The best mini tripods give you all the stability of a full-size tripod, while being lighter, more compact and easier to carry. Typically, they weigh just a few hundred grams, and you can easily slip them into a pocket. They also cost much less than full-sized tripods. But, of course, their stunted size does mean that they don't offer the shooting height of a taller tripod – hence why they are often used on a tripod, or other sturdy raised surface.
Some of the best mini tripods are also multi-functional and can be converted to a handgrip or selfie stick, giving you extra functionality and flexibility when you're out shooting. Otherwise, a mini tripod can open up all sorts of possibilities, including long exposures, group selfies, and more.
Below you'll find our selection of the best mini tripods available today. We've included a number of specialist models, such as Joby's grippy GorillaPod, which can cling to protruding objects or sit on uneven surfaces thanks to its flexible legs. But other mini tripods have their advantages too – several come with a ball head for precise angles and positioning, while others have extendable legs for extra height or an adjustable central column. We've noted such features when making our picks.
Jon Stapley
Jon has been writing photography content for years, for brands such as Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera. This makes Jon one of our go-to specialists when it comes to all aspects of photography, from cameras and action cameras to lenses and memory cards, flash diffusers and triggers, batteries and memory cards, selfie sticks and gimbals, and much more besides.
We love the completeness of this kit: a choice of solid and flexible legs, a smartphone adapter and arms for accessories are all included. Read more below…
The KoalaPod’s bendy legs mean you can attach it to all sorts of surfaces or objects, making it a great option for shooting on location. Read more below…
The GorillaPod's flexible legs give you plenty of shooting options, while the extra arms mean you can add lights or a mic as well as your camera. Read more below…
Even if you’re using a full-frame camera, you can trust this mini stalwart to handle the load, with a ball head enabling easy adjustment. Read more below…
The Leofoto Ranger tucks nicely into a backpack, but can handle a load of up to 10kg. It has a pretty good reach for a compact tripod too, but is heavier than its rivals. Read more below…
Excellent build quality and materials mean the Mini Traveler can bear a decent load while remaining one of the lightest tripods around. Read more below…
Best mini tripods in 2024
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If you're looking for a versatile tabletop tripod that isn't just confined to a tabletop, look no further than the Benro Tablepod Flex. Including a set of flexible legs inside the solid legs is ingenious, as it means you can attach it to any surface when you’re out and about. You can also configure the legs to form a monopod/selfie stick if you should need some extra reach and it comes with a mobile phone adapter so it can be used with either a smartphone, compact camera, or small mirrorless.
If you often use accessories such as a light or a mic, you'll be pleased to hear it comes with two accessory arms so you can attach different devices easily. It's a little on the expensive side for a tabletop tripod. But considering all the well-thought-out features, it's worth spending a bit more.
Given Manfrotto's sterling reputation in the tripod market, it makes sense that the firm's mini support would also be impressive – and the Manfrotto PIXI is just that. It's a fairly standard mini tripod in a lot of ways, small enough to slip into a jacket pocket or small bag, and capable of holding up to 1kg of kit. It also adds into the mix a handy ball head with 360° of rotation and a simple push-button secure and release mechanism. Be aware that it doesn't tilt up more than 35°, making astrophotography impracticable.
In our review, we were impressed most of all by the build quality of the Manfrotto PIXI – its aluminum legs are smoothly curved in a way that just feels premium. What's more, when they close, they form a single rounded column that transforms the PIXI into a pretty serviceable camera grip, which is extra useful for video.
The best mini tripod for improving your smartphone shooting
Specifications
Weight: 88g
Packed length: 85mm
Max extended height: 30mm
Max payload capacity: 325g
Reasons to buy
+
Packs down very small
+
Secure smartphone clamp
Reasons to avoid
-
Basically no height advantage
-
Landscape orientation only
Mini tripods are also a great way to improve your smartphone photography, and the Joby GripTight ONE Micro is a solid choice in this department. The versatile clamp can take phones of most sizes and hold them securely, and it provides a rock-solid foundation to experiment with longer exposures and other types of tripod shooting.
