Ultralight Tripod

There are walking sticks that have accommodations for a camera. If you go to REI, look under walking sticks, not trekking poles.

If you prefer to use your regular trekking poles, you could get a mount that attaches to the side of the trekking pole.

Have a look at the following thread (skip 2nd page, but do look at third page of thread after the first)

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=14867

I think most of these support a camera on top.
http://www.rei.com/category/11770843

These are more oriented to photography.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Monopods-Unipods/ci/397/N/4290434379

Some of these may work for side mounting.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Clamp-Pods/ci/15474/N/4294188775

I know there are good light tripods, but I don't remember what they are. They were a little out of my price range.

Or you can use the Ultrapod II by wrapping the velcro strap around the pole handle (except for the very thick types)
Of course you can just use it as a table top tripod too.
See : http://flyingwithfish.blogspot.com/2008/02/ultimate-ultra-compact-tripod-for.html
Franco
(your combo is under 3 lbs, the Ultrapod has a "safe" rating of 4 lbs)

I own the Ultrapod 2, but I've found that it's major weakness is shots needing a portrait orientation.

Are there any Gitzo tripods that come in under a pound?

I just purchased, but have not received, the Tamrac TR406 ZipShot Compact tripod. Used one a couple of weeks ago with my Panasonic GF1 and 50mm OM lens. Very light(11 oz) and gets the job done.

I've had pretty good luck with a feisol tournament carbon fiber tripod and a markins head. My tripod + head weighs together ~3.4 lbs. This is a high quality set up and I don't know of anything comparable that's as sturdy for making long exposures.

That said, I wouldn't call it ultralight. In my case I'm a photographer first and backpacker second — trying to incorporate some ultralight concepts so hauling around the heavy photo gear isn't so bad.

if you've got poles you should utilize them for yet another use…

those poles weigh 11oz, the tripod 2 3/4 oz… and I always have my poles, so to me it really added no weight

I have a similar solution, but even simpler. I hike with my girlfriend so we usually have more than 2 trekking poles. I just set up 3 of them in a tripod configuration, stick my Ultrapod in the middle and wrap it all up tight with the velcro strap. For long exposures, hang your backpack off one of the handle straps with a carabiner. You don't need a heavy tripod for stability – but you do need to lower the centre of gravity and tighten everything up, which is what heavier tripods do naturally. We can do that without adding any weight by hanging a pack in the middle.

@Jesse – this might be a stupid question but I wanted to ask before I attempted this – did you just poke/cut out a small hole in the tops of your handles to stick the top tripod into?

I'm definitely a big fan of my Gorilla Pod SLR+ZOOM.

Used it to do lots of star tracks:

trevor,

yupp, I drilled it out VERY carefully, to a smaller diameter than the legs on the table top tripod… works great, I can lift the entire assembled unit up by the camera and move it without the thing falling apart…

Hey there,

As I'm looking for an UL tripod too, I always thought that it must be somehow possible to use the trekking poles to support it.
Since the combined versions (eg. leki photo trekking pole) are not suitable due to the weight, I thought about something different. In theory it is the same as above – however, it doesn't look that stable to me.

What I have in mind is:

– Carbon Monopod + lightweight ball head
– 2 Trekking poles to support the monopod
– 2 "angle clamps" to combine it

For drum kits, they use different kinds of clamps like this one:
http://www.steveweissmusic.com/product/1124966/gibraltar-hardware

So the idea would be to add two of those clamps below each other to the monopod, and just add the trekking poles, forming a basic tripod, angles can be adjusted as wanted, etc while still having a fully functional monopod and ballhead that can be used on another, real tripod aswell.

The problem is that those clamps used in percussion kits are usually too heavy – and I couldn't find any lighter ones made of plastic..

What do you think?

“….however, it doesn’t look that stable to me.”

Christopher,
For a lightweight camera (and mine is a not-so-light G10), the trekking pole tripod shown above, and one I made, a Zipshot knock-off with carbon fiber tent pole legs, are amazingly stable. The magic is in the flexi-leg tripod shown in Jesse’s photo’s.

It is metal, stiff, and stout. When well-attached (friction only) to my legs it holds everything in place, allows me to easily adjust the camera for plumb, level, and square, and is tight enough to “carry” the legs along when I pick up and move. My CF legs though a little whimpy, are stable enough for most situations, and I am sure the tripod above is rock solid.

