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Here is the good news about buying a tripod for an OM-D E-M10: the camera weighs about 400 grams, and with the 14-42 kit lens the whole rig is around 600 grams. That is roughly a third of what a full-frame DSLR and a fast zoom put on the same plate. Load capacity is therefore not your problem — practically every tripod in this guide can hold an E-M10 several times over. What you are actually buying is height, packed size, weight in a bag, and how quickly the legs go up. So shop on those. The trap with Micro Four Thirds is buying too little tripod because the camera is small: a tripod that only reaches chest height means you shoot every landscape stooped over, and a very light aluminium travel tripod will vibrate in wind that a heavier one shrugs off. Two E-M10-specific notes worth knowing before you spend. First, turn image stabilisation off when the camera is locked to a tripod — Olympus’s in-body stabilisation can hunt against a rigid mount and slightly soften long exposures. Second, use the two- or twelve-second self-timer, or the E-M10’s anti-shock mode, so your finger is nowhere near the camera when the shutter opens. Those two habits do more for sharpness than doubling your tripod budget. The eleven below run from a $25 tabletop to a $600 carbon-fibre travel tripod.
| # | Product | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peak Design Travel Tripod (Carbon Fiber) | $550–$650 | Amazon · eBay |
| 2 | Peak Design Travel Tripod (Aluminum) | $350–$400 | Amazon · eBay |
| 3 | Manfrotto Befree Advanced (Aluminium) | $180–$230 | Amazon · eBay |
| 4 | Benro Slim Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod | $130–$180 | Amazon · eBay |
| 5 | Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod | $25–$40 | Amazon · eBay |
| 6 | Manfrotto 190XPRO3 | $180–$250 | Amazon · eBay |
| 7 | MeFOTO BackPacker Travel Tripod | $100–$160 | Amazon · eBay |
| 8 | Three Legged Thing Punks Vyv | $160–$230 | Amazon · eBay |
| 9 | Joby GorillaPod 3K Kit | $80–$110 | Amazon · eBay |
| 10 | Vanguard VEO 3GO 235AB | $110–$160 | Amazon · eBay |
| 11 | K&F Concept 62″ Carbon Fiber Tripod | $100–$150 | Amazon · eBay |
The picks, in detail
Peak Design Travel Tripod (Carbon Fiber)
The one that keeps winning travel tripod comparisons. Peak Design squared off the leg profiles to remove the wasted air between round tubes, so it collapses to roughly the diameter of a water bottle while still reaching eye level. Fast to deploy, stable in use, and genuinely pleasant to carry — which is the only quality that matters in a tripod you take with you.
- Collapses to approximately the diameter of a water bottle
- Reaches full eye-level height
- Integrated ball head with an Arca-compatible plate
- Carbon fibre construction, around 1.3 kg
- Packs smaller than anything else at this height
- Very quick to set up and strike
- Head is built in rather than bolted on, saving bulk
- The most expensive option here by a wide margin
- Proprietary plate design — worth knowing if you already own Arca gear
Peak Design Travel Tripod (Aluminum)
The same design in aluminium: identical packed size and geometry, a few hundred grams heavier, and substantially cheaper. For an E-M10 the extra weight is a fair trade, since you are not carrying a heavy camera on top of it anyway.
- Same packed diameter and height as the carbon version
- Aluminium legs, around 1.5 kg
- Integrated ball head and mobile phone mount in the centre column
- Arca-compatible quick release
- Most of the carbon model’s benefit for considerably less
- Aluminium takes knocks better than carbon
- Same fast deployment
- Still expensive against conventional travel tripods
- Noticeably heavier on a long walk
Manfrotto Befree Advanced (Aluminium)
The sensible default, and the tripod most reviewers land on for most photographers. Compact enough to travel, sturdy enough for real work, quick to set up, and topped with a ball head that is genuinely good rather than merely present — at a fair price. E-M10 owners have used the Befree line for years.
- Four-section aluminium legs with twist locks
- 494 ball head with an Arca-Swiss compatible plate
- Folds to around 40 cm
- Around 1.5 kg, supports well beyond a Micro Four Thirds rig
- Excellent balance of price, size and stability
- Good ball head included — not an afterthought
- Enormous accessory and spares ecosystem
- Some users find it a little less robust than a full-size tripod in wind
- Four leg sections mean more locks to open each time
Benro Slim Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod
The best budget route into carbon fibre, and the lightest thing here — 2.35 lb with a folded length of 12.9 inches. For a camera as light as the E-M10 that combination is close to ideal: it disappears into a daypack and there is no weight penalty for bringing it.
- 2.35 lb total weight
- 12.9 inch folded length
- Carbon fibre legs with a compact ball head
- Includes a carrying case
- Carbon fibre at roughly a third of premium pricing
- Lightest and one of the shortest folded lengths here
- Well matched to a small mirrorless body
- Lower maximum height than the full-size travel tripods
- Light weight means it needs the centre hook weighted in wind
Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod
The one that lives in the bag permanently. A tabletop tripod with a push-button ball head that folds into a grip for handheld video, weighing next to nothing. It will not shoot a landscape at eye level, but it turns any wall, table or rock into a stable platform — and for a camera this light it is genuinely stable.
