Weigh up your options

Size and weight are prime factors in choosing the right tripod for you

Travel tripods with swing-up legs can reduce carrying size and some designs go further still to keep stowage size to a minimum. Naturally, a greater number of extending sections in each leg enables a decent maximum operating height while minimizing the size. As such, most travel tripods have four or even five sections per leg, whereas most general purpose tripods have only three. The Benro, Kenro and SIRUI travel tripods on test also feature dual-section telescopic centre columns, increasing the difference between max operating height and folded size further.

The downside is that larger numbers of leg and centre column sections require the operation of more clamps for setting up the tripod and packing it away. When you need to swing the legs up and down as well, you can find that wrestling your tripod into position can be a time-consuming chore. By contrast, conventional tripods like the Manfrotto 190XPRO4 and the Benro Mach3 are comparatively quick and easy to set up, although their folded size is quite large.

Another drawback of greater leg section numbers is that the bottom leg sections can end up being thin and spindly, and more prone to flexing. Each clamp is a potential weak point as well, so a greater number of clamps can also reduce overall rigidity.

Travel tripods tend to be lighter in weight, so less of a burden to carry around. The Benro and SIRUI travel tripods on test weigh barely more than a kilogram, although the

Kenro is closer to the weight of a conventional tripod at a little over two kilograms. For larger, conventional tripods, the use of carbon fibre instead of aluminium tends to reduce the weight by about 20 per cent. Carbon fibre can also be more resistant to vibrations and less cold to the touch, but it is more prone to shattering if it takes a sharp knock.

Naturally, you’ll need a tripod that is sufficiently sturdy to support the heaviest camera outfit you want to use. So it’s crucial to check the max load rating before you buy. With most tripods, you can buy the legs and head separately, and even mix and match between different manufacturers for each. For this test, however, we’ve chosen complete kits that have both legs and head.