3 Legged Thing Legends Tommy carbon fiber tripod review: a real rock star of a video tripod

3 Legged Thing is a quirky and fun-loving yet deadly serious British company in the business of designing tripods and other supports. Back in 2011, it took the unconventional approach of naming its first range of tripods after rock gods, the first ‘Rock Legends Range’ kicking off with Brian, after Brian May of Queen. Right from the get-go, the names have tripped off the tongue (and into search engines) much quicker and easier than interminable alpha-numeric product codes. The current Legends range includes the likes of Ray, Bucky, Jay, Mike, Nicky and Tommy, all named after skateboarding heroes.

It’s the Tommy that I’m reviewing here, which is the largest of the collection, stretching slightly taller than the Nicky, despite having 3-section rather than 4-section legs. And in case you’re wondering, it’s named after Tommy Guerrero, a suitably epic skateboarder who later became a successful musician, qualifying on two counts. Long story short, the carbon fiber Tommy aims to be one of the most legendary and best video tripods you can buy.

3 Legged Thing Legends Tommy: Specifications

3 Legged Thing Legends Tommy: Price

If you’re into pro-grade videography and cinematography, kit doesn’t come cheap. Sure enough, Tommy has a weighty price tag of $800 / £730 / AU$1,669, and that’s just for the legs with no head or leveling mechanism. You’ll have to buy those separately. Even so, the price of this set of legs is very competitive, considering the build quality and performance, and some of the even pricier video tripod legs on the market.

3 Legged Thing Legends Tommy: Design & Handling

I’ve reviewed several tripods and other supports from 3 Legged Thing over the years and if I had to sum up the company in two words, they’d be ‘design flair’. Even the box that the Tommy comes in is a work of art and gives you an instant feelgood factor before you’ve got as far as the tripod itself.

Unpacking the box, things only get better. First out is a beautifully crafted padded soft case, complete with internal and external accessory pockets and detachable shoulder strap, finished in deepest blue. Next up is the tripod itself, which positively oozes class and quality.

Naturally, any tripod is only as good as the quality of its legs. These are carbon fiber, which is more exotic than aluminum but no guarantee of quality. Let’s just say that carbon fiber certainly isn’t all created equal. In this case, however, the leg sections are made of top-grade Japanese 8-layer carbon, with a look and feel to match. Moreover, having only three sections rather than four or five in each leg, even the bottom sections have a wide diameter and are highly resistant to any unwanted flexing or vibration. That counts for a lot when you’re using a tripod at or near its maximum operating height. The uppermost section has a particularly wide diameter of 38mm / 1.5in, enabling the lower sections to remain a generous width.

The 3-section design equates to two twist-action clamps per leg. Again, these are chunky and have a really tactile feel. Like the other metal components of the tripod, they’re made from hard-anodized aerospace grade T6061 magnesium alloy, which means they’re tough yet lightweight. Three rubberized grip areas around each clamp add to the attraction and enhance the handling characteristics. Each joint features 3 Legged Thing’s ‘nylon anti-rotation chicken lips’ which, in practical terms, results in smooth operation and minimal twisting being required to loosen or tighten each clamp. To put it simply, the twist clamps work as good as they look, and they look great.

At the bottom of the legs are large and firm rubber pads which give the tripod a particularly solid footing. Typical of the company’s tripods, you’re not limited to these, however, as alternative footwear is available. This includes the likes of Heelz spikes for use on hard surfaces, Stilettoz for soft or rocky ground and Clawz that are ideal for snow or sand. There’s also the option of Vanz, which I’ll come back to later.

The narrowest lockable operating angle of each leg is 23 degrees to the vertical, which gives a generous spread even with the leg sections fully retracted. This helps to give firm and solid support to your camera, as well as avoiding unwanted twisting of the tripod when you’re panning. Fully extending the legs elevate you up to a height of 162.3cm / 63.9in. That might not sound exactly ‘towering’ but bear in mind that’s without a leveling aid or head attached, so it should be plenty tall enough.

Two alternative angles of 55 degrees and 80 degrees are available, via stupendously simple locking levers. Using the legs at different angles can help you keep everything on the level on tricky terrain or work around obstacles. Set all three legs to their widest angle and you can shrink the minimum operating height down to just 15.6cm / 6.1in, for ultra-low-level shooting.

