Over the years, I’ve been a huge fan of the growing travel tripod market, mostly because my aging back demands it.
Since the current travel tripod style hasn’t appeared early in my photography career, I often find myself having to bring my trusted person with me. Manfrotto 190 into the field, cursed weight and size. When carbon fiber version came out and shaved off a little more than a pound from the same frame, I was ecstatic. I also bought one of them.
This is after buying a series of cheap Best Buy publications Sunpak camera/video tripod that won’t meet the needs of heavy use. It’s worth spending the extra $100-200 for the “real thing”.
Which brings me to the current range of travel tripods in this recap: in one corner are two professional tripods in the $200-$250 range, Travel Tripod MeFoto RoadTripand Manfrotto BeFree Travel Tripod, and the other is the top-of-the-line Carbon Travel Tripod, which has a hefty price tag of $650. Does the theory of spending more to get a little more apply at this scale?
I’d argue that it does. Read on to know why.
candidates
In the name of full disclosure, I am comparing a slightly older aluminum version of Manfrotto’s BeFree line that I purchased in 2016. The most comparable design Manfrotto has to offer today is High levelstill retains the (in my opinion) more functional lever lock design for my model.
The RoadTrip travel tripod in this review is the Classic Leather version I reviewed here in 2018, and the newer models are largely the same, minus the leather, and with some changes to the upper adjustment. head of parent company Benro.
Peak Design recently sent me a carbon fiber version of the travel tripod that was released via start up in 2019. There is also a aluminum version for $380. In fact, the RoadTrip tripod is compared to the Peak Design in that Kickstarter and seems more stable.
It’s understandable that some people will think these are apple-to-orange comparisons, but the main point to drive home is that you’re looking at two completely different tripods in these products and making your decision. determine whether the differences are worthwhile. Let’s dive into the difference.
Design
Interestingly, despite the same spacious design touches, the money that buys you a MeFOTO-flavored carbon fiber tripod only gets you an aluminum version from Manfrotto. Carbon fiber is often preferred for tripods because of the weight savings associated with lighter materials. It may not seem like much, but when you walk all day, there’s a difference between the Manfrotto’s 3.6 lb, the MeFoto’s 3 lb, and the Peak Design’s 2.8 lb. That’s a nearly 25% difference in weight between the lightest (Top Design) and the heaviest (Manfrotto). The carbon fiber version of the Manfrotto . tripod Same price 2.8 pounds and $300, but you don’t get the lever lock option, and it has what I consider a less useful design than the Peak Design tripod. I will explain.
The most common design of the travel tripod type is the reverse folding design, where the center column is extended to full height and the legs fold up and surround the center column. This means that in practice, to return the tripod to a usable form, you have to pull the legs around and then lower the center column back to its original position. It’s a time-consuming and cumbersome operation, and although it saves space in transport, once it is unfolded in its normal position, most of the space saved is gone. It’s a pain to go through an environment where my legs are folded and looped around a pole just to save space, and I often find myself leaving my tripod set up in a less travel-friendly way. Both Manfrotto’s BeFree and the RoadTrip tripod share this design.
In contrast, Peak Design requires no such gymnastics setup. Since the non-cylindrical design of the legs folds around a center column in keeping with that, everything is tucked away neatly and the Peak Design Travel Tripod unfolds like a “normal” tripod. What’s interesting here is that the entire package is also smaller than either of the competitors’ tripods. Much smaller. Part of that design is the custom-designed ball head, which features Peak Design’s Arca-compatible plate system and self-seals into the crevices between the pins. It’s really brilliantly thought out.
The designs all have the same place: the Manfrotto tripod I have is 56” (newer ones are 59”), the Peak Design is 60” and the MeFOTO is 61”. However, the Peak Design has a removable center column, allowing it to drop to the ground much lower than the other two, which I appreciate.
Peak Design and Manfrotto tripods are rated to hold about 20 lbs of gear compared to MeFOTO’s 17.6, which is remarkable.
In theory, they all fold down to the same size, from 15.4 (MeFOTO) to 15.75 inches (Manfrotto), but Peak Design’s folding mode requires fewer steps to get there. and generally thinner.
Bonus feature
The Manfrotto BeFree is what I consider a “no frills” travel tripod. It has everything you need and nothing you don’t. That said, for the same price, here’s what you get with the other two:
MeFOTO and Peak Design add a pole hook in the middle so you can add extra weight to the tripod (i.e. hang your camera bag off the tripod if needed to stabilize things). Not a problem-solving tool, but a “yes is good” feature. I just hung my bag from the pole/leg, same effect. There are also bubble levels on MeFOTO and Peak Design, although with modern cameras including electronic levels these are unnecessary and after years of use I’ve mostly broken everything. bubble level that I have on a tripod.
MeFOTO added the ability to turn one of the tripods into a single tripod, and while I tried it once in my original review, I’ve never used the feature since. The use cases where I take a monopod versus a tripod are very different, and I already have a dedicated monopod so disassembling the tripod for this feature has never really been something I’ve ever done. found useful in this area. It’s a neat party trick, but ultimately has limited usefulness. Photographers playing at this price point probably already have a dedicated single tripod.
MeFOTO also has a twist lock compared to the other two’s lever locks. It’s all personal preference, but I’ve always hated twist locks; At a glance they can hardly tell if everything is locked and for me that slows things down.
A few more tricks from the team from Peak Design: The center column is reversible so you can shoot directly down something in between the tripod’s legs, and there’s a hidden cell phone holder in the center column heart. As someone who often compares mirrorless cameras to cell phones in the process, I really appreciate this.
That said, if I have to complain about the way Peak Design works, it’s the need to use hexagonal keys to attach the plate to the camera or to remove the center column. Yes, there’s a place on the tripod to keep these, but I’m afraid I’ll lose it too. Having tools that I just need on hand would be a welcome change.
Which one is right for you?
Since I’ve owned the Manfrotto the longest, there’s a soft spot in my heart for all the adventures I’ve done. However, objectively speaking, it has certainly been surpassed.
While MeFOTO has added some neat features to Manfrotto’s very standard setup, in the end the dimensions are still the same and so I love it. when i consider itit’s not different enough by itself to make me prefer one over the other.
The Peak Design travel tripod is different. It was a total rethink of the travel tripod category and it pushed the design so far that I pushed aside the previous models I was using.
I mentioned before that it’s worth spending for a sturdy tripod. Cameras come and go, but tripods will stay with you much longer. Some of my oldest people are going 15 years old.
While $650 may seem like a lot for a tripod, given the longevity of the camera stand, it’s well worth the weight and space-saving capabilities Peak Design offers. While my Manfrotto was working fine, it was outdone by the competition with some extra features. For the same amount of money I would choose MeFOTO, but given the advancements made with Peak Design’s Travel Tripod, I’d say it’s definitely worth spending the extra on any of those.
If cost was a concern, I would still consider it $380 aluminum version of Peak Design tripodoffers all the design improvements, minus the weight savings.
What do you think of these travel tripods? Do you have a suggestion of your own? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
