im honestly so fed up with my current cheapo tripod i got from amazon like it literally wont stay upright when i try to angle my rx100 vii and it almost fell over on the sidewalk today... its so annoying because im super excited for my solo trip to iceland in two weeks but i cant be hauling around this flimsy junk if it wont even hold a point and shoot properly!! i need something that actually fits in my jacket pocket or a small sling bag because i dont want to carry a backpack everywhere. ive got about 80 bucks to spend and i just want something sturdy but tiny. what are the best compact tripods that actually work for the rx100 series?
unfortunately i have had some major issues with those cheap plastic tripods in the past. they just arent as good as expected and honestly feel like a disaster waiting to happen. i tried a few generic brands but they always ended up wobbling which is scary when you have a thousand-dollar camera on top. for your iceland trip, you definitely need something made of metal. i suggest looking at the Sirui 3T-35K Table Top Tripod with Ball Head. it is very compact and fits in a small sling, but the build quality is much higher than what you find at big box stores. another reliable choice is the Manfrotto PIXI EVO 2-Section Mini Tripod. its slightly bigger than the original pixi but much sturdier for angling the rx100. i wouldnt trust anything less than these for solo travel... you dont want to be worried about your gear falling over in the middle of a shoot.
I'd suggest evaluating these:
Building on the earlier suggestion, definitely dont go cheap for an Iceland trip because the wind there is no joke. In my experience, you should honestly just look at anything from Leofoto or maybe Benro. I've tried many over the years and their metal tabletop stuff is way more stable than that plastic junk. Go with Leofoto, you cant go wrong with their build quality for a tiny camera like yours. Itll fit your sling easily too.
Like someone mentioned, the environment in Iceland is gonna be a real test for any gear you bring. I learned this lesson the hard way during a trip to the coast where the wind was so aggressive it actually vibrated my entire setup. Even though my camera was light, the center of gravity shifted just enough that the legs started to creep on the cheap mount I was using. I realized that looking at max load numbers is basically pointless for a small camera like the RX100. You need to look at the actual construction to ensure reliability. Here is what I look for now: