I’m often out in nature taking pictures, and almost every time I’m out past sunset where, as you know, the light tends to go quickly. So having a good tripod is important to catch those great shots. I also love hiking and often carry my camera with me, so a lightweight compact tripod is essential.

After discovering the Manfrotto Photo-Movie Tripod and seeing that it was perfect for what I needed, I was ecstatic when I had the opportunity to review it! The tripod itself is very lightweight, weighing approximately 2.5 pounds. It’s compact and very easy to adjust. It’s a snap to adjust the legs to the height I want, and the head is simple to set and I can position it just about any direction I want to photograph. When not in use, I love how it packs into my camera backpack quickly and easily and is so light on my pack that I can’t even tell it’s on!

I had the perfect opportunity to put this baby to the test on my recent trip to Hawaii. With all the hikes my husband and I had planned, I knew it was going to be put to good use. One of our first hikes was through Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We hiked down into one of the volcano craters and as we reached the floor of the crater, I pulled out the tripod for a quick photo of my husband and me. Having this light, compact tripod with me was like having an extra set of hands. If I hadn’t had it with me, I wouldn’t have been able to take photos with both of us in the frame.

As you can imagine, we did a lot of hiking on our trip. I love how easy it was to take this tripod along with me. It’s solidly built, so I was confident it would have the stability I needed to hold my Canon 7D and for low-light and night photos. It certainly lived up to my expectations!

My overall favorite feature of this tripod, I’m sure you can guess by now, is that it’s so easy to take with me for those moments when I want to be in the shot. There’s no more fumbling with my big camera to hold it just right, while praying it doesn’t slip out of my hands. Maybe you’ve been there?

I now consider the Manfrotto Photo-Video Tripod “My Buddy,” because I love it so much and it’s with me pretty much all the time!