Snap Verdict
Micro or mini tripods are this year’s must-have photography accessory, small enough to fit in a bag or pocket for whenever you need it. The Vanguard Vesta Mini Tripod is an all-metal affair, sleek in design and available in four colours.
There’s only one height option once the legs are folded down, but then do you need any more for this style of tripod, it’s all too easy to over complicate.
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The ball head that tops the legs is again solid, easily holding a Sony Alpha 7 Mark 3 with 24-70 f/4 fitted. There’s also a mobile phone adapter in the box.
In use, although there’s no adjustment in the leg length or angle, the ball head gives you plenty of flexibility to easily adjust the level of the camera.
The Vanguard Vesta Mini Tripod is one of the most solid micro supports out there and at £34 it beats the competition on all important areas including design, function and price.
Features
How many features can one micro tripod have? Not a great deal is the answer, thankfully. In the past, I’ve seen micro tripods that have added expandable legs and even Bluetooth, but here it’s just the basics.
I say basic, that doesn’t do justice to the clever design. Each of the three legs is connected, so pull down one and they all pull down, close them up and they all close-up.
Having the three connected legs is a neat feature and speeds up the tripod setup and packing away. Once settled down to stop the legs from slipping a small rubber grip covers each foot.
Height wise measuring the distance from the table to the top of the small base plate, the tripod has an erected height of 105mm. Packed down to the grip state and it’s 180mm tall, although obviously it doesn’t self-support with the legs folded in.
Looking at payload and the Vesta Mini Tripod can take an impressive 2kg / 4.4kg. That max weight is more than the combined weight of the Sony Alpha 7RM2 with 24-70mm f/4 attached, which just for the record weighs in at 1079g.
As ever in the packed up state the mini tripod acts as a stabiliser grip which is great for use with your Huawei P30 Pro, GoPro Hero7 Black or at a push your Sony Alpha 7M3.
Obviously, there’s no stabiliser built in, it just means that you can use it as a stick grip for vlogging or shooting video more easily with your chosen camera.
Using this or any mini tripod in this way is ideal for vlogging.
At the top of the tripod is the small ball head and this features the standard 1/4-inch thread.
A nice feature for the Vanguard Vesta Mini Tripod is the inclusion of smartphone holder which holds phones up to 3.4-inches / 8.7cm.
Build Quality
Being all metal the Vesta has a good quality feel, and the anodised finish of either Black, White, Rose Gold or Champagne gives this mini tripod a stylish finish.
The design of the legs is nice and slim which means that it packs up smaller than much of the competition. The linkage mechanism that folds all three legs together is smooth and also feels solid in its design.
Where this small tripod really stands out is in the quality of the small ball head. It’s by no means large but the friction lock locks tight holding whatever camera you choose in place good and tight.
Performance
In use as a simple micro support, the Vanguard Vesta Mini Tripod works exceptionally well. The full metal construction gives it a good solid feel and the linked legs mean that setup and take down is fast by comparison of other Mini Tripods.
The ball head enables easy attachment of the camera of your choice, be that DSLR, CSC, Action camera or Smart Phone with the addition of the adapter.
Having a ball head that offers the level of support is unusual and a major benefit. The release knob for the ball head offers plenty of adjustment over the strength of the hold and gives you confidence that whatever camera the small tripod is holding will stay put.
The 90º drop in the ball head is a nice addition, although due to the height of the tripod it is somewhat limited depending on what camera you’re using.
Used with a smartphone and the adapter that 90º option for shooting in portrait orientation is a nice touch.
As a standard mini tripod, the Vesta is a great option, but as previously mentioned another function for this small support is as a stabiliser grip.
Here, with the slim-legged design, that grip is thinner than most other tripods of this size. This means that for use with Smartphones and action cameras it’s fine and does the job intended.
Move up in scale and weight to the Sony and I must admit that I would be happier with bulkier legs to grip on to. That said there’s no faulting the quality or the lock of that ball head.
Verdict
Of all Mini Tripods at the moment the size, weight and quality of the Vanguard Vesta Mini Tripod along with the inclusion of the Smart Phone Adapter makes it a must-have in the kit bag.
Since I first started using mini tripods a few years back I’ve consistently found that they’re one of the most useful accessories you can buy.
From supporting your camera to being used to hold a monitor calibrator, microphone, light, small screen or jam open a door, the uses for these small tripods are endless.
The Vesta is one of the highest quality mini tripods that I’ve come across, but what makes it stand out is the slim and seemingly simple design.
It’s small, strong and incredibly useful as well as being available at a great price.