The catch is that it doesn't have much in the way of height, so you'll need a table or other surface to rest it on. It packs down nicely though, meaning it's great to have along with you when you're travelling light and want to take group shots or long exposures.
If you're an on-the-go content creator, travel blogger or even a fitness coach, I can really see the advantages of the KoalaPod. It's especially useful if, for example, you're in the gym and you want to record a workout: what you can attach it to is pretty limitless. Even just using it as a standard tabletop tripod, it feels more secure than you might imagine. Or you could just use it as a small selfie stick for those moments when you want just a little more background than you can achieve with your arms length.
I wouldn't trust it to take the weight of my Sony A7 III with a lens attached, even though it's advertised as being able to take the weight. But for a phone or smaller camera, it's perfect.
You can get GorillaPods in numerous sizes to suit cameras from a GoPro up to a full-frame DSLR, and all make great tabletop tripods, but we went for the flagship GorillaPod Rig to see what the GorillaPod design is really capable of.
The Rig is intended to hold not just your camera, but with those ‘arms’ on either side, you can also add accessories like LED lights, microphones, a small external video monitor, or even a phone (via an optional clamp). The system works best for shooting video closeups, but it can be equally effective for macro stills when you position a light on either side of your camera. This can be anything up to a full-frame DSLR, as the total load rating is 5kg.
The Rig is bundled with a high quality ball head that features separate pan adjustment. Grippy locking knobs clamp the head very well, and your accessories mount to the GorillaPod arms using standard ¼”-20 screw threads.
The legs are the largest in the GorillaPod range, measuring around 27cm long. They allow you to wrap the Rig around static objects, so this needn’t just be a tabletop tripod, and Joby also bundles a strap that lets you to tie the Rig to even larger objects, such as a tree trunk.
While it's not the sturdiest tripod around, Benro's BK15 weighs just 200g, and can transform into a selfie stick. With its six-section telescoping post, it's got decent reach. And it comes with a Bluetooth remote, so you've got everything you need to take serious selfies.
As a tripod, the BK15 is fine, as long as you're rocking a seriously light setup. That maximum load capacity pretty much just puts you in smartphone territory, and indeed the BK15 comes with a smartphone clamp. Still, a smartphone is what a lot of people shopping for a mini tripod are shooting with, so it does somewhat make sense.
The little ball head gives you a decent amount of shooting versatility, and the clamp range of 48-100mm means it'll fit basically any phone except the very largest or very smallest. For smartphone shooters, this gets the job done nicely.
Sirui’s entry stands out thanks to its almost entirely metal construction. It certainly feels like a premium product, especially next to more budget rivals. Load capacity is a respectable 4kg, and we found the 3T-35K easily supports a full-frame DSLR and 24-70mm lens. This sturdiness does have an impact on weight though, as the 3T-35K tips the scales at 430g. That's noticeably heavier than Manfrotto's 260g Pixi Evo mini tripod.
The legs fold out from their resting position alongside the centre column, and a quick twist of the central ‘spider’ locks them in their outstretched position. The two-section centre column can then adjust your shooting height from 25.5cm up to 34cm, or you can remove the column completely and mount the head directly to the legs for a lower stance, though this is a bit of a faff that requires the use of an Allen key.
The support is topped off by a good-sized and precisely-machined aluminium ball head. It features separate pan adjustment, though this is of limited use as there isn’t a dedicated knob to adjust the pan base independently.
Able to hold as much as 10kg in weight, the Leofoto Ranger LS-223C can hold its own alongside many larger tripods. That's more than enough to hold a mirrorless setup or even a lighter DSLR, giving you real versatility from a tripod that slips easily into the bottom of a backpack.
