Favorite Travel Tripod?

[kimba]

 

Does anyone have a favorite travel tripod? 

 

I'll be looking to purchase one soon. I went from wanting a Peak Design to a Ulanzi (carbon fiber) because of the price points. But I was wondering if there is anything else I should be looking at. I have a gorilla pod, but I need something with longer legs. 

 

I do a lot of travel, lifestyle, and nature photography. I would use it both indoors and out. 

[Ed Rooney]

I have a Slik carbon fiber pro 804. It's light of course and fits in a shoulder bag. 

 

However, I only shoot for Alamy editorial stock now and make a point of handholding everything and using no flash. 

[Michael Ventura]

I have this one.  I like it for how compact it is and not heavy, also comes with a padded sling bag.  Also, it fits the same quick release plate that I use on all my cameras. 

 

Manfrotto Element Small Aluminum Traveler Tripod MKELES5RD-BH (bhphotovideo.com)

 

Edit: It looks like they changed the bag since I bought mine...no longer a padded sling style bag.  But it does only weigh 2.5 pounds.

Edited January 18 by Michael Ventura

[wiskerke]

I have at least three that are fit for travel:

The modified Sirui T-025 is the lightest and fits inside my camera bag. It's 688 g / 1 lb 8.3 oz with the RRS BH-25.

I have hacked the center column off. It's successor came with a detachable one.

Weight including neoprene pouch, that only covers the head + alu carabiner: 750 g / 1 lb 10.45 oz. Folded length: 38.5 cm / 15.16 inches. Or even 30cm / 11.8 inches without the head.

The Gitzo G1058 just fits in my carry-on. It weighs 868 g / 1 lb 14.62 oz with the RRS BH-25. Much sturdier than the Sirui which has been qualified as a wet noodle in reviews.

And the Leofoto LS-324C also fits, but weighs 1880g /  4 lb 2.35 oz with it's head the LH40. Mine does not have a center column, not even the screw-on type from that link.

Both the Gitzo and the Leofoto are around 19 inches folded.

I have shaved off some gr/oz off the BH-25 by changing the QR clamp for a thinner one.

 

I based my choice for the Leofoto on the tests of the Center Column blogger.

Travel tripod rankings on the Center Column Blog, who contributed to the design of the Peak: Extensive Peak review.

 

wim

[IKuzmin]

I had several, different brands, all good enough from several months to a couple of years. After seeing a breaking heavy Manfrotto carbon fiber tripod (~$600 value) under a camera with a 600/4 lens just after a couple of months of use (one leg broke in the middle of a shoot!), I decided that my strategy to buy something light, cheap and dispensable is good enough. Am carrying 3-4 on travels, for external flashes and camera, therefore the weight matter along the height. They are often in the sand, or dirt, or under rain etc

 

Examples of my currently working tripods:

one

two

three

 

B&H often has tripods on sale, that's what I watch...

Edited January 19 by IKuzmin

[M.Chapman]

A Rollei Compact Traveler Star S3 Plus works for me https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Compact-Traveler-Integrated-Reversible-Photography/dp/B01LVW7ODR

I wouldn't call it a pro tripod, but it's very light (732g) and low cost (I got mine for just £20 including bag at the Photo Show) and surprisingly rigid. The centre column can be inverted and there's a hook to hang a camera bag on to increase stability if needed. The twist-lock legs extend and lock easily and quickly at any position and it goes up to 1.27m 

 

Mark

 

Edited January 19 by M.Chapman

[Normspics]

I have a Tycka aluminum travel tripod with legs that fold back so it's very compact, I'm traveling with it now. It's available on Amazon and is quite cheap here is a link to one, mine doesn't have the monopod feature but does have a ball head and case. https://www.amazon.com/TYCKA-Compact-Lightweight-Aluminum-Panorama/dp/B01IUO068S

[kimba]

 

Wow! All good recs I think. I will check them out. All of them have positive price points, 

[Jansos]

Quite a few places stipulate that you are not allowed to erect a tripod and therefore I have been looking at monopods, as I believe they circumvent the restriction. I saw some chap in Whitehall using a light-weight monopod with 'feet' that fold flat to provide balance but I can't for the life of me find it anywhere. Anyone know the one I mean? I think it would get around the tripod restriction.

[Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg]

 

KIMBA, not enough information...

travel via planes with carry-on only?

travel tripod that fits inside carry-on...?

if yes to all as in my case, I got Zomei

 

https://www.amazon.com/Camera-Tripod-Release-Carrying-Aluminum/dp/B07H1C38TZ/ref=asc_df_B07H1C38TZ/?tag=hyprod-20

 

$61US now, ~$50US few years ago when discounted;

oddly, it looks EXACTLY like this & has monopod...:

 

13 hours ago, Normspics said:

I have a Tycka...doesn't have the monopod...

https://www.amazon.com/TYCKA-Compact-Lightweight-Aluminum-Panorama/dp/B01IUO068S

which I got several years back on sale under $50US,,,

Edited January 19 by Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg

[kimba]

19 minutes ago, Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg said:

 

KIMBA, not enough information...

travel via planes with carry-on only?

travel tripod that fits inside carry-on...?

if yes to all as in my case, I got Zomei=

 

 

I do a lot of car day trips with a friend that take me to landscapes where I've gotten nice photos without a tripod, but am considering getting better photos with one. 

I figure that anything I would purchase would fit into my checked bag if I was flying. 

I probably wouldn't take it on an urban/city walkabout.

I currently don't have a studio, but if I did, I would use it for still lifes and such. 

Also for making youtubes when I'm by my self without another person to do the video making, and for that I would be using my phone-camera on a tripod. 

 

Just a general tripod that I could use for whatever. Nothing specific. Lightweight yet sturdy and portable are my criteria, 

 

[IKuzmin]

42 minutes ago, kimba said:

Lightweight yet sturdy

This requirement is hard to fulfill IMHO.

 

Although my number Three above is the same that JIG uses, it is not sturdy, and I use it for flashes only. Also, not tall enough for me.

 

In general, as lighter, as less sturdy, e.g. under wind.

 

Among the three options in my post above, I use only number Two for camera but it probably would not fit a plane carry-on bag (18" folded; the bag may not be longer than 22" so it can still potentially fit...) still, this is a portable travel tripod with all caveats. One of my requirement is actually the absence of a central tie between legs which is often present in more "sturdy" video tripods but not in the very portable travel tripods with inverted fold, because I often put it around some bush or other obstacle where such a leg tie cannot be used.

Edited January 20 by IKuzmin
Clarified some points in the message that I messed up at first

[kimba]

4 minutes ago, IKuzmin said:

This requirement is hard to fulfill IMHO.

 

It's a huge want, though, for all photographers, right? 

 

If mentioning my camera would make a difference, it's a Canon 6D II currently with a 24-105 zoom. 

 

I would pack a tripod in a suitcase to travel, and I always check my bag to fly. I carry-on a small-ish backpack with the high-end items like camera, lens, extra batteries, etc. I just got a Peak Design Everyday Backpack Zip which has been working out well for day trips - I can fit everything I need into it with a lot of room to spare. People who have this backpack and a tripod, usually strap the tripod onto the side or the back of the pack. But for travel, I would put the tripod in the suitcase and check it. 

[IKuzmin]

1 minute ago, kimba said:

If mentioning my camera would make a difference, it's a Canon 6D II currently with a 24-105 zoom.

It depends... Wind and wind are different.

As for the lengths, please, check my edited post above on the length. I always fly with check-in bags so never tried to accommodate a tripod into a carry-on. All that you said on the side attachment to photo backpack is right indeed and is not a subject of plane carry-on limitations.

[kimba]

4 minutes ago, IKuzmin said:

subject of plane carry-on limitations.

 

I DON"T DO CARRY ON LUGGAGE.  It's too much of a hassle. I check my bag if I'm going fly. 

 

I would not check my backpack - but I also wouldn't carry a tripod in/on my backpack it goes into the checked suitcase. I treat my camera backpack is like my purse when I fly. 

 

 

 

[IKuzmin]

50 minutes ago, kimba said:

I DON"T DO CARRY ON LUGGAGE.

I did not say you do, did I?

