Jobu Design Jr.3 Deluxe kit
£330/$316
www.jobudesign.co.uk Jobu’s ultralight offering tips the scales at a mere 700g: around half the weight of the next lightest option here. It’s also smaller than the competition, making it possible to slip into a decent sized kit bag. Thankfully pan and tilt motion are effortless, and loosening the locking knobs doesn’t introduce any excess slack. The knobs themselves are small but easy to grip, while overall build quality is great and the head feels more stout than its modest 4.5kg load rating implies. This seems low compared to the competition, but it should be enough for most non-pro set-ups.
The only real drawback is the relatively short height of the swingarm section, meaning large lenses with tall feet may sit too high to balance correctly. You’ll need to drop a further £75/$75 on Jobu’s replacement feet.