purpose of table-top tripods

Whatever applicable...pictures of your dinner, portraits of your traveling partner, picture out your hotel window etc...They are good for traveling because they are light weight and small. Same can be said for a beanbag or gorillapod.

They're pocket sized tripods that usually need to be placed on something like a table, chair, trash can, rocks, tree stumps, walls, etc. because they're usually only 3-4 inches high. You can sit them on the ground but any photo will have a ground level POV. While extremely small and light, ie portable, but since they require something to sit on they're very limited in positioning. Since, they're so small and light they're also very inexpensive.

This was taken using one.

Taken with Elann II and stock 28-80 kit lens.

Well, with 35mm sized cameras as most people are using (including almost all digital cameras), you only really, really need a tripod when taking pictures that require a slow shutter speed... too slow to hand hold the camera. That might be for low light pictures, telephoto pictures, etc.

They can be handy any time you might need to take a picture from a low to the ground angle or a macro shot of something similarly low. Other than that, they serve the same purpose as any other tripod except they are more portable... keeping in mind that "table top" can also be on top of anything else... a rock, a ledge, etc. You can even keep the camera immobile sideways against a wall, or even your chest when you have a mini tripod.

When I started photography back in the early 1970's, it was one of those must have things that beginners always think they will need, like various filters. Over the following decades, I've probably only used it a dozen times, if that. I've used my full-size Manfrotto tripod a lot more often, because when I need a tripod, I usually really need a tripod.

35mm cameras and the digital cameras that evolved from them never needed tripods as much as larger format cameras, simply because they were smaller and easier to shoot handheld, and, because the larger cameras never had the advantage of the super fast lenses which became available for 35mm cameras. On the other hand, this has come around back to the smaller cameras now that most people are using the slow zoom lenses that come with them. You're much more likely to need a slow, un-handholdable shutter speed when you're using a slow f/4.5 or slower zoom lens than when you are using a fast f/1.8 prime lens. What you could shoot at say, a shutter speed of 1/60 with the prime lens, you would need to shoot at maybe 1/15, 1/8 or slower with the zoom lens, or even slower when zoomed out.

But still, I would feel incomplete if I didn't have a mini-tripod sitting at home doing nothing :-)

Wow; that's a beautiful shot.
Thanks so much for your responses. Maybe I should just get a beanbag? Or I suppose I could get both, since they aren't very expensive. I just don't want to load myself down with unnecessary accessories.

I have three tripods (and a monopod), one of which is a tabletop. I find it very useful when travelling because you can sit it on top of your car, on a shelf, on a table, on a rock, and as stated above it works just great for a ground level point of view photograph. I find that I carry mine when I don't want to lug the big guys and since it is so small (it's like the best camera is the one you always have with you) I use it a lot. I prefer low ISO photography (I grew up shooting Kodachrome 25 and 64) so I'm used to using tripods. One of my favorite pieces of gear.

Pierre, I didn't see your response before I submitted mine -- thanks for the explanation. I don't yet have the 1.8 prime lens (though I want one). I just have the 18-55 IS kit lens and the 70-300 lens. So, it sounds like I need something to steady my shaky hands.

There are times that it's not practical or even not allowed to bring a tripod. So I bring a small tablepod. Like Jim said, you need to find a place to set the tablepod on. Luckily there usually are a lot of places. On the street, trash cans are my best favourites.

I like to use a tablepod instead of a beanbag because of its smaller size and it usually comes with a tiny ballhead. It is easy to adjust the camera angle. I found the ones with adjustable heights are more useful (you can extend the legs or add an extension tube to the base). But beware. Choose the tablepod that can support your the weight of your camera and lens (like the Manfrotto 709 Digi Tablepod). Most of the cheaper ones can only support a small point-and-shoot style digital cameras.

Hope this helps.

I love this forum. So helpful.
I was looking at the Manfrotto 709 Digi Tablepod & the Slik Mini-Pro V.