20 Best Carbon Fiber Tripod (2022 Updated)

I have had nothing but cheap tripods and wanted an upgrade for some light camera work and to hold my binoculars and spotting scope. After some discussion with the good folks at BH photo, they recommended this over my other more heavier choice.

Out of the box, it had a fingerprint made of paint or adhesive so I was concerned about over all quality after that. But the rest of the tripod is good. I had to adjust the clamp nuts with the supplied wrench after a week of testing binoculars.

I always use lever lock units and know to check regularly by pushing down on the tripod. I have this paired with the Sirui VA-5 head and a Acratech Leveling Base which pushes the height to what I need.

I am 5 foot 9 inches and i stand while using binoculars to look over corn fields on uneven ground. The adjustments for angle work well and are fairly quiet if you slow down and I like the rubber cushion for the center column.

I do see earthquake in my 18x binoculars when fully extended and have found it gets better if I put the lower leg sections in about an inch below the stop. I’m sure this is true about a lot of tripods and at 18x I’m sure everything will look a little jumpy.

I compared this to a Vortex Ridgeview tripod a friend lent me and this one has less leg flex than the Vortex but its heavier over all. I went this route because of the flexibility this affords me when I’m not out wondering around in nature.

My whole setup is heavy and unfortunately is longer than I wanted folded up. But to get the height and stability, the weight was unavoidable. The only thing I do not like about this tripod is the little bag hook below the head mount.

I tried several bags and it only made things worse if I could even get the bag handle on there. I have not used the sling loop. It appears to be plastic so I am not crazy about clipping it to my pack.

I’ve been using this combo for about two weeks now, outdoors in mostly freezing temperatures, for wildlife video work. It’s performed very well. It has a high degree of adjustability. Love the spring-loaded head! Not only does it prevent accidental lens crashes, it also allows you to do perfect vertical gimbal-like scenes by adjusting the balance and drag, pointing the camera at your starting point, and just letting go of the handle.

Note that the head only has 3/8 accessory attachment points, so be sure to order 3/8 to 1/4 adapters if you’re using smaller gear. One other person noted that the horizontal pan does exhibit a slight amount of kickback when you stop.

This is true but can be overcome by technique if that’s a problem for you. I haven’t tried it out at all drag settings, possibly this can be adjusted out. The cold weather I’m using it in is probably making it a bit more sticky than normal too.

May not be an issue in warmer temps. Tripod/head combo is perfect weight/size for my needs. Using it with a Sony A7iii and 200-400mm zoom lenses.

This is my second travel tripod. Previously, I had the Sirui 1205x with the g20x ball head after a gentleman at B&H recommended it back in 2017, I though the tripod was great. at first. Being super lightweight, relatively small and compact and somewhat stable.

(After upgrading to the Peak Design later, I have come to realize the Sirui really wasn’t as stable as I thought. ) I came to realize that the Sirui was not reliable and customer service was as far as I’m concerned non-existent.

Eventually on the Sirui, one the legs came out because the clip inside broke and I was never able to get ahold of anyone at Sirui to fix it or get a replacement part. The panning on the Sirui no longer long runs smoothly, so I’m not too impressed with that either.

After repeated tries and months later with no responses I decided to upgrade to the Peak Design. The Peak Design intrigued me. I don’t know about the customer service, but it is super stiff compared to the Sirui.

It folds up nice and compact with nothing sticking out so it doesn’t tear up my bags when I repeatedly put it in and pull it out, making it easier and quicker to deploy too. Because of its compact size and easy of storage, I tend to carry it more than and the Sirui, meaning it gets a lot more use.

The tripod head is not as traditional or full featured as the sirui, but it is easy enough to use for most travel photos such as landscapes, family, etc. I’ve even used it for my son’s soccer practice and and it works well enough for quickly panning along with the action for video an stills.

For work, I usually use an Arca Swiss c1 cube gear-head on my full size tripod, so its a big difference, but easy enough. I’ve read complaints about using in in portrait mode, but I use (and would recommend anyone shooting in portrait orientation especially with a light weight tripod with heavier equipment) an L bracket, so this is not an issue for me.

Tripods are traditionally bulky, heavy, and expensive. I’ve been using the same Manfrotto tripod for 12 years because it works well, never broke, and was therefore not a priority. Except one thing: it is heavy! It’s so heavy that I will think twice before bringing it, and frequently not bring it at all if a shoot requires me to be nimble on my feet, is out in the field, or if I’m shooting alone.

As a result, I’ve been a heavy monopod user for a long time. Enter the Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod. This thing is a game changer. After hedging between the aluminum and the carbon fiber, I’m glad to say I went carbon fiber.

This tripod fits in my backpack and is light as a (2. 8lb) feather. It’s so light and easy to set up, that I don’t think twice about bringing a tripod anymore. Within the first week I bought it, I used it 4 times on shoots that I may have just brought a monopod to.