Perhaps my suggestions were not helpful, I think the first one was the main: there are many little travel tripods around, and based on my experience they all are good enough for several months to a couple of years.

[NYCat]

Am I somehow traveling back in time when we were more frightened of terrorism? It seems to me I had to put my tripod in my checked bag because it looked too much like a weapon to pass security for carry-on. We were warned not to carry a dust blower (forget what it's called) in carry-on because it looks like a bomb on the X-rays. I was always traveling internationally so maybe ran in to more problems. The return always involved extra security if you were flying to the USA. We were a little paranoid after 9/11. We weren't the only country targeted, of course, but tended to overdo the security. India was pretty thorough, too, when I went there.

 

Paulette

[Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg]

13 hours ago, IKuzmin said:

same that JIG uses, it is not sturdy...

if wind speed under ~5mph,

if one uses 5 or more seconds time

delay after pressing shutter button,

it is sturdy enough, IMO;

for example:

(time exposure lunar eclipse + multiple time exposure lightning)

(don't confuse cloud motion for camera shake)

(hanging something weighty from central post bottom hook helps)

[IKuzmin]

2 hours ago, NYCat said:

It seems to me I had to put my tripod in my checked bag because it looked too much like a weapon to pass security for carry-on.

This:

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/tripods

[IKuzmin]

1 hour ago, Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg said:

if wind speed under ~5mph,

if one uses 5 or more seconds time

delay after pressing shutter button,

it is sturdy enough, IMO;

Is 5 mph a wind at all? We rarely have that quiet atmosphere.

 

A good image although when I targeted stars I could use nothing but a release cord, and if that would be a mirror-slapping camera, the mirror needs to be up as well; no shutter button of course. But this is a singular use case thinks me...

 

Anyway, I do not disagree but I had instances when my tripods were just falling down under wind and I certainly prefer if this happens with a flash than with a camera. Not as much about long exposures. As lighter a tripod is, as less sturdier it is, in general. But otherwise of course, for a light camera with a 24-105/4 lens it can be used.

 

 

Edited January 20 by IKuzmin

[StokeCreative]

16 hours ago, Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg said:

 

KIMBA, not enough information...

travel via planes with carry-on only?

travel tripod that fits inside carry-on...?

if yes to all as in my case, I got Zomei

 

https://www.amazon.com/Camera-Tripod-Release-Carrying-Aluminum/dp/B07H1C38TZ/ref=asc_df_B07H1C38TZ/?tag=hyprod-20

 

$61US now, ~$50US few years ago when discounted;

oddly, it looks EXACTLY like this & has monopod...:

 

 

+1 for the Zomei

 

[wiskerke]

8 hours ago, Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg said:

(hanging something weighty from central post bottom hook helps)

 

Not really.

Extending the center column to the ground helps. Secure it to the ground with a bag of stones or sand around it.

Going around the legs with a string you then tighten also helps. A stiff connection is even better, think Eiffel Tower.

I usually hang my bag with the shoulder strap around all legs.  With a longer lens or with many exposures the strap goes over the camera in the nook where the lens meets the body. The bag then goes to the rear of the tripod. (where I am standing and have access to it.) In windy conditions I have a tiny Totes umbrella (Container Store) to shield the camera.

In the field, spikes are best, however this gets you a tripod ban almost everywhere else. I recently worked in an art gallery where I even had to stick felt pads to the rubber feet. So now I am going to carry those in my bag when the tripod comes inside. Which is very seldom while traveling.

 

wim

[IKuzmin]

deleted

 

Edited January 21 by IKuzmin

[IKuzmin]

1 hour ago, wiskerke said:

In windy conditions I have a tiny Totes umbrella (Container Store) to shield the camera.

Umbrella shielding from wind? It's a sail!

[wiskerke]

15 minutes ago, IKuzmin said:

Umbrella shielding from wind? It's a sail!

No it's a shield. And yes make sure the umbrella does not touch the camera or the tripod.

I learned this with my view camera. Those bellows are a real sail.

So you stand between the camera and where the wind comes from. With a big umbrella for a view camera. You do have to keep it close though, because the wind does weird things on the leeward side.

 

wim