Carbon tripods
For most photographers, the perfect tripod should offer solid support with a lofty maximum operating height, yet fold down reasonably small for stowing away, and it shouldn’t be overly heavy. After all, nobody wants to lug around more than they need to.
Big, heavy tripods are often left at home when we go out on a shoot, making them completely useless. The flipside is that small, light tripods that are easy to carry can have a disappointingly short operating height, as well as being comparatively flimsy and prone to vibration.
The lines of distinction between full-sized tripods and travel tripods have become increasingly blurred recently. Indeed, some ‘travel’ tripods extend to a greater maximum operating height than competing full-sized models.
We’ve picked out some of the most attractive buys on the market. We’re quoting prices that include a ball head, although sometimes you’ll need to buy this separately.
Benro Mach3 TMA27C
£368 / $410 with B1 head
Aiming for elegant simplicity
With swing-up legs and pivoting centre columns increasingly featured in
