AOKA 28in/1.1lb Lightweight Compact Carbon Fiber Tripod with 360° Ballhead Travel Mini Tripod for Mobile Phone and Compact Mirrorless Cameras Black

The tripod is very light and suitable for APS-C camera. It's also compact when folded, easy to handle. Just be careful with the screw everybody else mentioned.

I don't write reviews very often, but I felt compelled to share my thoughts on this small tripod. I was genuinely impressed with what I received. This tripod isn't designed for large telephoto lenses, and I wouldn't recommend using it for that purpose. However, if you need an incredibly lightweight tripod that fits inside any camera bag, this is the one for you. It's stronger and firmer than I expected, and it's really, really small. Of course, there is a trade-off: it can't handle a lot of weight, supporting just a bit more than 2 kg. If you're looking for a tripod with these specifications, look no further. If you're into wildlife macro photography, this is just perfect!

This is easily the worst tripod I own in terms of stability and ease of operation. But it’s 1 1/4 pounds (with the ball head and center extension pole), so this is my favorite tripod for backcountry hiking with my 3/4 pound Canon G7X Mk II camera. (My next lightest full-size tripod would add more than 2 pounds). All the carbon fiber poles are quite stiff, but the linkages are sufficiently loose that with a moderately heavy camera, the telescoping center extension pole will easily flex when fully extended. In that position, vibrations also take a long time to dampen out. This configuration is probably only usable if there is no wind or other perturbations while you wait for the vibrations to die out after pressing the shutter. But if this works, it is almost as tall as my much sturdier Alta tripod (see picture). The situation improves markedly if the (thinnest) top section is retracted. With all 3 sections at minimum extension, the system is rock solid and I had no issues shooting starry night skies with >10 s exposures. (see video for vibrations after pressing shutter for each extension level.) If you are OK with a short tripod, you can leave out the center pole and screw the ballhead directly into the base (which also brings the weight down to a smidgen over 1 pound). Since I was pointing the camera at the sky, having the pole made for much better ergonomics though. The legs are essentially the same design as the center pole, but as they are only carrying 1/3 the load and directionally biased, I didn’t have any problems even at full extension. The center hook for a stabilizing weight also worked well with a 2L (4 pounds) hydration bladder, at least in wind-free conditions. Ergonomics are ho-hum. Pole segments are secured with twist-locks, which is not as fast as the lever locks on my other tripods. And for carrying in a backpack, the center pole has to be unscrewed from the base. So deploying is a matter of screwing in the center pole, unscrewing all the twist-locks, extending each pole segment and then tightening each twist lock. For compact carrying, I keep the ballhead rotated sideways to prevent snagging. So that’s another adjustment. All in all, not something you whip out quickly after spotting wildlife in the distance. Fine for landscape or macro photography where you have time to set things up. The ballhead is about as small as you can make it. It works well, but the controls are definitely bunched up. In addition to the ball adjustment, there is a separate lock for panning and the locking knob on the Arca-Swiss clamp. It’s all OK with bare hands, but I suspect it would be more difficult to operate with heavy gloves. That said, the ballhead is operated with a lever and only needs 90 degrees to switch between free and locked. All the movements are smooth, so changing camera position is still fast if you are not trying to lock the panning axis. Overall, this is a niche product that makes all the right compromises. I think of this as hiking gear rather than photography gear. It’s a decent (not great) full-featured, full-size (if you’re not too tall) tripod for lightweight cameras that weighs about a pound and packs down small enough to fit into a backpack side pocket. For that niche, it’s 5 stars. I use it far less than my other tripods, but it goes places that the others will never see.

Can’t fault this well made travel tri pod. Really good quality build and feels like it will last many years. I intend to buy a second. Only issue is the level is either broken or very poorly designed. It’s impossible to get it level by using the level indicator, you have to use eye sight or the grid on phone/camera.

Number one reason for purchase is light weight and compact size this delivers on both fronts. So much better quality than the entry level Manfrotto this replaces - from the solid easy to adjust ball head to the fit and finish of everything that moves and screws. Carbon fibre at this price range is a steal. It is a bit smaller than I expected - I grudgingly bought the larger version and 100% happy with this decision, it comes with an extra leg that can extend the ball head height but as pictured even though this provides good height the trade off in folded size for me is not worth it. The whole reason to buy this is for compact folded form factor. Even without the extra leg there is sufficient height to be useful. Holds an A7iii with a sigma 35mm 1.4 very easily get the sense it can hold much more. Using it with a peak design dual plate works fine. One thing I didn’t expect extending the legs and mounting camera involves a screw motion instead of a clip - at first this seemed odd compared to clips and levers I’m used to but after a few goes I prefer this. The Aoka branded things at top of the legs work to control how far leg can be moved out from centre position. Extremely good value wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.