peak design travel tripod vs manfrotto befree

Peak Design Travel Tripod Versus Manfrotto Befree: Which Is Better?

When the Peak Design Travel Tripod was first announced and released, I did scoff at it. I thought it was nothing more than just an overpriced tripod. As someone who currently owns the Manfrotto Befree tripod, I thought this release from Peak Design was silly, to say the least.  

In his latest video, Lok Cheung goes over some of the major differences between the Peak Design Travel Tripod and the Manfrotto Befree tripod. Cheung compares the carbon fiber versions of both tripods and demonstrates some of the reasons why the Peak Design Tripod may be a better option. Of course, the price point is one major reason to purchase the Manfrotto version over the Peak Design version; however, Cheung does make a good case for the Peak Design. 

One of the biggest complaints that I saw only about the Peak Design tripod was that the legs and center column were far too slippery and looked like they could quite easily break. Cheung does address this issue and points out how this is a travel tripod. Travel tripods aren't necessarily about having the most sturdy design or being the most effective option. Compromises are going to be made; however, when compared to another travel tripod, the Peak Design option does seem to come out on top. 

Personally, I have to say Cheung does make some good points, and although I don't think I'd ever spend the kind of money the carbon fiber version is asking for, the aluminum version doesn't seem too bad. The weight difference isn't huge between the two, but the price is. 

Check out the full video linked above to see why the Peak Design Tripod may actually be a great option. 

Usman Dawood is a professional architectural photographer based in the UK.

I took the PD tripod on a trip to Iceland with lots of long exposures and just hated the head design. The legs are OK (though heavy since they went for a non-cylindrical design that adds weight without much benefit). The head ALWAYS has to be raised. If you shoot vertical, you can't freely tilt it up and down - you have to keep flipping it between left and right when making small tilt adjustments, shifting your perspective noticeably when you have objects in the foreground. The head is a fundamentally flawed design and really annoying to use in the real world. If I kept an L-bracket on my camera at all times (thus saving me from flipping the head vertically) I might consider it, but I don't like L-brackets.

I took the Befree tripod on a trip to Iceland and used it for time laps and long exp on a January 2020 winter. I never regret my decision, it's durable, stable, easy to setup, and the ball head works just fine. However, my half frozen hand just cannot tighten the tripod legs properly sometimes.

Last week you said the Gitzo series 0 traveler was the best travel tripod you've ever used. Could you comment on that relative to the two tripods being discussed in this article?

FWIW The Center Column has some interesting technical tests that compare the stability of the PD vs Gitzo, RRS, etc.

Thanks. Took a look at the site. Very interesting, but I'd really like to hear from Northrup since withing days of recommending the Gitzo as the best, he didn't even refer to it in the reply above. No problem as the Gitzo wasn't part of the discussion but he obviously is someone with a lot of user experience which is a more important to me than lab tests.

I'm not sure I could live without an L plate for heavy tripod/stitching use, I'm surprised you get by without one... There's loads of L plates where the vertical dovetail can be removed and left off most of the time. If anything I'm more annoyed at needing a workaround* for smooth panning (something PD could've built into the head at the cost of an extra inch or less IMO), vertical drop slots always seemed like a stability/usability compromise to me.

*My workaround is a panning clamp I can clip into the existing head, using the PD legs with a different head isn't as appealing IMO because it starts to erode at the space savings. I guess some of that comes down to how it's carried tho, some people will attach it to the side of the bag and will care more about weight than folded length or volume, others might prioritize one of those traits more than the other.

"non-cylindrical design that adds weight without much benefit".

That would be your expert opinion as an engineer?

I would pick my €115 Manfrotto Befree anytime ofer the much to expensive Peak design counterpart. The difference in money is just to much.

Based on a number of comments, I think I'll have to agree with you. The Befree tripod is pretty damn good.

I had this tripod as I was a backer on KS. I decided to get rid of it due to the following reasons:

- You have to raise the center column to make any adjustments to the ball-head. - This tripod gave rise to shake when shooting in a stream (North Fork of Left Creek). I shoot mainly landscapes, so having a stable tripod is imperative. IMO these tripod legs flex under weight of a DSLR like the Nikon D850. Add to it that you need to actually raise the center column to level the ball-head and it was not a pleasant experience. - The ball-head does not pan which impacts my photography (as I do a lot of panning shots). I understand they have an attachment to affix a panning head, but that defeats the purpose of a travel tripod. It is hard to imagine any rationale for not allowing this head to pan - would have added less than half an inch to the head if they allowed it to pan. - The other 'features' being pushed to market this tripod (the phone holder, opening the legs in under 15 seconds) are frivolous and of no use to serious photographers. I can spend an additional 5 seconds to setup my RRS.

For $600 (I paid the KS price), it is not worth it - they might fix these issues with v2 (and if they do I will revisit purchasing it). RRS is coming out with a Travel Tripod in July or August (per their teasers) and I would happily pay the extra cost to get one of those. Unfortunately, due to purchasing via KS, I PD would not accept a return - but I had no issues selling my tripod at cost, due to the heavy demand (I think I could have sold it for a little higher had I wanted to). YMMV!

A number of people have mentioned how you have to raise the head to make any adjustments. That I think would annoy the heck out of me lol.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, properly appreciate it.

Peak designs makes some good stuff but that tripod is not one of them.

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Manfrotto BeFree 2N1 Tripod/Monopod Review

Photography Gear Reviews | Tripod & Monopod Reviews | By Tommy Williams

When I think of Italian products, I tend to think of high end sports cars and sauce mixed with carbohydrates. But there’s something else that also comes to mind…

Manfrotto, a brand famous for high end camera gear, and like anything else Italian, it comes sporting a high rate of quality, but that is often paired with a high end price tag.

For that reason I can understand why many may hesitate at purchasing a Manfrotto tripod. You really need to think about the balance of “you get what you pay for” and “can I actually afford this?!” But this is where you start to look at things such as build quality, specs, and user experience. At least you don’t have to be concerned about servicing costs, too.

Strong, secure, durable, lightweight and with a built-in monopod.

After going through many different travel tripods in my time, I finally own a Manfrotto one. I now have the Manfrotto BeFree 2N1 Aluminium tripod – there are a few things that I would have preferred to be different, but based on the previous ones I’ve had this one fit as a replacement.

But really, for what it does, it does very well and is a great product. I do have a lot of faith and trust in this one. So read more about it in my Manfrotto BeFree 2N1 tripod review below!

Table of Contents

Manfrotto BeFree 2N1 Tripod Specs

See More Reviews

• It is easy and quick to switch to Monopod mode
• Stylish and very well built
• The included head is strong and secure
• The max height is great
• For a travel tripod if feels weighty
• Would be great if it packed up even smaller
• The small bag hook isn’t particularly practical
• The lowest height could be lower

Weight: 1.66 kg (3.6 lbs)

Safety Payload Weight: 8 kg (17 lbs)

Maximum Height (With Centre Column Down): 128 cm (50″)

Maximum Height: 151 cm (59.4″)

Min Height: 40 cm (15.7″)

Closed Length: 40 cm (15.7″)

Material: Aluminium

Base Type: 40 mm (1.5″)

Base Diameter: 40 mm (1.5″)

Centre Column: Rapid

Maximum Working Temperature: 70 C (158 F)

Minimum Working Temperature: -30 C (-22 F)

Monopod Payload: 5 kg (11 lbs)

Monopod Max Height: 156 cm (61.4″)

Monopod Weight: 0.75 kg (1.6 lbs)

Leg Sections: 4

Leg Type: Single

Leg Angles: 22°, 54°, 89°

Leg Lock Type: Flip Lock

Legs Tube Diameter: 12 / 15.5 / 19 / 22.5 mm (0.47″ / 0.61″/ 0.74″ / 0.88″)

Plate Type: 200PL PRO

Top Attachment: 1/4″ screw

Quick Release: Yes

Upper Disc Diameter: 40 mm (1.5″)

Head Type: Ball Head

Ball Locking: Yes

Independent Pan Lock: Yes

Pan Drag: NONE

Panoramic Rotation: 360

The Manfrotto BeFree 2N1 Aluminium tripod is a stylish black and white aluminium travel tripod. Designed and manufactured in Italy, it’s ready to throw in your bag and see the world with you.

It comes equipped with a Ball Head containing their 200PL PRO plate and combined with their QPL Travel Lever. One of the legs can be easily detached and connected to the centre column and ball head to form a Monopod.

Is it the best monopod money can buy? Probably not, but it’s definitely a handy built-in feature if you don’t require the full camera tripod and just require mobile stability!

You can comfortably attach up to 8kg while in tripod mode and up to 5kg when set up as a monopod. There is a small hook attached to the side of it to hang a bag for extra stability in windier weather, but I found that hook to be relatively useless with most of the bags I have. The straps on them didn’t grab very well.

You’ll also find a Easy Link connector built on to the tripod to allow you to connect a number of extra accessories, such as external monitors, lights, or to get your camera lower to the ground with another arm attached.

Build Quality

Manfrotto is a brand that you can expect great build quality and craftsmanship.

Being a premium and well known brand you would expect great build quality and craftsmanship. Being Italian I would also expect a level of high standards, passion, and pride. That is certainly the case for this model.

Perched amongst their range are the Manfrotto BeFree series of tripods – this example is a 2N1 model, meaning it has an inbuilt monopod capability .

This particular one is made from lightweight aluminium, fitted with smooth plastic switches and dials, and equipped with a sturdy modest ball head.

It feels solid and it does not feel cheap. It does not feel flimsy or fiddly. It feels precise. I can’t begin to imagine how well built their higher end products are if this one feels this way. I’ve used other Manfrotto products throughout the years and I have to say that is the case for those as well.

The included Advanced 494 aluminium Center ball head is not complicated – it is quite a simple set up and it feels quite solid.

It does everything you’d need, nothing more and nothing less. If you require more than the standard expected features you can replace it with any other tripod head in their line up.

Everything is there for a reason and very well-engineered.

Size & Handling

Manfrotto BeFree 2N1 Aluminium tripod in monopod mode | For context I am 172cm tall

To put it simply, it is quite the average size for a fold up travel tripod. When completely packed up it is 40cm long, but chunky in size. There is a lot of wasted space in the middle which is a bit of a shame, especially with newer products such as the Peak Design Travel Tripod that do a good job at minimising this space.

It comes with a small bag that fits it quite well and is fairly light, to not add anymore weight to the overall Manfrotto BeFree 2N1 Aluminium tripod package.

Speaking of weight, however, for a travel tripod it’s not the lightest available . Weighing in at 1.66 kg (3.6 lbs), you do need to consider it when packing or lugging it around during the long days of adventuring.

Fully extended the Manfrotto BeFree 2N1 Aluminium tripod will reach 151cm (59.4″) or if you don’t raise the centre column you’ll have a maximum height of 128cm (50″). This should, in most cases, be high enough for what somebody should need.

The lowest height is determined by the centre column length, and that sits at 40cm (15.7″). The centre column is rigid and firm, the twist dial is large and easy to grasp and tighten. It really is a well built package.

Detaching the monopod leg is a relatively seamless experience. It’s not fiddly, but there are a few steps involved.

Transforming the BeFree 2N1 into a monopod isn’t difficult – there’s just a few steps involved.

Once detached and connected to the centre column, you’ll have a monopod that can extend to a maximum of 156cm (61.4″) and weighing in at only 750g (1.6lbs).

Ready for you to load it with up to 5kg of gear, you’ll have your mobile stability whenever you pack your tripod. No need for two different products!

Leg Locks & Joints

The latches on the legs of the Manfrotto BeFree 2N1 Aluminium tripod are large and easy to use. Just a quick flick and the legs slide through. They’re rather simple in that it’s not friction based. If the latch is closed the legs stay put, if the latch is open the legs will move.

I’ve found the twist action ones have a flaw, in that if you don’t tighten them sufficiently you’ll have potential movement. I’ve also found that if you constantly over tighten them, they get more difficult to use later. In saying this though, if twist action is more your thing, a Manfrotto tripod is a great option.

The legs have three inbuilt fixed angles that click in to place to make it steady and easy to set up. You can of course set the tripod to whatever angles you may need – the quick release latches allow you to adjust with just a free hand.

There is a nice amount of resistance in the legs to make it feel strong and purposeful, as if it would not shift unexpectedly, giving you the confidence and stability that you need while using it.

It’s simple – if the latch is closed the legs stay put, if the latch is open the legs will move!

Manfrotto Advanced 494 Aluminium Centre Ball Head with the 200PL PRO plate

Equipped as standard on the Manfrotto BeFree 2N1 Aluminium tripod is the Manfrotto Advanced 494 Aluminium Centre Ball Head. It is a small, strong, and intuitive tripod head that allows for easy movement and adjustability to help you to get the angle and shot you’re after.

The ball head contains 3 different modes of control. You’ll find a large main knob to move the main ball section, which also contains an integrated friction knob that adjusts the tension of the ball.

This allows you to customise just how smoothly or firmly the ball moves while under different loads. You’ll also find an independent panoramic knob that keeps the horizon level and allows the camera to turn horizontally without your horizons being inconsistent.

The head contains the Manfrotto 200PL PRO plate which is fully compatible with many different heads, including the Manfrotto RC2 and Arca-swiss style heads. If you leave this plate fixed to your camera you’ll seamlessly be able to use all of the different Manfrotto heads and almost all tripod heads containing the Arca-style attachments.

Value for Money

To be blunt, the Manfrotto BeFree 2N1 Aluminium tripod is on a higher price spectrum than many other similar travel tripod options out there. By similar, I mean the features and I’m not talking build quality.

There are a variety of cheaper, other brand tripods available with similar specs,as the Manfrotto BeFree 2N1, but whether or not they are the same level of quality is questionable.

This tripod feels like it would survive a great deal and I would not expect it to fail anytime soon, but I guess that depends on just how hard of a life you give it!

With me, I say it’d last a lifetime. In comparing it to the number of cheaper tripods I have owned, I have to admit this does feel very well and solidly built.

Manfrotto BeFree 2n1 Tripod Review | Conclusion

Tripods are one of the most varying accessories you can find in the photography world. They come in a tremendous variety of different builds and sizes. From mini tripods to phone tripods, all the way up to the full size carbon fibre tripods built to hold the largest of set ups.

They’re available for any photographer with any range of budget. Those who just want to mount their happy little point and shoot to take a group snapshot, to the casual photographer going on holiday, to the full time professional with copious amounts camera gear.

What I have found in my time is that more often than not you get what you pay for. As an example, when I started out I had a $15 hand-me-down tripod that worked just fine, up until a leg snapped off. Following that I didn’t have much money and I hit up eBay for a replacement.

That worked well until the legs jammed inside and I could no longer pack it up. This is when I learned that brands with a reputation and quality control set in place came in to play.

Fast forward a number of years and a few other varying experiences behind me, this Manfrotto BeFree 2N1 Aluminium tripod does what you’d expect, and does it well.

At the end of the day a tripod realistically just needs to be stable and sturdy. But when it can do that and give you full confidence with every adjustment, that is worth the extra dollars. I may not be able to afford to own an Italian sports car, but I can manage an Italian tripod!

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Tommy Williams is a travel photographer from Sydney, Australia. He is pretty chill, and admits he really needs to get around to updating his website more often.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this article! If you have any questions or thoughts about this great tripod, whether big or small – feel free to leave them here.

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The Buyers guide to... Best travel tripods

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Friday July 9, 2021

By Angela Nicholson

The line of distinction between travel tripods and full-size tripods has become increasingly blurred in recent years. Manufacturers are putting greater emphasis on lighter legs that fold down to smaller sizes. What’s more, many modern travel tripods can extend to greater maximum heights than in the past.

The compact form of the travel tripod has really elevated this once niche subsect of the tripod world to what is now, without doubt, the most popular. The small size, lightweight and simplicity of design mean that they can be taken anywhere.

So how do you choose the best travel tripod for your photographic journey? In this buyer’s guide, we’ve rounded up our favourite models that we’ve tested.

What to look for in a travel tripod

When you read the fine print, there sometimes isn’t a whole lot of weight difference between travel tripods and their full-size siblings. Nor is there a whole lot of weight difference usually between the carbon fibre and aluminium options.

While you may not feel the difference of a few hundred grams for a short length of time, it can become more apparent if you carry the tripod for a long period. However, the weight reduction can be at the expense of strength.

Another point to look for when choosing the best travel tripod for your needs is to ensure that the head that can support your camera. Most travel tripods tend to come with a ball head so you can make quick adjustments on the go. But unless the ball head is big enough to support your camera, you might find it slowly drifting out of position. If you’re using a chunky DSLR like the Nikon D850 , this will be a concern.

In our list of the best travel tripods, we’ve chosen models that support a heavy payload and should put these concerns to bed, whatever camera you’re using.

Other things to look for in a travel tripod are removable or interchangeable feet and a removable centre column that allows for extreme low-level angles. These aren’t must-have features for everyone, but if you are holidaying on the beach or low angles are part of your signature style, these will be of great use to you.

We’ve taken a look at a selection of the best travel tripods to help you decide which will offer you the best solution for your DSLR or CSC.

The best travel tripods you can buy today

Peak design travel tripod.

Specification

• Maximum height centre column raised: 152.4cm / 60inches
• Maximum height centre column down: 130.2cm / 51.25inches
• Minimum height: 14cm / 5.5inches
• Collapsed length and diameter: 39.1cm / 15.4inches, 7.9cm / 3.125inches
• Weight: Aluminium: 1.56Kg / 3.44lbs, Carbon fibre: 1.27Kg / 2.81lbs
• Maximum payload: 9.1Kg / 20lbs
• Number of leg sections: 5
• Leg material: Aluminium or carbon fibre
• Leg lock material: Aluminium

Peak Design makes two versions of its Travel Tripod, one with aluminium alloy legs and one with carbon fibre legs. While the price of the aluminium tripod is more palatable, if low weight is especially important, bite the bullet and go for the carbon fibre tripod which is 290g lighter.

Don’t be fooled by the thinness of the lower leg sections, the Peak Design Travel Tripod is very stable. In our tests it even delivered sharp long exposures in a stiff breeze with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens mounted on a full-frame camera.

The beauty of the Peak Design Travel Tripod is that it packs down to less than 40cm in length and its legs fold in tight together so it has a very narrow diameter. It’s a tripod that you won’t mind carrying ‘just in case’. We think it’s the best travel tripod you can buy right now.

The aluminium Peak Design Travel Tripod can be found here on  Amazon UK , while the carbon fibre version is here on  Amazon UK  and  Amazon US .

Read our Peak Design Travel Tripod Review

• Very compact
• Very stable for a travel tripod
• Quick to deploy
• Centre column needs extending slightly to give the head full movement
• Hex wrench (supplied) required to attach and detach the quick release plate
• High price - especially for the carbon fibre version

Manfrotto BeFree Advanced GT Carbon Fibre

• Maxmimum height: 1.62m
• Packed size: 43cm
• Maximum payload: 10Kg
• Weight: 1.5kg

The Manfrotto BeFree was the travel tripod that really transformed the market and several generations on we now have the Manfrotto BeFree Advanced GT. This is essentially the BeFree on steroids and offers one of the most robust and sturdy travel supports on the market.

The Manfrotto BeFree Advanced GT builds on the design and capabilities of the Advanced, and at the top of this spec sheet is a load capacity of 10kg, which is 2 kilos more than the previous version.

The BeFree Advanced GT features 100% carbon fibre on all the legs and weighs just 1.55kg in the carbon version. An aluminium version weighs 1.85kg. Comparing the carbon versions, the BeFree GT is only 300g heavier than the Advanced.

The BeFree GT can also fold down to just 43cm while extending up to 164cm with the centre column raised.

