The best carbon fiber tripods are some of the best tripods you can buy. They're both stronger and lighter than their aluminium counterparts, which is useful for pretty much any genre of shooting. Their only real downside is the one you're probably expecting – they command a higher price tag.
That isn't to say that carbon fiber tripods are invariably prohibitively expensive, though – many of the major manufacturers offer carbon fiber options that are suited towards a sensible budget. Looking across the big names like Manfrotto, Gitzo, 3 Legged Thing, Benro and Vanguard, you can see a number of carbon fiber tripods that offer premium quality at superb value. So the only question that remains is which to choose.
Different carbon fiber tripods offer different features – some can carry more weight than others, while others have clever extra options like the ability to convert to a monopod, or a reversible central column that makes it easy to shoot close-ups down at ground level. It's worth shopping around to make sure you're getting the most value with a tripod that offers the features you need, and isn't crammed with a load of extras you're not going to use.
Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is an encyclopedia when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers, and inks, and just about anything imaging-related.
The Quick List
Most versatile
Strong and sturdy, this is a tripod that’s easy to set up and use, and is ready for just about any type of shooting requirement. Read more below…
Best multi-purpose
This clever package comes with all the parts you need to make six different supports, from a regular tripod to a selfie stick. Read more below…
Best travel
Folding down to only 37cm in length, this is a travel tripod that can bear heavy loads, with great engineering giving it a quality feel. Read more below…
Best premium travel
Peak Design only makes one tripod, but it’s a doozy, with a super-compact design, a sturdy feel and a classy ball head. Read more below…
Best for smartphones
Whether you want to attach a camera or smartphone, this versatile kit has got you covered. You can convert it to a monopod too. Read more below…
Best for video
You can add a professional cine camera to this robust tripod, and enjoy the super-smooth panning and tilting from the excellent head. Read more below…
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Best for easy setup
Everything from the leg locks to the pivoting center column is designed to be as simple to use as possible, and it’s nice and stable too. Read more below…
Best for rigidity
This is quite an old-school design, but it’s highly usable, staying stable even at its maximum height and providing useful accessories. Read more below…
Best for toughness
The clue’s in the name. The Rhino is made from braided carbon fiber to maintain strength in use while keeping the weight down. Read more below…
Best for height
This tripod goes so high you might need a stepladder, which makes it a distinctive proposition for demanding shooting situations. Read more below…
Best carbon fiber tripods in 2024
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Most versatile carbon fiber tripod
With so many knobs, this doesn’t look at first glance like an easy tripod to use, but it’s actually pretty intutive to set up – and it gets better from there.
This is a tripod that ticks all the boxes. It can take a heavy load (up to 25kg), it’s tall and proved to be extremely sturdy during our testing, and all for a reasonable price. You can pivot the center column when you want to shoot low, perhaps for macro.
If compact storage is important to you, there are other tripods that reach similar heights but fold down much smaller. But if you want a tripod that can cope with virtually any shooting situation, this is a strong choice.
Read more: Vanguard VEO 3+ 303CBS review
Best multi-purpose carbon fiber tripod
To the casual observer, the humble tripod may seem relatively unchanged since its invention, but in reality, manufacturers are forever coming up with clever innovations to make tripods more useful and versatile. Case in point, the Benro MeFoto RoadTrip Pro, which is a clever, 6-in-1 Swiss Army Knife of a tripod. It's a full-size tripod that can convert into a tabletop tripod, a monopod, a boom pole, a selfie stick or a hi-hat tripod for low-angle shots.
In our review, we were seriously impressed, giving the Benro MeFoto RoadTrip Pro the highest score possible. It's not perfect, with some functions much more useful than others, but the fact that Benro has packed this much functionality into a tripod that weights just 1.5kg and costs less than $300 seems little short of miraculous. Providing impressive stability for such a light tripod, the Benro MeFoto Roadtrip Pro is a winner across the board.
Read more: Benro MeFoto RoadTrip Pro Carbon Fiber tripod review
Best travel carbon fiber tripod
Made with the level of attention to quality that 3 Legged Thing is known for, the Leo 2.0 is an all-around excellent travel tripod. It's capable of supporting up to 30kg, which is much more than you're ever going to need, giving you peace of mind that your setup is never going to overwhelm it. It also packs down impressively short, to just 37cm – though it's worth being aware that the somewhat chunky legs mean it'll take up a fair amount of space in a bag or case.
In our review, we found the tripod to perform well across the board. The AirHed Pro it's supplied with is a cut above most kit heads, and while this may sound strange, we were also very impressed with the bag it comes with, which is once again a cut above the kind that most travel tripods get supplied with. This is an all-around high-quality carbon fiber tripod – its metal parts all look and feel premium, with top-notch machining.
Read more: 3 Legged Thing Leo 2.0 + AirHead Pro review
Best premium travel carbon fiber tripod
This is the first tripod Peak Design (best-known for its camera bags) has made – and considering the carbon fiber version is one of the most expensive travel tripods around, it needs to be good. And it is. The low-profile ball head is quite simple but well-made, the overall rigidity is excellent, and it reaches to a good height.
Perhaps the nicest touch is the attention Peak Design has paid to how the tripod folds down. There’s very little ‘dead volume’ between the center column and the legs, so not only is the folded tripod short (just 39cm), it’s also slim enough to go inside a camera bag, while most tripods have to strap to the outside.
There is a much less expensive aluminum version available, with the same design features but slightly less resistance to vibration.