All 4 times it came in incredibly handy and I was thrilled to have it with me. You know what you can’t do with a monopod? Leave your camera standing at hand-height while you set up additional kit items, tend to audio, etc.

It doesn’t come with a video head (which would be handy), and I may upgrade with the add-on adapter from Peak Design, but even the set-up out of the box is incredibly helpful for fast, single-person use.

Very happy with this tripod!.

I love the portability and size of this Peak Design tripod. It’s really nice being able to just throw it in my camera backpack and not have to deal with strapping it on the outside or carrying separately, as I used to do with my old tripod.

However, despite its ultra-compact size, it still has some hefty weight to it. I think the carbon fiber model is slightly lighter, but I just couldn’t justify the price tag. If you travel a lot and every ounce of weight matters, it might be worth spending a few hundred extra on the carbon-fiber model.

But, for my current needs, this aluminum version works well. My only complaint is that the head only seems to fit the proprietary Peak Design camera plates and isn’t compatible with many other Arca Swiss-style plates (it might fit some, but not all).

Not a deal breaker, but it’s definitely a little frustrating that I can’t just slide my Arca-Swiss camera cage into it directly, which was a nice perk with my previous tripod. Otherwise, so far it’s been working well and does everything it’s supposed to do.

It’s well built and I have utmost confidence in Peak Design as a brand when it comes to quality and customer support. If not for that, I would be more apprehensive about paying premium prices for their products.

I’m blown away by the quality at an affordable price. My previous tripod is the Three Legged Thing “Roger” a folding collapsible aluminum tripod. It has 5 legs that are twist lock. Also a dual stage column that’s twist lock.

It’s best feature is that it collapses to around 15″ Once I set this up, it was obviously a high quality traditional tripod I’m a Real Estate photographer. I need to quickly get my tripod ready and this Mach 3 fills the ticket.

With the upper two legs extended and my Benro gear head with Canon MK4 mounted, I still have plenty column left to extend up or down for my 5’6″ body. 6′ tall guys would have to fully extend the column and stoop a little with only two legs out.

Of course, they can also extend the lowest leg and lower the column all the way down. Ideally, in Real Estate photography, you want the quickest set up. For me, I grab two twist locks at the same time, pull out the leg and lock each column.

It’s very quick and doesn’t take much force when twisting to keep the legs from slipping down. Comparing this tripod to the Three Legged Thing leaves me wishing I’d have got this first. It’s much less flexy, doesn’t shake or vibrate like the Roger, sliding it’s legs out is smooth whereas the Roger gets bound and it’s twist locks don’t give you good feed back when it’s tight, the Mach 3 does.

All the good things you’ve read about it are true. If I had planned on using the case it comes with, I’d have to say it’s good, but with the Benro Gear head mounted, I have to stretch the case to get it to zip up.

If they added 1 ” more at one end, it would be perfect. Lucky. for me, I don’t plan on using the bag often. I’m hoping this will last forever because my initial impression is it’s a keeper.

I bought this tripod to support a full format digital SLR and 200 – 500 mm zoom lens to use for wildlife, primarily birds. It is a nice compact tripod, easy to use. The locking mechanism on the legs works very well and lock securely.

Mounting the new gimbal head was easy. Raising and lowering the central column is smooth and the collar locks it into place. With the leg fully extended the center column can be adjusted to that view finder is at eye level when standing, I am 5′ 6.

The center column would permit the camera to be raised high enough for an even taller person to use. It is a bit heavy, the locks on the legs do take time to set when in the field, though I have not used any tripod where that was not the case.

The tripod provides a solid base for may camera and lens (Nikon D750, Nikon AF-S 200-500mm f/5. 6E lens. The combination of lens and camera is about 7 lbs. This a sturdy, relatively easy to use support for my camera/lens combinations.

Some cosmetic damage to one of the mid leg sections. This is, in part at least, is a comparison review. My photography is with a medium format view camera, and with a 4×5 view camera. at present. Hoping to acquire another 4×5.

My other tripod is a BENRO TMA37AL I like it for it’s stability. and for it’s lack of superfluous features. But it is heavy to carry any distance at my age. Yet I like it well enough to keep it. For the times when I will not have to walk too far.

This tripod is noticeably lighter and smaller. But not so much that one could accuse it of being flimsy. However, it is not for breezy days. in my opinion. I especially like using it for getting personal with plants.

That is with the leg sections fully retracted while I make my composition sitting on a low stool. You get some nice shots, that way, but it is awkward. The BENRO TMA37AL, with it’s legs fully retracted, is too tall for this maneuver.

I don’t use my Kirk leveling base when doing this. Nor is it needed when in that unusual position. Dead level is easily obtained with a leg screw lock which is in front of you. As opposed to being below your waist.

So now I have two tripods. And in honesty I should confess that this model was going to replace the heavier of the two. Not a chance. Respectfully submitted by Joseph from the U. S. A. in the Philippines.

for the present time.