When you buy the BeFree Advanced GT you also get Manfrotto’s Advanced 496 aluminium Centre ball head. And the legs use Manfrotto’s M-lock twist lock and leg angle selector, which offers three independent leg angles.

The BeFree GT also boasts Manfrotto’s new 200PL-PRO plate. This plate fits all of Manfrotto’s other normal 200PL plates, but it also fits into Arca Swiss heads so that you can swap between different systems.

The BeFree Advanced GT also inherits the Easy Link port from the Advanced, meaning you can attach a micro friction arm and mount any accessory – such as a Tascam audio recorder – that has a 1/4-inch screw thread.

Read our Manfrotto BeFree Advanced GT review

• Solid and versatile
• Accessory port
• Manfrotto Advanced 496 ball head included

3 Legged Thing Ray

• Product type: Tripod
• Announced: 4th August 2020
• Construction: Carbon fibre tubes, hard anodised aerospace-grade magnesium alloy fixings
• Max Height: 129.5cm
• Minimum height: 104mm
• Leg sections: 5
• Centre column sections: 2
• Folded length: 34.2cm
• Leg angles: 23º, 55º, 80º
• Load capacity: 30kg / 66lb at 23º, 20Kg / 44lb at 55º, 10Kg /33lb at 80º
• Max tube diameter: 26mm
• Head height (with the kit): 98mm
• Weight: 1.27kg

As a travel tripod, the Three Legged Thing Ray isn’t the tallest tripod around, but it has a premium build and packs down to just 34.2cm in length, which means it can fit in your hand luggage or slot sideways into a suitcase.

As usual, 3 Legged Thing has given the Ray some very nice extra features, including the ability to remove the legs so that it can be converted into a tabletop tripod with the addition of the optional 3 Legged Thing Vanz feet. Also, the centre column can be attached to a leg to make a monopod or mic boom.

3 Legged Thing used 8-layer Japanese carbon fibre for the Ray’s leg and centre column tubes while the canopy, leg fixings and locks are made from aerospace-grade anodised magnesium alloy. The quality of the machining is superb, which helps to make the Ray a pleasure to use.

3 Legged Thing sells the Ray legs-only or with the AirHed Vu tripod head.

The 3 Legged Thing Ray is also available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Read our 3 Legged Thing Ray Review

• Short packed-down length
• Removable legs and interchangeable footwear for versatility
• Available with or without the Airhed Vu tripod head
• Quite a large diameter when packed down

Gitzo Légende Tripod

• Materials: Carbon exact (carbon fibre), aluminium
• Maximum height: 165cm
• Minimum height: Standard configuration: 43cm, Short centre column: under 31cm
• Closed length: 43cm
• Number of leg sections: 4
• Leg angles: 25°, 70°
• Maximum payload: 8Kg
• Panoramic rotation: 360°
• Front and lateral tilt: -90°/+40°
• Weight: 1.45Kg

The Gitzo Légende (GK 1545T-RTI) tripod kit is a special edition Series 1 4-section Gitzo Traveler tripod (GT1545T – see below) with a matte silver aluminium Center Ball Head. It has an elegant, simple design that works very well and should give many years of service.

It’s recommended for use with lenses with focal lengths of up to 135mm – 200mm.

The legs are constructed from Carbon eXact tubing for strength and rigidity while the leg locks are made from aluminium.

With the legs flipped up through 180° Gitzo Légende packs down to 43cm in length. However, when the 4-section legs and centre column are fully extended, the shooting height is 165cm (5ft 4-inches).

The legs have a robust yet easy to use angle-release mechanism that enables them to be positioned in one of two angles (25° or 70°) for shooting.

By unscrewing the base plug in the centre column and loosening the column lock, the centre column can be removed then inverted for low-level shooting. Alternatively, there’s a short column supplied with the kit that can be used in place of the standard column with the legs spread to their widest point. This lowers the top of the tripod head to below 31cm above ground height.

Gitzo also supplies a hook that can be screwed into the bottom of the centre column for hanging a weight. The kit includes a Center Ball Head from Gitzo’s professional range. This is made from steel and aluminium components and features a friction-control knob to enable precise, smooth adjustments of the composition. Its quick release plate is Arca-Swiss compatible, which means the head can be used with Gitzo D profile plates as well as Arca-Swiss type plates.

A bubble-level on the head helps with keeping the horizon level.

According to Gitzo, the Légendes Tripod is built from 170 parts and is designed to be repaired rather than replaced. All of the parts are replaceable and 70% of them are said to be user-replaceable with the part being shipped at no extra cost. The Gitzo Légende is eligible for a free unlimited extended warranty upon registration.

• Simple elegant design that works well
• Excellent build quality
• Designed for repair rather than replacement
• No accessory connection points
• Short centre column replaces the standard column rather than just removing the bottom section of the main column

Gitzo GT1545T Series 1 Traveler

• Materials: Carbon fibre legs
• Maximum height: 153cm
• Maximum height with centre column down: 130cm
• Minimum height: 22cm
• Collapsed length: 42.5cm
• Leg lock type: Twist
• Leg angles: 25°, 70°,
• Leg tube diameter: 14.7, 18.3, 21.7, 25.3mm
• Weight: 1.055Kg

Although the GT1545T Series 1 Traveler carbon fibre tripod weighs just 1.055Kg, it doesn’t skimp on the build quality, it feels extremely well made. It also extends up 153cm with the centre column extended or 130cm without raising the centre column.

Gitzo used it Carbon eXact tubing for the GT1545T’s legs, making them strong and stiff. They also have the ‘Traveler G-lock’, a smaller version of Gitzo’s G-lock leg locks which are quick and easy to operate, yet tighten securely.

In addition to the standard centre column, Gitzo supplies the GT1545T with short centre column which can be swapped quickly for low-level shooting. It drops the minimum height to 22cm.

The Gitzo GT1545T Series 1 Traveler tripod is available from A mazon UK and Amazon US .

• Great quality set of legs
• 1.055Kg weight and 10Kg payload
• Short-centre column supplied for low-level shooting
• Expensive and head extra
• Short centre column isn't part of the long column
• No hook on the centre column

Benro Rhino FRHN05CVX20

• Max height: 139.5cm
• Minimum height: 35cm
• Pack down length: 35cm
• Max payload: 10kg
• 360 pan: Yes Dual
• Monopod leg: Yes
• Monopod height: 181.4
• Weight: 1.24kg
• Materials: Carbon fibre, magnesium alloy

The FRHN06CVX20 is the smallest of the Benro Rhino range of tripods, making it a great choice for travel. The carbon fibre 5-section legs feel well made and extend quickly following a twist of the rubber-coated leg locks.

Sold as a kit, the legs come with Benro’s VX20 ball head which has simple dual-action controls with built-in friction control and a separate pan lock. The head is lightweight and comes with an Arca Swiss compatible release plate.

A sprung hook is provided at the bottom of the centre column to hang a weight to give extra downward force and stability. However, this can be removed to enable to column to be inverted for low-level shooting.

Conveniently, the leg with a short foam covering unscrews and can be attached to the centre column to create a monopod.

• Elegant design
• CNC machined
• No accessory ports
• Spindly lower legs

For me, all over 1kg and all over 30cm in collapsed length are waste of money.

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Manfrotto Befree Advanced Travel Tripod review

As light and as solid a travel tripod as you’re likely to find, the manfrotto befree advanced travel tripod's aluminum rig proves apt with full-frame astrophotography gear.

Space Verdict

Lightweight aluminum build

Versatile ball-head

Soft twist leg locks

Relatively large when collapsed

Not full height

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• Functionality
• Related products

Photographers after the perfect tripod to take out at night require three things: a lightweight tripod that is easy to carry, fixings that make it quick to set up and take down, and a solidity and rigidity that can be relied upon to keep one of the best cameras for astrophotography steady even in windy conditions. The Manfrotto Befree Advanced Travel Tripod has all of that, being the lightest aluminum travel tripod we've tried, though perhaps it is not the most efficiently designed for transit. 

Although it’s not particularly long at 15.7 inches when closed, it is very wide at 3.7 inches; it consequently takes up a lot of space in luggage. However, what it lacks in space efficiency, it makes up for in exceptional build quality and reliability in the field. This sturdiness is one of the reasons is ranks among our best tripods .

Material: Aluminum

Leg sections: 4

Weight: 3.28 lbs

Max load: 19.48 lbs

Folded height: 15.7 in

Ball head or pan/tilt head: Ball head

With a maximum height of 59 inches, the Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Travel Tripod is not exactly full-size, but then that’s a compromise you have to make with all so-called travel tripods. Another weak point with this genre of tripod is the importance placed on the center column. 

Astrophotographers looking to take very long exposure images (for example, a star trail which might last three hours) put a premium on safety, support, and stability, which makes them instantly suspicious of center columns that are very often unsteady. That's not the case with the Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Travel Tripod, simply because the center column has its own fastening mechanism to keep it solid. There’s also an unusual configuration whereby the three legs fold through 180º to meet the ball head on take down, rather than the other way around.

As well as an unusual design for the center column, the Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Travel Tripod – which can take a payload of 19.8 lbs – uses soft rubber rings that hold the extended legs in place and a ball-head that has knobs to keep a camera super-secure in any position. 

The perfect blend of lightweight build yet high-end components, the Befree Advanced is an impressive high-end tripod for traveling astrophotographers looking for something solid, quick to set up and take down, and mostly easy to travel with. 

• Related: Best equipment for aurora photography

Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Travel Tripod review: Design

• 59 (in) max. height 
• 15.7 (in) when collapsed 
• Excellent ball-head, but makes packing awkward  

Small carbon fiber tripods may be the lightest around, but being mid-size and made from aluminum the Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Travel Tripod keeps to both a reasonable height and price tag. The tripod has four-section legs and a column that together stretch to a height of 59 inches. That’s just about high enough, though with a DSLR camera mounted on the ball-head and pointing upwards, some people will have to stoop. However, the ball-head itself adds another 5.5 inches. 

