Topic: Recognise this mini/tabletop tripod?

[zapsnaps]

I have a lot of heavy camera gear, so I have a big heavy tripod to support it. But for a particular project, I need to be inches off the ground, but still with reasonable camera atop the pod. Most minis I've seen have a phone or d*g*t*l point & shoot on the. But this one has a decent sized body and lens and appears to have the robustness and functionality I'm looking for in a small package. The photo is from a site selling the camera strap - not the tripod.

Answers on a postcard, plese, to the usual address

https://www.hyperioncamerastraps.com/collections/strap-colors/products/black-white

[cs1]

How many inches do you have between camera and ground? Most tripods (even lighter ones) allow to turn the top tube upside down so that the head is between the three legs. That way you can go very low to the ground without compromising the stability. With my Cullmann Magnesit I believe that I can go lower than the small tripod in the photo. Unless you're looking for a tripod with a very small footprint. In that case this is no option for you.

[Francois]

I have a book about home made camera gear and in it is an idea for a low"tripod" solution.
All they did was take a ball head and bolt it to a cheap frying pan...
This can support a ton of weight, doesn't sink in soft materials... But it does look a little weird.

[charles binns]

This one looks OK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00775N6ZW/ref=asc_df_B00775N6ZW58504877/?tag=googshopuk-21&creative=22110&creativeASIN=B00775N6ZW&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310106774344&hvpos=1o6&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14973460671440515326&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006804&hvtargid=pla-565783557303&th=1&psc=1

[Kai-san]

Rollei also has the C5i Plus that can carry 8 kg and has a minimum height of 21.5cm. Can also be used as a normal tripod or monopod and it weighs 1.62kg including ballhead.

https://www.rollei.com/rollei-tripod-c5i-black-22583-en-eur

[Francois]

There's also the Gitzo Mini Traveler.
It can hold 3KG safely
https://www.manfrotto.ca/gitzo/tripods/mini-traveler

[zapsnaps]

Thanks for all the suggestions. The three which caught my attention were:
the Francois frying pan (did I mention I am sneaking in these shots on a business trip?)
Charles' Rollei M1 - an 8kg load sounds impressive for a mini, but I bet the centre of gravity will come into play long before that
and the Francois Gitzo, but I'm way too poor to be able to afford a Gitzo

[Francois]

I haven't checked but Vangard tripods might have something interesting.
I don't know if Brembo Makes à mini....
Have you checked Joby? They're usually low cost.


Hold on, I have an idea you might find interesting.
It's something I put together myself that might be a good solution for you.
Years ago Sony made some table top tripods for their handycam video cameras.
They were well designed. I added an old Cullman ball head to it and a cheap Chinese manfrotto style quick release.
It's pretty good but I haven't tried it with a very heavy camera.

[cs1]

Another really good option if you need to save space is the "Cullmann Multiklemme CC50". It's a clamp that you can attach to tables, any form of tube or similar and it's quite stable and hefty. The CC50 also comes bundled with a small ballhead which is pretty good.

[EarlJam]

Not sure what sort of surface you'll be working on. You might consider a bean bag-type mount. It's been years since I last used one, but they work pretty well, particularly if you need to be on the move rather than locked down in one location for a period of time. I'm not able to add links to the reply currently, but take a look at "The Pod" Red and Green mounts.

[Francois]

Vanguard has this one
https://www.vanguardworld.ca/photo_video_ca/products/tripods/vs-82.html

Would a Cullman tripod like this one please you?

https://www.cullmann.de/en/detail/id/mundo-4.html

Velbon also has this one that folds really small
http://www.velbon.biz/product/ut.html

Slik also has a good selection of minis
http://slik.com/series/conpact-mini-series/

[Late Developer]

Zapsnaps, unless you're using a REALLY heavy camera, I suspect that balance is likely to be a bigger problem that load-bearing. Does the majority of the camera / lens sit within the tripod footprint?

I'm not sure what tripod you have, currently, but there are short centre columns available for most modern tripods. I did a quick Google search and there's loads out there.

Also, if it's an older camera, is the tripod thread the same diameter as the ball head coupling? Do you need to get an adapter?

[zapsnaps]

Hi Paul
Good to have you back on here. You are quite correct - I have found previously that it is the balance which fails with small tripods, rather than their load-bearing capacity. I have thread adapters for tripod head issues, so I can usually fit any camera to any tripod, providing I remember to take the adapter.