This tripod is everything it needs to be and nothing it doesn’t. I’ve got this paired with a manfrotto 410 geared head (what I had lying around, but honestly a pretty well balanced setup), and coming from my manfrotto 058b triaut and 400 geared head, it feels like a perfect distillation of all my favourite things on that setup, but at a fraction of the cost and weight, and with some improvements as well.

Coming straight out of the box, I feel happy about the purchase. The legs are really quite large in diameter, while at the same time not feeling substantially more cumbersome than similar offerings of the same collapsed height.

I know there is a great chasm because the two leg locking styles, and I find sometimes I prefer the twist locks in *theory*, but this unit has large rubberized grips with a great tactile feel, I know when they’re locked, and I’m not noticing any slippage or movement that would give me pause loading something heavy up top with the legs fully extended.

One thing that drew me to the Benro versus a lot of the competition was the fact that it was *NOT* carbon, like a lot of its competition in the same height class. I make use of clamps and mounts that are not recommended for brittle carbon, and I also personally don’t find the need to be fretting over weight if I’m needing to bring this tripod out.

Yes- if it is your one and only tripod, you may have a hard time getting around with it, but this is to me is a specific setup for reaching high places and carrying large amounts of weight with great stability.

My greatest complaint, and this is a pet peeve I have in general, is when manufacturers make tripod cases with no room for a head if they don’t ship with one. I have a perfect, brand new, branded case here that I can’t actually use unless I plan on removing and separately storing the head each time I’d like to leave the house with it.

I also got it on sale- and at this price, it really is a no-brainer. In short, if you want a no-frills tripod that excels in tall and sturdy, I would heartily recommend the Benro TMA47AXL.

Got this tripod to add to my collection of tripods. This one quickly made it to the “go to” list for taking just about everywhere. Fairly light, but very sturdy. Love the quick ability to extend the legs.

I would highly recommend this tripod. It goes plenty tall. I am 6’7″ and had no issue using this with my angled eye piece spotter without having to extend the center piece at all. Shipping was amazing! It arrived just before I started a 2 on 1 deer guide.

I wasn’t expecting it until afterwards. Used it recently on a trophy bull hunt in southeast Utah. Again, didn’t disappoint. Great tripod, great price!.

On the plus side, build quality is good and it is very light for its length. However, when fully extended (I’m tall), we can’t expect outstanding stability. By using a 3s pre-delay, long exposures were ok with up to 70mm lens.

But it is wobbly with longer lenses, or in windy conditions. Tested with a 600g full-frame mirrorless.

Although this is the most expensive tripod I own, all my others have plastic heads, I can’t really rate it in regard to the high quality (expensive) units. But, for $200 it seems to be a GREAT deal. It will take some getting used to due to all of the levers and buttons but I’m looking forward to taking it out in the field in a couple of months.

I’ll be mounting my binoculars on it for hunting thus size and weight are the most important to me. It weighs about 3-1/2 pounds which is at the top end of what I want to carry, but it is also short enough that it will fit in my daypack.

Like I said, it’s a great value for the money.

Its a good solid tripod. Very sturdy and smooth in operation, coupled with a Manfrotto 494 Ball Head I bought earlier. This is more than adequate for my APSC DSLR and 400mm telephoto lens. Sure its fairly weighty, as others have commented, and if you’re hiking with your kit all day long in the Alps this may be a problem – but I don’t so its fine.

If you want that sort of thing go spend 5 x the amount on a trick carbon fibre unit, frankly I can’t afford that so its fine. The facility to turn the centre column through 90 degrees is potentially useful for macro, something I haven’t done yet.

and the multi angle legs are great. Altogether a great progression from entry level legs. Ordering and delivery from WEX was a doddle. With a healthy Black Friday discount there’s nothing to really grumble about.

Overall a happy customer.

It’s inconspicuous, barely takes up any space or weight, and gets acceptably high for most situations (camera at about nose level on an average adult). Ball head perfect for holding a fixed, unmanned wide or mid mirrorless camera for videography gigs while leaving your bag much, much lighter.

Overall stability is totally fine indoors even with the fixed middle column, so much better than something truly nutty like putting cameras on light stands. Definitely don’t try to use it outdoors to take bird photos in a hurricane with a telephoto or something mental like that.

I personally wouldn’t even use this outdoors period unless the weight/bulk requirements necessitated it, but if you have a light camera rig and don’t mind ball heads, it could be fine for bringing on a hike.

It also doesn’t look terrible if it gets in the shot from another camera, unlike so many other compact tripods with gaudy accent colors and whatnot. You could probably pack half a dozen of these in the space/weight of a single ‘proper’ videography tripod.

Some people might find this tripod sacrifices too much height or ergonomically for the sake of being absolutely minuscule. If you have the space/weight/price capacity for it, go for the 3-section carbon fiber Element MII instead.

