Kenro Karoo ULTIMATE Travel Tripod £160/$225

Much more versatile than its name might suggest

When you think versatility, a barren plateau in South Africa probably isn’t the first thing that springs to mind. Nevertheless, this is the region from which the Karoo takes its name. ‘Ultimate Travel Tripod Kit’, which completes the title, is nearer the mark. As such, it has the now favoured design of swing-up legs for a reduced folded height of just 48cm, yet achieves a towering maximum operating height of 190cm, literally standing head and shoulders above most travel tripods. This is mostly thanks to a novel extending centre column design, with additional benefits that we’ll come to in a moment.

The four-section legs have identical diameters to those of the two Benro tripods and, again, one leg can be detached for use as a monopod. An additional trick, only matched by the Manfrotto tripods on test, is that the centre column has a 90-degree pivot facility, ideal for ultra-wide-angle, macro and very low-level shooting. If you prefer to use a short centre column for ground level shooting instead of pivoting the centre column, one of those is provided as well, along with a posh padded carrying bag. Instead of interchangeable feet, retractable metal spikes are fitted within screw-action rubber pads.

Performance

Minimal turning is required to release and lock the main leg section clamps, and operation of the multi-angle leg facility is quick and easy. Rigidity is very good at all heights, when using the centre column in either vertical or horizontal modes. The aluminium kit (KENTR401) is standout value and the carbon version (KENTR401C) is also competitively priced at £218/$306, but it is ten per cent lighter.