Parts-swap a Perfect Pair of Smartphone Tripods

I don’t know whether you’ve tried using a ball head tripod, but the idea that you can just unlock the head, point the camera where you want, lock the head, and have everything be hunky-dory generally hasn’t worked for me. I would always be off in tilt fore-aft or side-to-side, go to adjust the head, and then be off in azimuthal direction. Then I’d reposition the tripod to re-aim it in azimuth, possibly try adjusting the legs… and it would be off in tilt again. Frustrating!

Meanwhile I also find a classic pan-tilt head tripod to be a chore. Having a smooth pan action is nice, but otherwise it's too restrictive, with separate fore-aft and side-to-side tilt adjustments. Plus it’s typically bulky and more expensive.

So what to do, without getting excessively fancy, if you want a portable tabletop tripod for a smartphone or for a (not-too-big) camera? Get a ball head that has a separate pan adjustment.

The setup that I put together for myself was a straightforward combination of a Godox MTH03 Metal Smartphone Clip, an Oben MBH-11 Dual-Action Mini Ballhead, and an Oben TT-100 Table Top Tripod. The thing about it is… that tripod is kind of overkill for smartphones. Also, I wanted to get a gift for someone who prioritizes light weight and compactness. There doesn’t seem to be a product that has what I’m looking for out of the box.

Oben does make a lighter metal tripod, the TT-50, which uses the same legs as the TT-100 with a smaller hub. The TT-50 has a supposedly non-replaceable mini ball head attachment (more on this later). It turns out that you can sort of emulate separate pan and tilt adjustment with it:

1. Set the ball head tilt angle, then tighten the locking lever just enough so that the smartphone won’t flop over.
2. For pan adjustment, working against the friction, twist the head body relative to the tripod base. Then tighten the locking lever fully.

That said, I didn’t feel like this hack-ish pan/tilt method justified the weight of the TT-50 as-is. I thought that the gift wouldn’t be complete without the full dual-action experience, nor would it without a “featherweight” option. Not being able to choose between the two… I went with one of each! There’s a way to make it work with a “parts swap” based upon the TT-50. Its head is in fact removable, it’s just that the thread is non-standard, and it takes a little disassembly to get to it. What follows is what I found to be a nice setup for a full-featured, reasonably lightweight tabletop tripod, plus a very lightweight, almost-full-featured one.

These directions are also available as a blog post.

• Ulanzi ST-26 Phone Tripod Mount (~$10) or equivalent
• Plastic construction
• Two 1/4”-20 threaded holes for mounting to the head in portrait or landscape orientation
• Spring-loaded ratcheting smartphone clamp with a release latch
• Godox MTH03 Metal Smartphone Clip (~$17) — optional
• Two 1/4”-20 threaded holes for mounting to the head in portrait or landscape orientation
• Spring-loaded smartphone clamp with a nice locking lever
• Could skip this one and instead just swap the ST-26 mount between the two tripods
• Oben MBH-11 Dual-Action Mini Ballhead (~$40):
• Ball head with a 90° notch and a reposition-able locking lever
• Smooth pan swivel with a locking screw
• Aluminum Male-Female Hex Thread Adapter, M5 x 0.8 mm to 1/4"-20 Thread Size (~$6)
• Aluminum Male-Female Hex Thread Adapter, 1/4"-20 to M5 x 0.8 mm Thread Size (~$6)
• square jellyfish Jelly Grip Pro Tripod (~$11) or equivalent
• Plastic construction
• Sits low for stability and for low-angle photos
• Folds up into a smartphone hand grip
• Oben TT-50 Table Top Tripod (~$25)
• Metal construction
• Sits low for stability and for low-angle photos

I was able to find all of these items at B&H, except for the aluminum thread adapters which I found at McMaster-Carr.

Tools:

• Open wrench, for the 1/2” hex aluminum thread thread adapters
• Wrench(es) for the M5 nuts
• Strong needle nose pliers — optional
• Large flat head screwdriver

Start of the full-featured tripod instructions

On the TT-50 tripod, unscrew the M5 locking nut and washer on the bottom, which releases the hub bottom plate and the legs. Hang onto the hub top plate and ball head for the next step and set the rest of the parts aside. Try not to let the pivot portions of the legs touch anything, to avoid removing too much grease and to prevent the pivots from getting dirty.

Unscrew the M5 nut on the threaded rod inside, which releases the ball head to be unscrewed from the hub top plate. It may take needle nose pliers to grip the M5 nut, as a socket wrench might not fit. Note that this M5 nut stays on the threaded rod. Set aside the ball head (to be used with the other tripod later).

With the threaded rod still in the hub top plate, screw on the aluminum 1/4"-20 to M5 x 0.8 mm thread adapter (the one with the M5 internal thread) where the ball head just was. Tigthen as best as you can using a wrench on the aluminum thread adapter and using the pliers on the M5 nut. Don’t strip the aluminum threads though.

Put the leg pivots back in their places, replace the hub bottom plate, and screw the M5 locking nut and washer back on. Note that with three legs to align and hold, it may take another person’s help to do this. Tighten the M5 locking nut enough so that the leg pivot friction is to your liking.

The MBH-11 dual-action ball head comes with a 1/4”-20 to 3/8”-16 reducer bushing already loosely inserted at the base; tighten it in place.

Screw the MBH-11 onto the aluminum thread adapter and tighten.

Loosen and remove the MBH-11’s quick-release plate from the top of the head. Flip out the thumbscrew handle on the bottom of the quick-release plate and screw on the MTH03 smartphone mount (or the ST-26 if you’re only using that one), in the orientation of your choosing. Then re-attach the quick-release plate.

End of the full-featured tripod instructions

Start of the lightweight tripod instructions

On the Jelly Grip Pro, remove the rubber washer from the top of the hub.

Screw on the aluminum M5 x 0.8 mm to 1/4"-20 thread adapter and tighten.

Screw the TT-50’s ball head that you set aside earlier onto the aluminum thread adapter and tighten.

Screw the ST-26 smartphone mount onto the ball head, in the orientation of your choosing.

End of the lightweight tripod instructions

And that’s it! One all-around dependable tabletop tripod, plus a lightweight one for backpacking and casual walks and such. Best of luck with your photography or videography. Of course they're also handy as a stand for your phone around the house.