Say ‘Manfrotto’ and the word ‘tripod’ almost inevitably follows. The company has made some of my all-time favorite tripods and tripod heads, and goes all the way back to the 1960s when the Italian photojournalist Lino Manfrotto started selling light stands. In more recent times, the company has gone large on camera backpacks, bags, and roller cases, with several product lines becoming available. The latest of these is the ‘Uncover’ collection, which so far features a pair of backpacks and a pair of messenger / sling bags.

The idea behind all four Uncover bags and backpacks is that they can adapt to your needs on a day-to-day or even minute-by-minute basis. That’s thanks to two crucial design elements. Firstly, they all have a removable camera insert, which you can fill with a camera, lenses, and other photo accessories, or ditch altogether so that you can use the outers as general-purpose backpacks and bags. Secondly, they all have a roll-top facility, so they can expand to carry more stuff, or shrink to smaller sizes to suit the journey and the load.

Focusing on the messenger bags, there’s the smaller Uncover Messenger / Sling 7L and the larger Uncover Messenger 12L. The 7L has a capacity range of 7.5L to 9.5L, and includes a small camera insert that can accommodate a camera body and one or two lenses. The 12L has a larger 10.5L to 14.5L capacity and a bigger camera insert that can hold a camera body with up to three lenses or a mini drone. Both aim to be among the best messenger bags for photographers on the market.

Manfrotto Uncover Messenger / Sling: Specifications

Manfrotto Uncover Messenger / Sling: Price

There’s no shortage of manufacturers making photo-friendly messenger bags these days. Big names that spring to mind include Billingham, Lowepro, Vanguard, Tenba, and Peak Design, to name but a few, and of course Manfrotto. The price range kicks off from bargain-basement buys to luxury bags at premium prices.

The new Manfrotto bags occupy the middle ground, with the smaller Uncover Messenger / Sling 7L costing $139 / £99 / AU$199 and the larger Uncover Messenger 12L priced at $179 / £129 / AU$269. But more than just camera bags, these are bags for life, adapting to varying needs with or without carrying a camera, potentially making them good value for money, as you’ll get maximum use out of them.

Manfrotto Uncover Messenger / Sling: Design & Handling

There are some clever design touches sprinkled throughout these messenger bags, more so with the larger 12L one than the smaller 7L version, but I’ll start at the top with something they both have in common. That’s the expandable roll-top section, which enables the bags to grow to meet your needs when you have more stuff to carry.

The roll-top concept is a neat idea but one thing I’ve found less ‘neat’ about them in the past is that they can tend to look a bit messy when rolled up for compactness. There’s no hint of that here. Instead of rolling up, the expanding section simply folds over and is held in place by hidden magnets. It’s an elegant solution that gives a more elegant look to the bags.

Another potential problem area is the placement of the shoulder strap. If it’s ideally positioned for when the bag is compacted, it’s often less than ideal when it’s expanded. Again, Manfrotto has come up with a clever solution in that the bags feature two pairs of strap attachment loops, while the strap itself has spring-loaded metal catches at each end. The upshot is that you can quickly and easily snap the strap onto whichever pair of loops fit the bill.

The modern, stylish look of the bags extend to the straps, which I’d describe as being made from seatbelt-like material, wrapped in a padded outer. They’re as good as they look, with a generous range of adjustability and being very comfortable to wear. They’re also quite resistant to unwantedly slipping off your shoulder, so you can safely wear the bags as shoulder bags as well as in cross-body messenger style.

One thing I always like to see is a grab handle, so I can conveniently pick up the bag with one hand as an alternative to hanging it off a shoulder. The larger version comes complete with a long rope-style grab handle on the back (in addition to the front grab handle) which is comfortable and dependable, and there’s also a small loop just above it. There’s also a flat pass-through strap just below, for securely attaching the bag to the handle of a luggage trolley. The scaled-down 7L bag has neither the rear grab handle nor the trolley pass-through – just the small upper loop.

Getting back to things featured in both bags, the ‘FlexGrid’ front panel is made from tough, dual-laminated Cordura with laser-cut holes. Another neat idea, this enables you to hang all sorts of bits, bobs and accessories off the front of the bag, simply by attaching them or tying them to the FlexGrid.

There’s an additional slim pocket on side of the 12L bag, and a larger expandable pocket on the other side. The latter is big enough to take a drinks bottle or other similarly sized extra, putting it within easy reach and without taking up precious room inside the main compartment of the bag. However, both of these are omitted in the 7L bag, which has no side pockets at all.

I personally find a slim rear pocket very useful in any shoulder/messenger bag and this is very much present and correct in both of the 7L and 12L Uncover bags. It’s great for keeping paperwork, travel documents and other thin stuff in a self-contained area, out of harm’s way.

A quick look underneath the 12L bag reveals a pair of adjustable straps with fasteners. You could use these for attaching a wide variety of things, like a short umbrella, but in a photographic context, I’d use them for attaching a travel tripod. Again, you don’t get this facility with the 7L bag, which is strapless underneath.

It’s not really a problem but you can’t actually get into the main zippered compartment of the bags without first lifting up the expanding section to its full height. The quick-action folding design with magnetic attraction again comes to the fore. Once opened, the camera insert can seem a little buried away, far down inside the compartment.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the things I like most about the Uncover design is that you can remove the camera insert altogether when you’re not carrying your camera, and use the entire main compartment for daily or travel essentials. The removable camera insert itself has a fully zippered top flap and a carrying handle, enabling it to work as a camera bag of sorts in its own right.

The camera insert comes complete with adjustable dividers that you can fold and bend into the ideal configuration for your kit, as well as placing them in the best locations thanks to Velcro strip fasteners. Folding one or two of the dividers can work well if you have thin lenses or other accessories and don’t mind double-stacking them.

The 12L bag comes with three dividers in total, that have differing designs. The two darker grey dividers are just crying out to be folded into specialist shapes, and even the light grey ‘flat’ one can be folded over to make an elongated cube, as shown above.

Carrying a bag around with an expensive camera kit inside it can be a nerve-wracking experience. To give a little peace of mind, both bags feature a small hidden pocket, designed to hold an AirTag or similar tracking device.

The main compartment of both bags also features a tablet sleeve with its own secure closure. Only the size differs, the 12L bag accommodating an 11-inch tablet and the 7L bag being able to hold an 8.5-inch tablet, like an iPad mini. However, a major drawback for some prospective buyers is that neither of the bags features a laptop sleeve.

Last but not least, there’s a mesh pocket that runs full width along the inside front of the main compartment. It’s zippered and offers a dedicated area for keeping small but sensitive or precious items.

Manfrotto Uncover Messenger / Sling: Performance

There’s always a feel-good factor in having a bag that you like the look of, and I think the Manfrotto Uncover bags do look attractive. However, they’re only available in a single black/grey colorway option, which might not be to everyone’s taste. From a performance perspective, a more vital aspect is that the bags are robust, resilient, and give good protection to whatever you're carrying inside them. That’s especially true for carrying camera kit.

Toughness is ensured by Manfrotto’s custom ‘TriTex’ three-layer fabric, from which the bags are constructed. The material is designed to be highly durable and water-resistant, and the bags also feature weather-sealed YKK zippers. The net result is that you don’t need an additional slip-over weather-proof cover, as supplied with many bags, which can take up space and be a chore to use.

An upside of the ‘bag within a bag’ design is that camera kit gets double the protective padding in its dedicated insert. However it also means that kit isn’t quite as immediately accessible and that precious room is used up by basically stowing one bag inside another one.

I was a little disappointed that even with the larger 12L bag, I packed my Nikon Z6III camera with mounted Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens in its retracted state, along with a second similarly sized lens, and pretty much all of the space in the camera insert was used up, as shown in the image above. Sure, you could squeeze in a few more items if you had a more compact camera and smaller lenses but let’s face it, the Z6III and its retractable kit lens isn’t exactly a big camera.