That ball-head proves really useful when shooting – the positional flexibility it offers is excellent, and it also has a locking mechanism to make a camera stationary and safe, with no droop – but it does make the Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Travel Tripod slightly awkward to pack. In fact, there are two ways of collapsing the BeFree Advanced for travel and/or transit. 

To create as narrow a package as possible for transit it’s best to unscrew the ball-head completely, creating a package that’s 17.3 inches long and 3.7 inches wide, though tapered at one end where the tripod feet are just 2.8 inches wide. The other way, which is 15.7 inches long and 3.7 inches wide at both ends, is achieved by pulling the tripod legs back through 180º to meet the ball-head on the extended center column. That latter configuration is rather unusual, but it works well enough for transporting it in the field, typically strapped to the outside of a camera bag, or in transit using a small carry-on bag. 

In either collapsed configuration, the Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Travel Tripod isn’t hugely compact in a suitcase, with significant gaps between the legs, so expect to have to squeeze clothes and other soft items around it to maximize space.

Although it’s a design that is best suited to strapping to the outside of a camera bag, it does come in an attractive red and black carry case that has reflective panels and a basic carry strap, complete with a shoulder pad. 

There are plenty of other high-end components on the BeFree Advanced, from wraparound twist-lock rings on the leg joins and that excellent ball head, which despite not being at all space-efficient is, at least, easy to use with a camera. In fact, its aluminum 200PL PRO base-plate (which works with both the RC2 and Arca-Swiss plate attachment) fastens to a camera using a D-ring, which can be done anywhere without tools, though can be tightened using an included Allen key. That’s the ideal scenario of both convenience and reliability. 

Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Travel Tripod review: Functionality

• Simple and quick set-up and takedown 
• Strong center column 
• Center column lacks hook  

Travel tripods need to be quick to set up and take down, and the Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Travel Tripod offers just that. The four-section legs are easy to use and incredibly versatile, with three angled positions that click into place. 

The legs are simple to secure, though they are slightly fiddly to release, so pack-up isn’t quite as rapid as it could be. The leg joins can be secured and loosed using rubber grips, which are easy to turn even with cold or wet fingers. Each leg also has a significant rubber foot with plenty of grip. However, that final extension is always going to be the weakest and where vibrations are possible, so if you want to prioritize absolute stability, don’t extend it.

The central column is strong, held in place by a large knob on the join that can easily be tightened and loosened. The ball-head itself has also been improved on previous versions, with this latest incarnation featuring 360º flexibility and some simple to use locking mechanisms once your camera is in position. 

However, just as inserting a camera base-plate into the ball head in the dark takes a little time to master, so too the BeFree Advanced’s ball head takes some getting used to. In fact, several users have reported the ball head getting locked into position with zero movement. 

This is classic “didn’t read the instructions” stuff; there’s an inner friction ring in the main knob that regulates the tension of movement while another knob adjusts pan adjustments, but both independently lock the ball head’s movement. It’s not complicated, but it is best mastered before you venture out into the night. 

• Related: How to do seascape photography

Should you buy the Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Travel Tripod?

At 3.28 lbs, the Italian-made Manfrotto Befree Advanced Travel Tripod isn’t ultra-lightweight, yet this aluminum travel tripod is not much heavier than its far pricier carbon fiber rivals. As travel tripods go, it’s not as compact when collapsed as others, yet it’s as advanced as any we’ve come across. An excellent quick-release ball head that’s all about flexibility and security, easy-to-use twist legs and a surprisingly strong center column make for a specialist tripod that’s a reliable night companion. 

If this product isn’t for you

If you want to go slightly lighter and don’t mind paying a premium price then go for the Manfrotto Befree Advanced Carbon Fibre tripod , which weighs 2.75 lbs.

If you’re after something as light as possible for a compact mirrorless camera and don’t mind having a slightly shorter tripod, try the Vanguard VEO3GO235AB . It weighs just 2.7 lbs and reaches 53.5 inches, but only supports up to 8.8 lbs of gear. 

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Jamie is an experienced science, technology and travel journalist and stargazer who writes about exploring the night sky, solar and lunar eclipses, moon-gazing, astro-travel, astronomy and space exploration. He is the editor of  WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com  and author of  A Stargazing Program For Beginners , and is a senior contributor at Forbes. His special skill is turning tech-babble into plain English.

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Tested: Four travel tripods for every budget

Peak design travel tripod peakdesign.com | $599.95(~$600 street), specifications.

• Max. height 131cm (51.6"), or 153.5cm (60.4") with center column
• Min. height 34.5cm (13.6"), or 15.5cm (6.1") with included short center column
• Folds to 39.1cm (15.4"), with unusually compact 7.9cm (3.1") diameter
• Weighs 1.3kg (3.0lb) with accessories
• 9.1kg (20.1lb) load limit
• Two leg angles, four leg sections
• Single, combined pan/tilt/roll control
• Bubble level included
• Swappable feet and head (with optional head adapter kit)
• Smartphone holder included, stores in center column
• Padded bag included, supports optional straps
• Aluminum version available for $349.95 MSRP

Description

The Peak Design Travel Tripod is the result of a ground-up rethink of what a travel tripod should be, and in many respects it's a superb offering. It has the second-tallest maximum height of the group, and with a quick adjustment using the included hex tool (which stores in a convenient leg clip), it also offers the lowest minimum height of the group.

And yet despite its generous height range, it is also far and away the smallest of the bunch once folded. That's achieved thanks to legs with an unusual angled oval cross section instead of the more typical circular cross-section used by most every other tripod, paired with a unique new ball head atop an extremely thin center column.

You might think the center column, in particular, would make Peak Design's offering less sturdy than its rivals, but I actually found it to be the second-sturdiest of the group even at its maximum height, and almost as sturdy as the Gitzo. And it's also a little quicker to set up and stow away than any of its rivals.

Not surprisingly, given Peak Design's history of designing excellent camera bags, the padded bag that ships with the Travel Tripod is far and away the nicest of the group, putting Gitzo in particular to shame. No strap is included, sadly, but there are twin attachment points on both the bag and the tripod itself which work with many straps, and pair particularly well with the company's own Anchor Link attachment system.

Were this a review solely of the tripod legs, I'd immediately declare the Peak Design Travel Tripod the hands-down winner, but its unusual ball head is also part of the mix, and while it has advantages in some respects, it has significant drawbacks in others. You can avoid these by switching to a more traditional head, but can't order the tripod without Peak Design's head, and to mount anything else, you'll need to buy an optional universal head adapter kit.

On the plus side, the head is extremely quick to adjust, since it uses only one control to lock all axes. It also latches onto the included ARCA quick-release plate automatically when a camera is mounted, and has an extremely secure lock control to ensure it remains securely attached. (Perhaps *too* secure, as just once I had difficulty managing to unlock it again.)

But the combined pan/tilt/roll control means that you can't unlock just the panning axis for panorama shooting. Nor is there a scale to assist in panning the correct distance between shots, and while there's a bubble level, which has a white background, can be frustratingly difficult to see.

The three "claws" which hold the ball head to its ball, meanwhile, interfere both with portrait-orientation shooting at some angles, and with fully retracting the tripod's center column. (Struggling to fit the tripod back in its bag? So did I. This will be why.)

With those complaints aside, the included smartphone holder that stows inside the center column is a nice touch, as is the clever folding hex tool and the fact you can detach part of the center column for extremely low-angle shooting.

What we like

• Excellent build quality
• Very sturdy
• Exceptionally compact when folded
• Generous maximum height
• Quick to deploy and stow
• Clever smartphone holder and stowable hex tool
• Superb padded bag

What we don't like

• Expensive, albeit no more so than the Gitzo
• Ball head can frustrate, especially when shooting panoramas
• Bubble level is tiny and difficult to see
• Quick-release plate lock is difficult to release if overtightened
• 1 Introduction
• 2 MeFoto BackPacker S
• 3 Manfrotto BeFree Advanced
• 4 Peak Design Travel Tripod
• 5 Gitzo Traveler Series 1
• 6 Conclusion

I know this is two years old article but... Gitzo is an etalon of tripod legs stiffness. Now I have the Gitzo 1545T that has excellent legs stiffness. But I also have an old Velbon EL Carmagne 540 and its stiffness is basically the same. Gitzo is more compact but the weight is almost same. Please do not compare Velbon El Carmagne series tripods with Velbon tripods from the Walmart. These are absolutely different "animals".

Nice review! My company producing photographic equipment including differnt types of tripods. How to contact you about cooperation? Thank you.

We have more than 16 years' OEM&ODM experience for many well-known brands.

The PD Travel Tripod would have been a truly great tripod if it had had just four leg sections instead of five. It's light, compact, ergonomically very good and stiff. Stiff, until you pull out the fifth leg sections, that is. Then it becomes flimsy and that is a pity for such a great product. I love mine nevertheless, but if a four section version became available, I would gladly accept the extra pack length and trade it in.

This is a decent selection of tripods. Very mainstream brands, other than Peak Design.

I would like to see DPReview build on this article by reviewing some other brands--Leophoto or FLM for example. Let's find out if some of these smaller makers are producing better tripods.

A folded diameter of 1cm for Traveler seems a bit low :)

What a waste. Any budget? How about including a $75 Slik Sprint? Sirui and Benro make some nice tripods that would fit into prices between the ones listed too.

I carry a Benro Slim CF, mostly because my local shop had one open box for $100 and I needed one. I was actually going to buy the Mefoto BackPacker, but the price on the Benro was too good to pass up & it felt a bit sturdier.

What I'd really like to see is a shoot out between two well known and TALENTED photographers both using a $600 travel tripod and a $40 travel tripod. My prediction would be that there would be no difference in the results.

Then let's really quantify the results based on making them have the choice of carrying around these tripods for 1 month and see how many times they left the $600 tripod at home.

Certainly no difference if studio and flash lightening.

Hmm... well known and TALENTED photographers generally (hopefully!) make a decent living from their photography and therefore invest in gear that gets the job done and only has to be bought once. So, they'd already have the $600 (or $1200) travel tripod and might say "if you can afford one, buy this brand then stop shopping and start shooting." No $40 tripod would be bothered with.