It’s measurably faster to setup and can get quite a bit taller for a very small weight increase, albeit a measurable bulk increase and higher price. If you are trying to minimize the weight and bulk of your setup at all costs, especially if you just need to place a fixed camera in a spot indoors for a hour or two, consider this.

I only write reviews for products that are notably excellent (or the opposite). This tripod is excellent. I am immensely pleased with it, and as much as I felt absurd spending so much on a tripod (I’m a hobbyist), it has been a game changer.

It is incredibly compact and light, deceptively so, because it’s also very sturdy. It is fast to deploy and easy to carry in the field, and very stable. The ball head is so much more effective than the cheaper pan and tilt heads I’ve used in the past.

I absolutely recommend this tripod for any amateur photographer who wishes to take steady shots in the field.

You really don’t appreciate a quality tripod, until you’ve used a rubbish one. Until you’ve used a quality tripod, you don’t know what you’re missing. I have learned the hard way; it makes sense not to cut corners on tripods and always get the very best you can afford.

After all, camera bodies and lenses will change over the years. A decent tripod is something that will last your entire photographic journey, so it pays to get a good one. I can’t say enough about this tripod; it’s light, robust all the controls are simple to use and ooze quality.

The ball head feels viscose and the friction adjust is lovely. Had some drift in my old tripod with long exposures, it was very annoying, I had to crank down on the tilt clamp, let it settle, the take the shot.

No such issue here, it’s taken a 200mm with the camera body mounted to the tripod (just to test), and with the lightest pressure on the clamp, that camera is rock steady. You have no idea (or maybe you do) how reassuring and confidence inspiring it is to have a totally reliable tripod.

I love this thing so much it has to get five stars, but I will say it would be better if it came with a nicer bag. It comes with a flimsy dust cover. You can also buy a hook for the base of the vertical tube, I think this should also come as standard, after all it is a “traveler” tripod, so it would be nice to be able to hang your bag on it.

I actually got mine second hand, open box, so I feel like this was a bargain, others might think these are over priced. If you’re on the fence, I would say just go for it, you won’t be disappointed. But I’m sure if you have the time to look around, and you don’t mind the extra weight, there must be better value propositions out there.

But I have no doubt this will last my lifetime, so why not get a nice one? Lastly, I just want to thank Wex, I discovered you guys while I was based in Scotland some years ago, I’ve been back to you ever since, all of your staff, both online and in-store, have been consistently knowledgeable, helpful, obliging and generally a pleasure to deal with.

I picked this up to use as the legs for a location capture station. The combination of the folded leg size (fits in a Pelican air case), max load and the Gitzo name is what sold me. The first issue I encountered is with the center column twist lock.

Despite being fully engaged, when I screw the tripod into a seaport case, the column itself turns once tightened, misaligning the shim and preventing the column from being able to be raised. After contacting Gitzo’s contractor customer support, I was told to loosen the center lock and force the column fully out, then to realign the column with the groove.

I’ve since had this happen two additional times. With previous Manfrotto and larger Gitzo legs I’ve never had a enter column spin when with the center lock engaged. The torx screw on one of the legs is also loosening itself, causing one of the legs to not have any tension at the hinge and to flop about, requiring constant tightening.

As another reviewer mentioned, the lack of intermediary leg angles also prevents this from being super versatile in tricky locations (such as uneven rocks). I can’t recommend this tripod for my use.

Although I own several Gitzo tripods, I was looking for something slightly heavier than my series one traveler that is now four years old. I also own a series three Gitzo tripod that is becoming too heavy for me to carry very far.

I am in my seventies and arthritic. What I wanted is something to comfortably handle my Wimberly gimbal head and a long lens on a hike. My first Gitzo is now more than twenty years old and still as sturdy as new.

The previously mentioned series one is also solid as new, I felt very confident staying with Gitzo with this choice. Turns out this series 2 traveler was the perfect choice. Both light weight and solid.

If you are looking for your first tripod or for a replacement; in my opinion, this tripod should be considered. Yes, it may be a little more expensive than others, it may also be the last tripod that you ever buy.

Great product and highly recommended.

I normally use a Manfrotto MT055XPRO3 tripod while photographing waterfalls and landscapes. I’m going to be traveling this Fall and need a smaller, lighter tripod for the trip. The Manfrotto Befree Advanced Travel Aluminum Tripod with 494 Ball Head was a natural complement.

Especially since the ball head uses the 200PL QR plates that are affixed to my camera body and supertelephoto lens. The MT055XPRO3 has always felt heavy when attached to my camera backpack. This is okay for short hikes.

But, it does get uncomfortable on longer ones. When I strapped the Manfrotto Befree onto the backpack for a recent outing, I couldn’t even feel it. I now have a travel and long trail hike tripod that I can enjoy.

The Manfrotto Befree is a compromise. One that I’m happy to live with. It isn’t as sturdy as the MT055XPRO3. I didn’t expect it to be. But, it did seem to handle the job of holding my camera steady while shooting long exposures of waterfalls.

The one short coming is that the ball head is small for fastening the QR Plate. It didn’t seem as secure as the Manfrotto X-PRO 3-Way Head that I use on the larger tripod. It did seem to do the job. I’ll just have to be a little extra careful.

I’m glad to have a lighter alternative for when I need it.

I do alot of exploring through urban landscapes and a tripod is a must. For years I’ve carried around a Manfrotto Tripod that was about 2. 5′ tall when collapsed, heavy, and generally a pain. Don’t get me wrong – I love the tripod, it was just wrong for the application.

Enter the Befree Advanced. This little guy collapses down to a very manageable size that fits well in the side pocket on my backup I use for exploring. It’s lightweight which is a welcome change from my bigger tripod as it’s usually carried around on my back.

It’s well constructed and generally sturdy. Only one star removed for the lack of a hook on the bottom of the center. As it’s so light you will not be able to use it for a longer exposure in a windy situation as there’s no way to attach a counter weight.

Otherwise, an excellent investment for supporting my camera when needed.

Don’t get caught up in the negs of the reviews or the specs. This is a great little tripod. Feels very stout for something this sized when folded down. It fits in my backpack, one less checked luggage piece! For a camcorder this baby is magic.

The camcorder (Canon XA40) even at full focal zoom it looked great because of the IS. To test the capability, I put a 600mm and a 5D with the big battery grip on it (12 pounds), for stills works great, but I probably wouldn’t try a pan shot at full tele, but under 200mm focal there is enough fluid drag in the head to make it work.

The 24-105 was just fine. I was fortunate to grab a used one because I wasn’t sure I’d like it and I figured out why it must have gotten returned, a loose screw on the tilt handle clamp. 30 seconds to fix, Yeah, nobody will confuse this with a Schlacter studio rig, but you have no excuse for getting one, great addition to my arsenal.

I purchased this tripod to support a 200-500 Nikon zoom attached to a D7200 in the backcountry of Alaska and i have been impressed for the price point. The Benro has supported the lens and camera without any issues and is light enough to carry that I don’t leave it in the car when i head into the back country of Alaska to for wildlife and landscape pictures.

I really like the ability to convert it to a monopod for those times when a tripod is is not what I am looking for but i need more camera stability than i can hold by hand. The included spike feet work well and bite into slick surfaces very nicely.

The legs are very easy to adjust the angles on and make for set up on steep mountain slopes easy. I have mixed the rubber feet with the spike feet to establish a firm tripod footing on steep Alaska mountains to get pictures of sheep and goats when the situation called for it.

Having the tools to tighten or adjust the fasteners are stored on the tripod attachments and not floating around in the bag was a nice feature, i have used the included allen wrenches to fix other camera gear that came loose.

I feel that you have to be careful when connecting the tripod leg to the extension tube to assemble the monopod to avoid cross threading or striping the threads. For travel purposes I would like a place to attach the feet that are not in use to the tripod body to keep things from rattling around in the back pack or potentially getting lost.

Over all feel that the tripod is great value for the price and would purchase it again. Overall the tripod has been a great improvement and i feel it has a lot of years of usage ahead.

I also wrote a similar review for my Benro FBAT24CVX25. This, the FBAT15CVX20, has replaced my Gitzo Series One Traveller. It has more features, is every bit as well made and costs significantly less than Gitzo.

I love how quickly I can set it up for low angle shots upside-down without removing the center column. Just spread the legs from the closed position and adjust the center column for the appropriate height.

No so for the Gitzo and PeakDesign which requires you to unscrew the bag hook, remove the center column, then reinsert the center column upside-down. After you get your shot, you have to reverse the process to put the tripod back in the normal position.

Too many steps involved which deters me from grabbing those quick low angle tripod shots. On the Benro, I also love how I can spread two legs up and lean it against a wall in tight spaces (watch Benro’s video).

The built in monopod has also come in handy, just unscrew one leg and attach it to the center column. I really like the built-in pano head. It’s not a full blown panohead with the degree markings, but it’s just enough to get the job done when the tripod isn’t on a level surface.

My only quibble is the locking lever on the pano head could be bigger. Lastly I like how the tripod has three tapped holes that allow you to mount a smartphone and two other devices (you’ll have to purchase the mounts separately) all simultaneously while still having the camera mounted.

Compared to the PeakDesign Carbon Fiber, the leg sections are of comparable diameters (roughly speaking as Peak’s isn’t round). PeakDesign’s ball head is neat, but annoyingly restricted when trying to flip the camera from landscape to portrait mode.

The ball head is also a pinch monster so you need to be careful of your hands. PeakDesign comes with a smart phone holder cleverly hidden in the center column but it requires you to mount it to the ball head which means you can’t use it simultaneously with your main camera.

Lastly it comes with a tool that’s clipped to the shaft. I would lose that in a blink. The only real benefit of the PeakDesign is how it folds so compactly, comes with a very nice zippered case and looks cool.

