You want to travel light and minimise what’s in your bag but you want a way to stabilise your camera. Do you take a travel tripod, a GorillaPod, a Platypod, or maybe a bean bag? Is there another alternative? Well, how about a Z mount?
When flying off on a trip abroad, I always keep my baggage to a minimum. Often, I take no more than an under-seat bag and, if I take a hold bag at all, it will be the smallest on offer – just enough for the clothes I need. That means there’s no space for alternative lenses, and certainly no room for a conventional tripod. What travels with me is one body, one lens (35mm) a 10 stop ND filter for long exposures and a polarising filter. Instead of any form of ‘tripod’ I just take my Z mount.
The compact Z mount serves to provide a secure base for the camera when needed. I generally just put my hand on the horizontal base section and it makes it easy enough to stop the camera moving for most long exposure work, whether the camera is horizontal or at an angle and whether it is on a hard surface or something a little softer, like sand. At a pinch, if there’s a handy post or tree trunk around, I can even use a belt or strap to secure the Z mount to it. Admittedly, it’s not perfect and it does take some care, particularly if fixing to a post. In terms of mounting performance and security, it is not as good an option as some of the alternatives but I do find it a compact and convenient substitute when I really don’t want to carry a tripod.
Do you have any tripod ‘hacks’?