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Key Search Terms: Ultrapod; Ultraclamp; mini tripod.

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Products: pocket pod; Ultrapod I; Ultraclamp. The Ultrapod and Ultraclamp are made by Pedco. We don't know the name of the manufacturer of the pocket pod, which Rich Ries has had for years. Reviewed by: Rich Ries. Cost: pocket pod, unknown; Ultrapod I $14.95 MSRP; Ultraclamp $29.95 MSRP. Mass (Weight): pocket pod 52 g (1.9 oz.); Ultrapod I 49 g. (1.8 oz.); Ultraclamp 155 g (5.5 oz.). Dimensions: legs of the pocket pod and Ultrapod are approximately 4 inches long; the Ultraclamp is approximately 3 x 5 ½ inches. Recommended? Yes, to all three.

Executive Summary: Keep your triple while protecting your big `ring from rocks and logs. Lots of other sizes and styles available.

Ratings

(1 is lowest, 5 is highest)

Comments

Effectiveness

Turns snapshots into images

Ease of Installation

Camera setup requires a little fiddling

Cost/Value

One of the cheapest cycling accessories you can buy

Another stinking scenery photo shot from eye level? Spare your audience the agony. Put a person in the picture - even if you're the only person around - and find a new point of view. A tripod allows you to do both. But who wants to schlep a pound of tripod on a bike ride? And who has room in their hydration pack or handlebar bag for a tripod that's 18 inches long when it's collapsed?

These minipods are the answer. They're small, lightweight, and effective. They'll hold a point-and-shoot or small video camera securely. The Ultraclamp will also work with SLRs and larger video cameras, as will Pedco's Ultrapod II. One problem with bigger cameras is that the offset provided by the gimbal head may not be enough to clear the camera body, which limits setup options.

I've used an Ultrapod for a long time. Early models would sometimes lose their gimbal head because the tensioning screw would back out until the ball assembly fell off. I'd pull to a stop, ready to capture yet another stunning image, only to be left with a headless tripod and no way to take a photo. Newer designs solve this problem by adding an E-clip to the end of the machine screw. This means nothing to first-time Ultrapodders, but for veteran Ultrapodders who, like me, were bummed by their dysfunctional early models - buck up. The Pedco engineers have made the necessary improvements.

A word of warning. The depth of the 1/4 x 20 socket into which the tripod head is threaded isn't a standardized dimension. Check the depth of your camera's socket before you grunch down the tripod and crack the camera's body. If the threaded part is too long you can buy nylon washers from any camera shop to use as spacers. I skip the spacers and trim the threaded part until it's a couple of millimeters shorter than the depth of the shallowest socket on any of my cameras. A corollary warning: trimming can booger up the threads, so be careful if you try this option and use a small triangular file to dress the threads when you're done.

If you use your Ultrapod or Ultraclamp to take video while you're riding, you'll get steadier images if you keep the camera as near the centerline of the bike as possible. Stems and seatposts make good mounting points. Handlebars do not. Video taken from the tips of aero bars will make sailors seasick.

Anyway, use a minipod to improve your photos by adding people and perspective.

Photos

From bottom to top it's the pocket pod (the actual name of which I've long forgotten), the Ultrapod I (a lighter-duty version of Pedco's Ultrapod II and better suited to biking and hiking adventures), and the Ultraclamp.

The pocket pod's flexible legs allow you to level your camera on all but the most extreme terrain, but it offers none of the other attributes of the Pedco products.

The Ultrapod is really versatile thanks to its strap.

The Ultrapod functions as a tripod and its hook-and-loop strap lets you set up your camera on all sorts of other supports.

The Ultraclamp is the most stable of the three but it's kind of bulky.

The Ultraclamp is heavier and bulkier than the Ultrapod but is more stable and secure. Both sides of the clamp have rubber faces to prevent damage to painted surfaces, glass, and similar materials.

The pocket pod is best suited for pocket cameras.

Here are the pocket pod (above) and Ultrapod (below) at work.

Camera adjustment is via the Ultrapod's gimbal head, not leg placement.

Madison is full of old iron, such as this fence post.

Here's the Ultrapod strapped to a fencepost.

Keep the video camera close to the centerline for best results.

And here's the Ultrapod on a handlebar (above) and a stem (below).

A stem is even better placement for a video camera.

Rear-facing video offers an interesting perspective.

You can get pretty creative with the Ultraclamp. Here it's attached to a seatpost (above) for rear-facing video and a head tube (below) for forward-facing video.

You can shoot of the front if your head tube is small enough.

But don't go too short; just a few threads hold the camera.

Make sure the length of the threaded mount (“A” in the photo) is less than the depth of the corresponding socket on your camera before you attach the camera to the tripod.

One simple improvement made a huge difference in service life.

Here's that E-clip that keeps the friction screw from backing out too far and allowing the gimbal mount to chart its own course.