Getting your first tripod is a balance between affordability and quality. This tripod from K&F Concept could be a good start.
Tripod is one of the most popular accessories among photographers. Early on in your journey to becoming a photographer, you will find reasons to keep your camera in a certain position whether to take pictures with you in it or to discover how long exposures can be. doing what. While most photographers of the latter find a tripod to suit some specific needs for their genre and their workflow, the importance of quality in a tripod Getting started is never taken for granted.
Starter tripod
The standards for a beginner’s tripod are very clear. It must be able to hold the camera. However, many things come into play when you want your first investment in a tripod to be worth it and not something you will regret. For one, it should not just hold the camera but do so safely. The second is that while a tripod can support relatively heavy camera setups, it shouldn’t be too heavy in itself. Ultimately, the tripod should last for a certain amount of time, at least enough to cover the cost. In this review we will look at this Starter Tripod $55 from the K&F concept and see if it’s worth believing.
Material and Design
The K&F tripod SA234 is a four-section aluminum tripod. The main shafts are composed of lightweight black aluminum while the joints, clamps and heads are made primarily of hard plastic. The ends of each leg are reinforced with non-slip rubber feet for added friction. 
The center joint is made of an orange-marked unlock button that frees the joint, allowing the tripod’s legs to extend to a 180-degree angle so that the foot is almost flat on the ground. However, this feature is partially obscured by the non-removable middle column, which prevents the camera angle from being as low as the enabling foot. The center column is controlled by a unique twist-lock mechanism that allows the overall height to extend by 8 inches.
With an unlocking joint, the tripod can be folded towards the extended center column for a more compact size for storage and transport, which is typical of most travel-sized tripods on the market. school. While the tripod proves to be sturdy in use, the unimpressive feature of this tripod’s construction is probably the small and thin clamp-type locks. While the locking mechanism works as it should, its appearance and construction density casts doubt on its long-term durability.
The KF SA234 comes with an included ball head. This tip is covered in matte hard plastic and is textured with metal sections on the weight-bearing sections. It has an orange ball joint with a maximum tilt of 90 degrees. The head comes with 2 knobs that rotate in opposite directions. The larger crown controls the ball’s friction to create more swing, tilt, and swing, while the smaller knob controls the 360-degree rotation from the bottom plate of the head. Conveniently, this ball head features an Arca-Swiss compatible quick release clamp that can accommodate most camera base plates and L-mounts.
Stats and Abilities
When fully folded and with the legs upside down, the KF SA234 is just 16 inches long. This makes it compact enough to be easily carried in a holster or side backpack, or even inside a relatively larger camera bag. Minimum standing height is 21.8 inches. With all the legs extended, the camera height will be 53 inches with the center column lowered and 64 inches when it’s fully extended. Overall, the tripod offers enough height options for most applications, especially considering coming from the 16-inch folded length.
The K&F SA234 weighs only 1.2 kg, which is very light, especially for an aluminum tripod. Considering that, it delivers a remarkably good payload of around 10 kg, enough to carry more than what a beginner setup might weigh. In this example, the tripod is carrying Sony a7I DRAW with one Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II has a total weight of approximately two kilograms. While the camera-lens combination is relatively light, it suffices to illustrate the possibilities of using a tripod as most entry-level cameras will be lighter in weight. On the other hand, using a combination of heavier DSLRs adds about two kilograms, still well below the payload limit. Tilted to the side, the ball joint also generates quite reliable friction, enough to carry the aforementioned camera setup without slipping down.
Application
In addition, this tripod will be very useful in most common shooting situations. That includes some quick exposures, self-timed or remote-triggered shots, indoor use as well as mild outdoor conditions that don’t deal with significant winds or water currents.
All in all, this would also be a good starter travel tripod because of the benefits of its lightweight construction and compact length. This tripod will be very handy to carry when exploring various locations and won’t be much of a bother considering the negligible weight it adds to your bag. For landscape photography, the K&F SA234 will suffice in relatively quiet environmental conditions. However, if the location is subject to moderate to extreme wind, submerged in water with significant currents, or continuously exposed to moisture, sand or salt water, this may not be a reliable tripod. best to use. Significantly light textures can lead to judder and shake that can affect images obtained during long exposure shooting. Aluminum materials can be susceptible to oxidation and corrosion, especially when exposed to salt water. Finally, plastic clip locks can be quite cumbersome to maintain and can be susceptible to damage when exposed to sand and salt water.
Inference
General K&F concept SA234 tripod is a very capable starter tripod that will be very useful for beginner photographers. It offers a good payload while being remarkably light, it has a decent height while being relatively compact, and the included ball head is Arca-Swiss compatible. Best of all, the $55 price tag makes it affordable for beginning photographers or those who rarely use a tripod and want to keep one just in case.
What I like
- Light and high capacity
- Includes Arca-Swiss . compatible ball head
- Affordable price $55
What could be improved:
- Suspicious durability due to flip lock joint
