magnus tr 13 travel tripod

Magnus TR-13 Travel Tripod with Dual-Action Ball Head

Every photographer I know owns several tripods of various sizes for the many shooting situations that we experience. Sometimes it’s very hard to find the perfect travel tripod because of the differences in weight in the number of cameras we need to take along.

One tripod I purchased and use often is the Magnus TR13 travel tripod with a dual-action ball head. While the composition of this tripod is aluminum and not carbon fiber, it is adjustable and lightweight enough for all my shooting needs. It weighs only 2.9lb, but it has a load capacity of 13.2lb. I have used it frequently and successfully with a bit more weight than that. I’ve even used it as a setup for an audio recorder or a flash What Comes Inside the Box with the Magnus TR13? Magnus TR13 tripod with the ball head BHQR 65 Quick release plate Hex key Carry bag

Features The Magnus TR13 is easy to use with solid construction. The first impression you get when you open is how sturdy it feels. I bought the tripod as an inexpensive backup for my main tripod. But boy, was I surprised. Its design is solid. Though the Magnus TR13 has no-frills, it delivers when you need it to. With the central column extended, the tripod’s full height is 62.5 inches. The legs adjust independently to various angles for uneven terrain. They spread out totally to give the tripod a minimum height of 16.5 inches. The whole tripod folds up to only 18.2 inches for storage. Yes, I measured. The ball head moves smoothly and beautifully. I used to have a problem with other heads before when panning but the dual action ball head on the TR13 has worked perfectly. It includes built-in adjustment for vertical and horizontal movement. Pros Solidly built Smooth ball head movement The flip locks on the aluminum legs for a relatively quick deployment Rubber feet prevent the tripod from sliding or slipping Great price that delivers super value Cons Heavier than carbon fiber tripods, but for the price, it’s a steal Doesn’t do well in windy conditions

Verdict If you’re looking for a compact and reasonably priced tripod, then pick up the Magnus TR13. It has become my grab and go-to favorite. I happily recommend it to anyone looking for a well-built, yet inexpensive tripod.

Also explore...

Canon R5 Review: What you need to know

Help! Why is My Lens Vignetting?

DSLR vs. Mirrorless Cameras: A Primer

Camera brands, related posts.

• Free Trainings
• The Photo Mentorship
• One Click Presets Club

Popular Articles​

• Shutter Speed
• Moon Photography

Member Access

Copyright © 2024 David Molnar – Your Photography Mentor & The Photo Mentorship Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy

Referral Link Copied!

Send it to your friends via text, email, or social media to invite them to TPM!

• Скидки дня
• Справка и помощь
• Адрес доставки Идет загрузка... Ошибка: повторите попытку ОК
• Продажи
• Список отслеживания Развернуть список отслеживаемых товаров Идет загрузка... Войдите в систему , чтобы просмотреть свои сведения о пользователе
• Краткий обзор
• Недавно просмотренные
• Ставки/предложения
• Список отслеживания
• История покупок
• Купить опять
• Объявления о товарах
• Сохраненные запросы поиска
• Сохраненные продавцы
• Сообщения
• Уведомление
• Развернуть корзину Идет загрузка... Произошла ошибка. Чтобы узнать подробнее, посмотрите корзину.

Product Key Features

• Features Quick Release, With Case, Levelling Indicator(s), Leg Angle Adjustment, Flip Lock, 360 Degree Rotation, Rubber Foot, Adjustable Legs, Foldable
• Head Type Ball Head
• Compatible Brand Universal
• Material Aluminum
• To Fit Camcorder, Camera
• Type Tripod
• Item Weight 2.9

Magnus Tripods 8.8 lb Maximum Load

Magnus fluid head camera tripods & monopods 8.8 lb maximum load, magnus ball head camera tripods, magnus ball head camera tripods & monopods, ball head camera tripods & monopods 8.8 lb maximum load, magnus fluid head camera tripods & monopods.

• Magnus Manuals
• Camera Accessories
• Owner's manual

Magnus TR-13 Owner's Manual

• page of 6 Go / 6

Advertisement

Quick Links

Related manuals for magnus tr-13.

Summary of Contents for Magnus TR-13

• Page 1 TR-13 Owner’s Manual Travel Tripod...
• Page 2 Thank you for choosing Magnus. The Magnus TR-13 Travel tripod is the perfect lightweight travel companion when you’re on the go. This tripod features a dual-action ballhead with pan control for precise aim. An Arca-type quick release plate allows you to quickly and effortlessly mount or swap your cameras.
• Page 3 Opening the Tripod Fold the legs down until the angle locks click into place. Make sure all the legs are set to the same angle. Open the flip locks, and extend each leg to the desired height. Relock each leg. Always extend the legs from the top flip-locks first.
• Page 4 Operating the Ballhead Important! Always support the camera with one hand when loosening the tilt locking knob. To adjust the tilt, loosen the ball locking knob, and change the position of the camera. For 90° portrait orientation, loosen the ball locking knob, and place the ballhead into the 90°...
• Page 5 Reversing the Center Column Unscrew the counterweight hook from the bottom of the center column. Loosen the center column locking collar, and remove the center column from the tripod. Align the channel on the side of the center column with the notch in the center column hole, and insert the bottom of the center column up through the...

Page 6: User Cautions

Rename the bookmark, delete bookmark, delete from my manuals, upload manual.

DPReview TV: Travel tripod shootout!

A good tripod can be an essential tool for the traveling photographer, but when you're on the go size matters. This week Chris and Jordan review four great travel tripods from Manfrotto, Sirui, Gitzo and Peak Design that get the job done while still leaving room in your bag for your other gear.

Get new episodes of DPReview TV every week by subscribing to our YouTube channel !

• Introduction
• Tripod models
• Fully collapsed size
• Collapsed but ready to shoot
• Fully raised without center column
• Fully raised with center column extended
• Weight comparison
• Vibration test
• Unique features
• Price and who it's for

Useful video - good to see tripods getting some attention on DPR. For me, it's the next most important item of equipment after camera and lens. In fact, I rarely take a photograph without one.

One thing which was missing was any detail about the leg angles and how they perform at low level and in awkward positions. Using them with a reversed column was mentioned, but it's quite awkward to work like this, so for me, the minimum elevation with normal column orientation (and how easy it is to get there) is quite important. I'm guessing that the Sirui is the best in that respect because you can split the column, but I could be wrong.

My first tripod was a Quick-Set, paid $27.00 for it. 1962. ... It had the wrong tag on it. After a couple days went back into the shop and found out that I own a $45. one. In my years as a working Photog, I always thought that a tripod was as important as a good camera strap. "Neither one will hit a soft spot, if they let go" My camera's all fit on tripods. No problems ! ... You don't like using a good tripod ? That's your problem. Handhold all you want. But my sales will be better, so there to:) No Hogwash !

I enjoyed this and got a lot out if it. I would love to see a review of only lightweight ball heads so a person can mix and match.

Unlike Chris, I actually prefer flip locks and purposely sought out a Sirui model that had flip locks over twist. I went for the a Sirui Carbon ET 2204 with the K20 ball head and have not regretted it one bit. It's 43cm collapsed, so not bad at all. Yeah, it's a bit heavier than some, but, with a FF and long tele, I have zero worries about vibration, and the larger K20 head (I suggest Chris look at this over the K10 head he had) holds a FF plus a 6lb lens no problem, no sag, with smooth adjustment. It came with tons of cool stuff, carry bag, straps, etc etc. A very good deal both price and performance. Had it over a year and no issues I can see as yet.

After using Gitzos (series 2-5) for a few decades I have recently tried Leofoto's LS series. Leofoto did away with the center column completely on the LS, which means they fold quite compactly. Torsional rigidity is quite impressive, to the point that often the pano plate of the head becomes the real problem. At 1.34 kgs without head, the LS-324 (32mm legs, 4-section, 3-series in Gitzo lingo) seems just right. It fits in a carry-on with head removed, which is good enough for my travel needs.

I would have included Feisol Travel or Tournament tripod in the comparison. And why not use Peak, Gitzo, Manfrotto and Sirui to refer to the tested items. So annoying.

I just bought a Magnus TR-13 Travel Tripod for all of $70 from B&H. I am only an occasional tripod user but I greatly appreciate the flexibility of this tripod's construction and functionality. The ball head negates all the problems that I have had in the past trying to make my cameras level on uneven surfaces. I use it primarily with my D750 and a front-heavy 24-120 lens. Why would I (or most mortal photographers) want to spend $4-500 on any of the 4 tripods that were reviewed in the video when the TR-13 does everything that they do?

Sirui is the best...

I agree. My 30-year old Slik is great, too.

I have a bigger carbon Sirui and it is just great.

Story suggestion: Why do I still need a tripod in 2019, image stabilization has eliminated the need right? Will using a tripod with mirror up and a remote release really give me sharper pictures than hand holding? Does a tripod really make head swapping easier in group shots? Does the extra time it takes to set up and frame a photo with a tripod really slow the photographer down in a good way, in essence forcing them to look more closely at the frame and creating better compositions? Or is it just a lot of hogwash invented by the tripod companies to boost sales?

You're right. It's all hogwash to bring a tripod. I recently went to five different National Parks in the USA on vacation and did all my night photos hand-held at ISO 102K. I also did lots of motion blur on the waterfalls hand-held. Hand holding the camera for 5-10 seconds was lit. And eye-autofocus is activated with the center button and not the shutter button I can't just hand it to other people to push the button, my wife and I only did close-up selfies. I would have liked to have a tripod for these things but it's all hogwash, marketing crap that I'd need a tripod.

Ah ha! The truth comes out...

No idea why YOU need a tripod, but I use a tripod professionally on most of my shoots; indoor, outdoor and studio. A tripod allows me to stabilize my camera, obviously, for layout-critical composition and framing for my fashion work. It also allows me to direct a model with my hand while my camera is still at my eye. I can recompose quite easily with my Foba ball head with literally one finger while other fingers are operating my zoom or focus dials.

In my own studio I have a camera stand which has wheels for mobility and a center column which makes elevation changes quite fast. Away from my studio I prefer my FEISOL Tournament carbon fiber tripod w/ the Foba head, but I also have a large, medium and small Gitzo pods aluminum legs which I can put the large or mini Foba heads on or my Arca-Swiss.

As much as that, tripods save my neck from strain on full day shoots. I already have enough pinched nerves and muscle knots from long catalog shoot weeks.

Personally I hate a video for this kind of thing. I'm usually not in a position to impose on others by playing a video so I end up missing some items of interest.

Well done. I think a corresponding tabular summary of likes and dislikes would be great... just so you don't have to re-watch the entire video to recall everything. But I generally think these videos are informative and appropriately qualified as non scientific.

As I'm currently in the market, I was hoping that the Really Right Stuff Series 1 tripod would have been in the mix since that company regularly comes up as top of the heap (or close to it). But you can't review everything.