I don’t have one of those super-small ‘travel tripods’ with swing-up legs, which would be an ideal fit for attaching to the 12L bag, courtesy of the adjustable bottom straps. Even so, my not overly large Manfrotto 190go! Tripod doesn’t look entirely out of place. Either way, the 7L omits the tripod straps.

Manfrotto Uncover Messenger / Sling: Verdict

I’m all for versatility and adaptability. I like that the roll-top design of the Manfrotto Uncover Messenger / Sling bags enables them to grow and shrink on demand, accommodating different amounts of daily paraphernalia. I also like that the camera inserts, which are a bit like camera bags in their own right, are easily removable in just a few seconds. The bags, therefore, convert from photo bags to regular, general-use bags on the fly. Further plus points are that the bags are very durable, attractively styled, and comfortable to carry.

It’s not all great news. The ‘bag within a bag’ design eats into the available space, and even the larger 12L version has relatively little room for photo gear in its camera insert. Naturally, the 7L bag has even less. The 7L bag also lacks side pockets, a rear grab handle, a baggage trolley pass-through, and tripod tethers. Unless you’re desperate for the smallest bag you can get away with, the 12L has a lot more to offer. Even so, I feel that the fairly small amount of camera kit that it can carry is a limiting factor.

Alternatives

Think Manfrotto and you’re probably thinking tripods, ranging from budget-friendly sticks right up to top-flight professional options. However, the Italian outfit has been operating since the 1960s, so it’s no surprise that it’s diversified along the way. There are light stands and accessories, which is also no surprise as the photojournalist Lino Manfrotto originally started the business by selling light stands. More recently, Manfrotto has designed and manufactured a wide range of camera bags, backpacks, and roller cases. The latest and arguably greatest of these are from the new ‘Uncover’ collection.

Typical of Manfrotto, there’s some snazzy Italian design flair and quality construction behind the Uncover range of backpacks and messenger / sling bags. The backpack that I’m majoring on here is the Manfrotto Uncover Backpack 30L, while also checking out the smaller 24L version. Both are very similar in terms of design, features, and construction; it’s just that one’s bigger than the other. That filters down to the camera inserts themselves.

The camera compartment of the 30L is designed to accommodate a mirrorless camera body or compact DSLR, along with three to five lenses, or a small drone kit. The 24L can take a compact camera body and up to three lenses, or a small drone. Both also serve as a daypack for your daily essentials, with an expanding roll-top design, and you can convert them to full-sized, general-purpose backpacks by quickly and easily removing the camera inserts. All in all, they aim to be among the best backpacks for photographers.

Manfrotto Uncover Backpack: Specifications

Manfrotto Uncover Backpack: Price

The Uncover Backpack 24L launched with a price of $300 / £229 / AU$429, while its bigger sibling, the Uncover Backpack 30L, came in at $330 / £239 / AU$439, so there’s not much difference between the two in terms of cost.

For the sake of comparison, one of the biggest names in the camera backpack market is Lowepro, and the Lowepro ProTactic BP 350 AW III (one of my favorite camera backpacks) costs around $300 / £211 / AU$530, which is pretty similar in most world regions but rather pricier in Australia.

Manfrotto Uncover Backpack: Design & Handling

When you want to pack a camera kit and all the stuff you need for a day out into one backpack, you can soon find yourself running out of space. On the other hand, you don’t want to be lugging around a backpack that’s bigger than you need it to be. The Manfrotto Uncover grows or shrinks to order, accommodating larger or smaller collections of kit and caboodle for any particular journey. That’s thanks to a roll-top design, enabling you to unclasp the top section and roll it out to a greater height.

The height range on offer equates to 40.5-62cm / 15.9-24.4in for the 24L, and 44-64.5cm / 17.3-25.4in for the 30L. In terms of capacity, the range is 20.5L to 28.5L for the smaller backpack and 25L to 33L for the larger one. In practice, the amount of extension feels considerable, allowing you to pack quite a bit of extra stuff when you need to, and to save space with a smaller backpack when you don’t.

It’s only natural to think of any backpack as something you wear on your back, but I do like a grab handle to be featured in the design. This makes it easy to pick up the bag with one hand and move it around when the need arises. Sure enough, the Manfrotto features a rope-style strap at the top of its back, underneath which there’s also a handy small loop.

For longer journeys that involve airports and other travel terminals, a luggage trolley can help take the strain. The backpack can conveniently attach to the handles of these trolleys, thanks to a trolley pass-through which doubles as a padded back panel for when you’re actually wearing the backpack.

Like the back panel, the shoulder straps are generously padded to enhance comfort. They’re also durable, the backpack in general being based on Manfrotto’s custom ‘TriTex’ three-layer fabric, which is designed to be highly durable and water-resistant, along with weather-sealed YKK zippers and a PU-coated base, thus avoiding the need for an additional slip-over weatherproof cover. Getting back to the shoulder straps, I like that they have a big range of adjustment and that both feature a handy attachment loop.

When the going gets tough, and you’re trekking across rough terrain or generally making life difficult for yourself, you can find that backpacks tend to slide around, and the straps can slip off your shoulders. To help avoid this particular problem, the Manfrotto has a chest strap, which makes the backpack feel more secure, as well as keeping the shoulder straps in place. Like the shoulder straps, it has a wide range of adjustment and this time features an elasticated section to enhance comfort. However, unlike many camera backpacks, there’s no waist strap for keeping it in place, for example, when you’re climbing over obstacles. Ideally, I’d have liked a removable waist strap to be included, giving the option of using it or not, as needs dictate.

I’ve often seen webbing and attachment loops featured extensively on backpacks and think they’re a great idea. It’s really useful to be able to add extra pouches and various paraphernalia, fastening them securely to the outside of the bag. Manfrotto’s take on it for the Uncover range is to construct the front panel from ‘FlexGrid’, made from dual-laminated Cordura with laser-cut holes. This gives the option of attaching carabiners, tools, accessories, and pretty much anything else you can tie on or attach to it.

There’s a slim pocket featured on one side of the bag. The reason that it’s so slim is that it’s actually integrated into a larger zippered flap that enables access through the side of the backpack, right through to the camera compartment. As has become popular in many camera backpacks of late, the side flap gives the advantage that you can grab your camera with attached lens in double-quick time, without having to open the whole backpack and dig it out.

The side pocket on the other side of the backpack has relatively generous dimensions, expanding to accommodate the likes of a drinks bottle or tripod. Again, it’s opened and closed with a weather-sealed YKK zipper, just like all the other zippers featured around the bag.

The main compartment of the backpack that holds the camera insert opens from the rear. I like this arrangement, as it means that I don’t need to lay the rear of the backpack (that I’m subsequently going to wear against my back) on mucky ground to get at my camera kit. What I’m less keen on is that this sort of design often demands that you rotate the shoulder straps around to the front of the backpack before you can open the zipper. There’s no need for that here, as the shoulder straps don’t interfere with the path of the zipper track.

Opening the rear zipper also reveals the upper compartment with its mesh lid, as shown in the image above. Undoing an additional zipper gives access to this compartment, typically used for daily essentials. As I’d expect, you can also get into the upper compartment through a zipper on the top of the outer shell. Manfrotto’s ‘SmartLift’ system enables you to adjust the placement of the floor of the upper compartment, in conjunction with altering the roll-top height, as well as converting it into a full-height backpack with the camera insert removed.

The camera insert is quickly and easily removed, its lid slotting in and out of a receptacle built into the backpack. I’ve removed the insert for the image shown below, and you’ll notice that the lid folds over and has a zipper to close it, coming complete with a carrying handle. As such, it serves as a camera bag of sorts in its own right.

