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| No, no - this is not a return to the HG Wells theme, this is my replacement mini-tripod. I have to confess that this morning's logic workout was how to take a photo of my new tripod with a camera fitted to it. So I borrowed a camera - this is a body-double. It took a while, but I got there in the end. |
I used to have one of these - it was very handy indeed. Light and very compact, I could stick it in my pocket. When fitted to the camera, it gave a very useful pistol-grip option, which is steadier and easier to keep level, and, of course, as a tripod it was very versatile - the bendy legs allowed all sorts of camera heights and angles, and it was great for close-up pics on the wargames table.
Sadly, it was also ideal for putting down somewhere, and losing sight of. About two years ago, I lost it. I think I took it somewhere, and forgot to bring it back. If it had been more substantial and more expensive, I hear you thinking, I'd have taken more care of it. Well - not necessarily, but I know what you are saying.
I decided a while ago that I'd better replace it, and, of course, the 5-minute job of ordering one fell down a very deep well as soon as I saw what was on the market. There are all sorts of bigger and fancier ones, ones with self-levelling platforms, ones with remote-controlled motorised panning, I even saw one with BlueTooth, but what the BT does I can't imagine. So it became obvious very quickly that there was a big market, and I was going to have to take this seriously, and do some proper research, and buy one that was not a toy, and did not come at toy prices.
Well, after about a year of avoiding this extravaganza, I decided that what I really wanted was something light and simple - something very like my old one, in fact.
The other day I found exactly the same tripod on eBay. I ordered one, it arrived in 3 days. £2.99, post free. Goodness me - this Cheap & Cheerful thread is gaining some momentum! The tripod is identical to the old one. Yes, yes - I know - you think I'm going to leave it lying somewhere stupid, in identical reprise of history, and lose the beggar, don't you? Well, it's possible, but, since I have now, at long last, bought a replacement, I am certain that I will find the original one in a pocket of my away-days hold-all bag almost immediately, so I just know I will have a spare handy.
Sounds like there might be a Foy’s Law in this topic. Is it related to the optimum number of plectrums/repairs of reading glasses?
ReplyDeleteAh - Foy13 - how nostalgic. Yes, I think you're right. The only thing I know about the optimum number of mini camera stands is that it is greater than zero. This will be confirmed when I lose the new one and am unhappy. Unhappiness is a valid criterion.
DeleteThat should read ‘pairs of reading glasses’. Repairs would be largely inversely proportional to pairs.
DeleteThat is a very inexpensive replacement. Now, where did I set my small tripod down? Something to add to my To Do list for the day.
ReplyDeleteGood thinking. For a while, for another reason, I borrowed an enormous camera tripod which had previously belonged to BBC Scotland (as it happens). This lay around the house for about a year, and kept getting moved into the porch (where it fell over one night, and jammed the front door) or the upstairs hall (where I kept tripping over it) and eventually into a cupboard. At last I decided that I couldn't remember why I had borrowed it - it came from my enthusiastic friend Rufus - and sent it back. There was no question of losing that one, though it was a nuisance in its own way. Maybe there's another message here?
DeleteA lot less than my recent replacements, Tony! :-)
ReplyDelete£2.99 plus free shipping is a bit like theft without the guilt and the police hassle. I am reminded that when I was a very young chap, a work colleague and I ran a 2-month competition to see who could spend the least money on daily expenses. This involved walking to and from work, bringing in a home-made cheese sandwich for lunch. We didn't get through the two months, because we hadn't put enough detail into the rules. My colleague was living very cheaply because his mother was buying all his food, giving him a lift to work and so on. I still wonder about that - how we could we have made a better effort of this. I think my colleague cheated because he was outfaced by just how mean I was, so I am quite proud of that...
DeleteWhat a smart little chap he is, really like the bendy legs and feet and at that that price why do I not have one? I have his much larger brethren, the one who spreads his legs so far apart that I keep tripping over them, right pain in the proverbial. That's me on ebay this morning then Tony.
ReplyDeleteHi Lee - you'll find them at
Deletehttps://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Phot-R-Mini-Bendy-Flexible-Teeny-Tabletop-Tripod-for-Canon-Nikon-GoPro-Cameras/271687643851?epid=1736878344&hash=item3f41d872cb:g:sVAAAOSw4PxaBigN
There are other sellers who have them even cheaper, but they might be inferior copies, eh? 8-) You'll note that it even has a little clip to hold it in your top pocket. Wear it with your suit jacket - sounds like a conversation starter to me...
Thank you Tony, I now have one on order. Must admit it does feel like a bit of a steal! Even cheaper if you buy 4 I see, but why would anyone need 4?
DeleteThat's so you can leave 3 of them lying about somewhere without worrying. If you're interested in this topic, I'll put you down for a copy of the book I am trying to get my wife to write about why it is better to have an infinite number of pairs of reading glasses scattered randomly over all available horizontal surfaces, but not bother to carry a pair with you.
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