Holiday Gift Guide: Compact Tripods

Today’s Post by Mark Toal

I don’t use a tripod very often, but I love having a small tripod that I can carry in my camera case or suitcase when I travel. I have bought a lot of different compact tripods over the years and I’m currently using a couple of Sirui tripods that I really like. These tripods are the perfect fit for my small mirrorless cameras.

First of all the build quality of the Sirui’s is beautiful. They feel solid and everything locks into place quickly. The ball head is also one of my favorite features. A ball head makes it so easy to adjust the angle of the camera plus it has a degree scale built in for taking panoramic photos.

The Sirui 3T Series is always with me. I confess that I was most attracted to the red color, although it costs more ($64.94 instead of $59.94,) when I first saw one. The way the feet fold down makes for very fast set up. The ball head makes it easy to level on uneven surfaces.

The Sirui T-025x carbon fiber tripod with C-10S Ball Head ($219.94) has a more traditional design, but everything is just smaller than most tripods so it doesn’t take up much room in my suitcase when I travel. I love the way the center column is removable to let you get close to the ground. The leg twist locks that open and lock quickly are another great feature.

These are a great and relatively inexpensive present for the Mirrorless camera owner in your life.

Coming Soon from Joe: I’ve been informed that an Olympus E-M1 Mark II is on it’s way to me. As is typical, I’ll try to do a First Look post followed by a Field Test of the camera and if there’s time, I will photograph some automobiles for my car photography website/blog. Look for my test of this highly anticipated camera soon.—Joe Farace