Whether fitted in the backpack or in standalone mode, the camera insert is supplied with a number of adjustable dividers, using the time-honored method of Velcro strip fasteners to keep them in place. They’re smartly designed and well-made.

The organizer section is built into the inside of the main flap of the backpack, utilizing its full height. As such, it offers a fairly generous amount of space but only has three sub-sections. These comprise a full-width pocket at the bottom, and a pocket that’s divided into two halves up top, opened with a single zipper. It works okay, but I think it could have been better with dedicated pockets for the likes of a wallet, smartphone, key fob, pen, and so on.

Manfrotto Uncover Backpack: Performance

As I said at the outset, I’m majoring on the larger 30L edition of the Manfrotto Uncover Backpack, and that’s the one that’s featured in all of my individual product images. Performance is very good in terms of robustness, durability, and weather-resistance. The backpack is also comfortable to wear, with nicely padded contact areas for the back and shoulders. However, a waist strap would have given extra stability, but is omitted in the design. On the upside, another performance plus point is that it’s quick and easy to get to your camera kit when you need it in a hurry.

My only real disappointment, considering that I was using the larger version of the backpack, is that I filled pretty much the whole camera insert with relatively little kit. As you’ll see above, I’ve managed to pack my Nikon Z6 III camera with a mounted Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens in its retracted state, along with three other similarly sized lenses. There’s a bit of space left over for spare batteries and another small accessory, but that’s pretty much it. If I needed to carry bigger lenses or more of them, I’d have to use lens wraps or pop them into pouches, and eat into the general daypack compartment.

There are times when I definitely want to just grab my camera with its mounted lens in a hurry, before a photo opportunity passes me by. I like that the Manfrotto has a zippered side access flap, which enables me to get hold of my camera with minimum fuss and bother, and maximum speed.

Increasingly, photographers and people in general need to carry laptops and tablets with them, whether they’re at work, rest, or play. The smaller 24L version of the backpack has an integral sleeve that can hold a laptop of up to 14-inch size, whereas the 30L can accommodate up to a 16-inch laptop. Both versions also have an additional tablet sleeve.

Unlike laptops and tablets, a tripod is a more camera-specific accessory. Again, the backpack accommodates, this time with the larger of the two side pockets. You can simply pop the tripod in feet-first, and there’s a hidden strap that you can pull out of a receptacle near the top of the backpack to secure the tripod in place.

Manfrotto Uncover Backpack: Verdict

I don’t think there’s any such thing as the perfect camera backpack. There’s always room for improvement, but more importantly, a lot of how ‘good’ a bag is comes down to personal requirements and taste. I like the expandable roll-top design of the Manfrotto, and that it can so easily convert between a split camera backpack / daypack and a full general-purpose backpack. However, I feel the versatility comes at the expense of the camera insert being relatively small, even in the larger 30L version of the backpack.

In other areas, I like the speedy side-access flap for grabbing my camera in a hurry, and the full-height rear zipper that gives easy access to everything else. The quality of the bag is also excellent, both in terms of its construction materials and how they’re put together. All in all, it’s an excellent backpack that serves its purpose very well, but I’d like a few extra dedicated accessory pockets, a better organizer section, and a waist strap, the last of these preferably being removable.

Alternatives

Think tripods, and Manfrotto is a name that trips off the tongue. The legendary Italian company set out to make some of the best tripods on the market in the 1970s, and is still one of the best and most innovative manufacturers in its field, half a century later. As if to ram home the point, the company launched the Manfrotto ONE Hybrid Tripod and 500X Fluid Head kit in the fall of 2025. I tested this new tripod kit at length and found that it gave solid, stable support, while living up to its ‘hybrid’ claims of being very versatile, enabling quick and easy swapping between stills and video capture with speed and ease.

That’s all very well, but as photographers, we haven’t all become ‘hybrid’ content creators just yet, and I hope it stays that way. For those of us who specialize in stills, or shoot still images exclusively, the ONE Hybrid Tripod is more complex than necessary, and that added complexity comes with an inflated price tag, forcing you to pay for stuff you don’t need. Enter the pared-down ONE Photo Tripod, aiming to give photographers what they want at a keen and more affordable price. With that in mind, it aims to be one of the best tripods for photographers, instead of doubling up as one of the best tripods for videographers to boot.

Manfrotto ONE Photo tripod: Specifications

Manfrotto ONE Photo tripod: Price

When it comes to pricing, please indulge me a moment while I set the scene. A set of Manfrotto ONE Hybrid aluminum legs will set you back $500 / £375 / AU$900, or a pricier $720 / £539 / AU$1,250 if you trade up to carbon fiber. Add the Manfrotto 500X Fluid Head and the complete aluminum or carbon fiber kits cost around $680 / £519 / AU$1,200 or $880 / £669 / AU$1,500, respectively. Suffice it to say, they get pretty pricey, pretty quickly.

The ONE Photo legs are only currently available in aluminum but by shedding some of the ‘hybrid’ components that are more necessary for leveling the legs and swapping between different heads, the price comes down to a relatively affordable $329 / £269 / AU$675. Again, kits are also available so you can add either the Manfrotto XPRO Ball Head or Manfrotto XPRO 3-Way Head, for a total price of $515 / £399 / AU$999 for either option. There are considerable savings to be had.

Manfrotto ONE Photo tripod: Design & Handling

Travel tripods are all the rage nowadays, and I’ve tested plenty of the best travel tripods on the market over the last few years. Sure enough, I like the way they fold down to such conveniently compact dimensions and are so easy to carry around, but setup tends to be a genuinely time-consuming chore. Take a travel tripod with 5-section legs and a 2-section center column, for example. This requires loosening and retightening up to 14 individual twist- or flip-action clamps. And then you have to go through the whole process again to pack the tripod away afterwards. By stark contrast, the Manfrotto ONE Photo couldn’t be quicker and easier to use.

The big trick in the design is that the ONE Photo features Manfrotto’s new XTEND system. It’s broadly similar to the mechanism in each of the legs of the Manfrotto 504X Fluid Video Head with 635 Fast Single Leg Carbon Tripod that I tested a few years ago. The killer feature is that there’s only one single flip-action clamp in each leg. Flipping the clamp open or shut releases or locks all three of the sections in the leg, making it lightning fast to extend them for use and retract them again when your work is done.

Playing all the angles, it’s similarly quick, simple, and intuitive to engage any of the three lockable angles for each of the legs. Each leg has a sliding lever at the top, which you can operate with your thumb to give instant access to any of the 20, 50, or 81.5 degree leg angles on offer. Wider angles from the vertical are advantageous for low-level shooting, not only lowering the head but also giving greater stability with less risk of the tripod toppling over if it gets accidentally knocked. Using different legs at different angles can also be helpful when shooting on tricky, uneven terrain and for working around obstacles.

Okay, so the inclusion of multiple locking leg angles certainly isn’t an innovation and has been featured in most tripods for many years now. Many recent tripods have also featured a pivoting center column. Even so, the relatively new Q90 system in the ONE Photo tripod is supremely simple to use. Release the center column locking screw, raise the column to its maximum height, press a button at the bottom, and hey presto, you can flip it through 90 degrees for use as a horizontal boom. Why would you want to? Well, it’s great for ultra-low-level shooting as well as for macro photography. It’s also really useful for shooting with ultra-wide-angle or fisheye lenses, so that the tripod feet don’t creep into the shot.

Weighing in at 3.1kg / 6.9lb and measuring 65.5cm / 25.8in when folded, I certainly wouldn’t class the Manfrotto ONE as a travel tripod. It’s relatively big and chunky, but with that comes a beefy 12kg / 26.5lb maximum payload rating. Another interesting feature of the design is that the leg sections all have a rounded rectangular profile, rather than being circular, designed to keep unwanted flexing to a minimum, thus maximizing rigidity and resistance to vibrations.