Great video, guys! You made a boring topic slightly less boring (and less technical). Now let's see you review ball heads. ;)

I have to say... this video was actually very well done and informative. I didn't dig the "nickname" thing, and, since I didn't like most previous videos, I was biased at the beginning... ...but this is the kind of content I like to see on a website like this.

For the record, I'm not in the market for a tripod, even though if I had unlimited money available I would buy that Peak Design one... I really like the design, and I'm not one easily moved only by good looks.

The vibration test was ridiculous. A long exposure - ie at least 10 seconds and preferably more with a 70-200 on the camera with some wind would be ideal. You may not use the pod like that while travelling but it will tell you heaps about the its rigidity and resilience.

I'll never buy gitzo again. I had a head break off with a 16mm film camera on it, magazine cracked, work of 2 days destroyed. Had to reshoot at 3500m half a day hiking...

Plus I hate twist locks. Always turn the wrong way.

Bummer. Was it newish? I’ve heard that Gitzos made in the last 5 to 10 years are not as bulletproof as earlier models.

Amazing how NONE of the pods you tested are the level locks?!! Photographers in the field use tripods as tools, and lever locks are tested and proven to be the way to go. I myself have tested them, and twist locks actually suck on a number of levels. If you have multiple pods, sure, maybe 1 or 2 maybe twist lock for leisure shooting or something. But for a tool in the field, travel, off pavement, sand or snow extreme temps, and overall strength, and you just wanted 1 or 2 tripods.... LEVER LOCK!!

One did have lever locks. Trouble is no one makes decent tripods with lever locks anymore as everyone uses twist locks, which makes your statement odd, The vast majority of field tripods made and definitely those used by pros in the field are twist locks. 1) Twist locks are more water tight, 2) Twist locks are more resistant to extremes of temperature and don't need adjustment. 3) Twist locks have intermediate settings between lock and free so they can be kept retracted unlocked, but then can just be adjusted to the right length and then locked. 4) Twistlocks can be locked together with one hand even with gloves.

My favorite travel tripod? GorillaPod :) Bigger classic for DSLR and smaller magnetic one for point and shoot G7X.

Review was decent but the nicknames were dumb

IBIS + Monopod = sorted

Not a great option if like me I shoot a lot of long exposure night scapes

Kind of disappointed the Novoflex Triopod with the 4-section carbon legs wasn't also included in this test. Combined with their "center column" I personally find it very innovative and stable. Was this omission just a matter of not having a well defined kit option?

While these pods were more pricey, last time I purchased a Novoflex item it was bleeding expensive.

I don't get why decent travel tripods are so freaking expensive. The tripod has been in use for literally 200 years, this isn't ground breaking technology.

They're expensive because customers will pay that much.

Customers think paying a lot will produce better photographs. Or maybe spending $600 on a tripod makes them feel better about themselves?

I didn't even spend $600 on my full size tripod. I've got a decent Manfrotto with ballhead that I think was around $400 all in, and that was more then I wanted to spend. Although...the irony is I've overpaid lots of $$$ on Leica over the years:)

Create a vacuum, and then a desire so the demand grows, and then charge ALL you can. This is the greed tactic that plagues us. At one time companies would price according to production costs and a chunk or percentage for profits. I found a great ball head on ebay for $20. Excellent and holds a 70-200IS L lens with no issues. Had it for over a year now. I had the older Bogen-Manfrotto pod. Aluminum, and maybe a few ounces more than the carbon. It was a screw lock, so it took time. I use a few others now, and do have a Magic 1 for light travel. IF they made that older #144 or 30231, (I forget the model) with lever locks, and a few improvements it would be excellent..But why would they? No huge profits. So new design, new marketing, new reasons for pricing.

Then why aren't you using film cameras? The camera was developed two centuries ago. You can get excellent images from a 35mm camera and they're cheap.

@tonyphoto - That my friend is what you call a strawman argument,

And your comment about tripods was weak. If you don’t like the price or cannot afford it, why make a comment on it. Instead, you’re letting everyone know you’re a troll.

@tonyphoto - This is a gear forum, people are entitled to opinions on the value, or lack thereof of certain gear. $700 for a travel tripod is ridiculous. Expressing this opinion does not make me a troll, don't be so thin skinned.

@clint Dunn And you're NOT being thin-skinned by whining about the price of a travel tripod? Yes you are.

I, along with many others have decided to put our resources into a more expensive travel tripod. I'm not wealthy by any means either. But I've bought less expensive tripods and heads and they didn't last. With names like Manfrotto and Gitzo among those that didn't last. When I sent my Gitzo to them for a repair estimate, they wanted the full price of the tripod and head to repair the tripod. Will never purchase Gitzo again.

If the market decides the tripods are too expensive, no one will buy them. Not people whining about price on the internet.

"I want to be a youtuber but not a camera one, because cameras are boring." "I want to work at Chilli's." BWAHAHAHAHA Chris your kids are awesome!

Can we get a summary with the rankings without forcing people to watch a video? I think that would be appreciated by many.

Yes, thank you - just about everything that could be better presented in written words and data sheets is now in video form. It's maddening.

Yes! Why would I want to watch a 15 minute video, when I could easily scroll through a text to pick up the important points in 3 minutes?

Posting a copy of the script would be helpful.

I quit the video after 2 minutes.

Ways wrong with you guys? No time to waste?

I think it was very useful to see them beeing handled.

I liked the video but for a week a lot of people don't care for watching videos. For them a quick summary doesn't take much time and can be very helpful

For me, it isn’t a matter of not having time to watch the video, but rather being in a place where I can’t have the sound turned up on my phone. I can read an article without being disruptive.

don´t forget the good old monopod - extremely lightweight & frequently suffices

Thats another feather in the cap for the Sirui. You can unscrew one of the legs and use it as a monopod. I had a Benro as my first tripod and unfortunately the stopped service in my country. Not paying to ship the tripod to China.

I lost one of the locking clips when I was cleaning my Sirui tripod and while they took 10 days the local distributor fixed my tripod completely so happy with both the build quality and the service of the Sirui.

Annoying presentation with silly "nicknames" for the four tripods. Glad to see the Peak included, as this one has been buzzing around on crowdfunding sites for a while. Meanwhile, very happy with my Befree GT: fits easily in my travel bags, holds the camera steady - job done.

I use a Sirui T-2205X (discontinued now) for my backpacking, but only set it up when I make camp. The rest of the hike, I am either hand holding my Sony A7ii or using my modified hiking pole which I attached the same tripod head as my tripod, and using it as a mono pod.

I'd just get the peak design and replace the ballhead with a more conventional one.

"If you enjoy this type of video, please let us know." Yes, this kind offer comparison is useful. Thanks!

Great! Best Review for all the good, bad and ugly AND Expensive (like to see side by side)! I do not travel by plane or such but like to be ready wherever. Tripod is not used much due to IBIS, Lens IS, Auto ISO and ISO Invariance of the Camera even during sunrise/set, I did the Antelope Canyon without one, no plate . Yes deployment and use are good test BUT why most photographers leave in the hotel room (when traveling) is BULK and Carry Ability. I went Befree both Ball and Video for the carry bag BUT use a lot the Element (Tall) [$145] which is the smallest in bulk and with a bag. I like the incognito tripod when on a walkabout in a city for I have a small sling bag for camera and two lenses. When out say birding/wildlife the Manfrotto Befree Video will handle my Sony and Sigma 150-600mm very well and at eye level. I had hands on the PD while it traveled the US with Trey Ratcliff put my Manfrotto's beside and next to and invested in two for the 1. low price and 2. tightness/weight.

To all who think a center column is not useful on a travel/hiking tripod: how do you fine-tune the height? by changing the length of all three legs every time?

I use the center column all the time on my main tripod (concert videos... high stage, I often can't choose the spot from which to record, heads of the audience etc.), but I wouldn't mind a shorter one even on a hiking tripod.

Interesting findings, I wasn't fan of the TV format of the reviews at first, but I like it now. Nice work!

I would like to present anoter way of testing tripod stability though. Have a camera on a tripod with a long lens pointing at a notebook screen. On a screen should be a video of bright dots that are moving in a straight lines. You will easily see any vibrations during a longer exposure.

Here is my article with the resulting long exposure shots using various vibrations (sorry, not available in English, but the pictures still work): https://www.pastel.cz/en/2017/01/jak-spravne-pouzivat-stativ/

And here is the bright dots video I used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EIpRDghwDg

I think you’re on to something! Great work!!’

Chris, nice review, not sure I'm ready to downsize. mostly I shoot birds, so i'm stuck with bigger heavier tripods to handle the long glass. that said, I would just like to suggest my stability test for tripods, since its really easy, and it works. just put your longest lens on the tripod, turn on live view, and zoom in both optically and digitally as far as you can, and then tap the camera. watch how long it takes to damp out. i usually do it several times to see how long it takes. put on my 600, and its a damning test to be sure. i don't wait until all the vibrations stop; that would take a lot longer since they all continue to vibrate less and less for a long time. there will however be a point at which the larger vibrations disappear as the carbon fiber does its thing. its a pretty easy and interesting thing to watch, ... for geeks like me anyway! LOL

I watched the first 2 minutes then tuned out.

1) misspelling the brand of one of the four tripods. What else is being overlooked/misstated?

2) the opening with the kids was 30 seconds of wasted time.

3) the nicknames were pointless. They introduced more information to your viewers when there is no benefit for them.

4) why is there an obsession with a camera at eye level? Don't we want the camera's height to be dictated by the scene/desired image? I get that some people have disabilities and a tripod is just a platform to hold the camera. If you are shooting action you want the camera at a comfortable height but you are likely using a monopod. Just think how boring photography would be if all photographs were taken w/ the camera 5'4" off the ground.

Chris, if you need help writing your next video let me know. .

I use a Sirui T-025X was the shortest & lightest on BH website. It's great.

I really hope Chris and Jordan don't start taking these videos as seriously as you take yourself. There's an entertainment factor to their videos which you don't seem to appreciate. It's what makes them not boring.

Literally the only point you made thats really worth taking away is misspelling of Sirui.

Sirui: Chinese Company with Japanese-sounding name.

I have two kids who were about those ages, in recent memory. "I want a youtube, but not a camera one because cameras are boring" made me giggle because I'm pretty sure my youngest also said exactly that at some point.

@MarshallG: Japanese companies are just like American companies today. Everything is still made in China no mater where the HQ is.

In response to Saaad:

How would you feel it Jon Stewart started talking about camera gear? You'd probably tune out.

DPR is fine with ignoring my comments and those from others who agree with me. But if they are smart they will read them all and make adjustments. Otherwise they have no one but themselves to blame when their view count is low and their videos falter.

Based on this video my impression of that host is: not funny and wastes my time.

What? The kids were the best bit!

