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In this guide
Manfrotto's PIXI has been the default rigid tabletop tripod for years, and the version now listed on manfrotto.com is the MTPIXIMII-B, a Made in Italy edition that replaces the earlier MTPIXI-B while that older page stays live. The design is unchanged in outline: three single-section legs that open to 45 degrees, a ball head released by a push button, a fixed 1/4-20 screw on top and rubber feet underneath. It weighs 0.17 kg and is rated for 1 kg of camera.
Two things shape any decision about it. First, Manfrotto's site has no store; the US address redirects to a global catalog page with a retailer finder, so the price in this article is B&H's, not Manfrotto's. Second, the PIXI is rigid where the GorillaPod 1K that this site already reviews is flexible, and the two are different tools that happen to share a load rating. The comparison below is about which of those behaviors you need, not which is better.
Our verdict
A rigid tabletop tripod that does one job: hold up to 1 kg steady at 13.5 cm, or fold into a handgrip for video. Retailer pricing near $30 makes it easy to justify; the fixed height is the thing to accept first.
- A good fit for
- A mirrorless or compact-camera shooter who wants a tripod that sets up in a second on a table, ledge or floor and doubles as a grip for handheld clips.
- We would skip it if
- You need legs that wrap around a railing, a camera raised above table height, or a phone mount without buying the separate clamp.
Reasons to consider it
- Rated payload of 1 kg (2.2 lb) on a fixed 1/4-20 screw, with no plate to lose
- Push-button ball head: press to move, release to lock, with ±35° tilt and 360° pan
- 0.17 kg (0.37 lb) and 18.5 cm closed, in aluminum and technopolymer, made in Italy
The compromises
- One height only: 13.5 cm open, no leg extension and no lower setting
- No phone clamp is included; the smartphone version is a separate model
- Manfrotto sells nothing directly, so the price is whatever the retailer sets
What we have not verified: No tripod was handled for this article. Ball-lock creep under a full 1 kg load, foot grip on polished surfaces and how the technopolymer legs age were not assessed, and Manfrotto's specifications list working temperatures but no drop or torque figures.
The things in this guide
A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.
PIXI Mini Tripod, Black (Made in Italy) · MTPIXIMII-B
Single-section legs with no joints to sag, a ball head that locks the moment you let go of the button, a fixed 1/4-20 screw and a 1 kg rating, at a retailer price around $30 and with warranty coverage that reaches five years on registration.
Before you buy: The only height is 13.5 cm, phones need the separately sold clamp, and Manfrotto itself lists no price.
Price checked September 11, 2026. Retailer prices can change.Rigid legs, a single height, and a handgrip when closed
The specifications are short because the tripod is simple. Each leg is a single section, the leg angle is 45 degrees, and the maximum and minimum heights are the same figure, 13.5 cm (5.31 in). Closed length is 18.5 cm (7.28 in) and the weight is 0.17 kg (0.37 lb); the earlier MTPIXI-B page lists 0.19 kg, so the Italian-made version has shed about 20 grams. Materials are listed as aluminum and technopolymer, where the older page said stainless steel and Adapto, and Manfrotto quotes a working range of -30 to 60 °C.
With the legs folded together the body becomes a grip, which Manfrotto pitches for handheld video with a compact system camera. The rubber feet are described as slip-free on any surface; no durometer or tread detail is given. Because nothing telescopes, nothing works loose over time and nothing to set: open the legs, put the camera on, done. The flip side is that framing height is decided by whatever the tripod is standing on, and if the table is too low the answer is a different tripod.
A push-button ball head with 35 degrees of tilt
The head is the part Manfrotto patented, and the patent PDF is linked from the page. Pressing the button frees the ball; releasing it locks the ball where it sits. There is no friction control and no separate pan lock, so every adjustment is the same press-move-release motion. The listed ranges are front tilt and lateral tilt of -35 to +35 degrees and a panoramic rotation of 360 degrees, with ball locking marked yes and Easy Link marked no.
The camera attaches to a fixed 1/4-20 screw with no quick-release plate, which means nothing to forget at home and a few seconds of threading each time the camera comes off. The safety payload is 1 kg (2.2 lb), and that figure applies to the camera and lens together; a compact mirrorless body with a pancake lens is comfortably inside it, a body with a zoom may not be. A 35-degree tilt also rules out pointing straight down for a flat-lay without tipping the whole tripod.
PIXI versus GorillaPod 1K: rigid or flexible
The Joby GorillaPod 1K Gen 2 carries the same 1 kg rating, weighs 315 g against the PIXI's 170 g, runs 260 mm long against 185 mm closed, and is listed on joby.com at $43.99 against a $49.99 list, where B&H had the PIXI at $29.95 on 11 September 2026. Joby's legs bend and wrap; the PIXI's do not. Joby adds a magnetic phone ring and a cold shoe on the head; the PIXI has a bare 1/4-20 screw and no accessory mount.
The choice follows the surface. On a table, a wall top or the ground, the PIXI's rigid legs give a stiffer base at the same rating and cost less, and the closed-legs grip is something the GorillaPod cannot do. On a railing, a branch or a tent pole, only the GorillaPod works at all. A single tripod for both jobs does not exist at this size; buying the PIXI is a bet that flat surfaces are where the camera will sit.
Sold through retailers, warranted up to five years
Manfrotto's own site carries no cart. The former US store path now redirects to a global catalog, and the catalog entry offers a Find Online button backed by a retailer locator; the page's embedded product data even records a price of zero. B&H listed the MTPIXIMII-B at $29.95 and in stock on 11 September 2026, with the PIXI Evo at $59.95 and the PIXI with smartphone clamp at $39.95 but temporarily out of stock. Those are B&H's prices, and other retailers may differ.
Warranty comes from Videndum, Manfrotto's parent. The PIXI collection falls under Videndum's standard warranty, which runs two years, and registering the product online adds three more, so coverage can run up to five years in total. The terms are non-transferable beyond the original sale, require purchase from an authorized dealer, exclude statutory rights that local law may grant on top, and treat latent defects as the covered category. Registration goes through warranty.vitecimagingsolutions.com, and the extension is not automatic.
Skip it if the camera needs to leave the table
The PIXI is a poor match for anyone whose shooting happens where there is no flat surface. It cannot grip, clamp or hang, and it cannot be raised, so a scene that needs the camera at eye level or wrapped around a post is outside what it can do. The PIXI Evo, with two-section legs and a 2.5 kg rating, or a flexible-leg tripod cover those cases, and both cost more for a reason.
Also pass if the main use is a phone. The MTPIXIMII-B ships with no clamp, and while any 1/4-20 phone holder will thread on, Manfrotto's own PIXI-with-clamp kit is the version drawn for that job. Finally, a rig heavier than 1 kg, such as a full-frame body with a standard zoom, exceeds the rating; the number is a safety figure, not a suggestion, and the ball head has no friction setting to help a load near the limit.
How we put this together
Built from the product pages and listings below, without test scores or results we have not measured. Specifications and prices change, so check the original page for the exact model, current price, delivery, and returns.
- Manfrotto: PIXI Mini Tripod, black (Made in Italy), MTPIXIMII-B (opens in a new tab)
- Manfrotto: PIXI Mini Tripod, black, MTPIXI-B (earlier version) (opens in a new tab)
- Manfrotto: Product warranty (Videndum warranty terms and conditions) (opens in a new tab)
- B&H Photo: search results for Manfrotto PIXI mini tripod (opens in a new tab)
- Joby: GorillaPod 1K Gen 2 Tripod (opens in a new tab)