- Compact tabletop design with folding legs
- Push-button ball head
- Folds into a handheld grip
- Supports up to 1 kg — ample for an E-M10 and kit lens
- Small and light enough to always be with you
- Doubles as a video grip
- Costs almost nothing
- Tabletop height only
- Needs a suitable surface to be useful
Manfrotto 190XPRO3
The serious, non-travel option — and worth considering if the tripod mostly stays at home or goes in a car. The 190 range is heavier than any travel model here, and what that buys is a rock-solid platform with a horizontal centre column that swings out for macro and overhead work.
- Three-section aluminium legs with quick power locks
- Centre column that pivots to horizontal in one movement
- Four leg angle positions, down to near ground level
- Head sold separately
- Considerably more stable than any travel tripod
- Horizontal column is excellent for macro and copy work
- Built to last decades
- Too heavy and too long to carry casually
- Head is an additional purchase
MeFOTO BackPacker Travel Tripod
A long-running favourite among travel photographers, and a natural match for a small mirrorless camera. Legs invert to fold back around the head for a short packed length, and the centre column unscrews to become a monopod — two tripods’ worth of use from one purchase.
- Five-section legs that invert for compact folding
- Centre column converts to a monopod
- Ball head with Arca-compatible plate
- Around 1.2 kg with case
- Very short folded length
- Monopod conversion is genuinely useful
- Long-established, well-supported design
- Five leg sections means the thinnest bottom legs flex
- Lower maximum height than full travel models
Three Legged Thing Punks Vyv
The interesting one. Three Legged Thing build travel tripods with a lot of thought about how they are actually carried, and the Punks range hits a portability-to-quality ratio that suits mirrorless kits well. A detachable leg converts to a monopod, and the finish is unlike anything else on a trail.
- Compact travel tripod with an included ball head
- Detachable leg that converts to a monopod or boom
- Arca-Swiss compatible plate system
- Distinctive anodised finish
- Well-designed for portability without cutting quality
- Detachable leg adds real versatility
- Strong build for the weight
- Costs more than mainstream equivalents at the same height
- Styling is not to everyone’s taste
Joby GorillaPod 3K Kit
The flexible one, and a genuinely good fit for the E-M10’s weight class — the 3K is rated for 3 kg, which is five times the camera and kit lens. It wraps around railings, branches and fence posts, which is how you get a stable shot in places no tripod fits.
- Rated to 3 kg — far beyond an E-M10 rig
- Flexible, wrappable jointed legs with rubberised grips
- Included ball head with Arca-type plate
- Around 390 g
- Works where conventional tripods simply cannot stand
- Very light and packable
- Load rating gives a large safety margin
- Fiddly to set level on uneven ground
- Low working height on flat surfaces
Vanguard VEO 3GO 235AB
Called out specifically as a strong budget choice for mirrorless cameras, which is exactly what the E-M10 is. Small, light, and supplied with a competent ball head, with a design aimed at hybrid shooters who also want to mount a phone.
- Compact travel tripod aimed at mirrorless kits
- Included AB ball head with quick release
- Multi-angle centre column for low-level work
- Light enough for daily carry
- Well matched to small mirrorless bodies specifically
- Good head included at the price
- Versatile column positions
- Limited maximum height for taller photographers
- Not built for heavy telephoto work
K&F Concept 62″ Carbon Fiber Tripod
The value carbon pick — roughly 2 lb, about 60 inches tall, for around a third of what the big names charge for the same specification. Build quality does not match Peak Design or Manfrotto, but for a 600 g camera it does not need to.
- Around 62 inches maximum height
- Carbon fibre legs at roughly 2 lb
- Ball head with Arca-compatible plate included
- Converts to a monopod on most models in the range
- Full height and carbon fibre for a budget price
- Very light for its height
- Head and case included
- Finish and locking mechanisms are a step below premium brands
- Model line changes frequently — check the current version
Buying tips
- Turn in-body stabilisation off on a tripod. The E-M10’s IBIS can hunt for movement that is not there when the camera is locked down, very slightly softening long exposures. Switch it back on the moment you go handheld.
- Never press the shutter button. Use the 2-second or 12-second self-timer, or the E-M10’s anti-shock mode, so the camera has settled before the exposure starts. This costs nothing and does more for sharpness than a more expensive tripod.
- Buy for height, not for load capacity. Your camera and kit lens weigh around 600 g, so every tripod here is over-specified — but a model that only reaches chest height will have you stooping over every shot.
- Prefer three leg sections to five where you can. Each extra section adds a lock to open and a thinner tube at the bottom, and the thinnest sections are where flex and vibration come from.
- Check for an Arca-Swiss compatible plate. It is the closest thing to a standard, and it means a future head, L-bracket or clamp will fit without buying new plates.
- Use the centre column hook. Hanging a bag from it lowers the centre of gravity and steadies a light tripod in wind — which is exactly the weakness of the lightest models here.
- Raise the centre column last. Extending it turns a tripod into a monopod on three legs; get the height from the legs first and use the column only for the final few centimetres.
As an Amazon Associate and eBay Partner, toptenpick.com earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability are subject to change.