Compact Folders Tripods
Made For Traveling
By Jack Neubart
Folded Tripods
Gitzo turned the tripod world upside down—literally—when the company first introduced the Traveler, a true travel tripod. This lightweight carbon-fiber support was unusual for its inverted, contortionist-like design, where the legs fold back 180 degrees on themselves and the leg tips hug the ball head, making it more compact.
Today the Traveler is in good company, with many more tripods of its ilk, both carbon and metal. All these tripods sport compact ball heads to allow for that slim profile. Many of the tripods in this report are constructed using carbon fiber; some are metal. (Note that carbon-fiber models may feature a center column that is carbon fiber or metal.) For the sports or nature enthusiast, certain of these tripods convert to a fully functioning monopod (formed from the removable center column and one leg, which unscrews).
Legs form the core of a tripod, and carbon-fiber construction affords better vibration absorption and lighter weight, albeit at greater cost, compared with similar tripods with metal legs. A bonus with carbon fiber is that it is generally easier to handle under temperature extremes.
The independent leg movement that was originally aimed at facilitating set up on uneven terrain has evolved, thus the inverted design. However, a select few tripods fold flat, that is, asymmetrically, with the legs aligned back to back. The Cullmann Magic was the first with this design, but now other manufacturers offer their own variations, namely the Benro Travel Flat series (in metal and carbon) and Sirui S-N series (carbon). As with any tripod, the maximum load capacity is still a measure of how practical the tripod is in the end, and some are clearly built to support heavier gear.
The featured tripods mostly employ four or five leg sections, with one using as many as six. A quick twist of the knurled locking mechanism governing each leg section is all that’s needed to unlock and extend the legs. In fact, you can grab all the knurled rings with one hand and release the sections with one swift motion. In Velbon’s case, the legs are released by twisting only the leg tips. The Cullmann tripod is a little different: friction holds the collapsed legs in place, so you can simply pull them out, twisting each leg section to lock it in place. Totally unprecedented, the Tamrac ZipShot just springs to life when held upright, after you undo the elastic cords that hold the legs together.
The Center Column
Ideally, the tripod should set up to a comfortable working height without extending the center column. But compact tripods are often of shorter stature and may require some column extension. The center column on this group of tripods is of the “rapid,” friction-post type, utilizing a knurled ring to release/lock the sliding column. Many columns also feature an anti-twist design (evident by a groove running top to bottom), which prevents inadvertent rotation as you raise/lower the column.
Center columns are usually reversible, and in rare instances may be shortened by unscrewing a section or replacing the entire column with a supplied short column. This allows the tripod to practically hug the ground for close-ups. The supplied center column is fairly short in its own right, compared with that of a studio tripod.
An oft-overlooked design element is secure seating of the head on the mounting platform, via a tiny screw embedded in the platform (but this only works with compatible heads). This prevents the head from coming loose as it’s rotated counterclockwise.
Ball Heads
The Ball Head
The ball head is often, but not always, included. Or it may be permanent, as on the ZipShot. The Gitzo Traveler came to us as a kit, with a head designed to remain in place (but other tripods in the Traveler series accept a variety of heads).
Some heads have one or more built-in bubble, or spirit, levels, but not all. Given that more and more cameras have a digital leveling feature, this may not be an important consideration for everyone.
The head should come with a Quick-Release (QR) system for rapid attachment/dismounting of the camera. Ideally, the QR plate should have an anti-twist feature to keep the camera aligned during vertical shooting.
Note: Each QR system uses camera plates designed for that line of heads, although Arca-Swiss-compatible “universal” plates should be interchangeable. Regardless of the QR system in place, there should be a secondary release mechanism, or safety catch, to further secure the camera.
Among the heads surveyed in this collection, some have only one knob or lever to govern all movement, including panning. Others add a panning control knob, which ensures smooth pans without head movement. You may prefer the third type, which adds a tension knob that controls drag (friction) on the main ball joint movement so that you can properly balance the load on the head as it’s being adjusted. Tension (whether on a separate knob or the main knob) may be marked, so you can reset it when needed.
0 comments:
Post a Comment