Novo explora T20
£299/$409
smart design and a Mighty Maximum load Rating
Weighing in at 2.29kg, the Novo isn’t as heavy as the Manfrotto 055 kit on test, but has a significantly greater max load rating of 20kg for the legs and the head. The bottom part of its four-section legs is a typical 21mm, but the top section is the widest of any tripod in the group, at 32mm. With swing-up legs, it folds down nice and small to 53cm, yet has a lofty max operating height of 188cm.
Smartly turned out in black and silver, with a matching colour scheme for the head, the Novo looks and feels like a quality item. Everything works with efficiency and there are some smart design flourishes. The leg that features comfort padding can be unscrewed and used in conjunction with the centre column and ball head as a monopod.
The ball head itself is great, with not one but two pan-release locks, one at the base and the other on the camera platform. The platform itself features an Arca-swiss type quick-release plate. You need to remove this if you want to see the bubble level positioned beneath the plate. Performance
Resistance to flexing and vibrations is actually excellent, on a par with the Benro Mach3 and Manfrotto 055 tripods on test. The twist-locks for the leg sections require minimal rotation for unlocking and re-locking, and the same applies to the twist-lock for the extending centre column.
However, unlike most of the competing tripods here, there’s no pivot facility for the centre column of this tripod. Instead, it comes supplied with a short stub that you can use for relatively low-level shooting.