Manfrotto Pixi Evo Mini Tripod Review

Manfrotto Pixi Evo Mini Tripod

Introduction

Since I bought it in 2010 I have been very happy with my Gitzo GT2541EX Explorer Tripod and I can't ever imagine having a need to change it. Nonetheless, it is quite large and because I have a young family I can't carry a large tripod when we go travelling anywhere.

I'm not into self-portraits, but my wife complains that when we travel we come back with very few photos of the entire family. One reason for investing in a small, lightweight tripod is so that I can use the camera timer feature and take family photos.

The other reason is that I am quite interested in using the timelapse movie feature on the Canon EOS M6 and this requires some camera support.

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Manfrotto Pixi Evo Mini Tripod

There are hundreds of mini tripods on the market, but this one caught my eye. Manfrotto is a company with quite a good reputation and I wasn't sure about the quality of some of the Chinese 'no-brand name' products.

The other type of tripod I had considered was a Joby GorrilaPod. The flexibility appealed to me, but I had a few doubts about stability.

The original Manfrotto Pixi, which is still available, has one-section fixed legs. The Evo version has 2-section legs and when the legs are extended the tripod is more stable. There are buttons on each leg to extend and retract the second section.

The Pixi Evo comes in three colour combinations and a universal smartphone clamp is also available if you are planning to use a phone primarily, rather than a camera.

The ball head is aluminium and locks securely when tightened. There is a slot in the ball head housing so that the camera can be used in a portrait orientation.

Obviously, with a mini tripod for travel purposes size and weight are very important. The closed length is 20.5cm and the weight is 260g. Mine arrived by mail in a cardboard box and at first I wasn't sure if the box was empty. This might give you some idea about the weight.

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Stability

I will probably only use the Pixi Evo for supporting a Canon EOS M body and EF-M lenses, but it will support heavier lenses. It is rated to support a load of 2.5kg.

If you want to use a heavy lens Manfrotto recommend aligning the lens with one of the legs so that there is less risk of everything toppling over, but if you have a little common sense and a vague knowledge of physics you will have realised this already.

With my Gitzo tripod I can lock the legs in any position, but with this one I can't. You can choose either the high position or the low position (leg angles of 50° or 75°). Obviously, choosing the low position will lower the centre of gravity and make the tripod more stable.

There is a small slider on the bottom of the ball head to select either the high or low position.

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Construction and Maintenance

The Pixi Evo appears to be entirely of plastic and aluminium and the construction seems fine. Looking at the design and operation, I don't anticipate having any problems and it looks robust enough to survive being dropped from table top heights.

Everything looks to be maintenance-free.

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Conclusion

My ideas about how this small tripod would work compared to how it actually worked in real life were completely different. Initially, it had lots of promise. It's nicely constructed, works well, and is strong enough to support my Canon EOS M mirrorless system.

When I went on a trip to Hoi An in Vietnam I knew in advance that I would be needing a tripod for long exposure night shots, but I didn't want to take my Gitzo because it was too big and heavy. I bought a Manfrotto Pixi Evo and imagined that I would just sit it on a wall to get the shot I needed. However, in real life the walls I needed were never in the right locations and the shots wouldn't work sitting the tripod on the ground. This was a problem.

As a backup, I had packed a cheap plastic tripod that I received as a free gift when I ordered my Canon EF-M 55-200mm lens on-line. I ended up using this cheap plastic tripod for all my night shots. It was small and light and it did the job, but it was extremely flimsy and not very nice to use. What would you expect from a free tripod?

After my trip I started looking for a small, light tripod that was of similar quality to my Gitzo GT2541EX. I found quite a few and decided on the Sirui T-024X. It is a fantastic little tripod and I recommend it highly.

If you have a use for a small table-top tripod the Manfrotto is a great choice. However, if (like me) you want it for travel and expect to be able to find convenient walls to sit it on while you are travelling, you may (like me) be disappointed.

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Details

Maximum Height: 20cm
Minimum Height: 10.5cm
Closed Length: 20.5cm
Leg Sections: 2
Weight: 260g
Load Capacity: 2.5kg
Material: Aluminium, Technopolymer
Leg Angles: 50°, 75°
Front Tilt: -35°, +35°
Lateral Tilt: -90°, +40°
Date Purchased: September 2017
Supplier: Lazada Thailand
Price: 1,870 Thai Baht

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