Update: I've got two more in my cart, ready to add to my next order (for free Super Saver shipping) They're strong enough for a Canon Digital Rebel.
All these reviews are great - I actually bought a different mini-tripod at first but ended up making this my SD550's travel companion. Here are my reasons for liking it a lot:
- I was able to position my camera right on my dash for intervalometer shots (Powershot S2IS) and it actually stayed put while I was driving. The feet are rubberized just well enough and spread far enough to keep the camera in place.
- I carry it in my pocket. Since the legs are flexible, it doesn't get awkward or damaged when I sit down
- With the legs together (and a bit spread out at the bottom) it makes a great pistol grip for little cameras.
- It's the perfect trade-off between using a bean bag and a mini tripod - the legs stay put however you shape them, and mine has seen a lot of bending and still works great
- If I'm shooting at a low speed and risk blurring the shot, I put the tripod legs on my chest for extra stability. It's not much, but your chest is less shaky than your hands alone, and gives you that extra stop for indoor pictures
- While it's light enough to carry around, it also has a bit of weight to balance the weight of small cameras not making the setup too top-heavy.
- Unlike straight-leg tripods, you can make the feet grip a vertical edge, like a cube partition Vanguard VS41 Flexible MiniTripod
This is incredibly useful for the price. It's the cheapest mini tripod out there and the design is brilliantly simple.
It can be adjusted finely even though it looks clumsy. Just start with the legs fanned out but straight, and if you need to adjust the camera angle a little push the appropriate leg so it bends inward.
It's more sturdy than I expected. The rubber feet prevent slipping and the flexible legs can easily hold a typical camera without bending under the weight. Maybe it's not for those 15-pound cameras with a 2 foot lens attached, but if you have one of those you probably aren't looking for a four-dollar tripod.
It has a very small clip on the mount so you can hang it one a bag strap, but you can also just bend the legs around the strap.
The only thing this tripod doesn't do is shoot upward at steep angles. The most I can manage to get out of it with the most extreme pose is about 40 degrees, and with a larger camera balance issues might limit it to less.
One design drawback is the mounting screw is fixed. You don't get a little thumb knob to twist when mounting the camera, you have to rotate the whole tripod. But it's so small and the legs squeeze together so close that it's easy to do.
For four bucks, it would be hard to ask for more.
I'll try to make this review as short as the tripod: If your looking for the smallest and very functional mount, this is it; bend the legs any way you want to capture that shot. It works just as I expected.
Didn't expect much from this, but it is a perfect solution for tabletop tripod use. You have quite a bit of aiming variety as you can bend, twist, and rotate this thing in any which way. And it holds its position really nicely.
A nice surprise of functionality and portability and price. One of those things that you find you need once you buy it.
I bought this tripod to help take close-up photos of food. It's inexpensive and generally works very well. It attaches solidly to my ultracompact digital camera (Panasonic Lumix FX9) and it's easy to get it to stand. The legs are a bit springy so I usually have to hold it in place with a hand, too, to get just the right angle, but the tripod ensures the camera doesn't move for longer exposures, which is what I cared about. If you were trying to use it to take multiple shots from the exact same angle, it might pose problems, as the legs won't hold totally still at any very tilted angles.
The main problem I have with this is that the rubber ball-feet are very soft rubber and apparently are very soluble in oil, because I was using it on my butcher-block counter top (sealed with wax & oil) and it left black smears everywhere. After that I used it on a tablecloth and it smeared black all over that, too. I wrapped each little foot in some cheesecloth with a twist-tie to hold it on and now it's great, but it's a bit silly that I have to do that. I'd have paid a few extra bucks for feet made of some other material, maybe silicone, that wouldn't have that problem.
I have one of these to my small Ricoh camera, and we'd used it for years on trips and hikes. I've used it with my newer dig camera (a Dimage), and it works just as well. Very very handy and great for uneven surfaces. Small and light, too. With some experience you learn to trust your expensive camera being attached to it! So, when I saw this similar item listed on Amazon, and at such a great price, I had to order it for my sister's new camera. It appears nearly identical to my older one and to be of good quality. Just a warning for those who are allergic to latex: The little balls on the end of the feet are rubber and even the smell from them is noticeable. - Photography - Camera Accessories - Tripod - Travel Tripod'
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