Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: StoryinPictures on May 20, 2019, 03:59:36 am

Title: Strong, light weight tabletop tripod
Post by: StoryinPictures on May 20, 2019, 03:59:36 am: I am looking for a minimalist tripod solution. I use a bigger tripod when I can, but I want a light tripod to always have in the bag, for convenience when a low angle is desired and to stabilize against a wall or myself.

Must be strong enough to support 5kg or more.
Must weigh less than 500 gr.
Must be able to attach Benro GD3WH geared head.

FML CP 10 is the one to beat. Feisol TT-15 is a contender :)

There was a good thread a few years back, but there are probably many newer options today, such as the Gitzo mini.
Title: Re: Strong, light weight tabletop tripod
Post by: muntanela on May 20, 2019, 10:09:23 am: You can see here

https://www.leofoto.com.au/mini

and here

https://www.leofoto.com.au/product-page/ls-223c
Title: Re: Strong, light weight tabletop tripod
Post by: armand on May 20, 2019, 10:25:51 am: Quote from: muntanela on May 20, 2019, 10:09:23 am
You can see here

https://www.leofoto.com.au/mini

and here

https://www.leofoto.com.au/product-page/ls-223c

Looks almost like this Really Right Stuff that I'm using for a while: https://www.reallyrightstuff.com/TFA-01-Ultra-Pocket-Pod
Title: Re: Strong, light weight tabletop tripod
Post by: StoryinPictures on May 20, 2019, 12:27:58 pm: Thank you for the responses.

It appears that the Leofoto MY-01 option is an "RSS Basic" knock-off and the MY-02 option is an RSS ULTRA knock off.
Title: Re: Strong, light weight tabletop tripod
Post by: Ellis Vener on June 13, 2019, 02:14:22 pm: I have given up on three-legged "tabletop" tripods and now use a Platypod Max plate instead.
Title: Re: Strong, light weight tabletop tripod
Post by: muntanela on June 14, 2019, 05:15:43 am: Quote from: Ellis Vener on June 13, 2019, 02:14:22 pm
I have given up on three-legged "tabletop" tripods and now use a Platypod Max plate instead.

You can't put the camera really at ground-level if you use a ball head on the Platypod. But Without a ball head the leveling looks really terrible.
Title: Re: Strong, light weight tabletop tripod
Post by: mcbroomf on June 14, 2019, 06:11:04 am: I have the Leophoto LS223c. Not as small as the RRS (which I also have) but it gets more use as it will go higher, ie more versatile.
Title: Re: Strong, light weight tabletop tripod
Post by: TonyVentourisPhotography on July 12, 2019, 01:45:55 am: The new peak design travel tripod on Kickstarter will apparently have a lighter weight tabletop conversion available. It removes all the leg extensions but 1 set and loses the center column. The ballhead is fairly flush to the legs, so ground level is very low for this kind of product. It’s just not available yet.
Title: Re: Strong, light weight tabletop tripod
Post by: muntanela on July 17, 2019, 03:45:40 pm: This came from Mulda a month ago.
Title: Re: Strong, light weight tabletop tripod
Post by: armand on July 17, 2019, 07:23:01 pm: Quote from: muntanela on July 17, 2019, 03:45:40 pm
This came from Mulda a month ago.

Weight?
Title: Re: Strong, light weight tabletop tripod
Post by: muntanela on July 18, 2019, 05:38:10 am: Quote from: armand on July 17, 2019, 07:23:01 pm
Weight?

0.7 kg, I think that with a lighter one it would be difficult to side-tilt at 90° head, camera, lens and focusing rail, to reach the ground with the camera, without losing stability. With this mini-tripod it is possible, but you need to pay some attention.
Title: Re: Strong, light weight tabletop tripod
Post by: armand on September 13, 2019, 08:40:10 pm: Any other experiences?
I managed to lose mine ( https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1317755-REG/really_right_stuff_13718_tfa_01_ultra_pocket_pod.html/specs ) and before I order the same thing I'm looking to see if there is a better alternative out there.

So far interesting:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1434505-REG/gitzo_gktbb_mini_traveler_tripod.html/specs - the closest in weight, seems more flexible, and unexpectedly a Gitzo that's cheaper than my alternative
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1420894-REG/sirui_su3t15k_3t_15k_table_top_tripod.html/reviews - cheaper by far
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1330147-REG/flm_32_10_991_cp10_tabletop_tripod_with_cb_24e.html/specs - very flexible leg angles but more tedious to set
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1431254-REG/oben_ctt_1000_carbon_fiber_tabletop.html/reviews - most versatile but ~ 200g heavier (from ~ 250g)

Any experiences with these?

I already have a modified Sirui T-025 (very close to what the T-025x looks like) with head that's about 780g.
Title: Re: Strong, light weight tabletop tripod
Post by: armand on September 17, 2019, 04:02:48 pm: Because I had nothing better to do (actually I had much better things but couldn't help it), here is a short list with table tripods that are stable enough for a mirrorless camera and midsize lenses.
I already have the Sirui head so if you see the legs that don't specify the tripod head, that's what I used for the weight and height calculations (not for price though).
The ones that have the same color are the original and a likely knockout (or maybe just the OEM version).
Title: Re: Strong, light weight tabletop tripod
Post by: StoryinPictures on November 14, 2020, 09:24:34 am: As a follow-up for future seekers...I ended up with the FLM CP10.

I have been pretty happy with it. Light weight, easy and quick to adjust, stays where I put it, the ball/feet work well. It is solid enough to use with my Fuji GFX 50r, not a small camera.

It has also turned out to be very helpful during Covid when I use my phone for Zoom, google, etc conferencing calls.