Mini Travel Tripods |
| Date Added: September 24, 2007 12:00:00 AM |
| Whenever I speak at a photography club meeting, I always bring along some of my toys. Things that I think might interest camera buffs. A couple of months ago I spoke at the Clear Focus Camera Club, a local club that is very active. To my surprise, the toy that most people were interested in was my mini travel tripod. The Ultrapod tripod is a series of real tripods complete with functioning ball heads. Made of reinforced nylon, they are light and very small, so there is no excuse for not taking it with you. Wrapping the strap around a pole or tree makes the tripod more versatile. A really handy feature on them is the folding legs and Velcro strap. By folding the legs in and wrapping the Velcro around the nearest tree or pole, you now have a camera support at eye level or where ever you like. The Ultrapod II weighs about 4 ozs, folds up to about 7.5 ins long and holds my Canon 1D MKII with a 70-200 f2.8 in a pinch. Balancing my heavy gear at some angles can be a challenge but I usually find a way around it, turning the legs a different direction or moving the ball heads center over the legs a little. I used in on a trip to France this year, taking longer exposures inside churches, mainly with my 24-70 f2.8, and it worked like a charm. I quite often mount the camera to the tripod and them push the legs against a wall for some added stability. The smaller Ultrapod weighs only 1.5 ozs and folds up to a mere 4ins long. My wife uses hers for her Canon S3IS. It even fits in her tiny camera bag. I bought my Ultrapod for $25 and my Ultrapod II for $30 in the Vancouver area. I feel they are well worth the money and the tiny space in your gear bag. So now traveling light does not mean you have to leave your tripod at home. About the author: Bill Fowle has been a photographer for thrity years. University trained, Bill has developed a style that puts people at ease in front of the camera. Although he makes his living with high volume portraiture, Bills passion is the outdoors where you can find him and his camera on his days off. |
Article Details