@HRC2016 my impression of your comments is that you're kinda sad and should probably get a life.

And while I'm at it, maybe if HRC had hired some campaign staff with a sense of humor back then, she would have come off, like Chris and Jordan, as more personable and humorous. Less of a Corporate robot who was unsuccessful in blackmailing our country with "Vote for me peeon, or else tRump." Then we'd at least have a competent President as opposed to now :-(

Meanwhile DPR's videos are, I'm sure, doing just fine in viewership.

Tony Northrup recently found on a trip that switching the Peak Design tripod from horizontal camera position to vertical camera position was a pain. Switching horizontal camera position to vertical camera position was missing from this test. On a Slik tripod I just loosen the camera plate - since it is an L and is hinged on the side. With RRS, Acratech I just drop the ball head into a slot, or the collar is set at a 45 degree angle.

There is rarely ever a good reason to raise the center column on a tripod.

Second tip for newbies: try not to extend the last part of the tripod legs (the smallest part towards the feet) especially if you have a 4, 5 or 6 section tripod. On 3-section tripods (such as the heavy duty ones with thick legs) those are fine to extend all the way out, but not on a travel one (as i've found in some cases). (I use two tripods: one travel one for if I'm backpacking; and a heavy duty one (3 section) if I know I"m going to be doing landscapes at places like Death Valley where there can be a decent amount of wind).

Thom Hogan has some good articles on how to pick out a good tripod, but keep in mind, as he puts it, if you're serious about your photography, you will end up spending $1000 one way or another for a good tripod. If you have the money, might as well invest it on a good tripod and have less headaches later on.

Why is spending money equated with serious photography? Or is that due to the tax benefits?

I'm sure I've spent less than $600 in tripods over the decades. Some were fine and went to people starting out.

The idea that you will spend a lot of money sooner or later is marketing spin from companies that sell overpriced tripods.

It's like motorcycle manufacturers used to say "Buy a $10 helmet if you have a $10 head." Just scare tactics.

I don't see it so much as scare tactics, but rather a learning process. And as to Thom's articles, it's not like everyoing is going to spend $1000, but like you have said, you've spend $600 over the years. People start out with a small cheaper tripod, and continue to upgrade. I guess the point of his articles is to save yourself some headaches and skip the super cheap tripods and go with something a bit more heavy duty. Obviously, if you're just shooting a hybridge or bridge camera, the cheaper tripods are fine, but for many on here (just looking at the types of gear people use) a medium-sized tripod is what most will use.

Yard sales. Yard sales are great places to get a better tripod. But you'll probably have to send away for the new mounting plate, which is why that $800 tripod is now twelve bucks at the yard sale...

It is never necessary for stills photographers to spend $1000 on a tripod

Raising the center column should be a non-starter unless there is some purpose for a tripod besides keeping the camera steady. Surprising how little things have changed. Chinese offer great value, Manfrotto uses plastic and Gitzo is lightest. My only regret with the Gitzos is the worry about theft.

I like these guys and I like their videos. Still not sure which tripod to get. I do think Chris should stop eating at Chilis, though.

But hey, his kid works there so he's gotta show support..

Maybe he should apply?

Well, a few weeks ago I bought my new Gitzo 2545 Traveller with a Novoflex Classic 2 ballhead and I'm totally happy with it. Not mentioned in the shootout but strongly recommended.

Like Chris I prefer to use twist locks as well but for cleaning I find them much worse than clamp locks, it takes a lot longer to properly clean a twist lock thanks to the threads and they're prone to damage if grit isn't cleaned out.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the PD requires the centre column to be extended to use the inbuilt ballhead doesn't it? If that's correct then it doesn't make much sense to compare the PD with the centre column fully lowered to other tripods which have the full range of movement when lowered.

Yes, that was a downer for me when I realized it... You don't have to extend it the whole way to use it obviously and it might not compromise much stability if it's like an inch or two out, but still. That plus no easy straight panning with the stock head make it a turn off for me... I still like they way they innovated with it tho.

To do a proper review of travel tripods, one need to travel with tripods (backpacking on airplanes, trains, buses). Not only going from A to B by car with the camera / tripods at the back and having to walk a few feet away to record a video review in an outdoor setting for a commercial website.

Car, plane, trains and automobiles first, but 80 to 90 percent of the people will 'travel' their tripod by going with a car to a destination, do a few foot walk. Set up a tripod. Take their shots and to than travel to their next destination.

People backpacking is only a few percent of the market. Not the majority.

@Duncan M: The gear that was reviewed is not targeted to the use that you describe as the "80 or 90 percent." The backpacking/hiker and traveler segments are the target for these products. Manufacturers target this group with these products because it is a unique market with a value added proposition for the manufacturer. It is also very possible that a portion of your "80 or 90 percent" would like the functionality offered by these tripods if only infrequently used, much like the off road qualities of an SUV. These users might benefit from a review that actual tested these tripods under the conditions the manufacturers claim to have addressed.

Why would we review a Jeep Wrangler only on the basis of in-town driving when a primary purpose is off-road? It would have been entertaining and informative if Chris, Jordan and the boys went on a three or four day backpacking trip with this gear for a proper field test and no cell phones. New title: "Travel Tripod Survivor!"

Duncan M > I don't know the statistics but as for me a travel tripod is exactly the tripod I use when I travel by plane.

If I travel by car well I use my standard and more steady tripod.

Travelling by car is eliminating a lot of problems encountered while flying, especially weight and cumbersomeness that can kill your cabin packaging.

So I use two tripods (a travel carbon fiber tripod from Sirui and a heavier one from Benro which is a 3-section tripod that holds a large amount of weight and is also carbon fiber). So I usually don't chose based on weight or size (unless I'm restricted, like a if I"m flying and can only have a carry-on bag) but rather on function. If I'm going to be out in the desert then I'm probably going to bring the Benro. If I"m going to be in-doors or in areas where wind is not really going to be a problem (perhaps in a canyon for example) I may bring the travel tripod. If I'm flying and can only bring a carry-on, then it's the travel tripod. If I can have a checked bag too, then I bring both so I have both just in case. So I go more for function. AS for the larger tripod, I've just gotten used to hauling it around when needed.

(continued...) For me, 90% of the time, I'll either drive to my destination, take the train, or fly and then rent a car, as i think most people will end up doing. The only people I could see where size and weight may matter while out shooting are those who are hiking long distances or camping and otherwise will be away from any type of transportation (car, bus, etc).

I would add that there is no point in comparing a product which will not be available for another 6 months of so. You should ignore peak design for now.

Worth noting that 3 of those brands will usually have several other models that'll easily shift priorities and competitive advantages to taste, I dunno Manfrotto & Gitzo's lineup very well but Sirui actually has a whole separate line of travel tripods with model numbers starting with a T (rather than N)...

The T-1204KS looks like it might've been a better fit for this roundup, coming in under 15" folded... Though it ends up making an even bigger sacrifice than the PD in max height w/center column down. I went for the T-1205X myself, possibly less stable being a 5 section but it still gets to 44" w/center column down and weighs <2lbs (just about 2lbs with the head I have on it); perfect for my lightweight M4/3 gear.

I would've liked to see you measure folded diameter since that's something PD has made a big deal about and frustratingly almost no manufacturer ever seems to spec that. Finding a head that keeps that down also be tricky.

Also, test tabletop/mini tripods! I think the previous (current?) DPR gear editor was gonna do another article on those but he never got around to it, there was one for stuff sort of in between but not the smallest (Joby Gorillapods, Cullman Copter, Pixi, Joby Micros, etc; I've tried a bunch myself and settled on a Sunwayfoto T1A11 tho I still use some of my small Jobys too). I liked the comparison here even if it wasn't extensive or super scientific.

Considering the upfront disclosure that this was meant to be a practical yet unscientific test, I like the contents and the results! It is actually the first time I am liking a test done on DPR TV, and it is likely because I expected the subjective take of the reviewer from the get go. That said, I think Peak Design's first attempt at a serious, travel tripod is very decent. I don't think I will end up buying it, simply because my current tripods are serving their purposes just fine.

Where are the bipods?

These are the photographers... ;-)

I wonder what happens if the vibration device is attached directly to a camera that has IBIS. Can you test it with the E-M1X? :)

Chris, Chris, Chris...you didn't view the Kickstarter video. Collapsed to open in 9.4 seconds. Add 2 seconds for center column extension.

The trick is to unlock and extend all of the legs at once, then lock all of the legs at once, then spread the legs. Something that you can't do with twist locks, but can with flip locks.

And no, cool as PDTT is, I already have a tripod I hardly use.

The 9.4 seconds is just advertising. This was a real life test as how most people will handle this tripod.

One of the amazing things about this website is that people can often not detect nor appreciate a gentle ribbing of our right honorable Chris and a bit of sarcasm towards Peak Design's advertising.

Sarcasm never works well on an international site aimed at gearheads. Some will detect it. some won't. It's your choice how inclusionary you want to be. Complaining about it makes you sound like a newb.

Sarcasm is the best!

Hmmm...point taken, but never has been a problem for the last decade or so I've been here, conversing with folks from around the world. And I'm sure that Chris got the joke. But if you're saying that humor doesn't really have a place on this website because humor is cultural, then Chris and Jordan would be quickly out of a job.

"but never has been a problem for the last decade or so I've been here" ...well it tends to follow the degree of subtlety, as one might expect. "But if you're saying that humor doesn't really have a place on this website because humor is cultural," -not said, or implied, though, obviously, humor can be cultural, thus narrowing the target audience. I was referring primarily to your complaint; a complaint I've seen dozens on times on this site.

Now I'm confused. Are you talking about my original post, or my admittedly annoyed response to Duncan's response?

The response...primarily.

Peak Design deployment can be seen at 8:33 here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f82p6Do9cc

The vibration test is laughable. Taping on a vibrator and determining the image sharpness is not science. What was the frequency of the vibrator? Is the frequency something that we would experience in real life from wind? What if the frequency is different, would it affect the images taken from the tripod? What is the harmonic frequencies of the tripod? These guys should stick something they actually know something about.

Real testing involves people who know what they are doing. The center column web site does just that. https://thecentercolumn.com

Is this serious or just a way to plug another website?

No, it's not a plug. I have no connection with David who created the site. He does real testing using real scientific equipment (not a vibrator) to determine stiffness and damping of tripods, and compares the qualities of the many numbers brands and models. It's a great resource.

He did say it was an unscientific test.

Thanks, this is a good resource!

It didn't test the tripods I'm most interested in (Benro & Sirui) but has a good number of legs here. The heads selection is quite good.

Great, video. Really, really useful. I have the Gitzo (with RRS bullhead) but have ordered the Peak Design because I travel a ton and have one rule. Carry on only. So any tripod that maximizes luggage space is useful. When I get it and use it, it will be interesting to compare it in the real world versus the Gitzo, which is a fantastic tripod.