Other design flourishes include Manfrotto’s Easy Link system, based on a threaded connection socket with anti-rotation protection. This is for adding accessories like a microphone, monitor and photographic lighting, either directly to the tripod or via an extending, adjustable arm.

There’s also a neat bubble level to help with leveling the legs. Situated on the spider of the tripod, the bubble level is built into a holder that you can rotate through an entire 360 degrees, so it’s easily visible from any angle. Down below the spider, a weight hook is built into the tripod, so you can hang some ballast to add stability without hampering the action of the pivoting center column.

Naturally, you might already have a perfectly good tripod head that you want to use with the legs. There’s a mounting platform with a circular base that has a fairly standard 60mm / 2.4in diameter. And if you don’t have something suitable, the ONE Photo tripod is available as a complete kit with either the Manfrotto XPRO 3-Way Head or Manfrotto XPRO Ball Head. They’re among the best pan and tilt heads and the best ball heads, respectively.

As I mentioned at the start, the money-saving opportunities in the ONE Photo Tripod and complete kits are thanks to some of the more ‘hybrid’ oriented features being stripped out. For example, leveling the tripod legs rather than just leveling the camera is most important if you’re going to be panning while shooting video rather than stills. The ONE Photo Tripod, therefore, doesn’t include the leveling component and modular center column that you get with the ONE Hybrid kits.

You also don’t get the XCHANGE quick-release system that’s included with the ONE Hybrid kit, for quickly and easily swapping between a video head and a photographic head. Even so, the XCHANGE unit is available to buy separately and, for my money, I think it’s well worth it if you have multiple photographic heads. For example, you might want to swap between one of the best ball heads, 3-way heads, geared heads, and gimbal heads, depending on what you’re shooting and how you’re shooting it.

The XCHANGE system is like a quick-release system for swapping between heads, rather than just mounting your camera or lens to a particular head. It costs around $54 /£39 / AU$89 for a complete kit plus $22 / £16 / AU$43 for additional CHANGE Plates. The way it works is very similar to the excellent but now-discontinued Manfrotto Move Quick Release Catcher System that I’ve tested in the past, enabling you to fit or remove a head with a simple twist of the locking ring.

One thing that does follow through from the ONE Hybrid Tripod is that the supplied feet are interchangeable. You can therefore swap out the default rubber pads for metal spikes, the latter being more suitable for loose ground and soft surfaces.

Manfrotto ONE Photo tripod: Performance

For many photo opportunities, timing is everything. There’s no point in ensuring the best possible image quality by using a tripod if the moment has passed by the time you’ve finished setting it up. A key performance benefit of the Manfrotto ONE Photo is that it’s so massively quick to deploy. Not only is it relatively rapid to adjust the overall height, but also to level the legs using just one locking/release clamp per leg, which works with all of the incumbent sections.

Naturally, being able to set up a tripod quickly is a moot point if its rigidity isn’t up to muster. The rectangular-profile leg sections pay dividends here, and I found the Manfrotto to be entirely stable and rigid in use, right up to its maximum height with the center column fully extended. Aluminum sometimes gets a bad press for being less resistant to vibrations than carbon fiber, but I found the ONE Photo to be at least as good as many leading carbon fiber tripods in this respect, and better than some.

Manfrotto ONE Photo tripod: Verdict

I’d sort of assumed that the Manfrotto ONE Hybrid tripod got its ‘ONE’ title for being a single tripod that worked equally well for shooting stills and video. The ONE Photo has made me think again, as it’s more of a stills specialist but is nevertheless ‘one’ tripod that works equally well in the studio, out on the road, and pretty much anywhere and everywhere I’d want to use a tripod. And of course, there’s that innovative ‘one’ locking clamp per leg that acts on all three of its sections.

The main advantages, to my mind, are the relatively speedy setup and pack-away times, coupled with rock-solid support. Neat extras include the 90-degree pivoting center column, the accessory attachment system, and the interchangeable feet. For my personal requirements, I wish that the XCHANGE quick-release system were included with the legs and as part of either of the kits that include a ball head or 3-way head. However, that’s just because I personally like to shoot with different types of head in different situations. It actually makes more sense to be able to buy into the XCHANGE system as an optional extra, if and when you want to actually use it.

All in all, both of the full Manfrotto ONE Photo kits and the legs on their own are great buys, but I’ll be interested to see if Manfrotto subsequently launches a more luxurious carbon fiber option.

Alternatives

In the fall of 2025, we brought you a full review of the Manfrotto One Hybrid tripod, a brand new offering from the legendary tripod manufacturer, aiming to give solid, stable but versatile support to hybrid creators swapping back and forth between stills and video capture. Various kits were launched, featuring either aluminum or carbon fiber legs and a choice of heads (or no head at all if you’d rather use your own).

Following up on the ‘Hybrid’ kits, Manfrotto is now launching a more stills-centric, aluminum ONE Photo tripod range at this year's The Photography & Video Show in the UK. Design highlights inherited from the original Hybrid sticks include Manfrotto’s XCHANGE quick-release system for quickly and easily swapping between heads on a single set of legs.

Hybrid shooters would generally use this for alternating between photo and video heads but, in the context of stills photography, you might well want to swap between, say, one of the best ball heads, 3-way heads, geared heads and gimbal heads.

Another inherited feature is the Q90 mechanism, which enables similarly quick and easy pivoting of the center column, so you can use it as a horizontal boom that’s more ideal for ultra-low-level shooting and macro photography. Next up, there’s the same XTEND Leg System, which allows you to alter the working length of multiple leg sections with a single lock/release clamp. The idea here is that it can be a whole lot faster to set the height of your tripod and level it off, compared with using a whole bunch of conventional, individual twist-locks or flip-locks.

Again, a core strength (so to speak) of the Manfrotto One Photo range is that the tripod legs have an oval profile to enhance rigidity and stability. An integral bubble level assists with setup, and modular rubber pads and spiked feet give you a firm footing on different types of terrain.

With so many similarities, you might be wondering what the differences are between the ONE Hybrid and ONE Photo designs. The main change is that the ONE Photo does away with the modular center column and leveling components, both of which are of more use in videography than for shooting stills. The net results are that the ONE Photo is simpler to use and less expensive to buy.

Speaking of which, whereas the aluminum edition of the ONE Hybrid Aluminum Tripod legs costs $499 / £375, the ONE Photo Aluminum Tripod legs represent a significant cost saving at $329 / £269, and it’s $515 / £399 for a complete ONE Photo kit that includes either a Manfrotto XPRO 3-Way Head or a Manfrotto XPRO Ball Head, as shown in the two images in the gallery above. All in all, they promise to be high-quality tripod kits at keen prices.

A tripod is the one accessory I try never to leave the house without when going on a landscape shoot, but the bulky size and cumbersome weight of some tripods can make them not that appealing to strap to my backpack when hiking to scenic spots.

The Manfrotto Befree GT Pro is the answer, with a fold-up design for compact stowage and an altogether reasonable 3.2lb weight. And the best news is that Wex Photo Video has just slashed the price of this fabulous travel tripod to under £100. It's going for the full £175 elsewhere, so this is a cracking deal!

The tripod is constructed from aluminum and finished in a smart satin black, and features a smart folding design where the legs swing upward for stowage, resulting in a highly compact folded height of just 45cm (17.7in). This makes it easy to carry, and it comes complete with a quality travel bag. The legs have four sections, secured by quick-release twist clamps that require minimal rotation to loosen and lock, offering robust support even at the maximum operating height.

It demonstrates impressive rigidity and vibration resistance even when fully extended, giving confidence when using its maximum load rating. While it's comparatively pricey for an aluminum travel tripod at its regular price, this sub-£100 offer is an absolute steal!