Read more: Peak Design Travel Tripod review
Best carbon fiber tripod for smartphones
One of Vanguard's newer travel tripods, the VEO 3 GO 265HCB is a carbon fiber model clearly pitched at a lot of different users. So, as well as the standard screw mount for cameras, the tripod also comes bundled with a smartphone mount and a Bluetooth shutter trigger. It's extremely lightweight, and while it's not the tallest tripod you can get, it folds down exceptionally well, and is a perfect choice for travel.
The tripod extends to a maximum height of 166.4cm, and if you're going to be using it at this height, it's recommended that you hang a weight bag on the hook on the central column, as things can get a little wobbly. The central column is also reversible, which is useful for macro shooting. What's more, the VEO 3 GO 265HCB has a removable leg that can be quickly converted to a monopod, further cementing it as one of the most versatile carbon fiber tripods around.
Best carbon fiber tripod for video
Built to an exceptional standard, this tripod kit is made with professional-grade video in mind. It’s robust enough to take a specialist cine camera or a pro-level full-frame camera, and gives rock-solid support. In our testing, we were delighted with the ease of setup, with single-twist legs making adjustments a breeze.
The head supplied in this kit is a work of art, with beautifully smooth pan and tilt, and adjustable drag to choose the degree of friction you want. This isn’t a cheap kit, but the fluid filming experience it delivers easily justifies the cost.
Read more: Manfrotto 504X 635 Fast Single Leg Carbon review
Best easy-setup carbon fiber tripod
The carbon fiber version of Manfrotto's 055 tripod, the Manfrotto MT055CXPRO3 is designed to marry superior stability with smooth operation. Its redesigned center column can pivot 90 degrees easily, with redesigned ‘one-finger’ operation that makes the whole enterprise easier than ever to set up. Its legs are secured by new Quick Power Locks that provide 50% more rigidity compared to its predecessor, and each leg can be positioned independently.
A bubble level has been set into the top of the center column, rotating freely around it so you can always position it somewhere you can see it. This allows you to get your horizons straighter than straight. What's more, the Easy Link connector at the top supports the attachment of additional accessories like video monitors or extra lights, further expanding the tripod's utility for a broad swathe of users.
Read more: Manfrotto MT055CXPRO3 review
Best carbon fiber tripod for rigidity
With swing-up legs and pivoting center columns being featured increasingly in mainstream tripods, the Mach3 looks a very traditional affair. It has a very conventional layout of three-section legs that don’t fold upwards for stowage, and a basic height adjustment clamp for the center column that precludes any pivot facility. It’s therefore easy to write off this tripod as being somewhat basic, but the upside is that it’s superbly quick and easy to set up. Look a little closer, and you’ll see that it’s not short of smart features either.
A simple but effective locking mechanism enables use of the legs at three different angles to the center column, and there is a bubble level on both the tripod spider . For low-level shooting, a stub is supplied which can be swapped with the center column, and the kit comes complete with interchangeable rubber pads and metal spikes for the feet. For another bit of trickery, the leg that sports comfort padding can be unscrewed and used as a monopod, in conjunction with the removable center column and ball head.
The Mach3 maintains excellent stability even at its maximum operating height, with the center column fully extended. Adjustments of the leg sections and center column are silky smooth, and the B1 ball head works a treat. It features independent clamp and friction damper knobs, plus a pan-only release with a calibrated rotation scale and an Arca-Swiss type quick-release plate. All in all, the Mach3 is a simple yet highly effective tripod.
Best tough carbon fiber tripod
Benro Rhino tripods are designed to be as sturdy and hefty as their name implies. This model, the catchily named FRHN34CVX30, is able to support a whopping 20kg of camera kit, making it more than equipped for even the most extravagant of photo or video setups.
It's all down to the new carbon fibre build, which uses new braided carbon fibre tubing to keep the weight down without compromising on strength. The tripod packs away pleasingly small, with reverse folding legs that flip up to surround the head when they're not being used. It's also easy to attach an extra accessory arm for a smartphone or video monitor, further expanding your shooting options.
This tripod also comes bundled with one of Benro's new VX ball heads, which have been specifically designed to complement the Rhino range. In real terms, this means that they are also strong and lightweight, but there are a few extra features as well, such as the redesigned quick-release plate with a safety catch to prevent calamity resulting from accidentally releasing the camera. All in all, it adds up to an impressive, high-quality setup for pretty much any camera user!
Read more: Benro Rhino FRHN34CVX30 review
Best tall carbon fiber tripod
If you need height above all else, need a tripod that grazes the sky... OK, we're getting carried away, but the point is that the Gitzo GT5563GS is extremely tall. But it's versatile too; not only can it reach 278cm, but can also be set to a minimum working height as low as 10cm.
As you might imagine, this gives you loads of shooting flexibility, and while setting up the tripod at its maximum height is quite a physical challenge, it can be really useful in fields like architectural photography.
Of course, all that carbon fibre doesn't come cheap. This is only a tripod you'll really buy if you absolutely need what it's offering. However, if that's the case, you'll find the Gitzo GT5563GS to be a highly dependable workhorse tripod.
Read more: Gitzo GT5563GS Systematic Series 5 Carbon Fiber Tripod (Giant) review
How we test tripods
When we test carbon fiber tripods for review we take note of the manufacturers' specifications for payload, working height and folded length, and carry out our own subjective assessment of rigidity, stability, ease of use and design to see how the tripod measures up. Over the years, we've tested many, many tripods, either for standalone reviews, for group tests, or while working on tutorial or how-to articles, so by now we know exactly what we're looking for and which features count most.
Read more about how we test and review on Digital Camera World