I don't know much about your gitzo travel tripod but I'm pretty sure that the PD won't get you anything significantly and quantificantly measurable in terms of improvement.

One example that I seriously took into acfount is that my travel tripod has 1 leg that can become monopod. I don't see such of an option on the new PD travel tripod so for me it would be 1 step backwards... All of this is personal of course.

Space in the luggage. My tripod goes in my carry-on. The design of the Peak Design means that I take up significantly less space. I travel well over 100,000 miles are year, so optimizing the luggage arrangement is crucial.

The flip leg vs twist lock argument is quite valid. Twist locks are awful if you suffer from finger/wrist ailments, including arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome.

And if you use twist locks, you increase your risk of those ailments.

I prefer flip-locks because I value my health. Having gear that won't leave me disabled is important to me.

I much prefer flip (or level) lock. It cannot make mistake when you in rush as your eyes can see if flipped or locked or not. Years ago I had such mistake with a Sirui twist-lock tripod that one lock on one leg was not fully twisted that caused the tripod collapsed mounted with A7r+EF 24-70L/2.8 II. Fortunately it fell to the right direction that the lens hood and L-plate on A7r saved the set with only the lens hood damaged and since unable to securely clicked-in.

I pre-ordered the PD tripod via Kickstarter, saves $110. I wish it has 4 sections instead and don't mind it's a bit longer when retreated. Otherwise it seems a perfect traveling tripod.

That's kind of foolish.

The only tripod I can consider always carrying with me by weight and size is the Gorillapod, it is more versatile than it seems. For everything else I have a normal Vanguard tripod, not too big, but very little comes out of the trunk of the car because I like to walk through the forest and 80% of the times I need a tripod I find a rock or a branch on which to put the Gorilla

Gorillapods have an awful record of durability.. Check the user forums. They seem disposable.

I agree I wouldn't carry anything bigger/heavier than a Gorillapod 5k, and definitely not a $1000 tripod.

Yes, I have seen it, but mine has suffered many falls, has been in several streams and has been moored to the most rusty, moldy and disgusting places imaginable, but still without problems. The last day to force one of the legs "broke" a ball, I thought it had broken but just as it came out it was re-coupled without problem. It is obviously not perfect, but it is a very useful solution, it is the perfect substitute for our old handmade denim bags filled with chickpeas or rice. Do not get carried away by the waves of negative comments, today there are really good return policies in addition to more than reasonable guarantees, it is better to try things for yourself. Also, with the price that Gorillapod has, you don't have to dock a bank ...

It would seem half those reviews were written by gorillas...

I wonder which manufacturer will first put a note in their manual "if you use vibrating devices for health care or whatever reasons, switch it off." I'm only posting here for being called crazy - I have 5 Gitzos, one Sirui and a tiny wheeny MeFoto for the short focal length cameras without a shutter shake.

4 Gitzos from series 2 to 5. No series 1: too flimsy - if I gonna pay that much money already, it's useless to go for a "cheaper" Gitzo which isn't cheap. I learnt that 30 years ago, when I got such a flimsy Gitzo, named "Tatalux" from the era they were manufactured in Paris and not just over the road opposite of Manfred, aah, frotto.

And the Tatalux had to hold a Mamiya 645 in place. And did, even when the center column's 2nd section was extended. Film was very tolerant for camera shakes... and "mirror up" + wire release helped a lot.

But today's pixel giants are demanding for tripods. Fix a laser pointer on a camera, film it's target and enjoy the jumps a mirror can cause.

And for the old Gitzo: 15 years ago I lost the tripod's camera screw. Got a sparepart from Gitzo. 5 years later the tripod fell from the bike while cycling, panorama axis of the "brevete rotule profes.", as they called the of center ball-head, was bent. Got a spare part, from Gitzo which meanwhile was sold to Manfrotto.

Spikes are overrated. RRS's idea "rock claws" are much better outside. Chinese copies are even better manufactured and three of them cost less than one RRS, sorry.

The hook of the center column, with a hanging camera bag, rocking in the wind - that's an ideal test of how good IBIS is... it depends of the exposure time, but slow perpendicular movements also have an impact.

The way I've read to use weight bags is to make sure the touch the ground, then there isn't any swinging in the wind.

You may also like

Latest sample galleries.

Latest in-depth reviews

The Panasonic Lumix S5II launched the second generation of Panasonic’s full-frame mirrorless camera system and was the first Panasonic to feature phase detect autofocus. As our review reveals, it’s a heck of an all-around camera for both still and video shooters.

The latest Lumix puts a Four Thirds sensor in a full-frame body with boosted AF and a wealth of stills and video capabilities to create a Swiss Army Knife of a Micro Four Thirds camera.

The fourth camera in Leica's SL series of full-frame mirrorless cameras sees the 60MP BSI sensor from the Q3 and M11 models arrive with a significant interface redesign.

The Fujifilm X100VI is the sixth iteration of Fujifilm's classically-styled large sensor compact. A 40MP X-Trans sensor, in-body stabilization and 6.2K video are among the updates.

The Nikon Zf is a 24MP full-frame mirrorless camera with classic looks that brings significant improvements to Nikon's mid-price cameras. We just shot a sample reel to get a better feel for its video features and have added our impressions to the review.

Latest buying guides

What’s the best camera for around $2000? This price point gives you access to some of the most all-round capable cameras available. Excellent image quality, powerful autofocus and great looking video are the least you can expect. We've picked the models that really stand out.

What's the best camera for travel? Good travel cameras should be small, versatile, and offer good image quality. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for travel and recommended the best.

If you want a compact camera that produces great quality photos without the hassle of changing lenses, there are plenty of choices available for every budget. Read on to find out which portable enthusiast compacts are our favorites.

'What's the best mirrorless camera?' We're glad you asked.

Above $2500 cameras tend to become increasingly specialized, making it difficult to select a 'best' option. We case our eye over the options costing more than $2500 but less than $4000, to find the best all-rounder.

In part two of his photography tour of Madagascar, landscape photographer Erez Marom introduces us to the visually stunning Red Tsingy.

The small, lightweight prime lens features internal focusing and EXIF communication with Nikon Z-mount cameras. (Includes sample gallery.)

7Artisans has revealed a full-frame autofocus 50mm F1.8 lens for Nikon's Z mount. It will be available soon at a price of $228.

7Artisans has announced a $130 27mm F2.8 autofocus lens for Sony APS-C E-mount cameras.

For our twenty-fifth anniversary, we asked camera and lens makers what they believe to be the most significant products of the past quarter century.

40MP sensor shows lots of detail, with its lens delivering good levels of sharpness at our standard F5.6 test aperture.

mood.camera is a new iOS camera app that aims to emulate film photography by offering 14 'film stock' filters, but which, like film, only shows you the results after you take a photo. We found it to be surprisingly fun.

Sigma has announced it will be offering six of its DC DN APS-C lenses for Canon's RF mount, making it one of the first third-party manufacturers to sell RF lenses under license.

Tamron has announced it's developing a version of its 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD fast wide-angle zoom for Canon RF mount APS-C cameras.

Moment's T-series lenses are well-built, offering the look and feel of a premium product. But with high-end smartphone cameras getting so good, can they still up your photo game? We decided to find out.

Popular photo sharing service Photobucket recently revealed that the 13 billion images it hosts online could be used to train AI models. We explain what changes made this possible and suggest some cloud storage alternatives to keep your data private.

A few weeks ago in Japan, we had the opportunity to interview the team at Ricoh behind the new Pentax film camera that's expected to arrive later this year. Find out why the designers settled on a half-frame design that favors a vertical format, what inspired the optics, and the added complexity of including a manual film-winding mechanism.

TTArtisan has released a 56mm F1.8 autofocus lens for Sony and Fujifilm APS-C cameras, targeting portrait photographers looking for a budget third-party option.

We're almost a third of the way through the year already! Here's a recap of the reviews and testing we've done this year so far, with more (and more and more) to come as the year goes on!

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and discover a world of DPReview beyond the website.

7Artisans has released a new 50mm F1.4 Tilt lens, available for Sony and Fujifilm APS-C cameras, as well as Panasonic and Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras.

Fujifilm US's free-to-enter raffle is now open, offering the chance to purchase a Limited Edition X100VI.

Blackmagic Designs has announced the Pyxis, a $3000, 6K full-frame (36 x 24mm) modular video camera. It will be available with PL, locking Canon EF or Leica L mounts.

Who wouldn't want to use the IS mechanism they've paid for to squeeze a bit more resolution our of their camera? People like Richard Butler, who question the effort/reward balance they offer.

We took the Sony FE 16-25mm F2.8 G to the streets of Seattle. And then to the library when the rain robbed us of sunshine.

Sony has announced the FE 16-25mm F2.8 G, a compact, fast wide-angle lens designed to complement its recent 24-50mm F2.8.

The Blackmagic Ursa Cine 12K is available now, starting at $14,995.

"We have not made any significant progress since last year, " says Sigma owner and CEO Kazuto Yamaki, when asked about the planned full-frame Foveon camera. But he still believes in the project and discussed with us what such a camera could still offer.

The Legacy Survey of Space and Time camera recently completed by the US Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory risks making your camera setup seem inadequate.

In this first article of a new series, globetrotting landscape and nature photographer Erez Marom takes us to the island nation of Madagascar, sharing his experience photographing lemurs and chameleons.

With similar goals to its standalone Ninja monitors/recorders, the Phone Ninja connects a camera's HDMI out to a compatible iPhone for live view, recording, live streaming and file transfer.

The best of the best from the DPReview community, see our favorite photos you made from the North American eclipse.

The manual Lux Elf Retro uses a single-point hot shoe, making it compatible with most camera systems.

Trying to get your hands on the Fujifilm X100VI Limited Edition? The Conservation Alliance is auctioning one as a fundraiser, bundled with products and services from Peak Design, SmugMug and Flickr.

