Yer Camel's Safe, Mack...

This straw ain't breakin' nobody's back. Travel need not be overseas to be tiring. You can get pooped out here at home when you just go see the local sights - particularly if you are a photographer who takes everything you own with you for every shoot. And be fair - by the time you are ready to go everywhere you have collected a lot of gear, right? Including a big, heavy tripod. It's been useful in the home studio, and for your astro-photography weekend - the one where you got lost in the bush and had to wait until morning to find your way home. And it can handle your big DSLR with the long tele lens when you go spying on the sparrows. But what about when you have your compact camera, a sandwich and bus fare, and just want to go as easily as possible - or ditto with an air fare when the airline charges by the kilo. No good taking the old battlecruiser mast with you... Try this one. Look for the box containing the bag at Camera Electronic - it's the eXplorer mini tripod. Not as small as a table-topper - this one comes up to waist height. But it is the lightest thing you'll ever carry. The construction is first-rate. That's carbon fibre leg tubes, with light metal fittings. Usefully knurled and unlikely to snap off like plastic leg locks. The head is a reverse ball type with the turntable for the quick release grip on top of the ball - as it also has a good bubble level. this means the tripod is panorama-ready. Level the bubble and spin around freely with either the panoramic feature of most small cameras or multiple exposures to stitch together later. The quick-release plate attaches without special tools and the locking lever is positive. Obviously, this is not intended for 8 x10 field cameras, but it is perfect for smaller compact and mirror-less bodies that you might carry on holiday trips. Final note - recent years have seen a proliferation of IBIS systems that do a wonderful job of giving you steady shots from shaky hands. I applaud them, and use the OIS feature of some lenses to do this as well. But nothing lets you capture stars or moving lights or HDR shots like a tripod. This won't break your back or your joints. Come into our joint and buy one.