Of course, we should all be expected to make the best use of whatever we have available, even a $40 tripod. Will it be enjoyable (or profitable)?

With my Element Big Traveller Manfrotton made an effort to comply with current trends by having an ARCA head plate. But the plate screw heads protruded by about 2mm so you cannot slide camera on like my other equipment – has to be fully open to drop it in vertically. While Manfrotto’s response was disappointing my solution, not available to most, was to get a friend with a lathe to machine down screw heads so they were flush. Also I can only fit it into supplied bag if you reverse the ball head which is very tedious. Suppose it was to get the headline overall length down.

I have to say that I was a bit surprised when I purcahased one of the MeFoto tripods. For what you pay, they're actually quite good and in some cases, only slightly cheaper than the crap you find at places like BestBuy and WalMart (the Sunpack or Platinum branded ones for example).

I also like my Sirui A1205 CF tripod I got for about $200. Although it does have the double-column, it still a good travel tripod, quite light for hiking/carrying around, and sturdy (you do have to really lock down the columns to make sure it's steady, but it's not bad for $200).

I'd say if you're on a budget the aluminum tripods from MeFoto are quite good for the money. I had a RoadTrip aluminum as my primary travel tripod for years. Upgraded to the Sirui last year because I wanted CF. Thinking of getting a really small MeFoto tripod for urbexing....

I have had only 2 tripods for over 60 years of amateur work. They cost no where near that. I replaced the last one when some how the camera mounting screw fell out and could not be replaced. I never used a quick mounting plate. My new one, with a brAnd name Kodak, seems great, nice and stable, light and easy to carry. But, it can be used only with the quick release mount. Seems it wouldn't be a problem, but I just tried to mount my 35 mm F mount lens with FTZ onto my Nikon Z50 and found I had to remove the rapid release, the mount blocked the FTZ, which has its own tripod mount female. A minor nuisance, but a nuisanse any way.

@Mike Tomkins "Much flimsier than the other travel tripods in this review"

How was this tested and what impact does this have to picture taking?

I bought a Benro IT25 last year, had several good reviews. Have not used it in the real wild, but it works ok for my casual use.

Nice and useful in travel

"Four travel tripods for every budget" with 2 of them @ $600.00 LOL

How about "4 travel tripods under $100"?

I'll look at the guy's pictures who is carrying around a beat up, duct taped, cheap tripod before some gear head, no talent poser with a $600 'travel' tripod. Creating compelling images has little to do with spending ridiculous amounts of money for a tripod that folds down to 17 inches instead of 21.

Oh and one more thing Mike Tomkins you're based in Tennesee and your readers are 97% based in the USA. What is CM? Your tape measure is really metric? Really?

The sooner the USA comes across to the metric system, the better off you will be. 2020 is a good time to learn.

When a country using the metric system walks on the moon, I'll consider it.

Going by China’s progress you have 4 years. Based on what I know of the USA you should have started considering it about 6 years ago.

You don't seem to realise that most technical and scientific fields, especially NASA, do all their primary work in metric? Sometimes, to present to the great unwashed American public, it might require translation back into that archaic imprecise, error-prone Imperial measure. Photog sensor pixels, like silicon IC, are measured in nanometers not millionths of an inch or whatever. Micrograms, nanograms, picograms etc. Even scifi has advanced more than the 'real' America. I don't know about the very first series but Star Trek TNG went metric, as has every movie. I can't remember Kubrick's 2001 but Arthur C. Clarke would have advised him that the future, especially in space, was metric. Finally, even Imperial measures are now officially/legally defined in metric terms (for the same reason metric was invented--it's the only way to do it accurately and reproducibly) so in a very real-world sense, every American measure is metric, just laboriously converted to an arcane clumsy proxy.

"You don't seem to realise that most technical and scientific fields, especially NASA, do all their primary work in metric?"

Who said I don't realize that? What's that got to do with a website who's readers are 97% from the USA using the metric system? Makes about as much sense as him publishing the article in German.

mfinley: "Makes about as much sense as him publishing the article in German."

That only makes sense if NASA scientists use German (of course in the early days several crucial ones did, but being Germans they also spoke impeccable English). NASA actually speaks metric. Any and every American with a technical education or vocation speaks metric. What you show is that while your experts who put those men on the moon speak in the sole modern 'language' of science, the American public are stuck with baby (and babel) speech. As I said, even Star Trek does! So yes, it is good and appropriate that technical magazines--even populist ones like DPR--use the primary 'language' 100% used in this technical speciality. Instead of pretending it is otherwise. But then 40% of Americans are anti-vaxxers so what can be done with such people? It's just another 'mileage' marker on your route to a failed state.

Antivaxers? what are you going on about? NASA scientists? Technicians? Star Trek? This is an article about tripods not splitting the atom.

mfinley "This is an article about tripods not splitting the atom."

Then why did you bring up the moon landing? Answer: because you thought scientific sophistication and achievement was somehow done using Imperial measures, but as I pointed out, that is quite untrue, eg. by NASA. Remember their $100m accident that was due to a utterly unnecessary conversion between the two? (Someone inadvertently applied the non-metric data and the thing blew up.) You can deny it all you like but the reality is that the world is metric, including almost all American scientific and technical activity. Instead of fighting it, why don't you try training yourself in the universal language of science? (I think Thomas Friedman has the answer to that: "as dumb as we wanna be".)

"{You can deny it all you like but the reality is that the world is metric, including almost all American scientific and technical activity. Instead of fighting it, why don't you try training yourself in the universal language of science? "

Who cares what the rest of the world is using? You do understand that " "The rest of the world" doesn't read DPRreview don't you?

Why do you assume I don't know the metric system? We learned the metric system here in the 1980s it was taught in all the schools. This is the USA we did not choose to adopt it just as we didn't choose to adopt French as the national language.

So again, why do you publish an article using the metric system where 97% of the audience doesn't use the metric system? Why not publish it in Swahili too, that makes just about as much sense.

Americans sometimes get confused and think the world revolves around them. The reality is that the 97% statistic is wrong, and this site is global (after starting out in a metric country). The USA doesn't even have a national language, can you start on that after you go Metric?

Only two countries use the US system, Liberia and the USA, this is around 400M, the other 7.1Billion do not understand the concept of inches or miles.

Metric is the logical choice for all progressive countries.

mfinley: Why not publish it in Swahili too, that makes just about as much sense.

That would be true if 97% of the world spoke Swahili. It's funny logic because it you who is trying to justify using archaic measures which the vast majority of the world abandoned a century ago. You are the Swahili speakers! Also, how do you explain adopting a metric currency system?

Are you re-tarded or something? Who cares is 97% of the world uses the metric system? 97% or the readers of this website DON'T. Hard-headed, in denial or just butt hurt that as usual the world revolves around everything the USA does.

Let me guess, you or someone in your family own blue jeans, wear Nike shoes, you use I-tunes, owns an I-phone, wear clothing with US company logos on it, somebody in your family drives a Ford, search the internet using Google, use email, watch movies made in Hollywood, listen to music made by celebrities in the US, can name more people in American politics than I can, you drink Coca-Cola, somebody in your family has eaten at McDonalds this month.... in other words, the majority of your life or people in our family's lives, what you do on a daily basis revolves around what the USA makes, or sells or puts out in the world, but you want to pretend you are aloof? Funny,funny stuff in your pretend reality.

Remember how it works - we lead, you follow.

Oh I forgot, let's add - you've likely ordered something from Amazon and have a Netflix subscription.

Mfinley, and after your little rant....... you are still too insecure to accept Metric.

Thanks for playing along.

Yes that is it, I'm insecure to accept it. That's what the butcher said to me when I ordered 200grams of cheese, he said what the hell is a gram? I tried to explain it but he didn't want to go buy another scale just for me. When the cop pulled me over and said I was going 15 miles per hour over the speed I said that can't be right, can you give that to me in kilometers over the speed limit? He said no, this is America we use imperial miles. Same thing when I went to the hardware store and told them I needed 4.6 meters of rope, they said something wierd like we sell rope in feet and inches. I asked them to sell it to me in meters but they said I would have to come back in a few years after they ordered a metric tape measure.

But yes, you're so right, I live in a non-metric country but it's correct to say I'm insecure because I don't use the metric system while the rest of the population uses Imperial, that makes so much sense. That really cleared things up for me thanks

Mfinley, you’re still struggling, ill try to help.

Your LOCAL, butcher, Police and Hardware are suitably isolated from the world outside your State and National borders, this means they can operate outside of the metric system without confusing anyone locally (thankfully).

Dpreview is an INTERNATIONAL website, it makes little sense to impose a system that only two countries in the world use. The other 193 countries would get confused.

Almost all camera equipment is produced in metric speaking countries,

What imperial focal lengths are your lenses measured in? What’s the flange distance of your favorite camera in inches? What diameter is the front element on your favorite lens in inches? What size is your camera sensor size in inches?

Even RRS understand the need to speak metric.

If this is hard, you may not want to look at what size the tyres/tires are on your car?

I thought we were done already, but you go ahead, be special and have the last word....

So silly. International? Statistically nope.

DPRreview.com stats 94.7% North America 8.93M page view Avg. Visit Duration 3:44 Pages per Visit 4.61 Top Referring Sites: feedly.com15.06% my.yahoo.com9.03% amazon.com4.77% juzaphoto.com4.58% digicame-info.com4.20% 99.98% Organic search 0.02% Paid Top 5 Organic keywords dpreview4.63% sony a7c0.41% camera comparison0.33% nikon z6 ii0.33% dp review0.32%

Australia bite the bullet and adopted the Metric System progressively from 1966 and the road signs were converted in 1974 resulting in a marginal increased in speed limit 60 MPH became 100 KPH. I was going through University then and we had to deal with imperial units to metric units conversions such as Psi to kPa half way through my engineering bachelor degree !!!

