A couple of months ago, I bought a
Slik Mini-Pro V Tripod. I was looking for something compact that could serve as a secondary tripod; originally, I had in mind to get just a cheap full-sized tripod. But then I saw this one, and I was intrigued...skeptical, but intrigued. It's so small that it fits into one of the slots of my
Lowepro Stealth AW Reporter D200 Bag.
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| Oxmoor Road Tunnel in Homewood |
The Mini Pro V comes with a pan-tilt head, which is removable but does not have a quick-release plate; I didn't realize the head was interchangeable when I purchased the mini-pod, but was pleasantly surprised, since I have a Slik mini-ball head (
Slik SBH-100 Mini Ballhead), that fits this mount. My only negative note about the pan-tilt head is that it does not pivot from a horizontal-to-vertical orientation; in order to change the camera's orientation, you have to unscrew the base slightly and manually turn the camera 90 degrees. Personally, in a situation in which I expected to be going back-and-forth, I would just use the Slik ball head.
The legs of Mini Pro V extend a couple of inches, and lock in place by a tightening ring. The center column is also extendable for about three inches of additional height. And on the bottom of the column is a suction cup for those times when the pod is sitting atop a flat, suitable surface; that cup has quite a grip too.
This tripod's miniature stature lends it to non-traditional methods of operation. I have seen it used as a chest-pod of sorts for stabilization when using telephoto lenses. I used it against the wall of a tunnel (below) in order to get a 1/10s exposure with my Canon Rebel T2i and 20mm f/2.8 lens.
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| Canon EOS 3 with EF 20mm f/2.8 mounted on Slik Mini Pro V Tripod |
For my money, it was a great purchase. I can't wait to get it out at night for some long exposures; I have plans to use it this summer for some wide-angle Milky Way shots with some foreground. The Slik Mini Pro V has its limitations, but it's stable and adaptable enough for my purposes, when my main tripod is otherwise being used or I'm on a long trek and don't want haul the bigger tripod.
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| Canon Rebel T2i, EF 20mm f/2.8, 30s @ f/22, ISO 100 |
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