My Benro packs down to roughly the same length as PeakDesign but just a little larger in diameter and 0. 44lbs heavier. Comes with an ok bag which I only use when I pack to travel. Gitzo came with nothing.

Love this tripod and love Benro innovations.

I have had an old, heavy, low tech aluminum Manfrotto tripod for decades. In fact, I think it has a Bogen sticker from before the name change. I finally got the bright idea to splurge on a new tripod ahead of a Yellowstone trip this May.

Spent tons of time watching tripod reviews and finally settled on the Benro Rhino. There is always a trade off between between portability and sturdiness/load capacity, and the Benro hits the mark. The carbon fiber makes it both lightweight and sturdy and it has no problem with my Canon r5 and L series 70-200 lens.

The Benro folds up more compactly, but is taller (62) than my old tripod. It allows good low angle shooting for either macro or landscapes. It’s lightweight, sturdy, and quick to deploy, with nicely textured friction collars on each leg.

The ballhead is smooth and easy to adjust and shows no sign of drifting with a full size camera rig. One of the legs detaches to convert to a monopod which I intend to use for wildlife action. And the gray/black finish is very cool looking and is muted enough that it won’t startle the animals away like some of the electric-colored 3 Legged Things and other brands.

I purchased this after chatting with a B&H sales professional for an upcoming trip. Wanted to go for a relatively smaller and lighter but still sturdy tripod. Based on that criteria it did the job. It is easy to pack and not a burden to carry while walking.

That said, if you are serious about photography, this tripod should not be your reference item as it is not sturdy enough to withhold strong wind or other extreme environmental conditions. This doesn’t make it a bad tripod, just a good travel one.

I knocked off one star as I wasn’t a big fan off the twist locks and there are some other compromises to make it smaller and lighter. It is a product I can recommend.

I bought this for the fall 2021 deer hunting season first. it held my excaliber xbow and several different rifles. This thing is top quality. i was more then impressed with the fit and finish. to the point i keep a cloth gun sock on it to keep it lookin pretty.

lol You can shoot groups with your rifle and xbow that you never thought was possible without a benchrest. it is that stable. The convience of being hands free in a blind setup makes it worth every penny.

no movement. its on target all the time. i luv it. now i’m using it for varmit hunting and i’m sure turks in the spring. If your a ground hunter for a variety of species. its a must have. It is heavy though.

i will admit that. this model is 8. 5 lbs. like having another rifle with you. I found the best spot for it in the field is in the rifle holder on a quality back pack coming and going from the blind.

I won’t take off a star for its weight. its not a drawback. Im just giving heads up about it. I AM very pleased with it. Bog answered a lot of hunters prayers with this product if you ask me.

This thing is built to last basically forever. That being said that heavy duty construction has made it very heavy. Your not gonna pack this thing with you on long hunts. If you can take it to a blind or something like that your good, but dont expect to do a day pack in hunt and carry this beast with you.

I’m not certain on the weight but id say ruffly 12 to 15 pounds. The weight does add to the stability of the rest though. I purchased the carbon fiber one so its the lightest option so I could not image how the others ones feel.

I have not used it to hunt with yet but it seems to have easy intuitive controls to adjust for quick shots. over all im happy with it but really fill that the weight will limit me on places I can take this hunting.

I bought these legs a few years back for $329. and there is a lot to love. Key things I like: 1. Size – there are a few things I love about the size of this tripod. Firstly without raising the center column it is eye level (and I am 6’1), but folds dow inverted to a size that just fits in a carry-on for a plane.

The only time I raise the center column is when I am shooting on snow, with the tripod down a hill, or in a river. It also has just 3 twist knobs – which is nicer than having 4. 2. Weight – for the size the weight is pretty good.

I think the specified weight includes the spiked feet, accessories and bag. Including my head I think the weight is a little over 4. 5lbs. 3. Stability – this holds my camera with my heaviest lens setup very easily (about 4.

5 lbs). But is definitely stable enough to hold the biggest setup I can imagine that I will buy (about 8 lbs). 4. Price – Even at the updated price – it is about 1/3 of the price of the premium tripod brands that reach this height.

Obviously there are a couple of compromises: 1. It is a bit bigger and heavier than you want it to be (I think most people would be happier with a bit lighter, less bulky setup that is 3 or 3. 5lbs and just live with raising the center column).

Personally though – if I am going to carry a tripod – I want it to be big enough, and stable enough for any situation I will be in (I have a smaller tripod that I used to carry when hiking longer distances.

but then I got shots that were blurry even with a 10 second timer because it was not stable enough). 2. Its not as well built as more expensive tripods. Where the legs meet is not as strong as RRS or Gitzo.

The gear hang for the shorter center column did just snap (the plastic stopper bit) and I have heard the legs are not quite as waterproof as you may want. Again though this is a compromise. Do you want it to be heavier or more expensive? BUT all that being said.

and this seems to be true for all the Sirui products. it’s just great value for money. Just be conscious of what compromises you are making.