This price is (understandably) for the legs only, and you'll have to buy a head separately, but we've reviewed it as part of the Manfrotto Befree GT 3-Way kit, if you want to get the full skinny.

Check out the best Black Friday camera deals

A tripod is the one accessory I try never to leave the house without when going on a landscape shoot, but the bulky size and cumbersome weight of some tripods can make them not that appealing to strap to my backpack when hiking to scenic spots.

The Manfrotto Befree GT Pro is the answer, with a fold-up design for compact stowage and an altogether reasonable 3.2lb weight. And the best news is that B&H Photo has just slashed the price of this fabulous travel tripod to less than half its 'regular' selling price. True, only a few places are actually selling it at the full $219.95, but the cheapest I've seen its competitor retailers selling it for is $143, so this is still a cracking deal!

The tripod is constructed from aluminum and finished in a smart satin black, and features a smart folding design where the legs swing upward for stowage, resulting in a highly compact folded height of just 45cm (17.7in). This makes it easy to carry, and it comes complete with a quality travel bag. The legs have four sections, secured by quick-release twist clamps that require minimal rotation to loosen and lock, offering robust support even at the maximum operating height.

It demonstrates impressive rigidity and vibration resistance even when fully extended, giving confidence when using its maximum load rating. While it's comparatively pricey for an aluminum travel tripod at its regular price, this sub-$100 offer is an absolute steal!

This price is (understandably) for the legs only, and you'll have to buy a head separately, but we've reviewed it as part of the Manfrotto Befree GT 3-Way kit, if you want to get the full skinny.

Check out the best Black Friday camera deals

When it comes to tripods, Manfrotto is the first name that springs to my mind. The Italian company has become a legend in its own lifetime, creating some of the best sticks and heads on the market since the mid-1970s. The company was actually founded by photojournalist Lino Manfrotto in the 1960s, but started off making light stands and booms, moving into its mainstay of tripods a few years down the line.

The vast majority of tripods, past and present, cater either to stills photographers or to videographers. And there’s the problem. In these mirrorless days, there’s a host of ‘content creators’ wanting to make the most of everything on offer, inventing or reinventing themselves as hybrid shooters and capturing stills and video in equal measure. The Manfrotto One Hybrid tripod was created from the ground up, with and for content creators, aiming to be equally adept for shooting stills and video. As such, it aims to be not only one of the best tripods for photographers, but also one of the best tripods for videographers, and an all-in-one solution for those of us who shoot both.

Manfrotto One Hybrid Tripod: Specifications

Manfrotto One Hybrid Tripod: Price

Pay your money and take your choice. There are four versions of the Manfrotto One Hybrid up for grabs, to suit varying needs and budgets. First up is the set of aluminum legs on their own, at $500 / £375 / AU$900. Add the Manfrotto 500X Fluid Head, which is an utterly perfect pairing for the legs in every way, and you’re looking at $680 / £519 / AU$1,200 for the complete kit.

Trade up to carbon fiber instead of aluminum, and the legs cost $720 / £539 / AU$1,250, or you can pay top dollar for the complete kit of legs and head at $880 / £669 / AU$1,500. The 500X head costs $220 / £164 / AU$390 on its own, so there’s a slight discount if you buy a complete kit. None of the options is exactly cheap, but you do get a good deal for your money.

Manfrotto One Hybrid Tripod: Design & Handling

Some say that you don’t need a tripod at all in this day and age of high-performance image stabilization, featured in both camera bodies and lenses. I completely disagree, finding a good tripod to be an essential aid for precisely composing critical stills shots and for long exposures, even more so for shooting video. What I’m a lot less keen on is needing to buy, store, and carry two different tripods, one for stills and one for video.

That said, I do tend to compromise to some extent by carrying one set of sturdy legs and swapping between a ball head or 3-way head for stills, and a fluid pan head for video. Even so, that’s still extra kit that you have to buy and carry, as well as enduring the chore of swapping between them. From the range of Manfrotto One Hybrid options, I opted for the set of aluminum legs, complete with 500X Fluid Head, which really does set out to answer every stills and video need in one package. The big question is, can this Manfrotto really pull it off and live up to its claims?

Unpacking the kit from its box, it’s already starting to look every inch a video tripod. There are some design elements that I’ve seen before, particularly in the Manfrotto 504X 635 Fast Single Leg Carbon video tripod. That was the first tripod I saw with Manfrotto’s ‘fast leg’ design. In that case, you twist the leg and all internal sections would release for expansion or contraction, after which you can tighten them all up again with another single twist in the opposite direction. The legs for the One Hybrid are equally ‘fast’ but this time have a single locking lever for each leg.

There are three sections in each leg, the central one having the largest profile. The medium thickness section extends from the top and the narrowest section from the bottom. Undo all of the locking levers (there’s one for each leg) and you can simply lift the tripod to your required operating height, jiggle it around until it’s approximately level, and then tighten each of the clamps again. One thing that I particularly like is that where most tripods have circular profile legs, this one uses oval profile legs, that make them more rigid, with more tortional resistance. This makes them less likely to bend and flex while you’re panning.

When I said about getting the tripod ‘approximately level’, the upside is that you don’t need to ensure the legs are absolutely level if you’re going to be panning for video or a sequence of stills. That’s because, like most video rather than stills tripods, this one features a leveling system so that you can ensure the base of the head is level. It’s an important point because, if you use adjustments in the head to compensate for the legs not being level, your camera will go on the skew when you start panning.

One aspect in which the tripod differs from most video tripods and is more like a stills tripod is that it has an extending center column. Naturally, this enables extra height, and, indeed, the tripod has a lofty maximum operating height of 181cm / 71.3", with the center column extended. But there’s more. As well as having a built-in leveling system, the column has a ‘Q90’ mechanism plus a modular design.

The Q90 is a trick bit of the kit that enables you to pivot the center column through 90 degrees and use it as a horizontal boom. It’s ideal for shooting directly downwards, for example, taking stills or video of objects laid out on the ground or on a tabletop. It’s also useful for shooting extreme close-ups and for use with ultra-wide-angle lenses, and is another reminder of features I’ve previously seen in Manfrotto tripods, like the Manfrotto 055 MT055CXPRO3.

Other highlights of the legs include an Easy Link socket with anti-rotation, ideal for adding an accessory arm and attaching the likes of an LED lamp, microphone, or video display monitor. There’s also a bubble level at the top of the legs, which you can freely rotate through 360 degrees to get it into the most convenient position.

At the very top of the legs is a Manfrotto Xchange system for easily swapping between different heads, and it works equally well for moving heads (and mounted cameras) between different supports. However, if you're going to use the One with the 500X Fluid Head permanently, then you don't need to use the Xchange plate at all, and in fact, Manfrotto recommends removing it entirely. Nevertheless, it's handy to have, and I’ve seen something similar, in the shape of the excellent Manfrotto MOVE Quick Release System, which I’ve invested in for some of my personal sets of legs and heads. With both systems, you can simply twist a locking ring, then pop the head off the tripod, and snap it onto another one, or place a different head on your legs. It really couldn’t be any quicker or easier.

Enough talk of legs. Let’s get into the 500X Fluid Head. It’s pretty chunky, which I like as it gives a sense of solidity and robustness. I’ll start off with my one and only criticism, which is that the supplied panning handle only fits on the right-hand side, whereas most video tripod heads enable you to fit the handle on the right or left-hand side, depending on your preference.

Back on the positive side, the head features a counterbalance system, which you can engage or disengage with a knob on the side. When engaged, it has a set counterbalance weight of 2.4kg / 5.29lb. In practice, I found it worked well with a variety of different camera and lens combinations.

Shift over to the left-hand side of the head, and there’s a locking/release knob for forward and backward vertical tilt. It’s something that’s equally necessary for stills and video, and I’m pleased that it has a generous range of movement, equating to almost 180 degrees and enabling vertical downward shooting, even without pivoting the center column.

