The Three-Legged Friends You Can’t Live Without

October 27, 2015

By Greg Scoblete

EDITOR’S CHOICE: Manfrotto 190 Go!  

This is the company’s first tripod with twist leg locks that let you open or close all sections of the tripod at once with a single turn of your wrist. The 190 Go! extends to 57.48 inches and employs Manfrotto’s 90-degree center column, which can be lifted out of the tripod’s top casting and swung into the horizontal position without removing either the tripod head or camera. There are four leg angle options and an Easy Link attachment that lets you connect accessories, like LED lights, that have a 3/8-inch male adapter.

Price: $200

Sirui W-2204

When the going gets tough, or wet, Sirui’s W-2204 is safe thanks to waterproof rings similar to those that keep your car running in the rain. You can detach a leg and use it as a monopod. The W-2204 extends to 70.9 inches and folds down to 20.5 inches. It can keep up to 39.7 pounds of gear aloft but thanks to its carbon fiber build, it only weighs 3.7 pounds.

PRICE: $535

Vanguard VEO 265

The VEO 265 tripod features a rapid column rotation that lets you quickly fold up the tripod when it’s time to hit the road. It offers adjustable leg locks with three different angles and five leg sections with a max height of 59 inches. The tripod ships with a ball head and an Arca Swiss-compatible quick release plate and interchangeable feet (rubber or spikes). The VEO 265 can support up to 17.6 pounds of camera gear. 

PRICES: $180 (ALUMINUM), $280 (CARBON FIBER)

Benro S7 Video Tripod Kit 

The S7 kit includes a video head with a 75mm bowl adapter with a flat base for mounting on sliders and jibs. It offers a four-step counterbalance to keep heavy gear, up to 15.4 pounds, properly aligned. You can dial in resistance for both panning and tilting motions so you can achieve the desired amount of tension for a given camera movement. 

PRICES: $399 (ALUMINUM), $599 (CARBON FIBER) 

Gitzo Traveler Tripod Series 1 (GT1545T) 

Ideal for road warriors, the Traveler series tripods are as strong as they are light and portable. They owe their lightweight rigidity to the use of carbon fiber tubes and their portability to the use of a 180-degree leg folding mechanism. For the revamped Traveler series, Gitzo improved the carbon fiber tubes, making them stiffer and the tube diameters wider. The GT1545T can hold up to 22 pounds of camera and lens aloft but only weighs 2.3 pounds.

PRICE: $740