I'm looking for a small but sturdy tabletop tripod. Actually I would be using it mostly for ground level shots and flower closeups. Needs to be able to support a D810 and Tamron 90 lens at least. Thanks for your input!
PS - This one looks like a possibility:
https://www.adorama.com/sunt1a11t5.html
Sirui 3T-35K tripod and ball head - about $65. Very well designed and manufactured. Very sturdy lightweight aluminum.
BudsOwl
Loc: Upstate NY and New England
Ernie Misner wrote:
I'm looking for a small but sturdy tabletop tripod. Actually I would be using it mostly for ground level shots and flower closeups. Needs to be able to support a D810 and Tamron 90 lens at least. Thanks for your input!
PS - This one looks like a possibility:
https://www.adorama.com/sunt1a11t5.htmlI don’t think that one is what you want. Look at th3 Really Right Stuff pocket pod. It is about $120 at B&H. RRS makes quality products.
Bud
rjaywallace wrote:
Sirui 3T-35K tripod and ball head - about $65. Very well designed and manufactured. Very sturdy lightweight aluminum.
Thanks a bunch! I'm definitely taking a look!
Ernie Misner wrote:
I'm looking for a small but sturdy tabletop tripod. Actually I would be using it mostly for ground level shots and flower closeups. Needs to be able to support a D810 and Tamron 90 lens at least. Thanks for your input!
PS - This one looks like a possibility:
https://www.adorama.com/sunt1a11t5.htmlI have the tripod and extension tube. This would be a good set. But I would add a nodal rail slide so you can balance the camera/lens; otherwise the lens sticking out can make the setup a bit tippy. Add a panoramic rotator and you can do quality panoramas.
The Sunway looks unstable and cheap.
rgrenaderphoto wrote:
The Sunway looks unstable and cheap.
The Sunway is the same collapsed length as the RRS, but is 2.5" high when the legs are deployed. Not as low as the RRS by about 1", but that only amounts to 0.25" difference in the base, so it's not really that different in terms of stability. The extender does decrease stability, but you don't need to use it; it just adds flexibility. However, that is why I recommend adding a nodal rail slide so the camera and lens can be balanced better.
For a truly innovative travel mount, I recommend the RRS travel clamp.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1300992-REG/really_right_stuff_travel_clamp_kit_with_bc_travel_clamp_kit.htmlI used it to mount my camera outside a hotel window in China for a spectacular panorama.
Cletus wrote:
I have a bunch of them because I have gadget neuro... (
show quote)
Be careful to choose a tripod that will actually hold your gear. The Manfrotto Mini is only rated for 1Kg, which is just over 2.3 Lbs. Don't forget to include the weight of any head you add to the mini tripod in the total weight calculation with your camera body and any of your lenses.
I do have an older Manfrotto full sized tripod that I've had for almost 20 years. I have nothing against Manfrotto. I like my older tripod because of it's stability and durability, but not it's physical heavy weight.
You might be better off with a full sized tripod that can splay it's legs out flat. I recently received a GoPlusTravel1 tripod with a Vanguard PH-113V head. The center post will come up and out and tips over sideways and becomes a slide rail. You can get down close to the ground, and move your camera sideways on the rail to line up at different left or right orientations without moving the tripod. The relative lighter weight of this tripod as compared with my older Manfrotto will make it my walkabout tripod going forward.
I have the previous version of the RRS tabletop/travel tripod. It rests nearly flat and easily holds my Nikon D800 with a 16-35 or 28-300 lense solid as a rock. I have taken nighttime cityscapes all over the world resting on a street garbage can, park bench, or pavement with excellent clarity. I carry it folded in the side water bottle pocket of my standard backpack. When I travel overseas, I only use carryon luggage, so my carbon travel tripod isn’t practical because of size.
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