The “Invisible” Tripod
Review by Fernando Santos
We all know and love the Platypod, don’t we? Well, I do; however, I have a new love, and if you keep reading you may fall for it too, so continue at your own risk.
Picture this: a tripod so small that it can always be attached to your camera and can barely be noticed by others. A tripod that doesn’t need a tripod head, making it lighter and even more convenient to carry. I know this is almost impossible to imagine, but that’s exactly what Manfrotto has created.
The Pocket Support, as it’s called, looks like a small plate that attaches to your camera. It has three tiny, collapsible legs that are held in place by strong metal springs. You pull them out and adjust to the angle you want to shoot, and that’s it. When you’re done, just collapse the legs back to the plate, and it becomes barely visible again.
The Manfrotto Pocket Support attaches to your camera body using the standard 1/4″ thread hole and, if you don’t use an L-bracket, you can leave it there all the time.
Locations that won’t allow you to use a Platypod will probably say nothing about the Manfrotto Pocket Support. Also, if you must shoot really close to the ground, this goes even lower than the Platypod. (You still want to keep your Platypod, though, because it’s a much more versatile platform, doing things that you won’t be able to do with the Pocket Support.)
The Manfrotto MB3-BK Pocket Support (large black) weighs just 2.39 oz (68 g) and fits inside your closed fist. With a price tag below $36, it’s hard to imagine anything smaller in any conceivable way. I highly recommend it.
