Eastgate: Ultrapod II

Your digital camera is one of your most valuable tools for gathering information. If you attend conferences, professional meetings, or trade shows, you may want to grab some pictures as an aide-memoire and to adorn your trip report or weblog. But you can't spend your time rushing around to get snapshots of celebrities; you've got to get the pictures from your seat, without fuss or flash. You need a little tripod you can toss into your laptop bag along with your digital camera.

We asked a bunch of top digital photographers to recommend the best small tripod to take along to meetings and conferences -- a tripod to let you get work out of your camera. Their choice: The Pedco Ultrapod II.

PhotoNotes says:

"I like the tripod a lot. Its legs are spaced widely enough that I can use my camera and most of my lenses without fear of the whole thing tipping over. The adjustable ball head works very well and lets you clamp the camera in a variety of angles."

It's light -- just 100g (4 oz). It folds up to a tiny footprint, so you won't be tempted to leave it behind. Yet it's strong enough to be stable, and durable enough to last.

Plus, it's got a handy velcro strap that lets you wrap the tripod around any handy post or railing.

Nothing will improve your camera work faster than taking pictures with a stable foundation. Turn off your flash, let the camera take its time, and give your camera the foundation of the Ultrapod II.