Compact Tripods

[Gad-Westy]

I'm sure this is a subject that must have been covered a bezillion times on here but the search function is on the blink, so my apologies.

I have a pretty substantial tripod that was given to me a little while ago. It works well but is way too big and clumsy to carry very far. I have no intention of getting rid of it as it does serve a purpose but I would like something more portable as well so I'm looking for recommendations.

My criteria are:

Compact size, ideally below 12" in length when folded up so that it can fit in a rucksack.

Reasonable working height when fully extended but doesn't necessarily have to be a 'full height' tripod.

Quite light but not to the extend that it's going to keel over in a light breeze.

Sturdy enough for a DSLR with zoom lens.

Budget, ideally less than £50 but I'm open minded.

Any ideas? I've considered the gorilla pod but they're too low. I might get one anyway for other stuff though.

I also like the look of this but I'm not convinced it would be sturdy enough. It's also got a ball end which would not be a show stopped but I prefer the ones with individual adjustment. This one is about £20 I think.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Smallest-Extendable-Compac...

ETA, just realised the title is a little misleading. If any mods happen to read this, could it be changed to compact DSLR tripods? Ta.

Edited by Gad-Westy on Friday 12th November 12:33

[Gad-Westy]

Nick M said:

I looked at the Tamrac Zipshot:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamrac-TR40601-17850-Zipsh...

Sadly it wasn't sturdy enough for my D3, but I may get one for when I take a smaller compact and want to get long exposure photographs.

I do have a Gorillapod with their ball-head and that is really good, and that *can* take the weight of my D3. But it is, as you mentioned, a bit on the short side.

Cheers, that one suggests a max weight of 1.35kg. I'm just wondering what my D5000 + 300mm zoom actually weighs. Will have to check tonight.

[Gad-Westy]

paul911 said:

OP, I have the one you have linked to at Amazon, and no way would I use it to support a DSLR, its way too flimsy.

Thanks. That's good to know. I'm starting to wonder if I'm chasing the impossible really. The smaller the collapsed size, the more joints it's going to have and therefore the less sturdy it's likely to be. Ditto for lightweight. I liv in hope that someone has discovered a magic tripod though!

Something about a meter in height when fully extended would probably suffice, I just don't want to have to put my head on the floor to look through the view finder.

[Gad-Westy]

vtecstu said:

Loving the threads today, Westy! Feel free to start any others about other stuff I want for Christmas but don't know exactly what...!

Ha ha, hope I don't cost your friends and family too much cash!

By the way, just to update, I think I'm going to order a DSLR Zoom Gorilla Pod for the time being and see how I get on with it. I'm certain I'll want something else as well but will have to keep my eyes peeled for something ideal.