patman1 Loc: Pataskala, Ohio

I have 3 tripods, well 2 and a monopod, 1 carbon fibre, i use for my light weights and i aluminum heavy duty which i used for tge big guns. Neither got much use. I have a little mini pod from germany which doubles as a hand strap, unscrews and makes a great little tripod which can be used on the side of a structure or roof top of a car. It has a swival head and can be locked in any position. It has to be over 40 yrs old and i use it with my Leicas, the one accessory i will mot leave jome without.

patman1 Loc: Pataskala, Ohio

Really need to get spell check working!😁

lgaravaglia

As to the tripod. There are so many tripods and so many compromises. I bought a Marsace carbon travel tripod for roughly $100. Pretty good price. Now there are things I love about it and things I don't.

What I like:
1) It is that it's light, easy to carry.
2) The legs are stiff so I don't get much vibration.
3) The legs unlock and lock by twisting the foot. Easy peasy. Really nice feature.
4) The legs spread open for low shots and it has a pretty nice ball head you can use for panos.
5) It has a nifty little hook under the base to hang some weight on to counter is natural
tendency to tip over.
6) It fits in my carry-on.
7) The extension tube that sits on the tripod can be unscrewed.

What I don't like:
1) Scary unstable in it's default configuration.
2) The ball head cannot be removed from the extension tube
3) It uses an extension tube on top of the tripod to lift the camera up instead of using longer legs.
Longer legs spread out more and would have made it more stable.

I set this thing up in my living room and decided right then and there that I was never going to put $1500 worth of fragile camera on top of something that sooooo wanted to tip over. Which brings me to my main point. The Marsace tripod is desiged with a long tube sitting on top of the tripod. Unlike travel tripods of yore the tube does not descend down between the legs when putting it away. Rather the legs lift up and wrap around the tube. It is this tube that gives the tripod and extra 18" of height or so and it is this extra height that makes the tripod unstable.

I deal with the I'd-rather-be-on-my-face nature of the tripod by unscrewing the center tube and putting a ball head directly on the tripod base. This lowers the center of gravity just enough to be safe (relatively). I also attached a carabiner to my backpack and hang it under the tripod if needed. Now, this setup would be ideal if it weren't for the fact the ball head does not come off the extension tube so I am forced carry an extra ball head with me. Also, the extra ball head needs to be <= the diameter of the original ball head (which mine is not) to allow the tripod to fold up.

Would I buy the Marsace tripod again? No. I would look for one that is light, stiff, and stable. This pretty much rules out designs like the Marsace (unless the legs are sufficiently long enough to counter problems inherent in this design).

lmTrying Loc: WV Northern Panhandle

I thought someone would have suggested a string pod. A short 1/4-20 eye bolt that screws into the camera base and about 15 foot of heavy cord. Tie one end to the eye, drop a loop on the ground to stand on with your feet shoulder width, adjust and tie the other end to the eye. Fast,compact, light, easy to carry in your pocket, and cheap.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I would guess the OP meant 4 section legs not 4 legs.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

I was just going to suggest the same thing! I made one for our July cruise and used it a couple of times; it worked great, it weighs essentially nothing and takes up almost no space. One suggestion is to put it into a small zip-loc bag, as the string will get dirty from standing on it. However, most of my photos were hand held.