• Gear Patrol
• Work for us
• Advertise with us
• Feedback / Contact us
• Camera reviews
• Lens reviews
• Printer reviews
• Buying guides
• Sample images
• Editorial enquiries
• Camera search
• Camera comparison
• Lens search
• Product timeline
• Browse all products
• Community Guidelines
• My Settings
• My GearList

• Canada (CAD $)
• France (EUR €)
• Germany (EUR €)
• Italy (EUR €)
• Spain (EUR €)
• United Kingdom (GBP £)
• United States (USD $)
• Cell Phones & Accessories
• Collectibles
• Arts & Crafts
• Lawn & Garden

• icon-chevron Industrial
• View all icon-chevron
• Automotive icon-chevron
• Appliances icon-chevron

• icon-chevron Electronics
• Cell Phones & Accessories icon-chevron

• icon-chevron Home
• Beauty icon-chevron
• Household icon-chevron
• Collectibles icon-chevron
• Arts & Crafts icon-chevron
• Baby icon-chevron
• Books icon-chevron
• Clothing icon-chevron
• Grocery icon-chevron
• Tools icon-chevron
• Pet icon-chevron
• Lawn & Garden icon-chevron

• icon-chevron Entertainment
• Sports icon-chevron
• Musical Instruments icon-chevron
• Movies icon-chevron
• CDs icon-chevron
• icon-chevron Toys
• Video Games icon-chevron

Magnus TR-13 Travel Tripod with Dual-Action Ball Head

• Worldwide shipping
• Fast Secure payments
• In stock, ready to ship
• Inventory on the way
• Load Capacity: 13.2 lb * Maximum Height: 62.5" * Minimum Height: 16.5" * Folded Length: 18.2"
• Arca-type-compatible ball head, which includes a quick release plate, with dual-action locking knobs for the ball and the pan
• Ball head has a load capacity of 13.2 lb, and the head can be rotated 360° and it can be moved into a 90° angle
• The 4-section aluminum legs have flip locks that open so you can extend the tripod's legs along with the rapid center column to a maximum height of 62.5"
• The legs splay completely out for a minimum height of 16.5" and have three variable angles with independent leg spread

This item is available for Global Shipping.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Subscribe today to hear first about our sales

We are sorry but our site requires Javascript Enabled

Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

Apr 24 2017

City Street Guides by f.d. walker: A Street Photography Guide to Moscow, Russia

*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!

At over 12 million people, Moscow is the largest city in Russia and second largest in Europe by population ( Istanbul is #1). An urban, cosmopolitan metropolis with more than enough glitz and glam to cater to the elite, but without losing its fair share of Soviet era roughness around the edges. It can be fast paced, brash, busy, and trendy like other big cities, but it has its blend of West meets Russia atmosphere and beauty that provides plenty of unique interest. The Red Square is as famous as it gets, but there’s so much more to this city, including the most beautiful subway system you’ve ever seen. It would take years to capture all of Moscow, but that means you have an endless amount of areas to discover.

So here’s a Street Photography guide so you can be ready to capture all that Moscow has to offer before you even arrive!

• Patriarch’s Pond
• Old Arbat Street
• Maroseyka Street
• Tverskoy Boulevard

Top 5 Street Spots:

1. red square.

The Red Square is the most famous square in not just Russia, but all of Eastern Europe. The name actually doesn’t come from the color of the bricks or communism, but from the name in Russian, Krásnaya, once meaning “beautiful” before its meaning changed to “red.” This large plaza is what you see on the cover of guide books and magazines for Moscow, with St. Basil’s Cathedral being the center piece next to Lenin’s Mausoleum surrounded by the Kremlin Wall. Of course, the Red Square attracts hordes of tourist due to the main attractions, but all that activity around an interesting atmosphere does provide street photo opportunities. It’s also the central square connecting to the city’s major streets, providing a good starting point to explore outward.

You’ll also find the popular pedestrian only Nikolskaya Street connecting the Red Square to Lubyanka Square. This line of expensive shops includes plenty of activity, while also leading you to another popular square. Filled with history rivaling any city, the Red Square and surrounding areas are the heart and soul of Russia.

2. Patriarch’s Ponds

Patriarch’s Ponds is one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Moscow. Despite the name being plural, there’s only one large pond, but it’s worth a visit with your camera. It’s a popular spot for locals and expats to come relax or take a stroll around the pond. You get an interesting mix of young and old too, from young love to “babushkas” feeding pigeons. It’s a very peaceful park atmosphere in one of the nicer areas within the city center, while bringing enough activity for street photography. 

The pond is shallow and in the winter becomes a popular spot for ice-skating too. The area is also well-known for the location in the famous Russian novel, The Master and Margarita. 

3. Old Arbat (Stary Arbat)

Old Arbat is the most famous pedestrian street in Moscow, and dating back to the 15th century, also one of its oldest. Originally, it was an area of trade, but soon became the most prestigious residential area in Moscow. During the 18th century, Arbat started attracting the city’s scholars and artists, including Alexander Pushkin. Cafes lined the streets and impressive homes filled the neighborhood. Since then, New Arbat street was created as a highway in the area, while Old Arbat was paved for a 1km pedestrian only walkway.

Due to the historic buildings, famous artists that lived here, and the bohemian atmosphere, Old Arbat has become a big attraction for tourists today. Now, there’s a mix of cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, street performers, street merchants and other attractions for visitors, and some locals, to come enjoy. It can get really busy here and there’s usually something interesting going on so it’s a good street to come walk with your camera for guaranteed life.

4. Gorky Park

One of the most famous places in Moscow is Gorky Park. The official name is Maxim Gorky’s Central Park of Culture & Leisure, which gives you an idea of what goes on here. When built, it was the first of its kind in the Soviet Union. Divided into two parts, it stretches along Moscow River. One end contains fair rides, foods stands, tennis courts, a sports club, a lake for boat rides, and more. This end brings more active life due to its number of attractions, while the other end is more relaxed, where you’ll find gardens, trees, older buildings, and an outdoor amphitheater.

Gorky Park attracts mostly locals so it’s a good spot to capture the non-tourist side of Moscow life. Muscovites come here to escape the city and unwind in a picturesque setting. The park remains alive outside of the warmer months too, especially when the lake turns into the city’s largest outdoor skating rink. I’d recommend taking the metro out here to spend at least half a day exploring the massive park’s life with your camera.

5. Maroseyka Street

Maroseyka Street is a popular area not too far from the Red Square. The long, winding street turns into Pokrovka and is lined with restaurants, cafes, bars and places to stay. It’s actually where I like to stay when I’m in Moscow due to its location and solid street photography opportunities itself. You have Kitay-gorod station near and if you keep walking southwest, you’ll get to the Red Square. But if you walk northwest, as it changes to Pokrovka, you can find a long street of activity for photography with its own interesting atmosphere.

6. Tverskoy Boulevard

Tverskoy Boulevard is the oldest and longest boulevard in Moscow, beginning at the end of Nikitsky Boulevard, and finishing at Pushkin Square, a spot to come for activity itself. The boulevard is made up of two avenues, with pedestrian walkways in-between. You’ll find grass, shrubbery, trees, benches and more walking it’s almost kilometer length. Many people come here to enjoy some relaxation, walk their dog, or just to use it to walk wherever they’re going. Its center location also provides a nice place to walk with your camera near plenty of other spots you’ll want to check out anyway.

Sample Street Walk:

For a full day of Street Photography, covering some of the best spots, you can follow this sample street walk for Moscow:

• Start your morning walking around the Red Square (1), while exploring the surrounding area, including Nikolskaya Street
• Then walk northwest to Patriarch’s Ponds (2) and slowly walk the pond and surrounding area with your camera
• Next, walk east to the Pushkin Monument and stroll down Tverskoy Boulevard (6)
• Once Tverskoy Boulevard (6) ends, it will turn into Nikitsky Boulevard. Follow this down until you get to the start of Old Arbat Street (3), across from Arbatskaya station
• After you’re done walking down Old Arbat Street (3) for more street photography, spend some time checking out Moscow’s beautiful metro stations
• To finish off the day with more street photography, get off the metro near Red Square (1) again, Maroseyka Street (5) or wherever you’re staying for the night.

3 Things I’ll Remember about Shooting in Moscow:

1. museum metro.

The Moscow metro system was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union and today includes 203 stations across 340km of routes. The elaborate system has some of the deepest stations in the world too, with escalators that seem to go on forever. None of this is what makes it so special, though. Many of its stations feel like stepping inside a museum, making it without a doubt the most interesting and beautiful metro system I’ve been in.

When built, Stalin wanted to make the metro stations “palaces for the people” with marble, chandeliers, and grand architecture. The best part is the variety of architecture and styles used, making many of the stations a completely different experience visually. You could easily spend a whole day traveling the stations and there are even tours available for people who wish to do just that. My advice, though, would be just to buy a ticket and hop on and off at different stations, while exploring different lines. The museum-like surrounding mixed with the crowds of characters can make for a great photography experience.

Since there are so many stations, here are some of my favorites to check out:

• Novoslobodskaya
• Mayakovskaya
• Elektrozavodskaya
• Komsomolskaya
• Ploschad Revolyutsii
• Dostoyevskaya
• Prospekt Mira

2. Moscow is Big

It’s no secret that Moscow is a big city, but it can feel even bigger with how spread out much of it is. This is especially true if you compare it to cities outside of Asia. If I compared it to cities in Europe, I’d probably say only Istanbul would warrant more time to really discover the depths of this city. Most only explore around the Red Square and surrounding area, but that is such a small part of the city. Although, that central area does give you plenty to see on its own.

Fortunately, I had a good friend living in the city to show me around, but it opened up my eyes even more to how much there is to discover in Moscow. It’s a big city with a variety of atmosphere that can take you from “east” to “west” and trendy to rugged depending on where you go. I’d imagine you’d have to live here a while to really know the city.

3. Cosmopolitan Mix of East meets West

Modern skyscrapers mixed with amazing architecture, a world-class metro system with museum-like beauty, trendy fashion and chic clubs, Moscow is a rich mix of Russian culture and history in a more western cosmopolitan package. There is a push to keep the Russian culture, while also pushing forward with a modern metropolis the whole world will envy. This comes with an impressive skyline, that continues to grow, and endless modernities, but with soviet nostalgia and atmosphere mixed in for good measure.

Mixed in with this grand western cosmopolitan atmosphere, is a strong national pride in Russia. This includes their famous leader, Vladimir Putin. Maybe no other place will you see a country’s leader more often. All over, from the pricey tourist shops to the underground walkway stalls, you’ll find goods with Putin’s likeness covering them. From t-shirts to magnets to Matryoshka dolls. There’s a strong national pride that can be seen around the city, which also extends to their leader. Moscow is many things. It’s East meets West, modernizations meets Soviet era, and a whole lot more.

What To Do For a Street Photography Break?:

Eat at a stolovaya.

Stolovayas are Russian cafeterias that became popular in the Soviet days. You grab a tray and walk down the line of freshly prepared local dishes, and select whatever you want from the chefs. They’re usually inexpensive and a much better value than restaurants, while giving you the opportunity to try from a wide selection of everyday Russian food. They’re also very tasty. I always include some borsch on my tray and go from there. The places themselves are all over Moscow and usually come with Soviet-era aesthetics to complete the experience.

Street Safety Score: 7

*As always, no place is completely safe! So when I talk about safety, I’m speaking in general comparison to other places. Always take precaution, be smart, observe your surroundings and trust your instincts anywhere you go!

Being the 2nd largest city in Europe with over 12 million people, you’re going to have your dangerous areas, but for the most part, it feels safe walking around. Russia is statistically higher in crime compared to most of Europe, but this generally doesn’t apply to tourists and visitors. Around the Red Square and surrounding city center, you should feel completely safe walking around. Pick pocketing can happen, but no more than other touristic places. I always explore Moscow freely without coming across too much to worry about. It’s a spread out city, though, so of course it matters where you are. Just use basic street smarts, know where you are and Moscow shouldn’t give you a problem. 