I’ve owned this tripod for a little over 2 years, and I’ve been somewhat happy with it. For as tall as it, it folds down pretty small. It’s also pretty light weight for how sturdy it is. I use it quite a bit for seascape photography where the incoming waves can be quite rough, but this tripod does a great job of not budging.

No complaints in that department. My only real gripe with this tripod is their false claim that it is waterproof. According to their claims, the twist locks should be completely sealed and not let in ANY water or sand.

On their website they go as far as to say, waterproof (not just water resistant). I can tell you that this is 100% false. There’s absolutely nothing waterproof about it. Water gets trapped inside the legs and you have to pretty much take it completely apart to thoroughly dry it.

If I’m using it in or near saltwater or sand, I always have to leave the legs extended after using it so that I can rinse it off with fresh water once it’s available. I shouldn’t have to do this according to their claims.

And after I rinse it off with fresh water and dry it thoroughly and I feel it’s safe to close the legs, when I extend the legs again, even days later, I can see that they are completely wet. Not just a little moisture either.

dripping water. So in the end, this is a well built, sturdy, tall tripod that’s pretty light and compact. It’s fairly priced too. But it is no more waterproof than any other tripod on the market.

This tripod has been great so far. I’m 6’2 and this tripod easily gets my camera rig over my head without sacrificing sturdiness. Lightweight CF is a huge improvement over my prior, cheaper quality budget tripod.

I combined with a Sirui 40x ball head and can hold anything without shake or wobble.

Excellent model. To me the best in class of the Sirui line putting it just above the other travel models in weight, but with the added benefit of sturdiness, without too much penalty. Love the flip leg locks, and that sold me, plus decent height, short shaft, adjustable leg angles etc.

Only minor gripe, which is common with all the Sirui short shaft accessories, is that you lose the bag handle underneath when attached. However, for about 70grams penalty, I added a screw adaptor to the protruding thread, and attached a lightwieght carabena hook/latch.

Problem solved. I reckon you could almost replace heavier models in the field, for long exposure, astro work, espcially if you attach a bag to the hook. Mine comes in at just over 1. 6kg with the short shaft, Manfrotto head (320g) and custom bag hook on the short shaft thread.

For only a few grams more you could leave the longer centre column attached, and have more height, but you’d lose the ability to go super flat, however, the long shaft would give adequate low angles for most shots.

I just like a bit less weight, plus the ability to go lower, and I don’t mind using my flip out screen on the LCD. It’s high enough for me with the short shaft. Long shaft pretty much gives me eye height.

Looks to me like it will stand up to fairly decent use.

I’ve been a pro photographer for 30+ years, had 5 studios, and have used many tripods. My tripods vary depending on intended use. in studio, wildlife, light lenses, heavy lenses, portability, etc. As a general, all around tripod that will support my 200-600 and anything smaller I find this Sirui ET-2204 to be the very best I’ve ever had.

The clip leg extension style is my favorite for fast sizing, the light weight makes it easy to carry in the field, and it’s fine in studio, although I don’t use ball heads in studio. I have 3 of these.

The wife uses one I use the other two depending on where I’m located. The carrying strap is also useful if hiking or just for long walks, freeing up both hands.

I have a Sirui K30 head for my Manfrotto 190xprob tripod. I really like the Sirui quality, so I decided for a Sirui travel tripod versus an equivalent Manfrotto. The ET-2004 is very comparable to the Manfrotto Element Big model.

But the Sirui is rated for 26lbs weight vs 17, has 4 sections vs 5, flip lock vs twist lock, 6 yr warranty vs up to 5, 2 foam covered legs vs 1. The Sirui has an extra short center column, shoulder strap with the case and metal knobs vs rubber coated.

The 17” folded length, 57” max height, 3. 5lbs weight, reversible center column are the same. The only extra Manfrotto feature is 1 leg can be used as a monopod with the ball head that this model Sirui does not have.

The E20 ball head is solid with pan and ball tension knobs. Sirui heads have an extra safety button that depresses the safety pin under the Arca plate which takes some patience to learn to use. The plate and head can easily hold my 70-200 with lens collar and Nikon D750 with grip or even my 200-500mm with lens collar.

There is a spike at the bottom of each leg that can be exposed for use on outdoor surfaces. The flip lock tabs are buttery smooth. Some may debate more sections means more compact, but in this case not so, just more effort to extend to full length.

Some may prefer twist lock but I like flip locks since they deploy faster though they can be noisier. I have 2 minor gripes however. There’s lots of friction on the legs and they don’t fall freely to extend or collapse.

Perhaps over time they will wear in and loosen up. The tab to change leg angle needs is a bit difficult to depress usually requiring a downward motion to engage and held down to skip over other locking positions.

Aside from that there’s enough added features/higher specs on the ET-2004 and E-20 head to make it a better buy.

