Cutting-edge designs
Crafty designs, clever tricks and carbon construction make for winning tripod
The lines of distinction between full-sized tripods and ‘travel tripods’ have become increasingly blurred of late – indeed, some travel tripods extend to a greater maximum operating height than competing conventional sticks. So you’re really best off looking for a tripod with a set of features that will be most ideal for your needs.
To enable a relatively small stowage size, travel tripods tend to have four or five sections in each leg rather than three. Models in this test group include the Benro Go Plus Travel, Kenro Ultimate Travel, Manfrotto 190go! and the Novo Explorer. Of these, the Benro, Kenro and Novo add another spacesaving trick. Instead of folding them down in the traditional manner, you can extend the centre column to its maximum height, and then swing the legs fully upwards so that the feet encircle the head. This typically saves an extra 20cm or so in the folded height. The full-sized 3 Legged Thing Winston does the same trick.
To enable low-level shooting, all of the tripods on test feature multiangle legs, so you can splay them wide and reduce the height that you’re shooting from. The limiting factor is the centre column, which will come into contact with the ground. To get around the problem, the Benro Mach3 and Novo tripods on test are supplied with a short, stubby centre column, which you can use instead of the full-length centre column. The 3 Legged Thing Winston is designed so that you can remove the centre column and attach the head direct to the tripod spider.
Some tripods have a pivoting centre column. Typically, this enables you to rotate it through 90 degrees and use the centre column as a horizontal boom. It’s ideal for low-level shooting and great for extreme close-ups. It’s also useful for shooting with ultra-wide-angle and fisheye lenses, as you stop the tripod feet creeping into the image.
Of the tripods on test, the Kenro Ultimate Travel and both Manfrotto models enable the centre column to be used in upright or horizontal mode. The Benro Go Plus Travel and Vanguard tripods offer an even greater level of versatility, as their centre columns can rotate through a complete 180-degree arc, locked at a number of angles along the way. Let’s take a look at what all the competitors have to offer.