Sirui TC50 + BH-19 Versatile Clamp Tripod review: a veritable Swiss Army knife of a multi-function mini tripod

Sirui is a Chinese photographic manufacturer that’s been steadily ramping up its product lines and reputation since its original inception back in 2001. The current catalog includes the likes of anamorphic, cine, and regular camera lenses, photographic lighting, and more besides. Back at the beginning, however, Sirui started out making tripods and other photographic supports, and the mini tripod that I’m reviewing here harks back to the company’s roots.

The main claim to fame of the Sirui TC50 + BH-19 is that it’s way more versatile than typical mini/tabletop tripods. Indeed, the kit comprises two separate elements that meet in the middle or, to be pedantic, up at the top. These include the TC50 ‘versatile clamp’ and the BH-19 mini ball head. Unscrew the latter, and you can attach a camera or other compatible accessory directly to the 1/4-inch threaded stud left behind at the top of the clamp. Either way, the Sirui combo aims to be one of the best mini/tabletop tripods on the market.

Sirui TC50 + BH-19 Versatile Clamp Tripod: Specifications

Sirui TC50 + BH-19 Versatile Clamp Tripod: Price

The Sirui TC50 + BH-19 kit containing the versatile clamp and ball head costs $79 / £72 / AU$128. To put that into perspective, let’s play a quick round of ‘basic, better, best’. The capable Manfrotto PIXI tabletop tripod is cheaper to buy at $30 / £29 / AU$40, but it’s very basic and more of a one-trick pony. Moving on up, the versatile SmallRig SR-RG2 mini-tripod also works as a selfie stick, camera grip, and even as a Bluetooth remote control with compatible cameras, and comes in at $70 / £68 / AU$113.

Then there’s the upmarket and rather luxurious Leofoto Ranger LS-223C, a carbon fiber mini tripod with extending, multi-angle legs and a ball head, costing $116 / £119 / AU$195. All in all, I’d say that the Sirui is potentially very good value for money, if the operability and performance are up to scratch.

Sirui TC50 + BH-19 Versatile Clamp Tripod: Design & Handling

It’s maybe not quite small enough to squeeze into a spare pocket, but the Sirui TC50 + BH-19 is certainly sufficiently compact and lightweight to carry around almost anywhere and everywhere. It measures just 55x30x225mm / 2.2x1.2x8.9in when folded and weighs in at a mere 270g / 9.5oz. I’d say that’s remarkably light for a support with a 3kg / 6.6lb payload rating. A major space-saving bonus is that it replaces a whole range of different supports in one convenient device. Sirui lists a variety of operational modes, including tabletop tripod, clamp, overhead stand, and handheld grip, all in one multi-purpose gadget.

Along with its various operating modes, Sirui also claims that the kit is ideal for B-roll, vlogging, tabletop, creative projects, livestreaming, meetings, travel, and camping. Again, the word ‘versatile’ comes to mind, and I’m in complete agreement. Kicking off the many and varied movements of which the clamp is capable, there’s a handy support leg adjustment button on the side. This enables the larger leg positioned at the rear to swing back and lock in any one of three positions in total.

Another way of looking at it, or turning your attention to the other side of the hinge, is that if you swing back the larger rear leg, it has the same effect as swinging out the two smaller front legs while keeping them closed together in unison. The image below shows the clamp in this configuration.

The two front legs have a slimmer profile than the chunkier rear leg but both of them feature a pair of 1/4-inch threaded sockets flanked by smaller holes. You can use the sockets for fixing accessories to the clamp, with or without magic arms, like a microphone, LED lamp, or monitor screen. The smaller non-threaded holes can come in useful either for anti-twist mounting in conjunction with the threaded holes, or on their own for attaching a lanyard, wrist strap, or other safety tether.

Splaying the front legs enables you to configure the clamp as a regular mini/tabletop tripod. They hinge out with a smooth and fairly effortless movement, although there’s sufficient friction to stop them from dropping out of their folded position on their own. As an extra safeguard to keep them locked away when folded, there are mini disk magnets that hold the rear leg and two front legs together.

Getting back to the support leg adjustment button that I mentioned earlier, this enables the selection of three alternative locking angles, two of which can effectively be used with the splayed front legs. This enables a choice of two different operating heights when in mini/tabletop tripod mode.

To keep the ball head upright despite the change in the orientation of the legs, or to put the head at any other angle you desire, there’s a pushbutton that unlocks the hinge on which the head is mounted. This enables just over a full 180 degrees of rotation, complete with 20 locking click-steps along the way.

Going from head to foot, all of the feet have anti-slip rubber pads that give a firm, grippy footing on hard surfaces. That’s especially useful if you’re using the clamp as a tabletop tripod on an actual table. The rubber feet also help a little in absorbing any unwanted vibrations.

If you look closely at the image above, you’ll spot a hook in its retracted state, just under my thumb. This hinges out, as shown in the picture below, offering yet another alternative operating mode. As such, you can hang the clamp by its extended hook on a fence, cable, or anything else that the hook is large enough to fit over.