Pros: Decent fluid head, stable legs considering the size and price. Small fold up size of 21 Cons: Bubble is finicky for getting correct level. Camera can get in way of tripod plate lock screw. Some spring-back on pans.

I bought this little tripod for its advertised purpose: as a travel tripod. As such it does a fairly good job fitting into this role, although as expected there are some inherent compromises in travel tripods.

The construction is reasonably solid, the legs do not twist much when fully extended and panning. This is very important to reduce spring-back when starting or stopping a pan. The legs do not extend as smoothly as my Robus RC-8880 carbon fiber legs on my main tripod, but then again, these are smaller, aluminum, and a fraction of the price.

And this does not really affect the functionality of the tripod. I do wish the leg spread was wider at the default setting, so be careful not to bump the tripod over. The leveling adjustment works easily and locks in place.

While not as nice as a 75mm ball head, it is still way better than trying to adjust the legs 1 by 1 to get the head level. The single biggest issue is getting the head really level. It may look level with the bubble, but when doing the pan, one end or the other may be a little off.

This may take some practice and I wish the bubble level was much bigger and more precise. The camera plate is very small, although the safely lock works, and it’s easy to insert and remove. The second biggest issue is that when using a wide camera or camcorder body (GH5S in my case) the bottom of the camera interferes with tightening the camera plate screw.

This is a common and annoying problem with many smaller tripods. You have to get the screw to within half a turn of being tight, put the camera on, and then finish tightening it. I was very impressed with the quality of the pan/tilt head given its small size.

The fixed fluid drag resistance is about the same compared to the medium level setting on my Libec NH30 head. This is a good default setting for a tripod where pan and tilt drag can not be adjusted. In fact it is better than the looser fluid drag on my old Manfrotto DV501 head which this will replace.

Both pan and tilt are smooth given the small size of the head, although it does have some spring-back (when you stop a pan and take your hand off, the camera will rotate opposite the direction of pan slightly) which is common on smaller heads mounted to smaller legs.

As expected, there is no tilt counter-balance. Ultimately if you need buttery smooth pans where the pan stops and stays in place where you want it to, and counterbalanced tilt, you will need to pony up some money for larger and more expensive kit like the Libec NH30 with Robus RC-8880 carbon fiber legs that serve as my main tripod.

But try getting that stuffed into your carry-on bag, or lugging a 11 pound tripod on a long hike. It should be noted, the small size also limits the size and weight of the camera that can be placed on the Benro Aero 2; I’m almost at max load weight with a GH5S, xls adapter and microphone.

The pan and tilt lock work well, and when locked down it holds the camera in place. While I have not tried this tripod in the wind, I expect it to be vastly inferior to my main tripod in this regard given the small size and weight.

So while it will never replace the main tripod, it does serve a niche as a travel tripod. It would also be suitable for tight budgets, or as a first tripod for students or casual hobbyists. And when purchased on sale at B&H it’s a good tripod for the money.

Got this to replace my Manfrotto 502AH Video Head & MT055XPRO3 (yes, you read that right) after the tilt stopped holding it’s place, but even before that I just felt the functionally to adjust the tilt and pan wasn’t as practical as I liked.

I feel like I stumbling trying to adjust it every time I used it. Not only that but storing it became might’ve been the biggest downfall. I’ll explain down below. Packaging: Upon opening the box, it has it’s own case! I didn’t even know that before ordering but it’s a solid Cordura fabric with an inside pocket to dismount the pan arm bar and store.

Quality: A bit on the heavy side but makes sense depending on the usage. Definitely study and durable. TBH better than I expected. Just as good as Manfrotto 502AH Functionality: SUER EASY TO USE. The main selling point was the proprietary knobs that specifically catered to each pan, tilt, and counterbalance, so no need to keep turning the dial to loosen.

The fluid dials are only for adjusting the tension. You just turn the proprietary knob once or twice and it’s good to store. This is important b/c I noticed that with my Manfrotto I wouldn’t turn the dial loose enough that when I went to break it down and place in my car that it would bump around and from what I believe, it’s the reason the tilt lock gear inside broke.

I know that’s my fault, but I felt like it was almost inevitable. Conclusion: I don’t think this tripod gets enough reviews and I’m not sure why. It’s functionality is beyond any other tripod I’ve used.

I would highly recommend going with this Benro over any of it’s competitors. Save the extra money and use it for something else you’ll need.

This is a great quality tripod for hobbyists and semi-pro shooters. However, it does not hold up long to the rigors of pro shooting. It’s quality and functionality are good for travel or as a compact rig, but it did not survive longer than two years of weekly use and several cross country/cross continent trips.

We have several of the compact, bare bones Manfrotto tripods that are still holding strong after nearly 10 years of constant abuse. I don’t think Benro will last as long as a Manfrotto for the same price, but the Benro has more features.

It’ll probably last a while if you take really good care of it.