3 Legged Thing Ridley tripod kit review: the real deal, this pro-grade carbon fiber kit for hybrid photographers comes complete with a leveling base and fluid head

3 Legged Thing is a British company that’s earned a really solid reputation over the years, mostly for making really solid tripods and other supports. The current catalog caters to photography and videography, field sports and birding, and shooting and target sports, covering a very wide remit. I’ve reviewed many 3 Legged Thing tripods, desk mounts, window mounts, phone mounts, microphone arms, light stands, L-brackets, camera straps and other bits and pieces over the years, generally being so impressed that I’ve bought a few myself, and the Winston 2.0 and AirHed Pro kit that I first encountered five years ago remains my personal full-sized tripod of choice.

The Ridley I’m reviewing here is from a dynamic duo of new videocentric tripods that take their names from movie directors; this one is named after Ridley Scott, while the smaller sidekick Wes is named after Wes Anderson. There’s also a simultaneously launched set of hybrid photography and tactical tripod legs by the name of Ethan 4, after Mission: Impossible’s Ethan Hunt. The Ridley and Wes are both carbon fiber tripods that are available as legs-only or as full kits with a fluid head. Ridley is the larger of the two, with 3-section legs, whereas the Wes is a more travel-friendly option with 5-section legs. Both aim to be among the best carbon fiber tripods and the best video tripods, while the Wes is also a contender as one of the best travel tripods for videographers on the move.

3 Legged Thing Ridley: Specifications

3 Legged Thing Ridley: Price

Pay your money and take your choice. The complete Ridley kit with fluid video head costs $649 / £619 (AU$ TBA). If you’d rather bring your own head or have one already, you can buy just the Ridley legs with built-in leveling base and padded soft case for $449 / £429. Neither is a cheap option, but I feel that the prices represent great value considering the features, design, and build quality. Ultimately, of course, it all comes down to performance, which I’ll get to later.

3 Legged Thing Ridley: Design & Handling

The sci-fi sensations Alien and Blade Runner absolutely blew me away when they first came out, and have definitely stood the test of time, so the 3 Legged Thing Ridley has a lot to live up to, being named after the movies’ director, Ridley Scott. The tripod is available in gray and black, or all black, the latter looking suitably dark and menacing – that’s the one that I went for. I also went for the complete kit that includes not only the set of legs made from premium Japanese carbon fiber with an aerospace-grade magnesium alloy canopy, but also the fittingly epic 3 Legged Thing AirHed Cine CC fluid head, which I’ve recently reviewed as a revamped video head in its own right. But let’s kick off with the legs, which seems only logical.

There’s a lot to be said for tripods with four or even five sections in each leg, at least in terms of compactness for stowage. I personally don’t mind tripods being a bit longer when carrying them around, and generally prefer three-section legs for ease and speed of setup, with fewer section clamps to contend with. Another bonus is that the bottom section of each leg tends to have a wider diameter and is thus sturdier.

Another factor in the speed and ease of setup and takedown is the efficiency of the section clamps. Some like twist-locks; others prefer flip-locks. I’m in the twist camp, so long as they release smoothly and lock firmly with minimal rotation. That’s certainly the case here, and adjusting the leg sections is a very speedy, smooth, and simple operation. I also like the grippy rubber pads on each twist-lock, making them feel nice to the touch.

Another potential pitfall is that leg angle locks often seem to be more fiddly than they need to be. Again, the Ridley wins out with simple, spring-loaded catches that have a push-to-release action. Like the twist-locks, they have non-slip textured rubber pads for an extra feel-good factor. Three lockable leg angles are available: 23, 55, or 80 degrees from the vertical. The upshot is that it’s easy to adapt to tricky terrain or work around obstacles when you’re setting up the tripod.

A key element of setting up a video tripod is that you level the platform on which the head sits, rather than making leveling adjustments via the head itself. The latter will result in your horizon going on the slant as soon as you start panning. To ensure accuracy with fast and simple setup, the tripod features a built-in leveling base. A single lock/release screw has a handle that’s mounted on a six-sided shaft, so you can pull it out and reposition it for your preferred fit.

To further enhance leveling up, the adjustable base comes complete with a bubble level that’s large enough for a clear view. It’s also mounted on a rotating platform, so you can swing it around to whatever angle works best for you, through an entire 360 degrees.

Down below, the leveling base has two weight hooks. These are ideal for adding ballast to steady the tripod if you’re shooting outdoors in windy conditions. Adding some ballast to the soft case that’s supplied with the tripod is a handy option, but more on that later.

A clever design flourish is that the weight hooks aren’t just weight hooks. They also form the T-section grip of an Allen key that mounts to the bottom of the leveling base via a QD (Quick Detach) mechanism. As such, you can push the QD button and simply pull out the Allen key to secure your camera to the head’s Arca-Swiss-compatible quick-release plate, or for anything else that uses the same size Allen key.

I won’t talk too much about the 3 Legged Thing AirHed Cine CC fluid head that’s part of the complete kit, as I’ve already created a full, standalone review of it. Suffice it to say that it’s an ideal match for the Ridley, offering wonderfully smooth tilt and pan with excellent all-round performance. The head features an adjustable, telescopic panning arm that can mount on either side for left-handed or right-handed use, plus an extra-long XP100 Ultra Plate quick-release plate, which is Arca-Swiss compatible.

Another nice touch is that you can use the QD Allen key that I just mentioned to remove four screws and rotate the orientation of the head’s camera platform through 90 degrees. This enables the long QR plate to run from side to side instead of from front to back. It can be a more ideal orientation if you’re using a cage, and definitely if you’re using an L-bracket like the universal 3 Legged Thing Lexie, or one of the camera-specific options in the line-up.

