Kenro Karoo ULTIMATE Travel £230/$300

Along with only the Benro in this test group, the Kenro has a pivot facility, though it’s not quite as well implemented

like the competing Benro, the Kenro is available in both aluminium and carbon fibre editions. However, there’s less of a price difference between the two, making the carbon model a more attractive buy. The Kenro carbon outfit has an identical weight to the Benro, and the same maximum load capacities of 10kg for the legs and 8kg for the head. Being made of lighter carbon fibre, however, the diameters of the Kenro’s four leg sections are noticeably wider, ranging from 19mm to 28mm.

A further similarity to the Benro is that you can pivot the centre column for use as a horizontal boom. It’s convenient for low-level shooting, as well as for ultra-wideangle photography and extreme close-ups. However, the Kenro’s pivot mechanism is more clunky and doesn’t enable you to lock the column at alternative angles apart from vertical or horizontal.

Again, the Kenro features an Arca-swiss compatible quickrelease plate in the head, along with independent locking, panning and adjustable friction knobs. The head also features two spirit levels, but there are no levelling aids in the legs. The rubber feet have a twist action with integral retracting spikes.

Performance

The Kenro’s head is a bit chunkier than that of the Benro, with a larger diameter ball and socket, but there’s no noticeable difference in locking firmness, and movement is similarly smooth. The tripod feels impressively rigid, even at maximum operating height, and spring-loaded locking mechanisms make it easy to select any of three available leg angles.