VANGUARD VEO 3T 265HCBP CARBON FIBRE TRAVEL TRIPOD, £269.99
A good travel tripod isn’t too big or heavy and provides enough stability for whatever it is you want it to support – which, for birdwatchers, is primarily their scope. This one can do that and more.
While not inexpensive, this tripod is a quality item – its build quality is very, very good. It’s made from carbon fibre (the aluminium version costs £50 less and is 205g heavier) and its legs have five sections (the biggest 26mm in diameter) which lock and unlock via twist rings. It packs down to a length of just 44cm and a ‘diameter’ of c11cm, weighs 1,910g, has a maximum height of 166cm (c128cm with the centre column down) and can cope with 12kg of kit – which should be more than enough. I used it with my Nikon ED50 – a typical travel scope – with a 27x wide angle eyepiece. Extending and retracting the legs was easy and the Nikon-Vanguard combo felt light when carried on my shoulder with the legs extended. I’m about six foot tall and didn’t find it too uncomfortable to use my angled Nikon without raising the centre column. The tripod comes with an Arca compatible ball head – ball heads are aimed at photographers and wouldn’t be my first choice. But this one comes with a removable, telescopic pan handle which makes a huge difference. Couple this with a separate pan lock and it becomes much more scope-friendly. I could adjust the tension on the ball joint to tilt with the pan handle and the head would hold its position. That was true with the scope and with my Lumix G6 with a 100- 400mm lens on. If that still isn’t to your liking you could put a different head on. I took it out in storm Franklin, which wasn’t fair. The wind was strong and I hung a backpack on the centre column hook for stability. It wasn’t completely wobble-free but was usable and most of the time you’ll be using it in more favourable conditions. In calmer conditions, stability was good, even with the column raised.
Remove the central column, unscrew one of the legs, and screw them together and you have a monopod (c79cm collapsed, 170cm fully extended). The quick- release plate will grip a smartphone up to 85mm wide – so you have a selfie stick or can use the tripod for smartphone photography (with the Bluetooth remote). The legs can be set at three different angles, there are two spirit levels, and if you want to get down low for photography you can reverse the centre column or use a low angle adaptor that’s part of the package. If rubber feet aren’t right for the terrain you can screw in metal spikes instead.
Package also includes hex keys, 1/4” to 3/8” adapter and tripod bag. 2-year warranty (can be extended to 10 years), vanguardworld.co.uk