Around the back is the lock/release knob for panning, which is equally necessary for both stills and video. Just above this knob is a bubble level built into the head, which you can use in conjunction with the one in the legs.

One thing that’s lacking in video heads is a 90-degree swivel facility. That can be a critical problem if you want to shoot stills in portrait orientation mode. The ‘hybrid’ nature of the Manfrotto comes to the fore again, this time with a release button that enables you to pivot the camera platform through 90 degrees for portrait-orientation shooting. So there you have it – true hybrid functionality.

Manfrotto One Hybrid Tripod: Performance

Sometimes time is of the essence, particularly if you’re shooting stills and video at events like weddings and sporting occasions. I find that the ‘fast legs’ live up to their billing, making it very quick and easy to set up the tripod at the height I require. Similarly ensuring the tripod is completely level also proves quick and simple, thanks not only to the fast leg latches but also to the leveling mechanism for the center column.

For creative effect, I often like to shoot both stills and video from ultra-low angles. The Manfrotto obliges with its modular center column. A simple release catch makes it easy to slide off the bottom section of the center column and remove it completely, enabling use of the legs’ widest angular setting.

I found that the tripod gave me the perfect blend of solid support and fluid movement when shooting video. I was also pleased that it proved really solid and sturdy for stills, being very resistant to any unwanted flexing or vibration. For portrait orientation shooting, you might prefer using one of the best L-brackets currently available. If not, the ability to quickly swivel the camera through 90 degrees can be vital for stills.

Dedicated video tripods rarely feature a center column. That can be a limiting factor if you need to shoot from a lofty height. I’m pleased that the Manfrotto not only features a center column, but that it also has a pivot feature, which is ideal for shooting vertically downwards over a table and for various other scenarios. All in all, this ‘hybrid’ tripod can do pretty much anything, and in fine style.

Manfrotto One Hybrid Tripod: Verdict

Hybrid creations have quite a history, from mules to automobiles, and you can often make things better if you mix them up a bit. There’s a joke here… What do you get if you cross a dinosaur with a pig? Jurassic pork! Sorry, back to the business at hand. The Manfrotto One Hybrid tripod is genuinely different from other tripods that I’ve seen, used, tested, and reviewed before. And I’ve seen a lot.

It really is ‘one’ tripod that’s a true ‘hybrid’, making it a dual-purpose tool for both stills and video. It’s quick and easy to set up, simple to use, and combines super-steady support with wonderfully fluid movement. I’d definitely go for one of the aluminum or carbon fiber full kits that includes the head, as the two go so brilliantly well together. The complete kits really are more than the sum of their parts. They’re all pretty pricey to buy but are still very good value, considering their design, features, and performance.

Alternatives

If you’ve been on the hunt for a carbon‑fiber tripod that combines pro‑grade durability with feather‑light portability, you’ll want to take note of this gem.

The Manfrotto MT057C3-G 057 Carbon Fiber Tripod falls to its lowest price of the year, now available for just £507.62.

That’s a tidy saving of £241.38 off its usual £749 asking price, and offers rare value for anyone serious about minimizing their kit weight without compromising stability.

This tripod has been a trusted companion for photographers aiming for precision and portability - and while carbon fiber always carries a premium, this sale brings it within reach of more creative professionals. Throughout the year, prices have consistently trended higher, but this sub‑£510 mark is hands down the lowest we’ve seen, and it’s one of those deals you’ll want to jump on before it disappears.

Lightweight yet rock‑steady, the MT057C3‑G is perfect for destination shoots, hiking treks, or any situation where every gram counts. It’s sturdy enough to support your gear in challenging outdoor conditions, yet it won’t slow you down when you’re on the move—literally saving you weight and metaphorically saving you pounds.

In short, this isn’t just another tripod deal - it’s an opportunity to upgrade your setup with professional‑grade quality that doesn’t weigh on your shoulders… in more ways than one.

Whether you’re coming from a budget aluminium tripod or are ready to add a carbon fiber option to your kit, this one deserves a place in your bag - and it’s priced to move.

Check out our guides to the best tripods for photography and to the best video tripods 

There are lots of ways in which to carry around your camera gear - but if you are travelling with lots of equipment that there is a lot to be said for a specialist roller bag designed for photographers. The suitcase-stlye design with a a set of wheels that you can pull along using the extending handle means that you can take the weight off your shoulders.

Roller camera bags can be expensive - but Wex has just slashed the price of several of the options in the Manfrotto range - with savings of between £50 to £83.

Check out our guides to the best rolling bags for photographers, and the best camera bags and cases overall

For years, hybrid cameras have catered to both still photography and video. But, Manforotto says a tripod hasn’t catered to both types of creatives – until now. The Manfrotto One Hybrid Tripod uses an unusually versatile center column to cater to tasks like flat lay photography and video transitions, all from one support system.

Manfrotto says that the One is the first tripod that’s designed for both photos and video, geared specifically for content creators who work in both formats. The Manfrotto One, announced on June 11, will be available in carbon fiber and aluminum variations and with or without the new 500X Fluid Video Head.

The key to the Manfrotto One’s versatility? The center column. Besides being used for added height like a traditional tripod, the center column can be used horizontally. That’s not just for flat lays for still photos, though. In the horizontal position, the center column can also rotate, a tool designed for creating video transitions. The center column can also be removed to allow for shots close to the ground. Manfrotto says the center column can also help level the shot without repositioning the legs.

Moving beyond that center column’s versatility, Manfrotto also launched a new quick release system, Xchange. Xchange is designed for quick swaps of the tripod head, allowing content creators to swap between setups like the tripod head and a video slider in less time.

The center column and new quick swap head system sit atop three oddly shaped legs that are designed specifically for both stability and resisting torsional movement when panning. The three legs self-deploy all at once and use flip locks.

With three leg sections, the tripod is 24 inches / 61 cm when packed, with a 67 inch / 170.2 maximum height and a 3.5 inch / 8.9 cm minimum height. The carbon fiber version weighs 4.3 lbs / 2 kg and supports up to 44 lb / 20 kg, while the aluminum version weighs 7.5 lbs and supports up to 33 lbs.

The Manfrotto 500X Fluid head supports up to 11 lbs / 5 kg and weighs 2.68 lbs / 1.22 kg.

The carbon fiber variant starts at $719.99 / £539, while the aluminum legs retail for $499.99 / £375. The Manfrotto 500X Fluid Head retails for $219.99 / £164. The legs and head will also be sold together as complete kits, at $679.99 / £519 for the aluminum and $879.99 / £669 for the carbon fiber. The tripods are available for pre-order now.

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Read about the best tripods, the best video tripods, or the best travel tripods.

I’m still using a Manfrotto tripod that looks like it came off the Ark, but was actually owned by my dad for decades before I took it over. Let’s just say the company has earned a reputation for building tripods to last. By way of further introduction, it all started when Lino Manfrotto, an Italian photojournalist started selling light stands and the like, back in the 1960s. 

Today, the ‘Befree’ range of travel tripods is among Manfrotto’s bestsellers and aims to be among the best travel tripods that money can buy. They’re suitably compact and lightweight and fit right in with the current vogue for mirrorless cameras. Going by the codename of MKBFRTA4FB-BH, the Befree Advanced AS that I’m reviewing here is one of the latest kits, launched in 2024 at the same time as the Befree GT PRO 3-Way, the latter being ideal for content creators who are into shooting video as well as stills. That said, the Befree Advanced AS is also very versatile and makes a decent stab at videography for a tripod kit that has a ball head up top.