I have three main criteria for a travel tripod. It must be less than 14.5" (36.8cm) so that I can carry it inside one of my camera bags (typically the Lowepro Mini Trekker). WIth or without the head attached. It must be light, and thus carbon fiber. And if it comes with a head, it must be Arca compatible.

The reason it must fit within the camera bag is simple; I don't want to accidentally hit someone with a tripod attached to the outside of my bag. Yes, sometimes I am in the country and I don't have to worry. But sometimes I am in the city, and I do have to worry.

It must be light, of course, so carbon fiber is a must.

And it must be Arca, because I have custom Arca base plates on all of my cameras and on the tripod supports of the longer lenses.

And so I personally have two options: a Sirui T-025x for ultra portable use, and a Promaster T525P with Acratech head (the head is carried separately). I usually use the Promaster.

By the cheapest that works for you. It's like buying a cane.

That may be true if you are on a very tight budget and have to have a tripod right now. But I have been through my share of cheap tripods. I finally said to heck with it and got a RRS. That or Gitzo or FLM....

They sell $150 hammers to pound nails. It isn't so much being on a tight budget, it's just that I don't use a hammer enough to warrant the price.

Then you are a smart person. You would be not smart to spend 1400 bucks on a RRS tripod and head if you don't shoot with a tripod a lot. I shoot with a tripod a lot....

K&F Concept tripod is more than enough for most people.

What.... I just saw this.... Big mistake DPR. Rare for you. What are you thinking? You said for any budget. Plus you included the Gitzo so that opens it up for RRS and the best travel tripod in the world (by far) is the Really Right Stuff TFC-14 Mark II. It has been the best for many years and in 2018 they came out with the second version of it. The BH-30 LR ball head goes with this it and has the quick lever release. And no travel tripod should ever have a center column! I don't care how tall you are. When you travel, you bend down a little if you have to. That is one of the sacrifices to get compact and light stability. Center columns are a huge no-go, especially for light travel tripods. Greg Johnson San Antonio, Texas https://www.flickr.com/photos/139148982@N02/albums

@Greg7579 "And no travel tripod should ever have a center column!"

Why? The center column can come in very handy in some situations, especially for a short travel tripod. One does not need absolute stability in every situation and even then, no tripod actually provides this.

Tsai, I have been a photographer for a long time and I must say I totally disagree with you. Center columns on a travel tripod is a rookie mistake for so many reasons.

Like what, vibration? Yaw? Bragging rights? RARELY a problem, even with my $15 Walmart hand cranked center column tripod, which I bought as a disposable during a trip but ended up bringing home. Would be nice to tote my geared head and center column tripod for pixel shifted hi-res images but that 40lb beast is married to my 8x10 "Green Monster". It pretty much stays at home.

"One does not need absolute stability in every situation and even then, no tripod actually provides this."

Good argument. I use a tripod also just because it helps me with the composition and not because I have to keep the camera steady. Here stability is obviously not a requirement. But most of the time a tripod is used, it is fair to assume that stability is a requirement.

Having said that, I can see that a geared, self-locking center column makes a lot of sense on a studio tripod which never leaves the photo studio. Set the tripod base low and use the geared & self-locking center column to select the desired height. Some weight is here advantageous because the tripod then doesn’t topple easily. Somewhat also true for a solid (heavy) field tripod, for example, when used for field work with a large (heavy!) large format camera. But after reading The Center Column's results regarding center columns effect of stability (link https://bit.ly/3nKPCMo) I agree that a truly lightweight tripod should not have a center column. Somewhat is a catch-22 situation: if truly lightweight enough then the center column is too unstable, if heavy enough that the center column is stable, then it's not lightweight enough!

$1000 for a tripod are you friggin smoking crack?

Thats small change for a Leica owner

I just got the Novoflex TrioBalance Q6/9, I think that it is the best and most versatile you can get for your money, I was very lucky to find it, because unfortunally it is no longer in production ? Though Novoflex still have it in a picture on their homepage, the one to the left in the upper photo here... https://www.novoflex.de/en/products-637/camera-support-systems/triopod.html I can see it is still listed in some photoshop dealers... https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1298133-REG/novoflex_riobal_o_6_8_tripod_base_with_integrated.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUJJgIU6a9M&list=PLokEyThO0pfPurpmzdFrCq246amUmF9L0&index=179

The Center Column has the Manfrotto ranking as one of the worst travel tripods. They use stiffness as one of the basis for their scoring and the BeFree Advanced has one of the poorest stiffness ratings which means potentially lots of vibration. That would be the one travel tripod I would stay from.

Very interesting reading though the comments and many personal recommendations.

IMO, one big factor many commenters fail to consider in their personal recommendations is that the tallness of the user plays a big role. A short person might be perfectly happy with a short and hence lightweight tripod - which most travel tripods are - while a tall person might need much more height for a comfortable working height.

I am 6'5" and really need at least 70" maximum height in a tripod. Quite challenging to find a "travel" tripod that is reasonable stable and is 70" plus in height!

The Manfrotto is the best. Only 4cm folded :)

For me the folded size is the most important. I can live with extra 100-200 grams but i want my tripod to fit in a small backpack when traveling.

Too bad you didn’t review a Leophoto tripod. The Ranger tripods are very high quality for a good price.

Why repost an old review as new?

I like this one for longer hikes, Rollei compact traveler no 1 carbon, lightweight and only 97 Euros.

https://www.rollei.com/collections/reisestative/products/carbon-stativ-compact-traveler-no-1

got off brand carbon fiber Q888C travel tripod for $140. old bogen 3028/3221 is used otherwise, couldnt be happier with both. sirui also make great tripods.

It's worth noting that you can easily address the lack of pano panning on the Peak Design head without replacing it entirely...

A panning clamp (eg Sunwayfoto DDH-05 or 07) can be clipped in on the fly atop the existing PD head, not only would this be cheaper (~$50) and add less bulk than a whole new head, but it would have some advantages over the panning function of most standard heads. Namely it'll let you use the existing head for leveling before panning via the added clamp.

I still wish PD had an alternate/larger head with this built in, but this solution has been very satisfactory for me and I'd easily take it over most heads with panning on the bottom... On my previous Sirui legs (T-1205X) I was using a small Sunway head (XB-28 II) which had a tiny panning clamp (even smaller than their DDH series) built into the head's ARCA clamp atop the stem.

I think RRS has a bunch of broad patents on pano clamps and that's why designs like that aren't more common.

I have 3 Tripods, an Innorel RT80C for when I need really steady, a Viking something or other for modest walking/hiking with my canon 5d's, and a Benro for when I travel light with my 2 canon m's ( infrared and normal). The most expensive was my Innorel at around € 140 and it's a beast, and they're all carbon fibre. Why not have a roundup of the cheap end of the market whether it be travel Tripods or big buggers?

Isn't this just a repost of an earlier article? And what about 3 Legged Thing? The Winston and Patti Tripods are my favorites, are lower cost than some of these options, and offer a lot of reliability, performance, and value.

Sirui - by far best value for money

Some ODM products are actually very decent, I paid a bit over $100 for a Fotopro X-4CE, which is actually just a slight upgrade to an Amazon brand tripod, but IIRC it's the lightest carbon fiber tripod on the market at 760g, and the build is solid.

One thing in the Peak Design's favour, which I don't think was mentioned: the extremely short minimum distance between camera platform and tripod shoulder point, which is the most stable point on any tripod. The more distance there is between the lens and this point, the more any vibrations are magnified. The other tripods (especially the Gitzo and MePhoto) with supplied heads are quite poor in this regard, effectively forcing the photographer to use a minimum extension of what looks like around 16cm. Tripods are important tools for many of us, so I'm glad that DPR did this review - I'd appreciate more on this area. I get a bit sick of reading about AF tracking and video specs, which are of zero importance for me, while important tools like tripods are covered very sparsely.

That’s why I have repeatedly commented and lobbied for technical tests by DPR. They have done them in the past. You may be right about shoulder point but another deficiency like Peaks unique head might be a problem. You just won’t know till you use objective scientific based testing.

Thanks for the comparisons. I'm lugging around a GT5542LS because when I need a tripod it must be a rock solid support that gets a viewfinder up to my eye. I have a far lighter (and far cheaper) Manfrotto 190 that, for various reasons, is left collecting dust under the stairs. If the Traveler Series 1 really is solid with no cost-cutting fiddly bits that break/fall off, I'd give it a go when my pack mule dies.

I think the table on the first page is wrong - it says the Gitzo is 1cm when folded - I very much doubt that.

Got a Cullman Carvao 816 TC. Useful for light(er) gear only.

ah we all get a prize..,

The Gitzo 0545t or 1555T could have been a good competitor in this field. Lighter than the 1545T but not as high max. Sturdy as well though.

Yup I have a GT1555 and a RRS BH25 ballhead. Excellent travel tripod and it fits sideways in a carry-on suitcase.

The Gitzo is really 42.5 x 1 cm ??? 1 cm?

Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Manfrotto.com | $324.99 (~$280 street)

No major retailer is selling this at "street" right now. Hmm.

I mean the GK-100-T

Whilst I have a 40-year-old Manfrotto tripod for work near the car boot (trunk), I have a Vesta 203AP for long hikes. It cost next to nothing (it paid for free parking at the mall). It is really sturdy and comes with a compact head and sets up in seconds.

https://www.vanguardworld.com/products/vesta-203ap

Manfrotto tripods have always been the best looking and most creative.

How come this months-old article turns up again?

My comment: Slik Sprint Mini III, $80, 33.5 x 8 x 8 cm, 860 g.

Personally I have and use the even more compact version I which, unfortunately, isn't made anymore. Wouldn't want to carry anything heavier when travelling.

Because we're repromoting some of the useful content published earlier in the year as we get close to the end of the month and things start to slow down.

Candor appreciated. I look forward to technical testing of tripods in the future.

@Barney Britton: Nothing to say against per se. With the surreptitious way in which you do it, not even a hint that it's a rehash except if someone would actually look at the date, you're fooling people into thinking they were seeing new stuff. Bad style for a journalistic product. Something one might perhaps expect from those mirror sites the makers of which can hardly write a proper English sentence, but not a serious site like dpreview.