Dropping down from head to toe, the legs feature removable feet. The supplied feet are chunky rubber pads that give a very firm and stable footing while also doing a good job of absorbing vibrations. However, they’re certainly not the only choice. As alternative footwear, 3 Legged Thing offers a range of optional extras. These include smaller Little Bootz (rubber pads), Heelz (metal spikes), Stilettoz (elevated metal spikes), Clawz (metal ice/rock grips) and Vanz (dual metal spikes and rubber pads).

I’ve often seen tripods in which one leg can be unscrewed and used on its own as a monopod, either with or without attaching it to the center column. Typical of video tripods, the Ridley doesn’t actually have a center column, but you can use any leg as a monopod, unscrewing it from the canopy and attaching the head directly to it. Moreover, you can unscrew all three legs from the canopy if you wish, but why would you want to? Let’s see…

Unscrewing a single leg gives the option of using the tripod as a bipod, or the removed leg as a monopod. However, if you remove all three legs, you can use the canopy with the optional Vanz footwear that I mentioned just now. These dual metal spikes with rubber pads can screw directly into the canopy, effectively transforming the Ridley into a tabletop tripod and adding yet more versatility.

A nice little extra included with the tripod is the 3 Legged Thing Toolz2. It’s a smart multi-function tool, with a keyring attachment. It includes two different sizes of hex keys, a coin/flat blade key, a bottle opener, and a carabiner. It’s handy for a whole range of tripod/photographic tasks as well as for grabbing a quick drink during thirsty work.

3 Legged Thing generally goes the extra mile, and that’s certainly the case (so to speak) with the Ridley. It comes complete with a high-quality padded soft case that packs plenty of design flourishes, as well as the tripod kit itself. There’s a pair of internal securing straps for the tripod and an internal mesh pocket, all with Velcro fasteners. A separate zippered side pocket gives additional storage complete with an internal zippered three-section organizer. There’s a detachable and adjustable shoulder strap as well as a carrying handle, plus a carabiner-style hook. I’d use the last of these for attaching the bag to one of the weight hooks on the tripod, after popping a suitably weighty object inside.

3 Legged Thing Ridley: Performance

The sheer quality of the 3 Legged Thing Ridley is so impressive that I’m happy to just sit and look at it, or play with its cleverly designed features. But naturally, the kit’s performance as a tripod is what really counts. There’s good news all around, as it gives really solid support for even heavyweight cameras, boasting a payload rating of 14kg / 30lb. The tripod retains excellent resistance to unwanted flexing and vibrations, all the way up to its maximum operating height of 164cm / 64.6in (including head). That’s pretty lofty for a three-section tripod, considering that there’s no center column, as is the case for most video tripods.

Although the built-in leveling base precludes the addition of a center column, a bonus of this is that when the legs are splayed to their widest locking angle, you can shoot from ultra-low levels for creative effect, without a center column getting in the way. With the fluid head in the mix, the minimum operating height gives you the literal lowdown at just 24.5cm / 9.6in. And despite having 3-section legs, the folded length of the complete kit for stowage is reasonably compact at 79cm / 31.1in.

The complete kit (including fluid head) weighs in at 2.4kg / 5.3lb, so Ridley is easy to take along for the journey. From a performance standpoint, it’s also very quick and easy to use. The twist locks only require minimal rotation for locking and unlocking the leg sections, and the leg angle locks are similarly simple and intuitive. The multiple leg angles also make it easy to work around obstacles or on very uneven terrain, as well as enabling ultra-low-level shooting.

Remove a leg, and Ridley works well as a monopod with the head attached. I’m 6ft 5in tall and didn’t think that a 3-section leg would extend to a sufficient height for my personal monopod use, without a center column to add into the mix. However, full extension in monopod mode worked out just fine for me. If you’re a complete giant, you could always remove two legs and one of the feet, then screw the top of one leg into the bottom of the other to double the available height.

3 Legged Thing Ridley: Verdict

I just love the 3 Legged Thing Ridley tripod. It’s a first-class, fully pro-grade set of legs that’s easy to live with and genuinely fun to use. The built-in leveling base works a treat for videography and for shooting sequences of stills for stitching into panoramas. The twist-clamps for the extending leg sections and the pushbutton leg angle locks couldn’t be any quicker or easier to use, and everything’s cleverly designed, expertly engineered and immaculately finished.

So yes, the Ridley is a great set of legs, but I’d definitely go for the complete kit that includes the similarly fabulous 3 Legged Thing AirHed Cine CC fluid head. Not only is the head a perfect match in terms of design, features, and performance, it’s also available in the same choice of colorways, satisfying my sense of style (if I actually had one). Sure, neither the legs on their own nor the complete kit come cheap, but they’re both worth every cent of their asking prices and more besides, if you’re in the market for some pro-grade support.

Alternatives

The 3 Legged Thing Ethan 4 is a properly macho, pro-grade hybrid photography and tactical tripod system with bipod and monopod conversion, catering to shooting and target sports as well as photography and videography. Named after Ethan Hunt of Mission: Impossible fame, no escapade is too daring for this super-strong set of legs (head sold separately).

The 3 Legged Thing Wes is very much like a ‘travel tripod’ version of the Ridley, with many of the same features, including a built-in leveling base, the same style of leg section twist-locks and pushbutton leg angle locks, and the same ‘kit’ option fluid head. However, its five-section carbon fiber design enables more compact stowage, with a folded length of just 54.8cm / 21.6in (including head) compared with the Ridley’s 79cm / 31.1in.