Pedco UltraPod Lightweight Camera Tripod black ,One Size

Note: I update: I accidentally did the review based on the same companies tripod but the large mode I also have purchased the smaller tripod and own both. The review still stands for the quality and the functionality excluding the size and being able to support a lightweight DSLR camera. The smaller one here works the same and has the same steel ball on head. It still has the same articulation as the bigger one reviewed below. The only difference is that its smaller and can only support a point and shoot or a go pro camera or a smart phone. I use the smaller one for my go pro and the larger one for a Flash or in a pinch to do video by strapping it to a nightstand. Both are great tripods and great bang for the buck. Great little tripod. I am a actual full time photographer by trade for a living not some amateur that bought his first camera and now calls himself a pro photographer sorry I have to laugh at those individuals. That said I been using grip equipment and clamps and tripods on the job for 18 years now. So knowing what is decent or junk "there is a lot if cheap Chinese camera junk out there" this little tripod is pretty darn good! the legs are different than the ones in the photo mine are solid no holes. the legs are made of solid hard strong plastic that I can tell are very strong yet light. The ball head of sorts is a pressure clamp easy to loosen up and adjust and retighten. The base if the tripod could hold say a DSLR medium weight body without a vertical battery grip and say a smaller medium lens. start putting a heavier lens or the double battery grip and that is to heavy for this type of tripod. this is ideal of a tripod for a light Canon T4i body only and say a small kit lens as the max weight limit if the tripod. anything heavier and he ball head will not hold or it will tip over. The legs have a nice short wide stable base say of 7 inches wide and angled nicely to be rock steady. Seriously for the price I paid for it 12 bucks you can't go wrong. this is a ideal tripod for point and shoots or small range finder cameras and even iPhones or even a go pro video cameras. most other tripods I seen at this price the ball heads are the weak spot and look very cheap or soon break. the ball head on this tripod is pretty solid and has a nice ratchet or geared teeth for better friction hold of the ball head. if you don't over abuse it with a heavy camera and lens it will last you years of use. The strap works great and is a wide Velcro strap. tip if you want extra stabilizing when attaching I a pole or tree branch take those bunjee loops with the ball on them and put that as a extra strap to keep tripod from twisting and add a thick piece of rubber type foam like Neoprene from a mouse pad it will give a good grip on small diameter poles or branches like a light stand or motocycle mirror bracket. Hope this review helps people out and to those amateurs out there don't call yourself a pro photographer when you know more about camera models specs then you know about what a watt seconds are or a guide number or kelvins ratings are... buying a copy of photoshop and the latest released canon or nikon does not make you automatically a "Pro" you just look plain silly when yo make statements like this. It will just have the real photographers laughing quietly to themselves. Its much like buying a expensive guitar and now calling myself a musician because I got the latest and greatest guitar money could buy.

I've come to expect that everything is made in China these days, from the cheapest junk to the most expensive high-end items. And when it comes to those inexpensive accessories for your expensive Japanese camera, i would fully expect a cheap plastic build quality, especially at $12 prime. Not so for the Pedco UltraPod. The UltraPod is made in the USA, and the quality shows. The ball mount is clamped in place by a single knob, which when tightened, holds it firmly-although you can still move it with some force, it certainly won't sag by itself. Even the velcro strap is top-grade. It has a very fine fabric on one side, and very small loops on the other, which holds very firmly and won't deteriorate with repeated use. The legs are a stiff rubbery plastic that is very lightweight, but seems to be very strong, and won't sag or droop. Years ago, i bought a super-cheap foldable tripod, about the same size as the UltraPod - but what a difference! The ball-mount allows you to aim the camera very precisely at your subject, after first finding a sturdy place to put it. One limitation: the strap is 12 inches long, which limits you to a post or tree trunk 4-inches in diameter. Still, if you have a few feet of rope in your pack, you can rig the tripod with anything Mother Nature has on hand. Now I now see no reason to bring a full-size tripod on a hike, and the small size of the tripod doesn't limit you to shooting from ground-level. Another nice feature: the articulated neck. When you loosen the ball knob, you can reposition the neck at any angle to the body. When mounting to a vertical post, set the neck at 90-degrees to the body, so your camera is further away from the vertical post. This allows you to position the camera beside the post in landscape orientation and the post won't interfere with the ability to position the camera. When shopping for a travel-ready tripod for my Canon S100, i narrowed it down to the UltraPod and the GorillaPod, at the same $12 price-point for their lightweight model. I concluded that the UltraPod is a better choice, because it folds up smaller, has a much greater load capacity, and the velcro strap seemed like a sturdier way to mount onto a tree branch or post. I have absolutely no regrets, and can say that it exceeded my expectations.