Pedco UltraPod Mini

This is the best little tripod ever for my Zoom Q3HD. Very small it fits in my camera bag. As a tripod it's just fine. When strapped to a railing it's perfect. I've used it on a railing to record a Drive by Truckers show. Strapped it to a chair back in a club to record a Dana Cooper show, strapped it to the supports for an outdoor stage to record a St Patricks day show. It really is the most versatile tripod I've ever owned. I give it 5 stars because it does everything I want and more. There are some things that could make it better. I bought a roll of double sided Velcro so I can wrap it around larger items like the wooden railing at my favorite concert venue, even a large building support, the tripod works perfect on the corner and the strap lets me raise it above the crowd. A quick release with levels on it would be handy, I'm looking at the Manfrotto RC0 and RC4, but will probably keep looking until i find a deal on a quick release. That said the head on the Pedco UltraPod lets me move my camera to nearly any position for a steady video. I have both the black Ultrapod with square legs and the orange UltraPod Mini. No real difference in size, the UltraPod Mini has slightly smaller legs (1/2 inch shorter, about half inch shorter when used as a table top tripod, same head on both, same Velcro length on both about 12 inches) I thought the angled legs might have more stability, but they are both equally good, go for the one with lowest price. The black one is a little less visible if you don't want to draw attention to the camera. You tube search for "Dana Cooper Jewish Mother" and you will see a video that was shot with the Q3HD and the Pedco UltraPod strapped to a chair back in a night club. I use a large SunPak 7500 Pro for some outdoor shows, I have a small manfrotto MP1-CO1 pocket tripod, but the Pedco pushed it out of my camera bag.

This is far and away the best of the pocket-sized tripods. I also looked at the tiltpod and GorillaPod Micro; if you look at the reviews for those two products, you'll see that both have significant design flaws--the micro scratches up your camera for one--and the tiltpod is too flimsy. The Pedco pod is well made and has a rubber washer that cushions your camera as it sits on the screw. The velcro strap is a game changer as well, since it allows you to attach your camera to railings and other surfaces; none of the competitors had this feature. I'm looking forward to using this tripod and strap for my night shots on my Lumix and for HDR shots. The ultrapod mini and the ultrapod I are both small enough to fit in your pocket. And as a bonus, the product is made in the USA. I bought both the blue mini and the black ultrapod I. They are very similar, except the black is slightly taller when in tripod mode because all of its legs are equal length, while the blue one has two shorter legs. They both are very stable. They have different footpads on the tripod legs, but both are very stable.

Nice and steady. Easy to install and easy to use in just about all situations. The color is nice and brillant

I used to carry a huge 3 pound tripod with me everywhere.I was tired of carrying it so I tried this little guy out. So small and light it fits everywhere I need it too and I cant find a lighter option. Everywhere I have used it has worked well. ditched the velcro strap (Inever use it). The only drawback it the height but find something tall and your set. Great piece of gear.

This is a nice, super lightweight, tripod that I bought for backpacking trips. Unfortunately, mine arrived damaged. The tightening knob is cracked in several places. It still holds together and feels solid but I'm afraid that it will break off at some point. Take a look at the photos I've uploaded so you can see what I'm talking about.

Rubber tips of the feet kept falling off, had to glue them on, otherwise good and useful product

I love the Ultrapod Mini! It replaced one of those tiny black tripods with the flexible metal legs and a homemade angle bracket I attached for doing portrait orientations. The ball head on this allows nearly any angle you could want and the velcro strap is quite useful, too. I strapped it to limbs and a trekking pole. The only trouble I had was in portrait orientation with a fairly heavy P&S (Canon A630) you may need to hold a leg down (or use a rock) to keep it from tipping. It worked well for timelapse of 1-2 hours in pretty stiff winds, too (except when attached to a trekking pole, of course).

Irreplaceable tool for action photography for a small camera with a self timer. I use this for fly fishing & self photography to capture action on the rivers where I fish alone at a fast pace where few people would follow me. This pod is water proof (didn't rust in a year of use), is easy to use, tuff, & versitale. I lost it while in action, may have misplace it?, and immediately I'm buying three more. I don't know what I would do without it. The strap is useful, but it can get in the way too, only useful to strap on to solid objects. Most branches move in the wind in my world, and I finally cut it off after not using it enough to make it worth while. . . another reason to have more than one in case I want one with the strap. Plus, I really like that it is made in the USA!