People’s Reaction Score: 7

Moscow is fast paced, big city life, which usually means people aren’t too concerned with you, or your camera. I don’t find people notice or pay much attention to me when I’m out taking photos in Moscow. For the most part, people just go about their day. You shouldn’t get too many looks or concern. But it can depend on the area you are in. The more you stick out, the more you might get noticed with suspicions. I’ve never had any problems in Moscow, or Russia, but just be careful who you’re taking a photo of if you get out of the city center. Other than that, it’s about average for reactions. 

Street Tips:

Learn the alphabet .

Much of Moscow, including the metro system, doesn’t use english. The Russian alphabet uses letters from the Cyrillic script, which if you aren’t familiar with it and don’t know the sounds, can be hard to decipher the words. This is most important for street names and metro stops when trying to get around. It can save confusion and make it easier getting around if you learn the basic alphabet. At the very least then, you can sound out the words to see which are similar in the english conversion, which can help matching them to maps. When out shooting street photography, getting around is as important as anything. So save yourself some time and frustration by learning the Russian Alphabet.

Use the metro

While Saint-Petersburg feels very walkable for a city its size, Moscow can feel very spread out, even for its bigger size. Outside of the Red Square area, you can have plenty of walking before getting anywhere very interesting, so you’ll need to take the metro a lot if you really want to explore the city. Maps are deceiving here too, it will always be further than it looks.

Another reason it’s less walkable than Saint-Petersburg is its completely different set-up. Moscow’s streets are mostly contstructed in rings with narrow, winding streets in-between. This is common with medieval city cities that used to be confined by walls, but you usually don’t have it in a city this massive. Saint-Petersburg has a more grid-like pattern that also uses the canals to help you know your way around. When it comes to navigating on foot in Moscow, it can be more difficult, so bring a map and take the metro when needed. It’s why Moscow’s metro carries more passengers per day than the London and Paris subways combined.

Explore other areas if you have time

Moscow is really big. While most people stay around the Red Square within the Boulevard Ring, there’s so much more to the city. I covered some other spots outside of this circle, but if you really want to see the city, you’ll need time. If you do have time, some other areas I’d check out first are Zamoskvarechye, along some of the south and western Moscow.

Inspiration:

For some more inspiration, you can look through the Street Photography of Moscow photographer Artem Zhitenev  and check out 33 of my photos taken in Moscow .

Conclusion:

Moscow’s name brings a certain mystique, but once you’re there it might bring a different atmosphere than you expect. It’s big and sprawling, but beautiful in many ways. It can feel like a European capital on a grand scale, but you can definitely find its Russian side in there.

The urban sprawl of Moscow can be intimidating, but give it enough time and you’ll be rewarded with plenty to discover. All with the world’s best metro system to take you around.

I hope this guide can help you start to experience some of what Moscow contains. So grab your camera and capture all that Moscow has to offer for Street Photography!

If you still have any questions about shooting in Moscow, feel free to comment below or email me!

(I want to make these guides as valuable as possible for all of you so add any ideas on improvements, including addition requests, in the comment section!)

Click Here For More City Street Guides!

(A New Guide Posted Every Other Wednesday)

Comment Here! Cancel reply

For patreon exclusive educational content:.

Limited Edition Postcard Prints!

Street Photography Workshops

Donations Always Appreciated

I'll always keep Shooter Files free for everyone, but any donations would be greatly appreciated and help me keep it going. Many thanks to everyone following along!

Cheers! -f.d. walker

Search the Files

For Exclusive Patron Content:

2018 Primetime Emmy & James Beard Award Winner

In Transit: Notes from the Underground

Jun 06 2018.

Spend some time in one of Moscow’s finest museums.

Subterranean commuting might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but even in a city packing the war-games treasures and priceless bejeweled eggs of the Kremlin Armoury and the colossal Soviet pavilions of the VDNKh , the Metro holds up as one of Moscow’s finest museums. Just avoid rush hour.

The Metro is stunning and provides an unrivaled insight into the city’s psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi , but also some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time rate. It’s also reasonably priced, with a single ride at 55 cents (and cheaper in bulk). From history to tickets to rules — official and not — here’s what you need to know to get started.

A Brief Introduction Buying Tickets Know Before You Go (Down) Rules An Easy Tour

A Brief Introduction

Moscow’s Metro was a long time coming. Plans for rapid transit to relieve the city’s beleaguered tram system date back to the Imperial era, but a couple of wars and a revolution held up its development. Stalin revived it as part of his grand plan to modernize the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s. The first lines and tunnels were constructed with help from engineers from the London Underground, although Stalin’s secret police decided that they had learned too much about Moscow’s layout and had them arrested on espionage charges and deported.

The beauty of its stations (if not its trains) is well-documented, and certainly no accident. In its illustrious first phases and particularly after the Second World War, the greatest architects of Soviet era were recruited to create gleaming temples celebrating the Revolution, the USSR, and the war triumph. No two stations are exactly alike, and each of the classic showpieces has a theme. There are world-famous shrines to Futurist architecture, a celebration of electricity, tributes to individuals and regions of the former Soviet Union. Each marble slab, mosaic tile, or light fixture was placed with intent, all in service to a station’s aesthetic; each element, f rom the smallest brass ear of corn to a large blood-spattered sword on a World War II mural, is an essential part of the whole.

The Metro is a monument to the Soviet propaganda project it was intended to be when it opened in 1935 with the slogan “Building a Palace for the People”. It brought the grand interiors of Imperial Russia to ordinary Muscovites, celebrated the Soviet Union’s past achievements while promising its citizens a bright Soviet future, and of course, it was a show-piece for the world to witness the might and sophistication of life in the Soviet Union.

It may be a museum, but it’s no relic. U p to nine million people use it daily, more than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. (Along with, at one time, about 20 stray dogs that learned to commute on the Metro.)

In its 80+ year history, the Metro has expanded in phases and fits and starts, in step with the fortunes of Moscow and Russia. Now, partly in preparation for the World Cup 2018, it’s also modernizing. New trains allow passengers to walk the entire length of the train without having to change carriages. The system is becoming more visitor-friendly. (There are helpful stickers on the floor marking out the best selfie spots .) But there’s a price to modernity: it’s phasing out one of its beloved institutions, the escalator attendants. Often they are middle-aged or elderly women—“ escalator grandmas ” in news accounts—who have held the post for decades, sitting in their tiny kiosks, scolding commuters for bad escalator etiquette or even bad posture, or telling jokes . They are slated to be replaced, when at all, by members of the escalator maintenance staff.

For all its achievements, the Metro lags behind Moscow’s above-ground growth, as Russia’s capital sprawls ever outwards, generating some of the world’s worst traffic jams . But since 2011, the Metro has been in the middle of an ambitious and long-overdue enlargement; 60 new stations are opening by 2020. If all goes to plan, the 2011-2020 period will have brought 125 miles of new tracks and over 100 new stations — a 40 percent increase — the fastest and largest expansion phase in any period in the Metro’s history.

Facts: 14 lines Opening hours: 5 a.m-1 a.m. Rush hour(s): 8-10 a.m, 4-8 p.m. Single ride: 55₽ (about 85 cents) Wi-Fi network-wide

Buying Tickets

• Ticket machines have a button to switch to English.
• You can buy specific numbers of rides: 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, or 60. Hold up fingers to show how many rides you want to buy.
• There is also a 90-minute ticket , which gets you 1 trip on the metro plus an unlimited number of transfers on other transport (bus, tram, etc) within 90 minutes.
• Or, you can buy day tickets with unlimited rides: one day (218₽/ US$4), three days (415₽/US$7) or seven days (830₽/US$15). Check the rates here to stay up-to-date.
• If you’re going to be using the Metro regularly over a few days, it’s worth getting a Troika card , a contactless, refillable card you can use on all public transport. Using the Metro is cheaper with one of these: a single ride is 36₽, not 55₽. Buy them and refill them in the Metro stations, and they’re valid for 5 years, so you can keep it for next time. Or, if you have a lot of cash left on it when you leave, you can get it refunded at the Metro Service Centers at Ulitsa 1905 Goda, 25 or at Staraya Basmannaya 20, Building 1.
• You can also buy silicone bracelets and keychains with built-in transport chips that you can use as a Troika card. (A Moscow Metro Fitbit!) So far, you can only get these at the Pushkinskaya metro station Live Helpdesk and souvenir shops in the Mayakovskaya and Trubnaya metro stations. The fare is the same as for the Troika card.
• You can also use Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Rules, spoken and unspoken

No smoking, no drinking, no filming, no littering. Photography is allowed, although it used to be banned.

Stand to the right on the escalator. Break this rule and you risk the wrath of the legendary escalator attendants. (No shenanigans on the escalators in general.)

Get out of the way. Find an empty corner to hide in when you get off a train and need to stare at your phone. Watch out getting out of the train in general; when your train doors open, people tend to appear from nowhere or from behind ornate marble columns, walking full-speed.

Always offer your seat to elderly ladies (what are you, a monster?).

An Easy Tour

This is no Metro Marathon ( 199 stations in 20 hours ). It’s an easy tour, taking in most—though not all—of the notable stations, the bulk of it going clockwise along the Circle line, with a couple of short detours. These stations are within minutes of one another, and the whole tour should take about 1-2 hours.

Start at Mayakovskaya Metro station , at the corner of Tverskaya and Garden Ring,  Triumfalnaya Square, Moskva, Russia, 125047.

1. Mayakovskaya.  Named for Russian Futurist Movement poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and an attempt to bring to life the future he imagined in his poems. (The Futurist Movement, natch, was all about a rejecting the past and celebrating all things speed, industry, modern machines, youth, modernity.) The result: an Art Deco masterpiece that won the National Grand Prix for architecture at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. It’s all smooth, rounded shine and light, and gentle arches supported by columns of dark pink marble and stainless aircraft steel. Each of its 34 ceiling niches has a mosaic. During World War II, the station was used as an air-raid shelter and, at one point, a bunker for Stalin. He gave a subdued but rousing speech here in Nov. 6, 1941 as the Nazis bombed the city above.

Take the 3/Green line one station to:

2. Belorusskaya. Opened in 1952, named after the connected Belarussky Rail Terminal, which runs trains between Moscow and Belarus. This is a light marble affair with a white, cake-like ceiling, lined with Belorussian patterns and 12 Florentine ceiling mosaics depicting life in Belarussia when it was built.

