Traveling Light? Consider A Tabletop Tripod

From left to right: Gitzo G0011 with a Manfrotto 3009 ballhead, Joby GorillaPod and Manfrotto Pixi EVO 8.25".

(click to enlarge)

I like tabletop tripods.  It seems as though I've always owned at least one.  I usually carry one or two with me or in my car when going out to photograph.  I keep the little Manfrotto pictured above on the right tucked into the back pocket in my Fujifilm kit bag. I find them very useful and very handy to have around, inexpensive with little weight or bulk added to what I am carrying.  If you are traveling light, consider a tabletop tripod.

(click to enlarge)

I can set them on just about anything.  I can handhold them and use them like I would a grip or handle, I can press them against a vertical surface like a tree or a brick wall.  I can place them against my chest to steady my camera as well.  Most can get as low as a few inches from the ground and one of mine actually can get as high as 22".  Of course, they don't work really well for large cameras and heavy lenses, but for mirrorless cameras and lenses weighing about 5 lbs. or less, I've found that they work just fine.

In real world use, I have consistently found (and this is just me) that if I use a tabletop tripod with legs closed like a handle under my camera, I can increase the stability for handholding the camera at slower shutter speeds.  This is only necessary if there is absolutely no where to utilize it as an actual tripod.  But it works for me.

The Gitzo's legs extend as well as a double extension of its center column.  The center column will go even  higher 

than shown here as one piece slides within the other.  In this photo I don't have the second piece extended.  In all, it can reach about 22".  The Manfrotto's legs can be locked in two positions-low and high.  Here, the legs are locked in the upper position.  Additionally, its legs extend as shown here.  The silver part of the legs are normally hidden beneath the black part.

The image below shows both the legs in the lower position and the leg extensions retracted.  Of course with each
extension, you lose a bit of stability.  My habit is to keep them as small as practical when I use them.

(click to enlarge)

Here the Gitzo's center column has been lowered.  The Manfrotto's legs are in the lower of its two positions as well
as the legs retracted. (click to enlarge)

The three that I use most are the Gitzo G0011 with a small Manfrotto 3009 ball head (these are no longer made but you can find them on occasion in the used market, But people normally hold on to these once they buy them).  The Gitzo without a ballhead is about 11" tall when closed.  The Joby GorillaPod, about 9.5" tall when closed and is versatile in the fact that you can bend and wrap these legs around just about anything. The Manfrotto Pixi EVO, at about 8.25" tall when the legs are closed and gets low to the ground while maintaining good stability.  All three are a bit different and bring different capabilities, but what they have in common is that they are small, versatile, strong, lightweight and not expensive.  Because they are short, they have pretty good stability for being so small and lightweight.

Most of these tabletop tripods don't come with a ballhead but you can find quite a few from which to choose when buying one.  Many manufacturers will give you a choice to buy the tripod without a head or they will offer a head or two with it as an option.  That little Manfrotto 3009 ballhead has served me well for countless years.  It is very strong and reliable for its size.  I can't think, even with heavy loads, of it ever moving under the weight of a camera and lens.  But all is not rosy in the land of tabletop tripods.

The problem I've run into is that, whether or not they come with a ball head, almost always there is a 1/4" x 20 or 3/8" bolt on top.  You either have to buy your own ball head or the ball head that comes with it has this same type of mechanism to which you attach your camera.  I don't know about you but all of my cameras have L-plates that are Arca-Swiss compatible which makes them incompatible (some L-plates do have a 1/4" x 20 hole in the bottom but that defeats the purpose of the L-plate) with these tripods or heads. What I did was buy a small, high quality, machined aluminum and anodized L-plate converter.

Sunwayphoto DDC-26 Mini-Clamp. Photo courtesy of Amazon

What I purchased were 2 Sunwayphoto DDC-26 Mini-Clamp packages.  (I have purchased other Sunwayphoto products and have found them very well made.)  The 1/4" x 20 tripod or ball head attachment screw screws into the bottom of this device and turns your tripod into one with an Arca-Swiss style clamp.  I bought mine from Amazon (Prime) for $25 US. You can find them here if you are interested.  This device nicely converts my tabletop tripods with 1/4" x 20 attachment screws into a tabletop tripod that allows me to use my Arca-Swiss style mounts, both L-plates and lens plates.  (Sunwayphoto also makes conversion clamps with 3/8" tripod bolts that most larger tripods have from the factory) The addition of this clam to my tabletop tripods makes a huge difference in the field in the way of speed and convenience.

In this image I have attached the Sunwayphoto Mini-Clamp to the 1/4" X 20 tripod screw of the tiny Manfrotto
ballhead.  Because the screw is so long, I purchased a stainless steel flat washer and lock washer to place
between the Mini-Clamp and top of ballhead.  I used non-permanent (blue) Thread Locker to ensure
the Mini-clamp doesn't loosen unless I purposely loosen it. (click to enlarge)

The Mini-clamp attached perfectly to the Manfrotto ballhead without any required modifications.  The silver
rotating knurled knob provides a very tight grip on it. (click to enlarge)

For a few bucks I increased the usefulness and efficiency of my tabletop tripods.  I'm glad there are manufacturers out there that make these sort of devices.  They make our lives as photographers much better.

If you don't own a tabletop tripod, buy one or borrow one and see if you, too, find them as useful as I have.  I don't use mine that often, but when I need it, I have it with little penalty in weight, cost and bulk.

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

All content on this blog is © 2013-2017 Dennis A. Mook. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to point to this blog from your website with full attribution. Permission may be granted for commercial use. Please contact Mr. Mook to discuss permission to reproduce the blog posts and/or images.