted from magnesium alloy, the Taylor 2.0 weighs 677g and has the usual rugged build quality of the firm’s Punks 2.0 series, with four sturdy leg-section locks that feature metal knurling and substantial rubber grips. It also has a robust rubber-like grip at the top along with a wrist strap, both adding to the comfort and security of the monopod in use.

3 Legged Thing Taylor 2.0 key features

  • Locks: The leg locks have chunky knurled metal and rubber grips
  • Load capacity: The Taylor 2.0 is rated bear a hefty payload of up to 30Kg
  • Wrist Strap: A woven wrist strap is supplied to give the monopod extra security
  • Colours: The Taylor 2.0 is available in a choice of finishes with blue or ‘Darkness’ (matt black) accents
  • Dual threads: A spring-loaded 3/8″-16 thread retracts to reveal a 1/4″-20 thread at the top of the monopod
3 Legged Thing Taylor 2.0 fully extended
The 3 Legged Thing Taylor 2.0 fully extended. Credit: Angela Nicholson

Despite its low mass, the Taylor 2.0 can support a weight of up to 30kg, that’s an impressive 44x its own weight. Thanks to the spring-loaded 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 male threads, the payload can be a camera or lens mounted either directly or via your favourite head. The sprung mechanism means that you’re never left searching for an adapter if you decide to change how you mount your camera.

3 Legged Thing Taylor 2.0 attachment screw
There’s a standard 1/4in camera attachment screw, surrounded by a sprung 3/8in sleeve. Credit: Angela Nicholson

When completely collapsed, the Taylor 2.0 should fit neatly in a backpack’s tripod or water bottle pocket provided there’s a strap to keep the top secure. Its ergonomically designed leg locks are also conveniently placed for one-handed operation, with a smooth mechanism that requires minimal effort and less than a quarter turn to lock and unlock. This means you can deploy the monopod quickly should the need arise.

3 Legged Thing Taylor 2.0 leg locks.
All four leg locks can be undone quickly in a single action. Credit: Angela Nicholson

The Taylor 2.0 is particularly useful for supporting large telephoto lenses, taking the weight and reducing shake dramatically. For many sports subjects, and some wildlife, you’re likely to be able to use the monopod directly mounted onto the lens tripod collar, stepping forwards or backwards to tilt the lens up or down. With aerial subjects, however, a tripod head or gimbal is a must to enable the degree of tilt that’s required.

3 Legged Thing Taylor 2.0 grip and wrist strap
The monopod is fitted with a rubberised grip and a wrist strap. Credit: Angela Nicholson

On this note, many photographers favour using simple tilting heads with long lenses on monopods. However, 3 Legged Thing doesn’t make such a head, so you’d have to choose one from another brand.

Optional 3 Legged Thing Docz base

3 Legged Thing sells the Taylor 2.0 either by itself, or in a kit with the Docz tripod base for $124.99 / £104.99. This mounts quickly in place of the usual rubber foot.

3 Legged Thing Taylor 2.0 fitted with the Docz tripod stand
3 Legged Thing Taylor 2.0 fitted with the Docz tripod stand. Credit: Angela Nicholson

The main bonus of using this tripod base is smoother tilting and swivelling, which is beneficial when tracking moving subjects or shooting video. But it adds bulk and the overall weight climbs to 1.2kg.

3 Legged Thing Taylor 2.0: Our Verdict

Overall, the 3 Legged Thing Taylor 2.0 is a versatile, sturdy, and user-friendly monopod, making it a great choice for photographers who value portability and ease of use. Its well-thought-out design and high build quality mean it’s perfect for wildlife and sports photographers on the move, as well as photographers or videographers who want to give their camera some extra support for everyday photography.

Amateur Photographer Testbench Gold

Follow AP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.