Dondo is to be credited with getting this started, for he built the first SUL mini-tripod almost a year ago. And I encourage you to keep going. But, what has been done to date is light (mine is a little over 4 ounces), strong, And stable.

I know this is probably not what you are looking for but has the string and washer method been discussed here?

http://www.xs4all.nl/~wiskerke/artikelen/string.html

Thanks Jesse!

Hi,

Greg, I'm sorry I should have formulated it in a better way. What I meant is, since I'm looking for a solution to use with my full sized dslr, this method does not seem stable enough.

I know these lightweight tripods in the above threads, and I know that they are pretty good, I've used a similar thing with my compact camera.

What I'm trying to find though is a tripod or any solution to use with my canon 7d.
The downside I can imagine using poles is that they are not available if your tarp needs them :)

I'm somehow still not sure if I should buy a lightweight Gitzo/Benro tripod or used a table tripod like Berlebach mini or Gorillapod…

Furthermore there is the problem of the weight they can carry, especially the tiny ballheads… I wish it would be easier to find a suitable solution

Christoph,
Yes, it is a tough nut to crack, especially when you're talking a couple of thousand US$$ in the balance. Yikes!!!

I can imagine, yeah :)

Anyway, if anyone knows where to get such clamps, I'd be very thankful – just to give it a try as a backup tripod..

I think you're basically doomed when it comes to getting lightweight tripods for heavy cameras… either the market doesn't exist or the manufacturers are all blind to it.

Little table-top sized tripods are probably the only way to go. I've just found something called the 'Trek-Tech Optera' that looks like it might be okay, if a little gimmicky. There's a few slightly more conventionally shaped things like the basalt Gitzo GT-921 which are less of a gamble.

Yep, there is a couple of good ones, but right now if I would buy a smaller one I think I would go with the gorillapod zoom.

I've got a very small Manfrotto 709B Digi but it's really only for the table, a very basic thing.

Furthermore a Benro Travel Angel, which is quite good but too heavy (1,8kg).

The problem is, that mainstream is different, as you say. I would be glad if there was a good and stable carbon tripod around 80-100cm. The problem with the existing ones is, that their legs are to thin and the ballheads too small.
So far I've never seen a small carbon tripod with only 2 segments or so, that can hold a large dslr – and are still lightweight. Personally I don't care if I have to "sit" when I really need a tripod for a picture.

Christoph,
I stumbled across this a day or two ago. I don’t know how it compares to anything else.

Max Load Capacity: 33lb, 54-64″, Weight: 2.9lb ,Folded Height: 18.4inch, with removable leg for monopod

You could always remove a section or two to drop some of the weight.

Hi, thanks for the link

I think there is a similar one from Benro, might be even lighter.
I'm a little concerned though with some "unknown" brands, since I read a review of the internals of the Benro ballhead (as said I own a Benro myself though, and it's quite good).

Removing sections would be a good idea, I thought about that too – but actually never found someone who did this – and I don't want to damage a carbon tripod in this price range :)

Edit: Oh well, looks like it is quite simple: http://www.gitzo.com/cms/site/gitzo/accessories/leg_accessories?code=GS4300

Manfrotto and Gitzo make great carbon fiber tripods and you can choose the ball head to go with. Cheap they are not and they are not what we would call UL— you can burn up $300 in a blink and still have a 4-6 pound anchor.

Ain't gonna happen for under a pound if you want a pro grade tripod.

I have a Canon G10 and use an older Slik tripod and a remote release.

Things to look for: raise the tripod to a good working level, grasp it by the top and see if you can twist and flex the pivot and legs. Poorly designed 'pods will wobble like a wet noodle. Locks should be positive and can suffer from the same problems that cheap trekking poles do– dumping your precious toy in disastrous ways.

I like legs that can be independently splayed for uneven ground and getting low angle shots, but that can detract from a rigid setup.

Like all UL gear, fewer geegaws and features equals less weight and more reliability. Simple is good. Fewer leg sections makes for a longer tripod to carry, but reduces weight, moving parts, complexity, and are more rigid.

See if you can rig a stuff sack with rocks or some other weight to suspend from the center below the tripod. This adds some stability in the wind and reduces shake. This is my solution to using an "amateur" 'pod.

If you aren't using long telephotos, you can get by with a lighter rig and there is less torque on the ball head, etc.

A good tripod can help the sharpness of your photographs immensely, so it is worth the effort. Just the ol' compromises faced with all out other gear– weight and expense over utility.

I have a few spare amateur type UL tripods if you are interested.