Up on top, there’s a magnesium alloy flat plate. As with the other alloy parts, it’s CNC engineered for the utmost in precision and this time around it’s also got a stylish cutout design. Not just for style over substance, the cutouts help to allow air to flow through for enhanced ventilation, which hot-running cameras might thank you for. The flat plate isn’t the only option, as Tommy comes complete with an alternative 75mm bowl mount.

It’s a quick and easy process to swap between the two, based on removing and refitting three Allen screws with the tools provided, which are of similarly high quality and impeccably finished. The dual options make the tripod fully compatible with the 3 Legged Thing LevelHed which works with pretty much any tripod, and the more specialist 3 Legged Thing 75mm Half Bowl, shown below and featured in our 3 Legged Thing Nicky review.

Whether you’re using either of the leveling aids or none at all, you’ll still need a top-quality video head to make the most of the Tommy legs. Personally, I’d look no further than the 3 Legged Thing AirHed Cine, which I reviewed a while ago and is a perfect fit for this tripod.

I’ve seen plenty of tripods which enable you to detach one leg and couple it with the center column, for alternative monopod duty. That’s not possible here, as the videocentric design precludes the fitment of a center column. Even so, rather than just being able to remove one leg, you can actually remove all three.

I’ve enjoyed the same option of removing all three legs with my 3 Legged Thing Winston 2.0 tripod. Why? Because you can buy an optional set of Vanz footwear that I hinted at earlier, and screw these directly into the hinges, effectively turning the Tommy into a tabletop tripod or enabling ultra-low-level shooting in confined spaces without the legs sticking out, adding even more versatility in the process.

Back up on top, the platform has a wide diameter that caters to sliders and other video-friendly supports, as well as large fluid heads. A bubble level is featured, to aid quick and easy leveling of the legs, and there’s also a 3/8in accessory socket with a 1/4in adapter, which can be handy for attaching a magic arm, monitor, LED lamp, mic or pretty much anything else that takes your fancy.

3 Legged Thing Legends Tommy: Performance

Dipping into the rock and roll archive of which 3 Legged Thing is so fond, there’s no Twist and Shout with Tommy. From its lowest, virtually ground-level configuration right up to its generously tall maximum operating height, there’s excellent resistance to any tortional flexing when you’re panning for all you’re worth in a video take. You can keep your calm while enjoying smooth freedom of movement. The tripod is equally resistant to any unwanted flexing when you’re tilting up or down. In both cases and particularly with panning, three grub screws built into the flat plate enable the head to be held firmly in place, so there’s no risk of it working loose when you’re panning in an anti-clockwise direction.

The middle setting of the three leg angle options enables a really solid platform for fairly low-level shooting. The wider circumference covered by the feet make the tripod highly unlikely to topple over, even if someone knocks into it accidentally.

At their widest setting, the legs enable ultra-low shooting, which can give you a whole different perspective for the likes of sports, wildlife and other scenarios, or just for a little extra creativity and putting an alternative slant on things.

As well as being super-stable and giving ultra-solid, rock-steady support, an important performance factor can be the speed and ease with which you can set up a tripod. Again, the Tommy wins through here by being extremely quick and intuitive in use. And when you’re pushed for time or trying to capture fleeting, definitive moments, that can make all the difference between getting the shot, and missing it altogether.

3 Legged Thing Legends Tommy: Verdict

I’ve really fallen for Tommy. I think it’s a video tripod for all reasons and for all seasons, with endless versatility thanks to its generous range of operating heights, rock-solid dependability and optional footwear that caters to any terrain. On top of that, it can be easily transformed into a tabletop tripod or for ultra-low-level shooting in the tightest of spaces. Yes, it’s a very expensive tripod considering that you have to buy a head and probably a leveling base separately. But Tommy has the kind of quality and performance that should last you a lifetime, and be a great 3 legged friend for your journey.

Alternatives

The 3 Legged Thing Nicky might suit you better if you’re after a similarly sturdy video tripod that folds down a bit smaller for stowage and don’t mind having four sections per leg rather than three.

The Manfrotto 635 Fast Single Leg Carbon Fiber Tripod represents a smart bit of design work that’s well implemented in manufacture, delivering quick-action setup. It comes complete with a pro-grade fluid head.