Sorry if this has caused any confusion. The fact that it's a previously-published piece of content is clearly mentioned on the homepage, and the publication date is the first piece of information after the headline.

We're not a 'mirror site', as you know. And periodically re-surfacing group tests / roundups is something we've done for years. We only do it with 'evergreen' content that might otherwise be hard to find for casual site visitors.

First, sorry if this came across less nice than it should have been. And there's no need to be sorry except for your own reputation among readers who care about such things, or who are misled to comment on an old article as if it was a new one. My own "confusion" was limited, and my post was for your sake, not for mine.

You think it's ok because you've been doing it for years? Are you aware of the fact that there are other ways to reach your content than starting with your homepage, one of them being your own RSS feed? Can't remember when it was the last time I intentionally brought up your homepage. If I had to follow all my news channels by going through their home pages, I'd need to stop following most of them. And people don't look at the publishing date of an article on the top of the list to make sure it's not yesterday's news. Don't want to boast, but when someone who has been an internet professional for 25 years is fooled by this, I guess some others will be, too.

Barney, if it is a republication, then why didn't you learn from me and include the best travel tripod in the world (by far - not even close)? Didn't I tell you guys that last time and you said it was too expensive? But now you included the expensive Gitzo! That opens up the review for the best tripod in the world.... RRS. Come on....

You mean the new $1,400 Ascend-14? You'll be happy to know that I'm working on a writeup of that right now...

Barney, I didn't even know about that new tripod! Wow, just looked at it. I don't know much about it except the advert. But it has some kind of integrated head? I don't like that it has a center column. But worth a look and it is super compact and strong. Anyway, I was talking about the old tried and true great travel tripod Really Right Stuff TFC 14 with BH-30 ball head. I also have the TFC 24 with BH-40 ball head, but that is for more at home.

Yeah it's pretty fun, very full-featured. I'm hoping to have something written up soon.

Obviously the FLM CP38-L5 II is my choice of travel tripod. Obviously it is a much heavier and larger tripod than what the 'travel' category is defined of. Let me share my reasoning. Travel means to get to a place where one will probably never go again. Maybe few more occasions. So the relative chance of creating a reasonably good photograph is already thin. Why would any sane person lower that chance by using suboptimal tool when she/he travels/hikes to those exotic locations? How big is the weight gain? 1.5 kgs maybe? There are so many other ways to shave off that weight from a backpack...

"moTmeN" Never heard of FLM before reading your comment. Took a look at their website and ordered the FLM CP30-L4 II right away. With tripod head, maximum height is 70" plus without having to use a center column.

Completely agree with your reasoning why a suboptimal tripod won't do it.

The folded dimensions of the Gitzo are impressive! 42.5 x 1 cm

https://thecentercolumn.com/rankings/travel-tripod-rankings/ a more scientific approach to measuring the charactersitics of tripod (and heads)

Travel tripod reviews + no folded dimension = fail

and 'inch'? Nobody in photo uses that anymore.

dan_darkroom Just a quibble of course—as basically I agree , but not quite nobody. There are 1 inch sensors

I did a ton of research, read a ton of reviews and finally went with the Sirui ET-2204 Carbon Fiber Tripod with K-20 Ball Head. Yeah, it's over 1kg but if you plan to use a FF and long Tele on your travels, not having your camera do a face plant with your uber light travel pod should be high on the priority list. This thing just feels rock solid when setup, it has a hook to hang a weight or you bag on to stabilize it, and isn't bad at all to carry. That and the price is hard to beat for what you get. I wanted flip locks and carbon, light but able to carry a FF and heavy Tele. This was the best bang for the buck I found.

If you are going to hike with a M43 or APSC and short primes or wide's, I suppose some of the lighter pods might be worth considering, but I'm feeling like a tripod still has to be stable to be worth carrying, especially for long exposures, otherwise I might as well just rely on the IBIS and leave the tripods at home... or just carry a mono pod.

Can recommend the Cullmann Mundo 522TC, if you want something really light and compact without spending a fortune.

These are ridiculous tripods. Expensive and made from carbon fibre and all still manage to be well over a kilo. If you are travelling and you are not weight sensitive, get something decently sturdy and accept that it will weight nearer 2 kilos. But if you're really travelling, anything over 1kg is just bogging you down. If you can afford the weight and you want something practical, take extra water instead.

Sunpak makes some very nice tripods for under $30. My guess is you couldn't see the difference in the resulting photos.

I have a handful of tripods, MSRP from $70 to $200, and all of them are annoying to use in one way or another, but the $70 tripod is the worst from a photographic standpoint - flexible legs and undersized ballhead mean that anytime even a moderately sized lens is put on the front - say, my 450g Olympus 14-54 lens - the camera sags, ruining my framing. Not worth using with a telephoto at all. The reverse folding tripod is finicky and surprisingly heavy, and my carbon fiber tripod is light, but is significantly longer than the other two (without being much taller when extended).

If I traveled with a tripod on a regular basis (or got paid for my photography), I'd love to have something like the Peak or the Gitzo - and having experienced cheap and mid priced tripods, I'm betting they'll make up their cost in fewer headaches and annoyances.

You can't tell the difference in the resulting photos -- because the person with the $30 Sunpak will never get them because they're wrestling with their tripod, or it's misaligned, or the lens has drooped, or whatever. It's not a matter of image quality -- it's "do you get the shot or not?"

I bought one of these cheapie tripods when I was on the road from a small town Wal-Mart in a "better something than nothing" moment, after my Arca-Swiss plate went missing and I couldn't find a replacement, and carried it for a couple of miles through Badlands.

It was a *nightmare* to wrestle with -- three times the size and bulk of my other one, yet a third as stable. Once I started shooting nightscapes it was a royal pain to get set up -- if I had to work quickly I'd have missed shots.

I don't have an expensive tripod -- but those $30 Sunpak plasticy tripods are awful. My g/f uses the MeFoto in this article: it's fine (holds her 300/2.8 in a pinch!), and a huge step up from a Wal-Mart tripod.

BBS - You clearly haven't tried to mount a professional DSLR and a 100-400mm lens on a $30.00 Tripod! Not gonna work, no way no how.

If you buy a cheap tripod, you buy twice. Been there done that.

You can get a remarkably good picture with a cheap lens -- like a $25 pawn shop nifty fifty.

You can get a remarkably good picture with a cheap tripod.

A cheap lens can be friendly to work with.

A cheap tripod makes you want to throw it off of a cliff.

This is conclusion of every review of photographic equipment ever written:

"size and load-bearing capabilities come at a cost, because it's also the heaviest in the group, and the largest once folded"

You can substitute any terms you want; aperture, weight, length, battery life, resolution, expected lifespan, cost, bit depth, repair service, fps.... but the result is always the same. Yet it's always surprising how many people object to this simple equation. As more states in the US legalize marijuana I expect more photographic consumers to cut their ties with reality.

Haha - you should try reading Laura Kuenssberg's political analyses on the BBC. The grand mistress of the closing caveat.

I. usually enjoy discovering new writers but a look at her bio indicates she’s yet another high born parasite and a ranking member of BBC royalty, the most odious kind of media hypocrite. She pretends to report on the leering, greasy-chinned viscounts and the remorseless, sociopathic billionaires of England’s ruling class while never letting on that they’re her friends and neighbors.

I'll go for the rock solid stability. That's the whole point of a tripod or else why even bother.

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This steady tripod travels with me around the world

As a travel journalist, I used to spend months at a time taking more than a thousand photos daily, writing thousand-word reviews and traveling across hundreds of acres with over 50 pounds of gear on my back. And I couldn't have done it without a lightweight but quality tripod.

It didn’t take long for me to figure out I’d be lost with a tripod, and a steady one, but I also needed it to be light enough to keep my back in tact and compact enough to fit in my already strained backpacks. So I started looking into tripods by Manfrotto, an Italian company started by a photojournalist in the 1960s — one I’d noticed other travel photographers seemed to favor. I ultimately decided on Manfrotto’s Befree Advanced Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod . Dozens of countries and 100,000 or more miles later, it’s still in my core kit of photo equipment.

SKIP AHEAD Other travel tripods to consider

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Manfrotto befree advanced carbon fiber travel tripod.

There’s a trade-off when it comes to tripods: The lighter it is, the less weight it can hold and the more it sways when there’s stiff wind or nearby motion. Manfrotto solved this by offering a carbon-fiber alternative to the usual aluminum for the Befree line.

I often had to shoot 360-degree panoramas with an 8 mm fisheye lens that had to remain perfectly still for shots in all four directions lest it misalign and require a total reshoot of every shot in the series. With the aluminum tripods I originally started off with, I’d have to count down the seconds after each slight breeze before the metal stopped thrumming and I could safely shoot. Once I switched to the carbon fiber Befree, the tripod stopped vibrating in a fraction of the time and I could get my work done that much more quickly — no small thing when I still had 1,400 shots to get through and 800 more acres to see before moving onto the next site.

As for a tripod’s weight capacity, when I was outside Lincoln, Nebraska, shooting the 2017 North American solar eclipse, I mounted it with my Canon 5D Mark III , a 70-200 mm telephoto lens , 2x extender and solar filter , about 6.5 pounds in all. That was certainly not light, but it was well under the Befree’s impressive maximum recommended payload of about 18 pounds. And it was never especially unwieldy even when the tripod was fully extended to about 59 inches.

The carbon fiber Befree itself weighs about 2.7 pounds, noticeably less than aluminum tripods, and slides down to just over 16 inches. I can’t fit it inside my camera backpack, but I can easily strap or bungee it to the outside, and I have never minded its weight even on the longest, hottest shoots. It’s also sleekly designed, without unnecessary doodads that can catch on straps, get stuck in foliage or gather dirt or sand.