Manfrotto Befree Advanced AS: Specifications

Manfrotto Befree Advanced AS: Price

Few of us have money to burn nowadays (if ever) and with one eye on the budget, I went for the aluminum version of the Manfrotto Befree Advanced AS tripod kit, which sells for around $200/£174. There’s also a carbon fiber version but that’s about 50 percent more expensive to buy, at around $290/£279, and only saves 260g / 9.2oz in weight. 

I decided that pound for pound, the aluminum edition was a better value and I also went for the version of the tripod that has twist clamps for the leg sections, rather than lever locks, as I find twist-action clamps quicker and more intuitive to use. The lever-lock and twist-lock versions are priced the same and, either way, $200/£174 makes them good value in my books, especially considering that the Manfrotto Befree Advanced 494 Center Ball Head that’s included in the kits costs around $100/£81 on its own, and that Manfrotto also throws in a stylish carrying bag with the kits.

Manfrotto Befree Advanced AS: Design & Handling

Manfrotto says that the new additions to its top-selling Befree range of tripod legs and kits are designed with mirrorless cameras firmly in mind. As such, they’re sufficiently versatile to cater to stills and video shooting, while also being compact and lightweight. Indeed, the Befree range has always been designed as travel tripods, for content creators ‘on the go’.

Let’s start at the top and work our way downwards. One of the things I like best about the Befree Advanced AS tripod is the Befree Advanced 494 Center Ball Head that’s included in the kit. It’s super quick and easy to work with but fully featured, with independent adjustments for the main ball lock/release, an adjustable friction damper, and a panning lock. 

This makes overall positioning very simple while enabling me to tailor the head to different weights of the kit, up to a maximum payload rating of 9kg / 19.8lb. The panning lock is great for shooting video, as well as for taking a sequence of stills to stitch into a panorama either in-camera or at the editing stage.

What’s more, the head has a 200PL PRO quick-release system that’s Arca-Swiss compatible. That’s great for mounting cameras fitted with L-brackets, as well as big telephoto lenses that have Arca-Swiss profile feet on their tripod mounting collars, and for other accessories like a camera cage.

Moving down to the spider on the tripod legs, just below the head, there’s a further attachment option in the way of Manfrotto’s ‘Easy Link’ socket, ideal for mounting an LED video lamp, microphone, or other accessories. For even greater versatility, you could invest in something like the Manfrotto 244MINI Friction Arm, with its central pivoting joint. It’s pretty pricey though, at around $150/£120. The base plate joining the tripod legs to the head has a pretty standard 40mm diameter. 

Naturally, you could fit a different head but, for me, the legs and head in this kit are perfectly matched. An eyelet is also featured on the shoulder, which is ideal for adding a weight bag or a carrying strap to improve stability.

Although aluminum rather than carbon fiber, the legs of this kit have a high-quality black anodized finish that looks luxuriously smart. Aluminum is notoriously cold to the touch in chilly temperatures, so the comfort padding that’s featured on one of the legs is very welcome. 

As with the vast majority of modern travel tripods, the legs swing up so that the feet encircle the head, with the center column fully extended, which takes a chunk off the stowage size. In this case, the kit folds down to just 40cm / 15.7" in length and is a snug fit in the carrying bag that’s provided. The bag itself is stylish but fairly basic. It certainly doesn’t qualify as a padded soft case.

Further attractions of the legs include quick-action twist clamps. There are four sections to each leg, with diameters of 22.5, 19, 15.5, and 12mm, so the bottom sections aren’t overly thin and spindly. As I’ve mentioned, an alternative version of the tripod is available that has lever locks instead of twist locks. 

However, I like that I can easily grab all of the twist locks in one hand when the tripod is folded down, and release them in one easy gesture. The amount of rotation needed to release them is minimal.

As well as swinging vertically upwards, the legs have three lockable angles. That helps with shooting on uneven terrain and working around obstacles. Wider leg angles also make the tripod more stable and secure when shooting from low operating heights. I like that the mechanism for releasing the leg angle locks is again quick and easy to use, with a simple sliding action. 

However, there’s no facility for removing one of the legs and combining it with the center column for use as a monopod. Down below, the feet are made of non-slip rubber pads, although there are no retractable metal spikes which would arguably be better when working on loose ground.

Manfrotto Befree Advanced AS: Performance

A key aspect of the performance of any tripod is that you actually have it with you when you need it. Many tripods are so big and clunky that I leave them at home instead of lugging them around, making them useless. Folding down nice and small and weighing in at just 1.51kg / 3.3lb, this complete kit of legs and ball head is impressively lightweight for an aluminum setup and easy to carry. 

And speaking of setup, it’s quick and easy to transform the tripod from its folded to operational configuration, despite the legs swinging up to surround the extended center column. That can often be a time-consuming chore with travel tripods.

A limiting factor in performance is that the maximum height is 150cm / 59", or 4’ 11”. Being an oversized 6’ 5” tall myself, that can feel a bit on the low side. However, the tilting and vari-angle screens of my mirrorless cameras come to the rescue and, at the end of the day, I’d rather have a travel tripod that actually folds down small enough for traveling, without having extra leg sections and maybe a telescopic center column to increase setup (and fold-down) time. 

With only four sections in each leg and a decent diameter for the one-piece center column, none of the components are overly thin and spindly, and the net result is that the Manfrotto gives rigid and stable support. That’s naturally the key performance factor for any tripod.

The same goes for the ball head. There have been many a good set of tripod legs that have been compromised by a relatively poor head. For me, the Befree 494 Center Ball Head is the cherry on the top of the tripod kit, so to speak, and a great performer in its own right. Teamed up with the legs, the complete kit is a real winner.

Manfrotto Befree Advanced AS: Verdict

I love the head and love the legs – what’s not to like? Very little as it turns out, although I do find the maximum operating height of 150cm / 59" can be a bit limiting sometimes. Then again, if the tripod was taller, it wouldn’t fold down to such a compact carrying size without further, unwanted compromises. For me, the Manfrotto strikes the right balance. 

Some travel tripods have five sections in each leg, rather than four, and an extending 2-piece center column, but they take longer to set up and fold down again, and can also feel a bit flimsy at full height. Some competitors also convert into a monopod for dual duty, but that’s a feature that I’ve never felt the need to use. This Manfrotto is plenty versatile enough for my needs and it has a strong maximum load capacity of 9kg / 19.8lb. 

I don’t generally use a camera and lens combination that comes anywhere near that, especially when traveling around, but the load rating translates into solid and sturdy support for medium-weight camera outfits. All in all, this tripod kit is a travel-friendly winner and great value for money.

Alternatives

Not all camera batteries are created equal; in order to unlock the top-tier features on some cameras, you need to be using high-capacity batteries. 

To meet the increasing demands of performance cameras, Manfrotto has launched a line of 2,400mAh batteries – a huge step up from the 2,000mAh capacity of its previous models. 

The Manfrotto Professional Li-ion Batteries – produced by European accessory specialist Hähnel, which makes the highly regarded line of 2,400mAh Hähnel Extreme batteries in other territories – are available as replacements for specific Canon, Sony, Nikon, OM System / Olympus and Fujifilm cells: 

Canon E6NH
Canon EOS R5, EOS R5 Mark II (TBC), EOS R6, EOS R6 II, EOS R7, EOS R, EOS Ra, EOS 5DS R, EOS 5DS, EOS 5D Mark IV, EOS 5D Mark III, EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 6D Mark II, EOS 6D, EOS 7D Mark II, EOS 7D, EOS 90D, EOS 80D, EOS 70D, EOS 60Da, EOS 60D, WFT-E4A, WFT-E4 II A, WFT-E5A, WFT-E7D, WFT-E7 II D, XC10.

Sony NP-FZ100
Sony A1, A7 III, A7 IV, A7C, A7C II, A7C R, A7R III, A7R IV, A7R V, A7S III, A9, A9 II, A9 III, A9S, A9R, A6600, A6700, FX3, FX30, ZV-E1, ZV-E10 II. 

