Little Leo

Leo Junior was the local name of a Hilson-Praga Air Baby monoplane imported to Australia in the 1930's. It was blue, sleek, and remarkably underpowered. But it, and two of its siblings survived the war and numerous owners. You can buy your own Little Leo in Camera Electronic, but you'll be getting a tabletop tripod - one of renown. The Leofoto MT-03-LH-25 is not a name that trips off the tongue like Air Baby, but it is one of the best value precision 'pods that are on offer. The legs are duo-fold - you'll see one out there in the heading image making up for the uneven surface. There's a rubber foot on the end to avoid marring the top of the piano. It is not a dumb leg, either. Five 1/4" mounting holes on every leg let them support a microphone or a mini-light or control box if you are using the support for vlogging. The head is precise and compact, with an Arca-Swiss configuration and a big enough ball to give a firm grip for average-sized cameras. The grip plate also has a very wise feature - a place to clip a safety strap on to secure the camera against loss. On the day I went into Stirling Street to make these images, I overheard a customer ask the sales assistant for a very small tripod. I hope she got to see this one. Tabletop tripods are really one of the most useful of accessories - even in these days of IS systems in cameras. You can use them in far more places than just upon a table - many of the advertising images I use for this column are taken on a T3 ( Table Top Tripod ) that I got from Camera Electronic. It fits neatly into the Barbershop bag I carry for still work, and can be used in conjunction with any flat surface - horizontal or vertical - to extend shutter times past a second if needed. I have even been guilty of selfies in restaurants using a T3, so you can get one and join in the social scene.