Sticking with the larger rear leg, just above the rubber foot and pull-out hook, there’s a pair or swing-out clamp jaws. These again have rubberized surfaces, this time with an additional notch, for using the ‘versatile clamp’ in clamp mode and racking up another operating option.

To loosen or tighten the clamp, you simply pull out the hook and use it as a twist-action handle to shift the bottom jaw up and down on a threaded shaft. The notch in the jaws that I mentioned above makes them more suitable for clamping onto cylindrical objects like pipes, but they work equally well on flat surfaces, for example, clamping onto a desk or table. The jaws can be adjusted to any width from fully closed to a maximum of 45mm / 1.8 inches for clamping to cylindrical objects, or 50mm / 2 inches for flat surfaces.

Up on top (or down below if you’re using the clamp inverted) is the ball head. As I’ve mentioned, the head is a separate component within the complete kit, and you can unscrew it if you don’t want to use it. The head mounts on a standard 1/4-inch thread, so when it’s removed, you can simply mount a camera or other compatible accessory. For example, you could mount a flashgun in a threaded cold shoe to the clamp directly, rather than adding the head into the mix. Naturally, however, the ball head gives greater versatility and makes it easier to position your camera or other accessory just how you want it.

The ball head has an Arca-Swiss style platform and a pushbutton that unlocks the quick-release plate and enables you to slide it out. That said, the lock/release mechanism for the platform doesn’t ensure compatibility with all Arca-Swiss QR plates, and I found that most of mine from other manufacturers didn’t fit, as the platform’s sliding release pin got in the way.

As well as its locking pin, the ball head’s platform features two safety screws shown in the image below. These ensure that the quick-release plate can only slide out from the platform in one direction.

To my mind, one slight frustration is that there’s no D-ring on the QR plate’s camera-mounting screw. This means that you can’t simply use your fingers and thumb to attach or detach a camera from the QR plate, and instead need to use a hex or flat-bladed tool, or a coin for the purpose. To make matters worse, no tool is supplied as part of the kit, so you’ll have to find your own or keep a spare coin in your pocket. I’m a little surprised that Sirui didn’t include a tool in the design, secured away and maybe held in place by magnetic attraction.

The clamp is eminently portable, and to protect it on the journey, it’s supplied complete with a drawstring pouch. The pouch isn’t padded, but it feels pretty sturdy despite being very lightweight.

Sirui TC50 + BH-19 Versatile Clamp Tripod: Performance

With the legs folded in, the Sirui is not only nice and compact for carrying, but also works well as a handheld support for your camera. The shaping of the legs makes it secure and comfortable to hold in your hand, despite the lack of any padding. The only real downside is that the metal construction can feel cold to the touch in chilly conditions, unless you’re wearing gloves.

It’s quick and easy to set up the clamp in its mini/tabletop tripod configuration. The sliding support leg adjustment button enables two options for operating height in this mode, while the upper pushbutton compensates by allowing you to keep the base of the head upright.

Switching from tripod to clamp mode is again quick and easy to do. Using the hook as a twist-action handle ensures that you can lock the rubberized jaws firmly around both cylindrical and flat surfaces. While using the Sirui in clamp mode, you can also splay the front legs to give an extra level of support.

If your camera is fitted within a cage, you can use the clamp as a handheld grip in ‘underslung’ mode. For the more mainstream ‘inverted’ mode, you can extend the hook and simply hang the clamp on anything suitable. This gives you more scope for full-height shooting, as in the example shown below, where I’ve hung the clamp from a tree branch.

Sirui TC50 + BH-19 Versatile Clamp Tripod: Verdict

There’s a lot to like about the Sirui TC50 + BH-19 Versatile Clamp Tripod, but I’ll start with a couple of things that I don’t like. I don’t like clutter, and I don’t like having to lug around a whole bunch of kit that I might only need occasionally or not at all. The Sirui scores very highly in my books, due to its sheer versatility and compactness. It’s sufficiently small and lightweight to take anywhere, but has wide-ranging operating modes. In short, it’s compact, lightweight, and cuts clutter to a minimum.

Those operating modes include a mini/tabletop tripod mode, a clamp mode, an inverted mode hung by its hook, a handheld mode and even an underslung mode if you’re using a cage. Better still, each and every mode within the Sirui’s remit is quick and easy to access, and similarly simple to use. All in all, it’s a multi-purpose gadget that can genuinely replace a whole bunch of separate products. For me, that makes the Sirui a great buy that’s well worth the price.

Alternatives

The SmallRig SR-RG2 is a similarly versatile mini/tabletop tripod, but in a different way from the Sirui. It can work as a small tripod, as a selfie stick, and as a handheld camera grip. There’s no clamp option, but it adds a Bluetooth remote control that works with various compatible cameras. It’s priced at $70 / £68 / AU$113.

The Leofoto Ranger LS-223C doesn’t have a whole bunch of different operating modes, but it does have fully adjustable 3-section legs which can also swing out to different lockable operating angles. It comes complete with a ball head and is more like a full-sized tripod kit, scaled down to a mini/tabletop tripod configuration, and costs $116 / £119 / AU$195.