Transfer onto the 1/Brown line. Then, one stop (clockwise) t o:

3. Novoslobodskaya.  This station was designed around the stained-glass panels, which were made in Latvia, because Alexey Dushkin, the Soviet starchitect who dreamed it up (and also designed Mayakovskaya station) couldn’t find the glass and craft locally. The stained glass is the same used for Riga’s Cathedral, and the panels feature plants, flowers, members of the Soviet intelligentsia (musician, artist, architect) and geometric shapes.

Go two stops east on the 1/Circle line to:

4. Komsomolskaya. Named after the Komsomol, or the Young Communist League, this might just be peak Stalin Metro style. Underneath the hub for three regional railways, it was intended to be a grand gateway to Moscow and is today its busiest station. It has chandeliers; a yellow ceiling with Baroque embellishments; and in the main hall, a colossal red star overlaid on golden, shimmering tiles. Designer Alexey Shchusev designed it as an homage to the speech Stalin gave at Red Square on Nov. 7, 1941, in which he invoked Russia’s illustrious military leaders as a pep talk to Soviet soldiers through the first catastrophic year of the war.   The station’s eight large mosaics are of the leaders referenced in the speech, such as Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince and military commander who bested German and Swedish invading armies.

One more stop clockwise to Kurskaya station,  and change onto the 3/Blue  line, and go one stop to:

5. Baumanskaya.   Opened in 1944. Named for the Bolshevik Revolutionary Nikolai Bauman , whose monument and namesake district are aboveground here. Though he seemed like a nasty piece of work (he apparently once publicly mocked a woman he had impregnated, who later hung herself), he became a Revolutionary martyr when he was killed in 1905 in a skirmish with a monarchist, who hit him on the head with part of a steel pipe. The station is in Art Deco style with atmospherically dim lighting, and a series of bronze sculptures of soldiers and homefront heroes during the War. At one end, there is a large mosaic portrait of Lenin.

Stay on that train direction one more east to:

6. Elektrozavodskaya. As you may have guessed from the name, this station is the Metro’s tribute to all thing electrical, built in 1944 and named after a nearby lightbulb factory. It has marble bas-relief sculptures of important figures in electrical engineering, and others illustrating the Soviet Union’s war-time struggles at home. The ceiling’s recurring rows of circular lamps give the station’s main tunnel a comforting glow, and a pleasing visual effect.

Double back two stops to Kurskaya station , and change back to the 1/Circle line. Sit tight for six stations to:

7. Kiyevskaya. This was the last station on the Circle line to be built, in 1954, completed under Nikita Khrushchev’ s guidance, as a tribute to his homeland, Ukraine. Its three large station halls feature images celebrating Ukraine’s contributions to the Soviet Union and Russo-Ukrainian unity, depicting musicians, textile-working, soldiers, farmers. (One hall has frescoes, one mosaics, and the third murals.) Shortly after it was completed, Khrushchev condemned the architectural excesses and unnecessary luxury of the Stalin era, which ushered in an epoch of more austere Metro stations. According to the legend at least, he timed the policy in part to ensure no Metro station built after could outshine Kiyevskaya.

Change to the 3/Blue line and go one stop west.

8. Park Pobedy. This is the deepest station on the Metro, with one of the world’s longest escalators, at 413 feet. If you stand still, the escalator ride to the surface takes about three minutes .) Opened in 2003 at Victory Park, the station celebrates two of Russia’s great military victories. Each end has a mural by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who also designed the “ Good Defeats Evil ” statue at the UN headquarters in New York. One mural depicts the Russian generals’ victory over the French in 1812 and the other, the German surrender of 1945. The latter is particularly striking; equal parts dramatic, triumphant, and gruesome. To the side, Red Army soldiers trample Nazi flags, and if you look closely there’s some blood spatter among the detail. Still, the biggest impressions here are the marble shine of the chessboard floor pattern and the pleasingly geometric effect if you view from one end to the other.

Keep going one more stop west to:

9. Slavyansky Bulvar.  One of the Metro’s youngest stations, it opened in 2008. With far higher ceilings than many other stations—which tend to have covered central tunnels on the platforms—it has an “open-air” feel (or as close to it as you can get, one hundred feet under). It’s an homage to French architect Hector Guimard, he of the Art Nouveau entrances for the Paris M é tro, and that’s precisely what this looks like: A Moscow homage to the Paris M é tro, with an additional forest theme. A Cyrillic twist on Guimard’s Metro-style lettering over the benches, furnished with t rees and branch motifs, including creeping vines as towering lamp-posts.

Stay on the 3/Blue line and double back four stations to:

10. Arbatskaya. Its first iteration, Arbatskaya-Smolenskaya station, was damaged by German bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1953, and designed to double as a bomb shelter in the event of nuclear war, although unusually for stations built in the post-war phase, this one doesn’t have a war theme. It may also be one of the system’s most elegant: Baroque, but toned down a little, with red marble floors and white ceilings with gilded bronze c handeliers.

Jump back on the 3/Blue line  in the same direction and take it one more stop:

11. Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). Opened in 1938, and serving Red Square and the Kremlin . Its renowned central hall has marble columns flanked by 76 bronze statues of Soviet heroes: soldiers, students, farmers, athletes, writers, parents. Some of these statues’ appendages have a yellow sheen from decades of Moscow’s commuters rubbing them for good luck. Among the most popular for a superstitious walk-by rub: the snout of a frontier guard’s dog, a soldier’s gun (where the touch of millions of human hands have tapered the gun barrel into a fine, pointy blade), a baby’s foot, and a woman’s knee. (A brass rooster also sports the telltale gold sheen, though I am told that rubbing the rooster is thought to bring bad luck. )

Now take the escalator up, and get some fresh air.

R&K Insider

Join our newsletter to get exclusives on where our correspondents travel, what they eat, where they stay. Free to sign up.

21 Things to Know Before You Go to Moscow

Featured city guides.

• Show Spoilers
• Night Vision
• Sticky Header
• Highlight Links

Follow TV Tropes

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TripodTerror

Tripod Terror

Edit locked.

"And this Thing! How can I describe it? A monstrous tripod, higher than many houses, striding over the young pine trees and smashing them aside its wallowing career; a walking engine of glittering metal, reeling now across the heather, articulate ropes of steel dangling from it, and the clattering tumult of its passage mingling with the riot of the thunder." — The War of the Worlds (1898)

The second most iconic of alien vehicles after the Flying Saucer , Rule of Three comes into play for the Alien Invasion , when our new overlords bring out their army of Three-Legged Humongous Mecha . This may also be here to induce What Measure Is a Non-Human? or earthly being, as most animals tend to have even numbers of legs.

The Ur-Example is undoubtedly The War of the Worlds (1898) , and its many adaptations since. Compare and contrast to Spider Tank . A Sub-Trope of Starfish Robots .

