This is an ultralight tripod I made myself out of a set of cheap tripod legs and a Giotto MH-1004 ball head. The tripod extends to 48" maximum height. Two of the three tripod braces are held on with cotter pins. When the pins are removed the legs go flat and the ball head sits just 6" off the ground. The ball head is mounted on a bolt which is long enough to allow a camera to swing into vertical orientation without hitting the tripod legs.

The whole thing weighs 20 ounces. It is stable enough for my digital camera and even the SLR with a small lens. I can use the tripod with my SLR and a big lens, but the camera needs a bit of manual support to keep from shifting.     Ithaca -- 1/27/2006