For our latest epic two-week street journey round America, I used to be eager to seize some nice journey pictures of all the enduring areas my household and I’d be visiting from Vegas to LA and San Francisco. But as I used to be arriving within the US by airplane, I wished to journey mild. I imply very mild. So this meant I solely took one Canon digital camera, one Canon lens, and I actually didn’t wish to deliver an enormous and hulking tripod.
Aside from the truth that I wouldn’t have room in our suitcase for the standard tripod, I didn’t wish to lug a protracted and heavy tripod round within the California climate, nor did I wish to draw consideration to myself whereas I used to be wandering round Venice Beach after darkish.
But I wished some form of help so I may take long-exposure scenic photographs at sundown and evening whereas on my American travels. So as a substitute, I carried this very reasonably priced Manfrotto PIXI mini tripod with me. It was an actual lifesaver. Not solely may I simply maintain it in my jacket pocket with out anyone noticing, it was super-quick and straightforward to set as much as take shake-free, sharp photographs with my Canon package.
In a matter of seconds I may take nice photographs with my digital camera on the mini tripod, good and secure and stage on a wall, on the rail of a wharf – or for my shot of the well-known Baywatch lifeguard home on Venice Beach in LA at sundown, I merely popped my digital camera and tripod on the highest of a plastic trash bin that was on the seaside. For these low-light photographs at sundown, I may confidently shoot at f/11 with shutter speeds of 1-2 seconds and ISO100 – for a superb high quality, sharp shot .
I took this mini tripod with me everywhere. I kept it in my pocket when we were out for dinner at a restaurant, so for example; I could pop out and position it on the barrier of Santa Barbara pier and get some great sunset shots in the evening, safe in the knowledge that my camera was steady for sharp shots as light levels dropped.
It was me when we were walking about on the Vegas Strip at night, so I could capture night shots with very slow shutter speeds, again reassured that my shots would be sharp, and also higher quality as I didn’t need to resort to high ISO settings and shooting handheld – which equals lower-quality, grainy images.
It’s also strong enough to take the weight of my old Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens (combined weight of 60oz / 1685 grams) without undue drooping.
With the push of the red button you can easily get your camera straight and level for your scene to avoid any converging verticals or unlevel horizons. I always use the digital level on the Canon DSLR’s rear screen for this as there’s nothing worse than landscapes or leaning buildings in photos.
Check out our full guide to the best mini tripods