SAK Repair Team

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Some jobs are just too big for one Swiss Army Knife.

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Modopocket Tripod

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“Tripod” doesn’t seem to be the most applicable word but it is certainly understood and descriptive of Manfrotto’s “Modopocket” camera support. As shown here, the Modopocket is very compact -- if not tiny. In fact, Manfrotto claims that its Modopocket is the world’s smallest tripod. The Modopocket is also very simple. The instruction manual measures only 4 x 2.5 inches and basically contains only pictures.

I became aware of the Modopocket months ago but couldn’t find one to purchase and nearly forgot about it. It now is readily available. I bought my Modopocket last week and played with it over the weekend. I think it will be a useful tool and have promoted it to my kit. (By now I can barely zip up my kit bag but the Modopocket fits conveniently in a side pocket.)

The Modopocket is so small that it can be kept on the camera. It even has its own tripod mount! All the same, the Modopocket is so easily removed that I doubt mine will be permanently attached to my G9.

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As can be seen in these pictures, there is a nice range of adjustment with the Modopocket but, realistically, it is mostly for pointing straight ahead while sitting on a flat surface. Still, that service is very useful and greatly appreciated.

So far, my only complaint is about the string. My Modopocket had a thin black string tying the front “leg” to the back “leg”. I think this string was meant to limit the separation of the legs. Anyway, I promptly broke the string the very first time I opened the legs. Fortunately, the string doesn’t seem to be necessary with my G9. The instruction manual indicates that the Modopocket is limited to one pound of load so perhaps the string is necessary for heavier cameras.

Manfrotto has other “modo” products that can be seen at http://modo.manfrotto.com/.

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