It's pleasingly sturdy, with three leg sections, and has plenty of scope for precise angle adjustments. Its maximum height is about 12in (30cm), which is pretty good for a tabletop tripod, and is usually sold with a 360-degree ballhead. In our tests, we found it a great option for low-level shots of landscapes – and loved the fact that it was much lighter than our usual travel tripod in our backpack.
However, in comparison to other tabletop models, the main drawback is its weight. It's significantly heavier than other tripods on this list, and arguably heavier than a tabletop tripod should be. However, if you want a sturdy mini tripod that can take a heavy camera set-up, this is a great option.
Small but beautifully formed, if you can justify the outlay
Specifications
Weight: 265g
Packed length: 21cm
Max extended height: 17cm
Max payload capacity: 3kg (legs 25kg)
Reasons to buy
+
Uncompromisingly sublime build quality
+
Immensely rigid
+
Excellent ball head
Reasons to avoid
-
Max shooting height only 17cm
-
Hugely expensive compared to rivals
Mini tripods can often also be short on build quality, but Gitzo’s mini marvel is a notable exception. It’s constructed using the same carbon eXact tubing tech as full-size Gitzo legs and is topped off by an equally well-made aluminum ball head. The ball itself clamps super-securely using the grippy locking ring at the base of the head. Gitzo rates the load capacity at 3kg, and that’s fair, as it feels rock solid, even when the legs are spread to their widest setting. A neat pull action on each leg lets you switch between the two available angles.
If you need to support even more, the legs themselves have a colossal 25kg load rating. Just remove the head using the included Torx wrench, and the provided adaptor allows the fitment of a beefier head to maximize the legs’ carrying capacity.
Equally impressive is the tripod and included head weigh a combined 265g, which makes this one of the lightest mini tripods on the market. The Mini Traveller is available with two color options: black, or Gitzo’s signature ‘Noir Decor’ mottled gunmetal gray finish.
A mini tripod is a small and portable camera support system with adjustable legs. Like any tripod, it's designed to provide stability and support for cameras and other equipment. The main difference is that it's compact and lightweight, making it easy to store and carry. Mini tripods are also usually cheaper than a full-sized tripod.
Will a mini tripod fit my camera?
Mini tripods can typically support a range of cameras, including DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, compact cameras, action cameras, and smartphones. However, they are typically designed for smaller, lighter cameras. Some may support heavier equipment, but it's essential to check the tripod's weight capacity before buying, to ensure it can handle your gear.
If you're using a smartphone, you'll probably be fine with pretty much any mini tripod, but if you're using a light DSLR, mirrorless, or compact camera, you'll need to be sure it can take the weight. (And remember: that's the weight of the camera and lens combined.) We've specified the maximum payload capacity of every mini tripod on our list above to help you keep track.
Every mini tripod on our list is capable of supporting an action camera or camera phone (though a phone will require an additional clamp to secure it to the tripod), and some are capable of supporting much heavier payloads than that. The heftiest models can take a full-frame DSLR with lens attached.
The maximum payload of the tripod should be higher than the combined weight of the camera and lens you are using on it (Image credit: Jamie Carter)
How we test mini tripods
When we review mini tripods, we look at build quality, portability and vital specs, such as payload capacity. We take the mini tripods out into real-world conditions to assess how they perform in the field with both camera and smartphone setups. We look at the headline features and manufacturers' claims for a mini tripod, and test out how well they work in reality. We use our findings to inform our comments in product reviews and buying guides.
Jon spent years at IPC Media writing features, news, reviews and other photography content for publications such as Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera in both print and digital form. With his additional experience for outlets like Photomonitor, this makes Jon one of our go-to specialists when it comes to all aspects of photography, from cameras and action cameras to lenses and memory cards, flash diffusers and triggers, batteries and memory cards, selfie sticks and gimbals, and much more besides.
An NCTJ-qualified journalist, he has also contributed to Shortlist, The Skinny, ThreeWeeks Edinburgh, The Guardian, Trusted Reviews, CreativeBLOQ, and probably quite a few others I’ve forgotten.
