Choosing the right tripod often means finding a balance between portability and durability. How can a tripod without a column in the middle add more flexibility to your setup?
Tripods help a lot in the work of photographers and videographers. For some, they are even essential. However, choosing the wrong type of tripod can also backfire. For a landscape or outdoor photographer, having a tripod that adds significant weight or volume to the gear you carry will definitely affect your performance when shooting beyond how you feel. How tiring after getting all the pictures you need.
There are universal tripods that have common functions and features such as changing foot angle or part number, twist lock or clip lock, different head types and center column. However, there are also tripods that are made for specific uses that will make them easier to use or carry around. This particular tripod, Tortoise Benro TTOR24CGX30seems to be suitable for both.
Construction and Design
This is a four-section tripod that is only 21.3 inches long when fully folded and can grow up to 51.18 inches tall when it is fully extended. There are four sections that allow this tripod to have a little more height between the very short folded length.
This carbon fiber travel tripod weighs only 1.51 kg but can carry camera gear up to 14 kg, which is considerably heavier than its weight and can almost carry camera gear usual landscape.
The legs have a twist-lock mechanism, which usually makes it less bulky when folded and gives it a slimmer width altogether. Depending on the user, this can also be a quicker opening and setting option than the clip lock option. Near the tripod’s center joint are unlock buttons that allow you to extend the tripod’s legs to different angles. The tripod can be positioned at different angles, providing more flexibility when shooting on uneven ground. On the side of each leg there are also release buttons that help the tripod stay angled, ensuring that the legs won’t come loose even with significant weight on top of the device.
Each space between each leg on the hub joint has a 1/4-inch screw thread, which can be used to attach additional accessories such as friction arms or hooks. Of course, the main feature of this line of tripods is the simple fact that it does not have a column in the middle. Instead, the ball head connects to a fixed 3/4-inch stud that is itself connected to the center of the tripod. Below is a simple hook for hanging counterweights or accessory loops.
The absence of a center post allows for a much lower ground clearance when the legs are at their widest spread. This makes the center joint just 2.7 inches or 7.48 inches off the ground (ground to camera) when you factor in the height of the GX30 ball head.
This particular variation includes GX30 ball head, which has a main friction knob to control and release the ball joint, a smaller friction knob for more precise adjustment and a smaller knob that releases the bottom section allowing the head to rotate 360 degrees. Connected to the ball is an Arca-Swiss-type quick release clamp that snaps onto any compatible Arca-Swiss baseplate or L-rack. Opposite the QR clamp knob is a lever that unlocks the upper platform and allows the quick-release clamp to move independently of the head or ball.
Other Variations
The Benro Tortoise series has quite a few variants available that vary in height, payload, and warhead options. The TTOR35CGX35 is 22 inches when folded and 61.4 inches when fully extended, with a 15 kg payload and a larger GX35 head. The TTOR34CGX35 Has the same head and folded height but only three sections, making its maximum height just 56.3 inches. The TTOR14CGX25 has much thinner legs, which makes it also less bulky when folded. It has the same dimensions as the one rated above when folded (21 inches) and the same maximum height of 51.18 inches, but has a 10 kg lighter payload (4 kg less). The Tortoise series also has a desktop version, TTOR03CGX25 only 5.9 inches when folded, up to 12.4 inches, but can carry 8 kg of wheels – quite impressive for its size.
Register
While it’s clear that this tripod can have applications across almost any genre that requires a tripod, it has features that may be more beneficial in some and less valuable in others. The main features of this tripod mainly come from its portability, flexibility and ability to accommodate additional attachments. Having said that, the Benro Tortoise definitely benefits outdoor photographers, landscape photographers, and travel photographers with standard full frame gear. An exception would probably be wildlife photographers, who may require more height and more payload for their heavier super-photographic lenses.
The absence of a center column can be beneficial for shooting very low angles without having to make a lot of adjustments with the tripod. Other options for such a configuration are tripods with horizontal central columns. However, in my experience, they can be a bit tricky when setting up low-angle shots.
This tripod may not be the best choice for any type of photography that requires considerable height flexibility, such as architecture or interiors, as well as capturing shots from top down or flat. The Benro Tortoise series offers the benefit of minimizing your gear, especially during long walks.
What I like
- Sleek carbon fiber design
- Light and portable with heavy payload
- 3 1/4 inch attachment ports
- Very low minimum height
What can be improved
- Can be a detachable center column accessory of different sizes
Buy, lean on, cling to
The Benro Tortoise TTOR24CGX30 is an amazingly compact and operable tripod that makes it easy to take with you wherever you go. You can buy it here.
