mini tripod for a heavy camera

[bob_bell]

Hi,

 

I am in need of a small tripod 6-18 inches or so that can support a

Canon DSLR with battery pack and a Canon L zoom. I am guessing around

4-5 pounds. I searched this site and google and only came up with

the Giottos U-Pod but I cant find a decent review of it. Anyone have

any experience with them or have a better idea. I dont have any

preference for a head except it needs to hold the weight.

Thx -Bob

[peter_n1664876959]

The combination below holds a Nikon F3+MD4 (off-center tripod mount) with an 80-200 zoom:<br><br>

 

Manfrotto 3007 Tabletop Tripod Legs - US$14.95 <br>

Manfrotto 3007X Extension for Table Top Tripod - US$17.95 <br>

Slik SBH-120 Compact Ballhead - US$29.50 <br><br>

 

All prices from B&H (NYC) a few months ago.

[klix]

If you have room to spread out, a lot of the "regular-sized" tripods can go very low, with their legs spread out... don't know if they'll go to 6 inches, but some of them do go pretty low.

[kaiblanke]

The SLIK Sprint Mini series are quite stable if the legs are not extended that far. But I prefer to replace the included ballhead with my Manfrotto 308 RC to hold a 80-200/2.8 with a Contax RTS and Winder (2+ kg). The standard ballhead is nice and easy to use up to about 1.5 kg and together with the tripod the whole package is only a bit more than one ft long.

<p>

There is a small adapter with a broader plate from manfrotto that allows attaching 3/8 threads on 1/8 screws especially desined to add larger heads to small tripod legs. That one might be needed depending on the tripod screw (the SLIK only has the small screw).

[bob_mann]

Take a look at the Kirk Low Pod - might be what you are looking for.

[runkel]

The Novoflex Basic Tripod may or may not suit your needs. It's rock solid ("supports 22 lbs.") because the legs are just rods that screw into a central base. There's no extending the legs, but by screwing the leg/rods into different holes in the base you can get a few different heights at the low end of 6-18 inches, and various angles. Broken down, it packs *very* small. I use it with a Linhof Universal Ball Head 1 for loads a bit lighter than yours but that very nice head should handle your setup (rated at 7.7 lbs). The Basic Tripod also can work as a chest pod.

[runkel]

Oh, the real name is "Novoflex Basicball Hybrid Tabletop Tripod."