The ball head is easy to use and fairly universal to standard camera mounts. It’s maneuverable and stays where it’s supposed to. Each of the legs is separately adjustable, allowing me to use it in pretty much any kind of terrain and at most practical angles. Generally, I prefer snap locks to twist locks to extend and contract tripod legs — on earlier tripods I had, the twist locks always managed to loosen up exactly as I was about to take a perfect shot, and they were close to impossible to tighten up enough in cold climates or when it was raining. But Manfrotto’s proprietary M-locks do the job and are fast enough to use, even if they aren’t as speedy as snap locks.

I don’t really travel for work anymore — who does right now? — but the Manfrotto carbon fiber Befree tripod is still strapped to my camera backpack, ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Other travel tripods to consider

There are a lot of lightweight tripods out there, and often it just comes down to finding the right one for you and your unique needs. If you’re looking for a travel tripod that packs down really small or don’t mind the extra weight of aluminum, then consider looking at these alternatives.

Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod

If you’re looking for something that folds down even smaller, the Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod is as light as the Befree and can carry as big a load. It’s pricey, though, and uses an unusual head design that can be confusing. It has an average of 4.8 stars from over 800 reviews at B&H Photo.

Manfrotto Befree GT XPRO Aluminum Travel Tripod with 496 Center Ball Head

The GT XPRO has the many of the benefits of the Befree Advanced Carbon Fiber, such as M-locks, easy-to-use ball head and sleek Manfrotto aesthetic, but it has a higher load capacity (26.5 pounds), extends an additional 5 inches and has independently adjustable legs. It weighs almost 4.5 pounds, though. It has an average rating of 4.8 stars from 35 reviews on Amazon.

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Travel Tripod Roundup: Manfrotto vs. Sirui vs. Gitzo vs. Peak Design The ultimate travel tripod roundup - which is the right tripod for you?

In this video, our friends and colleagues Chris Niccolls (and Jordan Drake) from DPR, take a look at four different travel tripods to try and find which one is the best. They take a look at four models by Manfrotto, Sirui, Gitzo and Peak Design and come out with some interesting takeaways.

The contents

• Peak Design travel tripod – 15.4″/39.5 cm long folded (you don’t need to flip the legs to get this closed length unlike the Gitzo and Manfrotto). 51″/129.5 cm open (center column down). 2.81lbs/1.27kg.
• Gitzo 1545T Kit – 16.7″/42.5 cm long folded. 54.5″/138.5 cm open (center column down). 2.34lbs/1.05kg.
• Manfrotto BeFree GT Carbon – 16.9″/43 cm long folded. 55″/140 cm open (center column down). 3.41lbs/1.54kg.
• Sirui N1204SK (with the K10 II ballhead) – 18.3″/46.5 cm long folded. 55.5″/141 cm open (center column down). 3.95lbs/1.79kg.

The peak design is the newest and most uniquely designed of the 4 (it is super compact although the Gitzo is a bit lighter). It is well made although the Gitzo still feels more substantial in the hand despite its reduced weight.

When it comes to stability all (maybe expect the super light Gitzo) are pretty close but do remember that you can (and should) put on some extra weight in the form of a heavy bag/sand or anything else that you can to make the tripod more stable if there is wind. Keep in mind that the Manfrotto and Gitzo models have a ring instead of a hook and it is off-center which is not ideal unlike the Sirui and Peak Design.

One feature which only the Sirui has is spiked feet (you can get them as extra for the Gitzo and Peak Design is working on making ones – but you will also need to buy them separately). The Sirui also has a single leg that can turn into a monopod (really nice touch) and padded feed which is great in cold environments.

Since we have done a very extensive tripod review series (we have a couple more on the way) we can say that we have somewhat of a different take on travel tripods from our own experience. First, as we mentioned many times before – our personal preference is going with the RC2 quick release system (the original one is actually better than the newly redesigned one by Manfrotto).

This is true in our view for almost all situations where you are shooting with small-mid size/weight bodies and lens combos, if you are using large/heavy and especially front-heavy gear, Arca swiss might be a better choice.

Raising the center column might bring a little bit more instability but in our experience, it is almost always more convenient (and more practical) than opening another section of legs (we always prefer not opening the legs all the way if possible as the last section is typically very thin and unstable (taller people and specific situations might make this impossible of course).

We have tested a different Sirui model from the one shown here called the SIRUI N-2204X (see review ) since then it has a newer version called the Sirui N2204SK which has several improvements including a monopod option like the tripod that Niccolls tested.

There are of course more aspects and differences but at the end of the day, it really depends on your personal needs – how much you are willing to spend, how much are you willing to carry, how much stability do you need and personal preference about heads, quick releases, leg locks, and height.

Here are the prices for all 4 models:

• Manfrotto BeFree GT Carbon – $390 (with the head).
• Sirui N1204SK – $ 396 (keep in mind this is without the K10 II balhead).
• Peak Design travel tripod – $600 (with the head).
• Gitzo 1545T Kit – $950 with the head (or $630  without the head).

You can check out more videos from our photography gear guides section here on LensVid. We now have a whole new subsection dedicated to tripods for you to check out with new releases and reviews plus lots of info and videos.

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Manfrotto Befree 3-Way Live Advanced tripod review

The manfrotto befree 3-way live advanced is the first travel-friendly three-way fluid head tripod for creative all-rounders.

Digital Camera World Verdict

This compact, foldable tripod with a dual purpose three-way video head proves an ideal stage for photographers and videographers. With a consistently smooth and predictable action across all angles and pans, as well as portrait stills mode, it’s really well suited to creators on the move.

Dual purpose three-way video head

Smooth fluid drag system

Lightweight aluminium build

Flexibility and versatility

Heavy-duty look and feel

Some plasticky knobs

Can be tricky to change camera battery

Will be too short for some

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

Key features

• Performance

The new Manfrotto Befree 3-Way Live Advanced tripod is one of very few that are designed for both photography and videography. It’s bundled with Manfrotto’s compact Befree 3-way Live Head, a fluid video head that uses a hydraulic damping system to help videographers make the kind of smooth, steady movements that mechanical pan/tilt heads just aren’t built for (it can also be purchased separately for about half the cost of this tripod). 

• Best tripod guide --- • Best travel tripods • Best video tripods • Best monopods • Best mini tripods • Best camera gimbals

Whether it’s for long-exposure landscapes in low-light or for creating sweeping cinematography, stabilisation is everything. And despite its dual target markets, this dual-purpose product is making a play to be one of the best travel tripods ; it’s a flagship member of Manfrotto’s lightweight ‘Befree’ line-up of travel tripods. 

The Manfrotto Befree 3-Way Live Advanced is indeed designed for travel. At 2kg all-in, it’s medium weighted for such a task; we’ve held lighter (but pricier). Its maximum load of 6kg means it’s best thought of as a tripod for mirrorless or DSLR cameras designed as much for video as stills, such as the Nikon Z6 and Nikon D780 . 

It’s also medium sized. When packed up it's 40 cm long, which makes it small enough to get into most camera bags and carry-on luggage. When set up and with its strong central column raised and locked in place, this tripod can get your gear 151cm above the ground, while with the column down it's 132 cm. That’s not high enough if you’re over 6ft and want eye-level operation, but then that is the sacrifice you have to make if you want a ‘travel’ tripod. 

What really makes this tripod attractive to creative all-rounders is its three-way Befree 3-way Live Head, which comes with a fluid drag system for achieving smooth pans through 360° when shooting video. It ships with a 200PL-PRO plate but works with all kinds of plates; it’s compatible with Manfrotto RC2 and Arca-Swiss type head attachments. 

In the box, there’s a well-made red and black carry case complete with reflective panels, an adjustable (though sewn-in) shoulder strap, and well as a couple of Allen keys for tightening the legs. 

Performance, quality and usability

The Befree 3-Way Live Advanced has an excellent build quality, with aluminium combining with tough plastic for a premium feel to the three legs. They auto-lock yet are a cinch to release while the central column, when raised up, can easily be secured in place. It also feels rigid whatever angles you set it at. Its design features rubber-coated handles, a solidly constructed plate for attaching a camera, and three built-in spirit levels. 

However, there are a couple of knobs that are a tad plasticky. One of them interfered with our DSLR’s battery cover, which made it impossible to change the battery without removing the camera from the tripod. That proved to be annoying half-way through a long star-trail time-lapse shot at night. 

Its fluid drag system works really well. It allows small, predictable and consistent movements across all angles, tilts and pans, and it always feels super smooth. That’s essential for videography, but the roll axis easily puts it into a valuable portrait mode for stills photography. It also proved really useful as a support for a spotting scope we had handy. 

The four-section legs themselves are a breeze to use. It features three leg angle positions that are easy to set up, though its lever-locks are not as smooth and quiet as, say, those on the much pricier Peak Design Travel Tripod . But they make set-up – and clear-up – really quick and efficient. We also appreciated the rubber grip on one of the tripod sections that make it possible to grab it and go in cold conditions. Some tiny angled rubber feet also help get some grip on flat and wet surfaces. 

This first-ever travel tripod with a three-way fluid head is ideal for shooting both stills and video using a DSLR or mirrorless camera rigs. The consistency and predictability of the fluid drag system on its ‘Live Head’ impresses for pans and tilts while a flexible portrait mode for stills photography shows that Manfrotto really is trying to push the envelope with the Manfrotto Befree 3-Way Live Advanced. 

Its lever leg-locking system makes it easy to unfurl in seconds and to pack-up quickly. It’s probably not tall enough for some users, but there’s no doubting this mid-range product’s travel-friendly design that will see it fit in most camera backpacks and carry-on luggage.

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Jamie has been writing about all aspects of technology for over 14 years, producing content for sites like TechRadar, T3, Forbes, Mashable, MSN, South China Morning Post , and BBC Wildlife , BBC Focus and BBC Sky At Night magazines. 

As the editor for www.WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com, he has a wealth of enthusiasm and expertise for all things astrophotography, from capturing the Perseid Meteor Shower, lunar eclipses and ring of fire eclipses, photographing the moon and blood moon and more.

He also brings a great deal of knowledge on action cameras, 360 cameras, AI cameras, camera backpacks, telescopes, gimbals, tripods and all manner of photography equipment.