The Jay and AirHed Cine are a pretty specialized combination, but they cater to a growing population of serious videographers and one-person filmmakers who don't need a massive professional video tripod but still require proper, portable support. It comes with a new and improved ball head that features 360-degree flexibility and the 200PL PRO base plate attaches easily to your camera using a D-ring, which can be done anywhere and requires no extra tools. Travel tripods have limitations, such as a lower working height and longer ‘unfolding’ time, but this goes with the territory and we can’t criticize the Rhino for this.

You can substitute the feet to make low-level or tabletop tripods, or you can remove the legs entirely to make a monopod or selfie stick.

The JOBY GorillaPod 3K Pro is an unusual looking tripod that is very lightweight and surprisingly sturdy. The Pixi Evo is an advanced version of the original Manfrotto Pixi model and is just as fast to use – you flip out the legs to use it as a tripod or push them back together to make a camera grip – with a ball head that’s released and locked with a simple push button. Usually, a small pin or lever at the top of the legs can be pulled out to increase the leg angle and therefore change the height and stability of the travel tripod.

The trick was that, by fully extending the center column before swinging the legs up, the tripod head no longer extended beyond the length of the legs, making the carrying size much smaller. The included head has a removable pan handle to allow greater control while filming, and a new Arca-compatible quick-release plate can hold a camera or smartphone up to 85mm wide. These space-saving tripods are great for astrophotographers hiking out to remote locations, or travel photographers trying to keep their backpacks light.

It's important to add up the weight of all the gear you will be place on any given tripod because all tripods have a maximum payload; see below. The vast majority have legs that swing upwards for storage, so that the head is encircled by the feet. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! Another option that used to be more common in the past is rubber pads on a threaded mount, so you can screw them in to reveal metal spikes beneath. All in all, it's an intriguing alternative to more traditional tripods and is eminently portable for taking out and about with you.