Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head)

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

I had bought this tripod as a set, which also includes 482 Micro Ball Head, 709 Extension column, a thread adapter and a high quality leather bag. The whole set is extremely useful when shooting night scenes and macros. And it also serves as a great stabilization assist when shooting hand-held (just attach it to the camera and lean it against a stable table, wall, rock or even your chest!).But... and it is a big "but"... The most crucial part, the lower central part which holds the legs in place and meets the whole load by itself, is made of very weak material. Probably zinc, not aluminium. As the load increases, the legs pivoted by the upper part, push this part down and out on 3 axis. And there is not enough "meat" to bear a possible excessive load on the legs. It will hold your D-SLR with lens without a problem, but it will break apart if you put any more stress, or if there is a minor impact (and accidents always happen!). Mine has broken into 3 pieces when a smart friend leaned his arm against the tripod on the table.I inspected the broken pieces and saw that there were huge design flaws. The center hole is much wider than required. If the center hole was 5 mm, it would be much stronger and it would not effect it's operation in anyway. Plus, if the legs were placed only 0.5 mm more apart, it would have more meat and would be at least 2 times stronger. If this part wasn't conical. It would be possible to place a larger collar on the bottom and it would make it even stronger. And if it was made of brass instead of zinc, it would be -maybe- 20 times stronger. There are many other things could be done to make this crucial part much stronger.I definitely recommend having a table top tripod like this in your camera bag, but not this one. The others that have similar design (like Oben) seems to have a larger joints and may have more strength. Leica has a completely different design and it is obviously the strongest in this class. But it is not as compact when folded, it's heavier and much more expensive.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

This tiny tripod fits standard heads.
It may be an option for light weight pano support.
I plan to try it with arca swiss monoball p0 head as
integrated levelling + pano unit and a nodal slide
to be used from table/rock top positions.
The small footprint may require down pressing.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

Wow is all i can say about this tripod, I bought this to take on a trip LA in a few weeks and for taking up to the Hancock and Sear Tower observatories. I didnt want to travel with my large tripod and the observatories do not allow tripods (this is so small you can sneak it in). I use this with a manfrotto 488RC2 ball head attached. My Canon 7D with my heaviest lens Canon 70-200mm 2.8L IS is supported by this tiny little tripod. I dont think I will be using that lens with it much but its nice to know I could in a pinch. Overall I wish I had picked this up earlier. Many times I dont bring my full size tripod and then wish I had it for a shot. With this being so small it stays in my bag just in case. Highly recommended!

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

unit is small but well made and solid

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

This bears the weight of the 494 mini ball head plus my 5D Mk II and 24-105 L lens with no problem. The legs are obviously limited in what they can do because of their size, but for travel this is a great alternative to lugging a full-size tripod.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

Great little tripod for the money. I put a small Really Right Stuff ball head on it and it works like a charm.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

I use these with the Manfrotto 492 micro ball head. These legs are really well made and very sturdy. They have little non-slip pads on the end with prove quite useful. I use these legs mainly for my Leica M cameras, but have had success using with my Canon 7d. They fit easily into a small camera bag

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

I use this with the short extension and a small ball head with a quick release as a mounting platform for small objects for macrophotography. I use black foam core that I clamp in the quick release as a horizontal platform for the objects, then raise and lower the tripod extension as needed. This unit is quite well-constructed and will hold a DSLR and lens.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

This is rigid small and light. This is a perfect tabletop tripod leg. I keep it in my pocket when I go outside with my camera. You will not be disappointed with this. I want small rigid ballhead.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

Stable, nice tripod. Picture shows leg only about 50% extended. Fully extended the head of the tripod is only a few inches (like 4-5 max) off the ground even with a ball head. I would recommend the central extender arm. I tried to use this at the beach and my camera was very close to touching the sand with the arms extended.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

I've been looking for something portable to keep in my bag for the unplanned slow shutter speed shots. This, plus a mini ballhead fit the bill. I was able to take a sharp 15 second(!) shot with a Canon 7D and Zeiss 21mm lens (it's really heavy) by bracing this tripod against a solid surface. For taking shots without the bracing, you'll want to have the lens directly over one of the legs.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

With this solid little 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs I added a 259B Extention Column and a 492 Micro Ball Head and just leave the unit with the camera attached on the dinning room table to capture great shots of the birds and squirels. It is Very compact and strong unit.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

These legs, plus the 492 micro ball head and the 259B extension tube make a great piece of kit. The legs provide a solid, stable base, easily handling both my Canon G11 and 20D. I use this setup to photograph miniatures, such as model RR layouts and as a general mount when traveling light. This tripod, plus a cable release makes taking rock steady macro shots in available light a breeze.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

I was looking for a compact pod to carry in my camera bag for use with my advanced compact digitals. The pod is nicely made and solid. I use it with the Manfrotto 492 Micro Ball Head and the Manfrotto extender to add height.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

Manfrotto does it again. I use this little guy as a light stand and a mini tripod. Very stable for both uses.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

Used this with a Nikon D90 and primarily the 18-105mm for my latest vacation. Added the 234 swivel tilt head for a cheap and light travel tripod option. Tripod stayed with me for the entire trip and never felt heavy or in the way. Overall quite pleased with the legs/head combination for simple shots where you have a wide enough place (like a rock or a wall, need around 8 inches wide) to setup the camera. Stable enough for what it is. Also works OK with the 70-300mm, this is getting a little bouncy, but the head can hold up this lens fine and the pod remains stable. The photo on the website is a bit misleading, as it doesn't show the legs of the pod fully extended. When set up, the bottom bolt is around 3/4 of an inch from the table. There is no stable intermediate setup, it's fully extended or nothing.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

Wanting a very small tripod for travel for securely mounting a Leica M or even a small digital SLR, I found most offerings either too big, or not strong enough. This base is ideal, very packable, and mounting a Manfroto ballhead on it gave me the heft to support cameras of higher weights solidly. The whole tripod and ballhead arrangement fits in the pouch of a small camera bag. Perfect solution to a difficult problem.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

A well made product, very study and well machined.
Strong enough to hold my Digital SLR and standard zoom. I take it everywhere I go-perfect for travel.

Comments about Manfrotto 209 Tabletop Tripod Legs (w/o Head):

Very nice mini-tripod. Lightweight, quickly adjustable and stable. Good footing also, doesn't slip around on every surface.

The only problem for me is the length of the legs. When I rotate my camera to portrait, the whole setup flips around, so have to take out the big tripod... But it's a tebletop tripod so the size is understandable.

And Manfrotto, always excellent build quality!