Tamrac ZipShot Review

Photo Taken by and Copyright reserved by Elyssa Sharp.

When I first started learning photography, I looked at hundreds of websites to try and learn technique and style. As anyone who has read any of my other posts knows, one of the more influential sites ,from a style perspective, was Trey Ratcliff’s Stuck in Customs.  I loved the surrealistic HDR images he created and wanted to do that kind of work. When shooting HDR photography, it’s generally recommended that you use a tripod. When your only camera is a point and shoot Nikon P6000 that doesn’t have auto-bracketing for RAW files, however, a tripod is required.

The conventional wisdom, at least among those I listen to for photography information, is that you shouldn’t skimp on your tripod. The advice ranges from “buy the best tripod you can afford” to “don’t buy some cheap tripod from Wal-Mart” to “go basalt / carbon fiber or go home”. Still, I couldn’t seem to justify spending $475 for a basalt tripod from Gitzo when my only camera costs less than that. Thankfully, a Macbreak video podcast from PMA gave me a solution: The Zipshot Tripod from Tamrac.

Zipshot compared to a Mac Keyboard

The biggest difference between the Zipshot and a traditional tripod is the way it’s stored when not being used. The legs of a traditional tripod normally slide into themselves, but the legs of a zipshot fold similar to the framework of some camping tents. This means when the tripod is folded up, it’s only 15 inches long. Additionally, the tripod is extremely lightweight (coming in at about 11 oz), so it makes it pretty easy to carry.

One of the main requirements of a tripod is it stability. Clearly, the Zipshot is not going to provide the same level of stability as a high end Gitzo, but if the legs are fully spread and the tripod is set on solid ground, it will be pretty stable. I give those qualifiers because when the tripod’s legs are not fully spread (most likely in an attempt to get the camera higher) the tripod can get particularly wobbly. Since the tripod sits low naturally, as you can see from the picture at the top of the post, I sometimes try to trade stability for heigh.

The Zipshot has a ball head on top that allows for taking shots at pretty much any angle. I’ve found that sometimes this ball head can be difficult to adjust and that it can be a little difficult to get the camera level, especially if the tripod legs are not fully spread. Still, I have managed to used it for a number of HDR and panoramic shots, even if I sometime I had to straightened them in Aperture when I was processing. I am not sure how having a dSLR instead of a point and shoot attached to the Zipshot would alter its ability to balance.

I needed a tripod if I wanted to create HDR images with my camera. Since I couldn’t justify the costs of a high end tripod, and since I had been warned to not waste resources on cheaper tripods, the Zipshot looked like a good alternative. As a light, compact, fairly stable tripod, the Zipshot is the perfect companion to my camera.

Partially Extended Zipshot