Any recommends for a mini-tripod?

Dear all,

I'm looking for a neat mini-tripod after my seagull one went missing.
Basically I want something very small - preferably no longer than 8 inches
or 20 cm when folded, and with a ball head. Also, it needs to be versatile
as I would be using it on all sorts of bumpy and non-level surfaces, like
rocks, cobble paving etc..

I thought of the manfrotto digi table-top, but the base seems a bit too
wide, and the clearance possibly not good enough for anything
bumpy/outdoors. However, the construction is superb and it's extremely
compact and lightweight. There's also the Slik mini-pro, this seems a bit
more bulky, and I haven't seen it in real-life so I don't know if it's any
good/stable.

Many thanks in advance if anyone has any ideas/recommends.

All the best,
Duncan Murray.

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 19:19:34 -0000, "Duncan J Murray"

wrote:
Not quite what you're asking for but take a look at the ErgoRest
Multi-tripod. Clever design. Versatile. I bought one several weeks ago
from B&H. Like it very much. http://www.ergorest.fi/eng/index.htm

"Roger" wrote in message
...
Duncan,

I'm really partial to the Manfrotto table-top tripods. I have two. The
first one was appropriated by my wife for her Canon G3. She then gave
me one of my own for Christmas. I travel about every other week for
business and my camera and tripod are always nearby. Mine gets used
with a variety of cameras from my P&S (Contax T3 / Canon S60) to my
film battery of M6, F100 and F5. It's very dependable up to the F100
weight for full support. With the F5 it's useable for auxiliary
support. I use it often pressed up against a wall for full support or
against a rail for additional support (more steadying than walk-away
support).

I believe the tripod legs are available with two different ball heads
so you might want to determine which one is appropriate for your
usage.

I don't think you can do much better in this price point for build
quality, stability and compactness. You can step all the way up to the
Leica/Leitz table top which gives you unsurpassed leg stability and
add a reallyrightstuff.com small ball head. However you are
approaching $250+ USD for the combination. For close-to-the ground
macro users it's a very useful package. For general usage, I believe
it's a bit of overage. However, I'm thinking about the
reallyrightstuff head in combo with my manfrotto legs to give me a bit
more stability with my F100/F5 choices.

BTW: the off-the-shelf manfrotto legs and head are about the size of a
large banana. I carry one everywhere.

Best Regards,
Roger


I like the little Manfrotto too. You can also get it with a short extension
that screws between the legs and the head and telescopes from about 6" to
about 9", which is useful extra height if you want to get up off the ground,
though it does make the whole kit a little bulkier.

I also have one of the tiny Minox tripods, which collapses to about the size
of a fountain pen. Not as easy to use as the Manfrotto, or as sturdy, but
nice for those ocassions when otherwise you just wouldn't have a tripod with
you at all. I can put it in the pocket of a suit without it showing any
more than a pen does.



Peter

Duncan J Murray wrote:

Dear all,

I'm looking for a neat mini-tripod after my seagull one went missing.
Basically I want something very small - preferably no longer than 8 inches
or 20 cm when folded, and with a ball head. Also, it needs to be versatile
as I would be using it on all sorts of bumpy and non-level surfaces, like
rocks, cobble paving etc..

I thought of the manfrotto digi table-top, but the base seems a bit too
wide, and the clearance possibly not good enough for anything
bumpy/outdoors. However, the construction is superb and it's extremely
compact and lightweight. There's also the Slik mini-pro, this seems a bit
more bulky, and I haven't seen it in real-life so I don't know if it's any
good/stable.

Many thanks in advance if anyone has any ideas/recommends.

All the best,
Duncan Murray.

I have a ProFoto version, though it might be a rebranding of something else
(this looks to be a copy of the Leica minipod). It has three legs that spin
around to form a rigid base. The top is a mini ball head, and is fairly sturdy
when locked in place. It works reasonably well on non-level surfaces, though I
think a clamp pod is a better choice for very unusual situations. The weight
of the camera could topple this combination if too off level, hence why I
recommend a clamp pod as well.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com

"Gordon Moat" wrote in message
...

I have a ProFoto version, though it might be a rebranding of something
else
(this looks to be a copy of the Leica minipod). It has three legs that
spin
around to form a rigid base. The top is a mini ball head, and is fairly
sturdy
when locked in place.

That sounds just like the Focal brand (K-Mart_ that I bought 30 years ago!

The Leica mini tripod, as I understand it, is made by Minolta. I have not
paid much attention to these items, but the Minolta may be available at a
substantial discount from the rebadged Leica model.

Many thanks for the advice,

Sounds like the Manfrotto is the best option from what seems to be quite a
small field. Some of the smaller fold-up one's seem only strong enough to
hold a compact digital camera, and the smallest segmented tripods are still
about a foot long.

All the best,
Duncan.

"Jeremy" wrote in message
news

"Gordon Moat" wrote in message
...

I have a ProFoto version, though it might be a rebranding of something
else
(this looks to be a copy of the Leica minipod). It has three legs that
spin
around to form a rigid base. The top is a mini ball head, and is fairly
sturdy
when locked in place.

That sounds just like the Focal brand (K-Mart_ that I bought 30 years ago!

The Leica mini tripod, as I understand it, is made by Minolta. I have not
paid much attention to these items, but the Minolta may be available at a
substantial discount from the rebadged Leica model.