Customer Reviews

Pedco UltraPod II Lightweight Camera Tripod

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While it cannot replace a tripod, the small and easily portable UltraPod II can fold up to fit in your pocket and goes just about anywhere. When you need stablity for that long exposure or want to get yourself in the photo, this little bad boy is just the ticket. You can bring it into places they don't normally allow tripods, and the velcro strap lets you attach it to fences or trees for more point of view options.

For the price, it is truly a great deal. I humbly think every serious photographer, amerature or pro, should have one.

I bought this because my Gorilla Pod was too flimsy to hold my Canon Powershot TX1 camera.

I really like this tripod. It is very light, holds your camera very securely. It has nice long legs for added stability, but they aren't too long and can fit into a pocket easily.

The double-elbowed ball-top allows for a huge variety of different positions to mount your camera so it's level, no matter what surface you put it on. No adjusting leg lengths or anything.

The velcro strap can be used to strap this on to a variety of things, like branches or sign posts, etc... And with the swivelling ball elbows, you can actually use this with your tripod strapped onto a vertical or horizontal branch or post. Depending on how you use it, you might have to mount it on the side of the sign post, just experiment a little and you'll get it.

When I ordered this tripod, I though it would be flimsy, since it's made of plastic... but it is quite sturdy, actually. Get this one instead of the original Ultrapod, which is not as stable. I've used this with my Canon A75 and Canon A630, and I can put them in portrait mode without any problems. By the way, if you're going to use this on the floor, better get yourself a camera with a vari-angle LCD!

It's quite a pity that this tripod is not available directly here. But you can do a web search to find it.

I bought this tripod for use with a Nikon D90 + kit lens or other lightweight lenses. The tripod itself is well made, and behaves as advertised. The size of this thing is great. However ...

The tripod can hold camera/lens, but due to its flimsy construction, even minimal movements (such as mirror and shutter movements) result in unacceptble vibrations, even when the camera is triggered by remote control. The two situations where this tripod may still be useful for me are (1) taking very long exposures - shutter-induced vibrations may not play a significant role then, and (2) using the tripod velcroed to some other support - this may work, but I'm a bit worried about entrusting camera to the velcro.

All in all - this tripod is not very useful for the type of camera I'm trying to use it for. It may be useful for significantly smaller cameras.

I've had this for over ten years. Other mini tripods and even a couple of full-size tripods have come and gone in my collection, but this one stays. In all these years, I've never had a problem with it. The silver lettering has rubbed off -- that's just cosmetic and I prefer all black anyway -- but I've never had loose vinyl feet like others have complained about. It's stiff enough for any point-and-shoot as well as most of the superzooms and digital SLRs without superlong lenses, with a weight capacity triple that of even the Gorillapod SLR. The Velcro strap is losing a bit of its grip after being peeled open many hundreds of times, but that's easy enough to replace. It's light enough that I almost always keep it with me, although it's not especially compact when folded, about the size of a small folding umbrella.

One addition that I consider invaluable (but is unfortunately very difficult to find) is the quick release head for the Ultra Pod II, for which Pedco itself (via Amazon) appears to be the only source. The quick release for the smaller Ultra Pod I is available from many places but won't fit this tripod. Nobody should have to struggle with screwing a tripod into a camera when a good picture is waiting. Especially since if you need a tripod, it's likely dark so it's hard to see, and you don't want to risk messing up the plastic threads in a camera's tripod mount. Strip those and the camera can never be attached to a tripod again. That quick release head is more secure than the ones on the Joby Gorillapods, which can sag when used to hold a heavier camera vertically. It even has a pan feature, which is used by leaving the locking knob untightened. The locking knob is much easier to use than Joby's sleeker but stiff locking mechanism.

Note that this is actually the Ultra Pod II, the biggest of the three Ultra Pod models, after the original (now called Ultra Pod I) and the Ultra Pod Mini. As such, it's the sturdiest and most stable of the three models. The Ultrapod Digital is nothing more than this model molded in translucent plastics following the original iMac design fad and with Velcro Onewrap rather than a Velcro cinch strap. I prefer the black Ultrapod II, which is more scratch-resistant and I'm guessing less susceptible to damage from ultraviolet rays in sunlight (assuming you're outside a lot).

The Ultra Pod works really well with a smaller compact camera, and I would imagine that it would work fine with a typical superzoom, such as a Canon S5 or SX1. But when you get up to DSLRs or those monster fixed-lens cams like the Fuji, you're pushing it. It worked with my Pentax K-x...one of the smallest and (with kit 18-55 lens) lightest DSLRs. I wouldn't put anything more than that on it.

The strap is a bit difficult to work with...I'd rather have the better strap that comes with the Ultra Pod Digital, but at 15 bucks, the Ultra Pod was a lot cheaper...and the strap does work just fine.

Lightweight and rugged, it is a good deal. Can be strapped to branch with the Velcro strap. Not a tool for professionals, it really cannot compare with a pro tripod, but it is small, light and folds almost flat. I wish it were made of metal, I can carry an extra pound. If you are going camping with a camera, take this tripod with you.

I use a Canon XSi with 18-135, UV filter, and hood. For horizontal shots, this little tripod is great. Sets up quickly and light weight. However, there is some difficulty locking the ball head into position due to the weight of the camera and lens (about 2 pounds total). It's not just the weight, but the length of the lens that creates torque.
For vertical shots, the weight is just too much and this tripod will NOT support the camera. It'll just twist till the camera points down. Even if it could hold the weight, it's still difficult to use in vertical orientation with an SLR due to the bulk of the camera and the ball head's proximity to the legs.
It's better than nothing most of the time though, so it stays in my Lowepro backpack. Good value. Might try a Gorillapod though.

I bought my first Ultrapod II at least 15 years ago. It has been an essential backpacking accessory on every hike I have taken since its purchase. It is durable, versatile, and has performed flawlessly.
During my last hiking trip while bushwhacking through some brambles I lost the clamp and ball from the tripod. I only realized this later. I went back to search but could not find the pieces.
When I returned home I ordered a new Ultrapod II as a replacement. It is amazing that the price is the same as it was 20 years ago. There has been no loss in the quality of the components. It is a sturdy unit that easily holds my D90.
I decided to contact the manufacturer to see if they would sell replacements for the lost parts. I emailed the sales department and within an hour I received a reply with a photo to confirm the parts I needed. I responded thankfully and asked them to let me pay for any charges. Their response was I could send them $2.50 to cover shipping but it wasn't necessary. I sent them five bucks via Paypal.
This is a USA manufactured product that is built for logevity and it delivers.
Exemplary customer service and quality product.
What a great company!

I bough a fancy $50.00 gorilla pod that you can wrap around things and bend and i could never get a photo with a straight horizon utill i switched to the ultrapod the ridged construction makes it easy to set up (Straight) and shot even if it doesn't look as cool as a bendy pod it works ten times better.