Customer Reviews

Pedco UltraPod Lightweight Camera Tripod

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Length:: 4:18 Mins

The UltraPod is one of the handiest little things in my camera bag. I use this often and it is so versatile that it has become an essential part of my camera gear.

It's designed to be used with small compact, sub-compact cameras and camcorders. It won't support the weight of a large DSLR so don't even try. It's not meant for heavy weights. But for small, light weight cameras it is awesome. Creative people can even figure out a way to have a flash mount on this tripod for some creative slave-lighting setups. The possibilities are huge.

The legs are about 4" in length and they form a supportive tripod base for use on a table inside or anywhere else you can think of. What makes this such a versatile piece of gear is the foot long velcro strap which opens up many more possibilities. You can attach it to a tree branch, or strap it to your car mirror. How about your bicycle handlebars (might shake around too much though depending on the camera) or some other think that otherwise would be impossible to hang a camera from.

I've been able to get what would have been impossible shots without this little UltraPod. The ball and socket give you the ability to twist and turn the camera just so, to enable you to get the shot you need.

It's inexpensive enough that I bought a couple of them. I have one in my glove box in my car and the side pocket of my camera bag. You will find many uses for this little tripod. Highly recommended.

I bought this to use with my Flip Video cam, It works great. I didn't think I would ever use the hook and loop strap it looked kind of hokie. Boy was I wrong. That little strap is Awesome. I can strap the cam to the handlebares of my bike and go riding. Or strap it to lamppost for rock steady videos. I strapped to my ceieling fan for a head spinning video.

I've had one of these for over five years now, and it works great: I find it indispensable. Small enough to tuck into a pocket or bag, the velcro allows it to be attached to almost any vertical or horizontal bar or pole, while the ball-bearing head allows the camera to be positioned as you need. Great for putting yourself in the picture, time lapse, or night photography.

It has always been there when I needed a small camera support for travel or outdoor....still made in the USA....unbelievable.

I chose this tripod after watching a YouTube video of one of those segmented bendable mini-tripods in action. After watching, I decided the bendable kind looked too wobbly.

So I chose this one instead, and I'm happy I did. This little tripod is very stable. And when you have the legs folded together it makes a nice pistol grip for your pocket camera, something I don't think the wobbly segmented kind would do well.

The velcro strap is about a foot long, which means it will wrap around just about anything the bendable tripods will, and, I think, holds the camera much more safely and securely.

The head tightens nicely and doesn't slip. I tried the tripod with a Panasonic DMC-ZS3, which is fairly heavy as far as pocket cameras go, and it held securely without a bit of slip in the mounting head.

And it really is very light.

I purchased this on a whim while at a camera store recently and I LOVE this product. I put it on my small point and shoot camera and use it as a handle when I'm not using it as a tripod. It fits perfectly in my pocket and is always handy.

However, DO NOT pay $40 for this. I paid $12 for it in a store including tax!

While in the field shooting pictures, it is often cumbersome to lug around a large, heavy, tripod. The UltraPod, although not suited for every shot, and every occasion, is very handy to pack along, and does a fine job in holding my Nikon D-90 steady, and the pictures do come out well. I have used the UltraPod for over 10 years now, and recently bought a new one for myself and a friend, because I lost my older one.
I recomend any photographer packing one of these UltraPods along on any trip. Again, this doesn't take the place of a larger, more sturdy, tripod, but it can come in handy in a lot of instances.

Overall, this is a pretty good product. Very very portable, which is the main draw of this. Pretty well made. The rubberized caps at the end of the legs help it maintain pretty good stability even on a slanted surface. The head itself is pretty versatile with not complete free-range motion, but should be able to get you a good range of shots. The tightness of the manual locking mechanism is pretty good, not immovable, but for this sort of photography (attached to branches/poles/etc), you should be able to get your shots off. Definitely not something for a larger camera as any significant tilt would most likely cause it to fall over.

The gimmick with this product is the velcro strap that can be used to attach it to poles/branches/other stationary objects. Went camping with this thing and honestly, it's really hard to find any tree limbs/branches that are thin enough in circumference to allow the strap to extend around and secure safely. That was the main reason i bought it. Now, obviously, every area varies, but, still, my opinion is that you should spend the extra $5 and get the upgraded larger version of this product. Overall, a good buy and i'm satisfied, but it does leave something to desire.

The camera i used on this was an Olympus 1030 tough camera. Which i would say is of medium weight (nothing close to an slr, but definitely one of the heavier pocket cameras).

I've been an Ultra-pod II user for over 10 years, always carry one in my bag. Recently, I bought this smaller version Ultrapod which would be too weak to support SLR with a lens on. I carry this small Ultrapod in bag to use with my pocket camera (Sigma DP1 and Canon G), and take the old Ultrapod II only with my DSLR(Canon 5D), saved more bag space.

some issues that could be improved:
1) I have to find my own bag/case for each of those portable tripods, it would be much batter if a matching soft nylon case came with it.
2) when shooting vertical, this small one is not as good as the Ultrapod II, because the shorter neck of the small tripod, and not as sturdy/staple as the bigger one, of course

I like both, but this smaller modle is better to carry with compact cameras and bigger one can support DSLR with some light/normal lens weight

This little tripod is great for a small point and shoot camera like my Canon S95 or a hot shoe flash off camera. It will not hold my Nikon D200 and I don't expect it to. I bought one 22 years ago to take simple family pictures when on vacation. It has a Velcro strap that easily straps to nearly any object (chair, pole, stair railing, etc). I liked it so much that when I saw it last month I bought two more, just to be sure I always have one handy. This is a great product at a great price. Buy with confidence.