ULANZI MT-63 Mini Phone Tripod 57 Portable Foldable Aluminum Alloy Extendable Camera Tripod with 2 in 1 Phone

The media could not be loaded. I took this Ulanzi MT-63 mini tripod with me while hiking in Switzerland and it ended up being a great piece of gear. The size and weight were perfect, it barely added anything to my pack, which is a big deal when you’re counting every ounce. I really liked that it has both the 1/4” mount and a phone mount built in. That meant I could use it with my camera and still have space to hook up a battery pack to keep it going for long timelapses. For how slim the main stem looks, it actually held way more weight than I expected. My camera with fairly heavy lens on the end felt stable on it, no issues there. Everything locks and clicks in place just like it should, and honestly the quality feels amazing for the price. The only thing I kind of missed was a built in quick release plate. I get that it would add a little more weight, but when you’re traveling and need to grab a shot fast it makes life easier. Even with that small thing, this tripod really impressed me and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for something lightweight but sturdy. Read more

I’ve weighed this against several compact and mini tripods for the purposes of getting just the right gift for another international traveling photographer. She hates tripods. This tripod is the perfect combination of light, small and yet rigid. With a few minor twists I could get it as tall as me and rigid enough to do 7 exposure bracketing with a full DSLR and heavy lens. Once compacted down again it was no larger than a can of soda. The other major benefits are the head system. It has exactly the right tight 1/4” bolt with rubber grip below to solidify the connection. Secondly it has a built in popup phone holder when needed. Now here comes the best part - then being used as a fluid head for video panning, the adjustable iPhone holder becomes the boom arm for smooth panning. I feel like this tripod was designed by someone who travels and shoots constantly. I highly recommend you ALL get one of these! Read more

My first impression on this is very positive. I was considering larger and more expensive carbon fiber tripods but decided to roll the dice on this one given it's supreme compactness, and the fact that I have had good experiences with several other Ulanzi products. I wanted something for travel and interior real estate photography and this looked to check all of my boxes. First, it's very lightweight. The closest carbon fiber alternative I could find was only about 1/4 pound lighter, but it was larger when folded, and yet didn't extend as tall as the Ulanzi, and it cost significantly more. I figure the small difference in weight shouldn't be a deal breaker. The legs and center post are all twist-lock design. The legs have a very reassuring positive click when locking and unlocking, and deploy and retract smoothly. No issues there. The locks on the center post aren't as solid, though. If I'm not careful when moving the stand I accidentally end up twisting the center post and a couple of the sections have come very close to unlocking and dropping. The same unwanted rotation has happened when I was just changing settings on the camera, which meant I had to re-shoot some bracketed shots. Annoying. Also, if you have the center post extended all the way up the to smallest section you can definitely experience some flex, making the camera sway back and forth a little bit, especially in portrait position. I have to use a wireless shutter release or a timer, and make sure that the camera isn't moving. The whole point of using a tripod is for stability at lower shutter speeds, etc., so it's disappointing to have to worry about camera sway. My typical setup is about 2 lbs so heavier cameras will probably have it even worse. In the tallest configuration the footprint on the legs is very small. Frankly it looks alarmingly narrow, but it's proven perfectly stable indoors or on solid/level surfaces. At the same time the tiny footprint was one of the draws for me in the first place. If I need to tuck this rig into a corner in a small room for interior photography I know it will do it. The next width setting on the legs jumps to a very wide stance, but one that would be very stable outdoors. You lose a lot of height you may need at that setting, though. I think they did a decent job of picking the available stance options but they may be hit or miss in some situations. The ball head is nice. It's smooth and the locking knobs are all-metal and good quality, with the pull-to-free-rotate feature to make sure they never have to get in the way. The head locks solid in any position with my rig on it. My only nitpick is that there's only one bubble level on the mount, and it's for the standard landscape configuration. If you roll the head over into the portrait orientation there's no bubble for you. Not a big deal since all modern cameras all have a built in digital line level on screen, but the rest of the tripod is so well thought out that somehow that omission caught me by surprise. I could totally live without the phone mount. I never plan on using it and it gets in the way when trying to adjust the camera into certain positions, or when you're folding the legs back up. I think I can remove it with a tiny Allen key. It probably won't be long before it annoys me enough to try. I appreciate that they included a larger Allen key to tighten up the hardware on the legs and head if they start to loosen. I haven't tried removing the center post and I'm not sure if I ever will since I have no need or desire for a glorified selfie stick or questionable monopod. I could see it possibly coming in handy in case I wanted to flip it so I could drop the camera between the legs for very low angle shots, but even that's unlikely. Bottom line, I really like this tripod overall, but the sketchy center post keeps be from giving it 5 stars. Otherwise I am shocked at how compact, light, and full-featured it is at its price point. As long as it holds up to reasonable wear and tear it will be one of the best values in travel tripods ever, in my opinion. Read more

Size matters when traveling especially when you’re trying to minimize your baggage. I was really pleased with this tripod and its many functions. Had a small back pack to fit camera and tripod with no hassle. When in use it did the job. Be mindful when fully extended has a small play to it when you have your hands on camera but when using 10s timer and/or remote, camera will stay in place. The other feature for your phone is a plus! Read more

This tripod is great for small, lightweight cameras and its super compact design was the main reason I bought it. However, there’s one major flaw: the leg hardware constantly comes loose. I’ve already lost two sets of the original screws, and now the legs don’t hold their position when adjusted. It seriously impacts the overall user experience. If I could get a replacement set of hardware (or even a new tripod), I’d give it 4 to 4.5 stars. I plan to use Locktite next time to make sure the screws stay put. Read more

In last years I purchased several travel tripods, this one is the smallest, and lightest, much better than most of the big brands (regarding the size, weight, and convenience). Pros: 1) Very compact and small; 2) Many convenient usages ( used as monopod, for both phone and camera etc) 3) Very good made quality. Cons: It's not suitable for heavier DSLR or big lenses, I hope someday they can offer a higher quality one with the same compact size for camera users. Read more

I love the compactness of this tripod but it is very hard to get the legs to lock into extended position. I keep finding my tripod mounted camera tipping over as one or two section fail to lock in position. Read more