    open/close all folders 

• The Deucalion Kataphrakt in Aldnoah.Zero is a three-legged machine, though it prefers to float thanks to its anti-gravity engines.
• The massive Zeon wonderweapon Apsaras 3 in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team has three dangerously spindly-looking retractable legs, though it usually floats through the air using an exotic particle-based flight system, giving it a strong resemblance to both the book and 1953 movie versions of the classic Martian Fighting Machines.
• The Mobile Suit Gundam SEED spinoff manga Delta Astray has the Guardshell, which can change from a tripod to a Gundam-like form that uses the tripod's carapace as a giant yo-yo. Considering it was designed and piloted by a Martian, it's definitely a Shout-Out to War of the Worlds .
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans , also taking place on Mars, features the Mobile Workers, small, futuristic tanks with the three legs ending in wheels. The 'terror' goes in two directions here, though — while Mobile Workers are notorious for their ability to shred infantry and break up riots, they're little more than tin-plated coffins if a mobile suit shows up.
• Mobile Suit Gundam Wing 's spinoff Frozen Teardrop , also taking place on the red planet, gets in on the act with an upgraded version of Epyon that turns into a three headed dragon.
• The Olmecs' three-legged flying machine in The Mysterious Cities of Gold , which is also capable of walking.
• The Invaders in Occult Academy will use them to crush Mankind.
• The Dark Nebula Empire has these in the Space Battleship Yamato spin-off film Be Forever Yamato .
• When Martians from Killraven 's reality invade the mainstream Marvel Universe , they arrive in giant tripods.
• Mr. Hyde lampshades the design of the Tripods during the Martian Invasion in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 2 . He then proceeds to deconstruct the trope by commenting that there's a good reason why no animals have only three legs, and demonstrates this reason by breaking one tripod's legs, causing the thing to fall over. He then breaks the cockpit open and eats the horrified Martian inside.
• Sonic X features Tripods in #7 and #12.
• Deconstructed in Slipping Between Worlds . A group of "visitors" from Roundworld (Earth) provoke a mass panic that Ankh-Morpork is being invaded by pitiless alien conquerors. The possibility of a Slight Disagreement of the Worlds is explored in Discworld style and includes stolid Discworlders debating the self-evident drawbacks of top-heavy tripod war machines. A farmer looks down at a cattle grid and nods, saying "I'd like to see 'un get over this 'un!", while a Man in a Pub smugly discusses how unbalanced a tripod would be to — for example, a troll or a golem grabbing one leg and flipping it over. "Sides, your golem. Made out of invulnerable heat-resistant ceramic. Your troll. Fire a death ray at him, just makes him dumber and angrier. Them tripods is just scrap metal either way!"
• The Boxtrolls : Snatcher builds one, with the help of captured Boxtrolls, to break into the Boxtroll lair and round up the rest.
• In Cars , Lightning McQueen has a dream where he stars in a movie about spark plug tripods (actually "quads", as they have four legs) destroying the city.
• In War of the Servers , the Mingepods aren't even really tripods. They have two front wheels, and a third "leg" with another two wheels on it. Thus, while they're technically tripods (three 'legs') they still have four points of contact.
• As War of the Worlds: Goliath is a sequel to the Trope Maker , naturally the Martian tripods reappear. However, this film supposes that humanity reversed-engineered leftover Martian tech from the original invasion and have used it to create a Diesel Punk world full of human-built tripods armed with human-built heat rays, which become major centerpieces of the action when a second Martian invasion takes place.
• Lost in Space features a race of insectoid creatures with this flaw. The DVD commentary acknowledges this, admitting that nature would never design anything like this because of the off-balance problem.
• Scary Movie 4 attempts to spoof The War of the Worlds with the triPods, which resemble an iPod on three legs with a "Destroy Humanity" playlist.
• Though not as huge as most other examples, the Droidekas are functionally tripods when they're not rolling around as wheels. They aren't meant to move around much like this, though; it's mostly just to steady them, like an actual tripod.
• The Walkers in the original trilogy were inspired by the War of the Worlds tripods.
• The AT-AP (All-Terrain Attack Pod) Walker seen in Revenge of the Sith is a tripod. However, the third leg is retractable — it primarily serves to steady the Walker when using its artillery cannon.
• R2-D2 himself is tripodal, although his supporting struts don't bend, and he rolls rather than walks.
• Even the "floating" Martian war machines from The War of the Worlds (1953) have, if you look closely, three repulsors keeping it hovering in the air. (They were originally planned to have the usual tripod legs when Ray Harryhausen was attached to bring the tentacled Martians and their machines to life via stop motion animation, but the amount of money available and the limited technology of the day led them to be changed to fit a Flying Saucer motif.)
• In Alien in a Small Town , the Jan and most of the animals from their world have trilateral symmetry. The Jan are cone-shaped, with three stumpy legs underneath and three arms sprouting out the top, two ending in hands and one in an eye. Like Rama 's biots, they revolve as they walk.
• The Idirans in Consider Phlebas have three legs.
• The Day of the Triffids goes into a bit of detail about how the titular walking plants move, comparing them to a man on crutches and specifically noting that it's not an especially fast or stable method of locomotion. Being plants, of course, they don't really need to move very often or over a great distance.
• Expedition has a number of tripodal creatures, including the Sac Back, Beach Loper, and the Groveback (a gigantic animal that goes about on two legs and a massive supporting tail).
• Larry Niven 's Rainbow Mars features creatures with these — they are meant to be roughly the Martians from The War of the Worlds (1898) , had they lived on the same Planet Mars as the Martians from John Carter of Mars , the Martians from " A Martian Odyssey ", the Martians from Out of the Silent Planet and the Martians from Flash Gordon . Niven calls them the Softfingers or Astronomers, depending on who is talking about them.
• Rendezvous with Rama features three-legged biots used as a sort of mobile sensor. These move very fast by pivoting around on one leg, using each of them in alternation, and reversing the direction of rotation from time to time. As a matter of fact, a three-part symmetry is central to all things Raman. Unlike many of the examples on this page, they're harmless, unless you cut into one's power-cell while dissecting its corpse .
• The Tripods features, well, what you might expect . (The aliens that pilot them also have three legs.) John Christopher essentially filed the serial numbers off of Wells' Martians and depicted what the world might be like if their initial invasion had been successful. He also does a fair job of justifying the impracticality of the 3-legged design; the number 3 appears to be integral to the culture of the Masters, presumably as a consequence of their biology (as well as 3 legs they also have 3 tentacles and 3 eyes), and as well as the tripodal design of their vehicles, they also incorporate triangles and pyramids into their architecture and technology at every opportunity.
• The tripodal war machines that lead the Martian invasion in The War of the Worlds (1898) are the Trope Maker , and arguably the Trope Codifier as well.
• In Warstrider , the tripods are actually the humans' titular mecha.
• The album cover for Doctor Steel 's album People of Earth shows an attack by giant tripod robots reminiscent of The War of the Worlds — the foreground shows Dr. Steel controlling them. (A similar tripod is seen in the background of the album art for The Dr. Steel Read-A-Long .)
• BattleTech advanced to the point where the 135-ton Ares, and its slightly smaller precursor, the 125-ton Poseidon, have been added to the game as the first two tripod mechs. Players have yet to decide if the advantages they have in firepower, armor, and their three-person cockpits make up for their extremely low speed . Beyond those two monsters, though, there are rules for constructing tripodal mechs (as well as one canon design that's a mere 75 tons, the Triskeleon). They get bonuses to stability and can easily change direction compared to standard designs, but with the added tonnage cost of the extra leg and the parts needed to control it they're a bit more limited in overall firepower than a standard bipedal mech of the same size and speed would be.
• Dungeons & Dragons has several three-legged monsters, such as the Xorn, the Otyugh, and the Triapheg.
• Genius: The Transgression has the Martian Empire, whose primary leaders, the Overlords, are based on the martians from The War of the Worlds , and as such go to battle in three-legged vehicles.
• In Monsterpocalypse , the Martian Menace faction has some figures based on the tripods from War of the Worlds : the monsters Deimos-9 and Phobos-7, and the Reaper and Despoiler units.
• G.I. Joe had the Cobra Pogo Ballistics Battle Ball (called such despite it not actually being ball-shaped) toy. It was a red and black three-legged craft that used jets to bounce around battlefields. Several years later, it was renamed the Invader and released in a neon green color with a spring-fired missile launcher instead of the machine gun the original had.
• The LEGO Alien Conquest theme includes one, the Tripod Invader, as its third-smallest set; its cockpit can split off its legs to act as a Flying Saucer .
• Invoked in 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim : the gargantuan Hi-Quad robots, though four-legged in design, are likened to the Tripods from The War of the Worlds , complete with the book's name dropped and a quote from its pages.
• Scrin Annihilator and Reaper Tripods from Command & Conquer: Tiberium Wars . The aliens just love these things.
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 has the Shogun Executioner in two scripted missions, a Humongous Mecha with three legs and three torsos, with each torso shaped like a samurai complete with a Laser Blade . The thing is so big it can destroy aircraft just by walking at them. It's especially effective against the Soviets, as electrical attacks only serve to heal it.
• Crysis 2 has tripod drones known as Pingers, which substitute the death ray for powerful sonic weaponry.
• Darius : The boss Tripod Sardine from G-Darius .
• House Harkonnen's Devastator from Emperor: Battle for Dune .
• Fallout 3 has Sentry Bots, which are one of the game's most fearsome enemies. Also, Mister Handy/Gutsy, which resembles the aforementioned The War of the Worlds tripod bots.
• In the Fallout 4 DLC Automatron , you can build your own Sentry Bots at a Robot Workbrench.
• Half-Life 2 : The Combine Striders and Hunters both possess three legs. The Striders are much taller, being about two stories tall, while the hunters are smaller and about human-sized. As with all Combine tech, they are made of Organic Technology .
• A particularly gigantic instance of this trope in the form of the Teraformer in Jak 3 . The thing is so big, that after you take it down with a vehicle, you have another fight on its wreckage with plenty of room to maneuver around.
• Most Martian units in Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds , although they have a few quadropods, a bipod, and even a pentapod (five footed) walker, a mighty can of Beam Spam called the Tempest .
• The battle with Princess Shroob in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time has her battle the brothers in a three-legged robotic throne that shoots huge lasers and protects her with a force field .
• Pikmin 3 has a biological variant in the Quaggled Mireclops, the largest boss in the game (and indeed the whole series) which resembles a chunk of earth walking on three hoofed legs with a fruit-like head at the top. Its three legs are also its weak point, attacking them will cause the Mireclops to fall over, leaving its fruit-like head within reach of your Pikmin.
• In Quake IV , as a possible Shout-Out to the aforementioned Droidekas , the Convoy drones roll into battle before deploying tripod legs. Luckily, they don't have Deflector Shields .
• StarCraft II : Colossi may have four legs, but they are otherwise totally in fitting with the spirit of the trope. They fry stuff at extreme long range with sweeping heat rays, and have very long stilt-legs that let them stride over any terrain with ease.
• Megaleg (a giant planet-sized robot built by Bowser Jr. ), the first boss of Super Mario Galaxy .
• The early Psygnosis game Terrorpods has the titular alien craft, which were based on Roger Dean 's artwork originally designed for Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds .
• Unreal Tournament III : Darkwalkers and Scavengers. The Darkwalker is the classical Humongous Mecha variant of this trope, armed with a dual laser cannon. It is one of the stronger vehicles of the game. The Scavenger is a small but fast vehicle that runs on three tentacles. One of its attacks is turning into an electrified ball and roll into enemy players.
• The second Expansion Pack of World of Warcraft , The Burning Crusade , has giant luminescent tripod-like wild creatures with jellyfish-like heads roaming Zangarmarsh in Outland. One such is a boss/elite that hits like a truck and must be killed for a quest.
• Ahem from The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob! is basically shaped like a biological version of an H.G. Wells' tripod.
• The Wellsians from The Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids (slightly parodical versions of Wells's original Martians) are shown to have devised the Tripods on Earth as a last-minute solution when they realized that Earth's gravity made it nearly impossible for them to move on foot. This might explain the rather slapdash engineering.
• The tribbetheres of Serina are tripedal mammaloid vertebrates descended from mudskipper-like ancestors that modified their pectoral fins and tail into three walking limbs. One group, the canitheres, become fierce hyena-like top predators of the plains, with some Artistic License – Biology being made in the assertion that their three-legged gait made them more efficient to the other quadrupedal bird-descendants they preyed upon (which is clearly a very unlikely case).
• Black Manta mans a giant tripod in order to steal an armored car.
• The invaders of Rann in " Mystery in Space! " use tripods.
• Jimmy dreams up invading tripods in an episode of Ed, Edd n Eddy .
• The Martians in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy .
• The Justice League pilot " Secret Origins " features invading tripods from Mars, and a heap of War of the Worlds in-jokes. The instability of this method of locomotion is shown when Wonder Woman and the Flash work out ways to trip them up.
• The Lorwardians in Kim Possible make use of walkers during their invasion of the Earth, though they are technically four-legged.
• The Mask : In the first episode, Stanley and Charlie have to house-sit a "home of the future". Naturally, Dr. Pretorius gets in and starts futzing with its processors, transforming it into a three-legged weapon of mass destruction.
• Referenced in The Venture Bros. when Dr. Venture transforms HELPER into a classic tripod "walking eye". When asked what they're good for, Venture is at a loss, apparently convinced by popular sci-fi that they're simply a requirement. Random scenes of destruction also occasionally show a tripod terror running amok.

Video Example(s):

Archibald's machine.

Archie's big machine, which he uses to capture the remaining Boxtrolls is a Steampunk version of this.

• Spider Tank
• Tropes Out on a Limb
• Walking Tank
• Transplanted Aliens
• Alien Tropes
• Trick-and-Follow Ploy
• Older Than Television
• Tropey, Come Home
• Technologically Advanced Foe
• ImageSource/Literature
• Warrior Cats
• Trigger Phrase
• Speculative Fiction Tropes
• Stupid Scientist
• QuoteSource/Literature

Important Links

• Action Adventure
• Commercials
• Crime & Punishment
• Professional Wrestling
• Speculative Fiction
• Sports Story
• Animation (Western)
• Music And Sound Effects
• Print Media
• Sequential Art
• Tabletop Games
• Applied Phlebotinum
• Characterization
• Characters As Device
• Narrative Devices
• British Telly
• The Contributors
• Creator Speak
• Derivative Works
• Laws And Formulas
• Show Business
• Split Personality
• Truth And Lies
• Truth In Television
• Fate And Prophecy
• Edit Reasons
• Isolated Pages
• Images List
• Recent Videos
• Crowner Activity
• Un-typed Pages
• Recent Page Type Changes
• Trope Entry
• Character Sheet
• Playing With
• Creating New Redirects
• Cross Wicking
• Tips for Editing
• Text Formatting Rules
• Handling Spoilers
• Administrivia
• Trope Repair Shop
• Image Pickin'

Advertisement:

How well does it match the trope?

Example of:

Media sources:

11,241--> Report