The Modopocket, made by the popular Italian tripod and lighting stand maker Manfrotto, is one of the best tiny tripods I’ve ever used, though it does have a couple of drawbacks. It’s extremely lightweight and easy to use. The two legs (around two inches wide) simply flip out to be placed onto any surface. Four rounded rubber corners allow for a fairly secure grip onto any surface. It attaches to any standard camera tripod mount via one red screw.

Unlike other tiny tripods that I’ve tried, the Modopocket is sturdy. I’m not afraid of the tripod collapsing or my camera falling over when using this product. It only enables a camera to sit around 1.5 inches off of a surface, so it’s really designed just to stabilize a shot. The two legs are able to be angled to point the camera at the subject being shot.

Manfrotto has included several small details that really show that they’ve put thought into this product’s design. The metal from which the Modopocket is made is very hard, but lightweight, so you can’t bend or break it, but it’s also not going to weigh your camera or bag down while you have it with you.

The Modopocket also completely collapses, making it only one quarter of an inch tall. Since it has a built-in threaded hole on the bottom, a standard tripod can be attached to the camera without even removing the Modopocket, which lets users conveniently always leave it on a camera.

When open, a tiny strong cord keeps the two legs within 2 inches of each other at all times, regardless of the angle. This smart addition prevents the legs from collapsing outward under the weight of the camera.

The biggest downside I’ve found to the Modopocket is its inability to allow for portrait shots. Since it is so tiny, it’s only possible to set it up horizontally with the tripod mount on the base of a camera. While a camera can be mounted onto it in any orientation, giving plenty of tilt adjustment, it’s impossible to fully rotate the camera 90 degrees while attached to the unit to take a portrait shot.

Securing the Modopocket to a camera requires a screwdriver, coin, or other hard flat surface, so you may find yourself hunting for something the first time you attach it. Of course, one you’ve attached it, there’s really no reason to ever remove it.

At around $30, the Modopocket is a wonderful resource for any photographer (still or video) to have in their bag of tricks. It’s quick to set up on any nearby surface. Simply flip out the legs and any camera instantly has added stability and the ability to be angled in a number of directions to get the best shot.

I received the Modopocket for Christmas from my wife, though I’ve been told it was quite a hunt to find one. It is listed on Amazon.com but unavailable at the time of writing this. In fact, it seems to be unavailable just about everywhere in the United States. My wife ended up buying it from the United Kingdom. It’s lightweight enough where overseas shipping wasn’t expensive.

You can find out more information about the Modopocket from Manfrotto’s Web site.