AOKA 28in/1.1lb Mini Portable Carbon Fiber Tripod, Lightweight Compact Travel Tabletop Tripod Stand for Phone，Camera，Camcorder，Projector，Webcam, with Metal Phone Mount & Center Column

I have purchased many (too many) tripods, always looking for something compact, reliable, light weight, and well-built. This is it. This is NOT a full size tripod, but per the description, it's just what it says it is. The carbon fiber leg supports are just right, twist locks are simple and reliable, and the ball head is a mini marvel. I liked the AOKA 28" so well, I purchased a second one. I have "gone through" several previous tripods looking for compact, light-weight, travel tripods, and though small, this one works for a small camera (or iPhone) on the go set up. Now my working tripods are my Peak Design carbon fiber, another great piece, a super heavy duty, tall giant SLIK for when I need to reach the sky and hold a mountain, these two AOKA 28" gems, and some misc tripods not worth mentioning. Only "complaint" is the small ring under the leg connector/ball-head assembly has to be unscrewed and taken off in order for the legs to close. I don't often need to add the extra stabilizing weight, but when needed it is a bit of a hassle to find and attach the screw on D-ring assembly to attach extra weight. I will use this compact tripod today, and tomorrow, ....Update: Yes, I bought a third one of these to hold lights, microphones, etc. The new model has my one "complaint" corrected. The updated version has the "D-ring" under the ball head/between the legs built in so I don't have an additional piece to worry about and I can add stabilization weight when needed. Yes, I've used this little tripod to hold a Fuji X-H2 with a heavy lens, and it's steady—not my normal choice but it can handle the weight. For traveling and compact, light weight needs I love this little tripod(s—3x).

I've been looking for a tripod like this for a long time and finally found it. The perfect travel/backpacking tripod!If you look at units labelled "travel tripod" you'll find full sized tripods that open to around 50" to 70" maximum height and fold to around 16" to 19". Most have tubular legs and a center pole, which makes them quite chunky. Some of the newer ones have triangular legs that reduce the bulk a bit. But even so, they take up a lot of room, especially if you're backpacking where space and weight are at an absolute premium.Then, there's the tabletop tripods. These are tiny and easily fit into a backpack, but only open to a maximum height of 12" to 16". This makes them of limited usefulness if you don't have an appropriate height surface to place them on. Plus, they generally handle very little weight and are limited to small cameras or cell phones.This is the only one I've found that perfectly fills that void in between these two extremes. It folds to compact 12" or so, but more importantly has relatively thin legs and no center pole. So when it's folded up it is quite slender and easily packed. But it also comes with a small extension column that allows you to optionally get more height out of it.Using the legs only, it rises to 28". Considerably taller than tabletop models, but still a bit short for many uses. But despite the thinner legs, the carbon fiber construction makes for a very stable platform for a moderate size camera and lens. It easily supports my Lumix GH5 camera with a 12-60mm lens, or an 18-35 Sigma Art with speed booster.Adding the extension pole on top gives you around 38" of height, and still supports my camera and lens nicely, and with decent stability. The extension also has 2 more telescoping sections that lets you go even higher, but it starts to get wobbly with my camera when extended. It would work fine with a small point and shoot, or an iPhone.At 28" to 38" of height, it is tall enough to be usable in a lot of situations, while small enough to pack in almost any bag. For me, it really is the perfect travel tripod. The legs extend, retract, and lock easily, and their angle is adjustable to allow a very low height if desired. The included ball head works well, but I replaced it with a mini leveling head to make it even more compact.I love that this thing is small enough to allow me to carry it with me anywhere. It lets me have a tripod at the ready, even if I didn't anticipate needing one.

First off, the center post extension is a joke, so get rid of it. Otherwise, the build quality on this tripod is outstanding. Solid components, I especially like the metal twist locks for the leg extensions. For seated use with a small, lightweight spotting scope this is about as lightweight as I can imagine I'd want to go and still have a moderate amount of stability. Of course it's not as stable as a lot of heavier tripods, but for the size and weight it does an outstanding job. You just have to realize you are purchasing a very compact, lightweight tripod and you are giving up stability to gain packability.The head isn't great either, but is easily replaceable. The original head is tiny and lightweight as well, but it's not smooth at all. You can make it work if you need it to, but I'd be looking for a head upgrade if you are relying on this ball head with the purchase. Fortunately, I already have a couple of much nicer heads I can stick on there when I decide a backpacking trip warrants the use of this little tripod.Overall, it's a phenomenal value as long as you understand it's limitations and are okay with those tradeoffs.