Nikon EN-EL15C
Nikon Z8, Z7, Z7 II, Zf, Z6, Z6 II, Z6 III, Z5, 1 V1, D500, D600, D610, D750, D780, D800, D800E, D810, D810A, D850, D7000, D7100, D7200, D7500, MB-D18, MB-D17, MD-D16MB-D15, MB-D14, MB-D12, MB-N11, MB-N10, MH-25a, WT-7. 

OM System BLX-1
OM System OM-1, OM-1 Mark II

Fujifilm NP-W235
Fujifilm GFX 100 II, GFX 100S, GFX 100S II, GFX 50S II, X-H2, X-H2S, X-S20, X-T5, X-T4.

The most obvious thing you'll notice about the batteries is the signature, panic button red, Manfrotto colored housing – great for quickly finding them at the bottom of your camera bag.

But the housing has a practical purpose, too, being injected with shock-absorbing silicone to make them drop-proof to nine feet. Manfrotto also states that they ast "extra durability" and "are built to withstand extreme tough environments".

Each battery is capable of over 500 charge / discharge cycles, and possesses the latest lithium-ion technology that can be recharged at any point (as in, without having to be fully discharged first) with no degradative "memory effect". 

The Manfrotto Professional Li-ion Batteries are priced at $69.99 in the US, and come with a 12-month warranty. They are fully compatible with the Manfrotto ProCube professional twin charger (also produced by Hähnel, which makes the Hähnel ProCube 2).

You can them order directly from Manfrotto in the US:

Manfrotto Professional Li-ion Battery, Canon, E6NH, MKII:
Manfrotto Professional Li-ion Battery, Sony, NP-FZ100
Manfrotto Professional Li-ion Battery, Nikon, EN-EL15c, MKII
Manfrotto Professional Li-ion Battery, Olympus, OM-1
Manfrotto Professional Li-ion Battery, Fuji, NP-W235

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Manfrotto needs no introduction, being a world leader in tripod manufacture for 50 years and counting, while making some of the best tripods for photographers, best video tripods, and best travel tripods along the way. Indeed, the company makes tripods in all shapes and sizes (or at least sizes), from tiny tabletop tripods to high and mighty heavy-duty sticks. 

The ‘Befree’ range of travel tripods is among Manfrotto’s all-time best-sellers, with new additions to the line-up coming along fairly frequently. The vast majority of travel tripod kits nowadays come with compact ball heads, as they take up a little extra space and are quick and easy to set up. 

However, ball heads are generally less than ideal for shooting video and arguably lack the precision of fine adjustments for stills photography that a 3-way head enables. That’s where the new Befree GT 3-Way comes in, aiming to cater to the needs of hybrid stills and video shooters.

Manfrotto Befree GT 3-Way: Specifications

Manfrotto Befree GT 3-Way: Price

Like most Manfrotto tripods and heads, you can buy the component parts of this kit separately but, this time around, you can buy the complete kit as a whole, saving a few bucks in the process. The aluminum edition of the Manfrotto Befree GT 3-Way comprises a set of Befree GT PRO tripod legs and a Befree 3-Way Live Head, all wrapped up in a high-quality but lightweight travel bag with an adjustable shoulder strap. It has a suggested price of $329 / £284, which is pretty expensive for a travel tripod kit, or you can go for broke with the posher carbon fiber edition at $430 / £374.

Manfrotto Befree GT 3-Way: Design & Handling

I tested the aluminum edition of the Befree GT 3-Way. An instant hit is that, instead of having the usual shiny metal appearance, it’s finished in smart satin black. At a glance, it actually looks more like a carbon fiber tripod than a metal one, although it naturally lacks the woven appearance of the pricier carbon fiber version of the kit. Even so, the quality of the finish looks top-notch.

As with the vast majority of recent travel tripods, the legs swing vertically upwards for stowage, surrounding the extending center column and mounted head. It’s a definite space-saver and the kit has a folded height of just 45cm / 17.7", making it easy to stash away when space is at a premium. It lightens the load for carrying around as well, weighing in at 2.18kg / 4.81lb. Slip it into the supplied carrying bag and it’s easy to slip over your shoulder.

I’m not generally a fan of ultra-small travel tripods with five sections in each leg, as the bottom sections tend to be very thin and spindly, often impacting on rigidity at maximum operating height. This Manfrotto has four sections per leg, with diameters of 26, 22.5, 19, 15.5mm, so the bottom sections look and feel more robust than in some travel tripods that shrink to around 9mm to 11mm for the bottom leg sections.

Extending each leg is quick and easy, as it’s simple to grab all the twist clamps in your hand and loosen them in one gesture. They only need minimal rotation to loosen and relock them again, which is a further bonus. 

As I’d expect, the legs have three lockable angles as well as swinging completely upwards, which helps when working around obstacles or shooting on tricky terrain. Wider leg angles also help with stability in low-level shooting, making the tripod less likely to topple over if accidentally knocked. 

The maximum operating height with the legs at their most acute angle and the center column fully extended is 168cm / 66.1". That’s pretty impressive for such a compact travel tripod but is naturally more modest than with a ‘full-sized’ tripod.

The legs feature a threaded accessory socket on the spider which can come in useful for attaching the likes of an LED photo/video lamp or a microphone on an extending arm. There’s also a hook which you can use for adding a stabilizing weight, or a strap for carrying the tripod when it’s not stashed in its bag.

One trick that I think the legs are missing is that there’s no bubble level. Sure, there are two spirit levels on the 3-way head, but you need to get the legs level instead of just the head if you’re panning during video capture or taking a sequence of stills for stitching into a panorama. If the legs aren’t level and only the head is leveled, everything goes on the tilt when you start panning.

The head itself is really rather clever. As I’ve mentioned, most travel tripods have ball heads. This saves additional room taken up by the extending levers or knobs required by a 3-way head. Some 3-way heads have locking levers that you can unscrew to save on stowage size, but that’s a bit of a faff and demands more setup and takedown time. 

With this kit, the Befree 3Way Live head neatly tilts through 90 degrees, tucking one of the handles completely out of the way. The other handle has a hinged mechanism so that it too folds in flat to the side of the tripod when it’s packed away. The net result is that the whole kit folds down as small as one with a ball head.

Manfrotto Befree GT 3-Way: Performance

It might seem obvious but a key performance factor of any tripod is that you actually have it to hand when you need it. The Manfrotto Befree GT 3-Way certainly fits the bill in this respect, as it folds away so small and is so easy to carry around. 

The downside is that many lightweight ‘travel tripods’ feel a bit flimsy and less than rigid at or near their maximum operating height. It’s worth pointing out that, while the overall kit has a maximum load rating of 6kg / 13.2lb, the legs themselves have double the payload rating, at 12kg / 26.5lb. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the solid, sturdy performance of the tripod even at its maximum operating height, with the legs and center column fully extended.

The head itself works very well. The controls are intuitive, with independent handles for each of the tilt and swivel movements. Panning is taken care of by a separate locking knob at the base of the head. The labeled ‘Fluid Drag System’ for tilt and panning lives up to its name, enabling smooth motion for video, while locking off firmly for shooting stills. 

However, there’s no counterbalance or spring-loaded mechanism for tilt action, as featured in fully videocentric heads, nor a leveling base that you tend to get in tripods which are designed purely for videography rather than ‘hybrid’ stills and video shooting.

Ultimately, this tripod kit works very well for both stills and video. It’s rigid and resistant to vibrations at all operating heights and folds down quickly and easily between shots.

Manfrotto Befree GT 3-Way: Verdict

Nowadays more and more of us are capturing a mix of stills and video. I like that the Manfrotto Befree GT 3-Way is well suited to both, thanks to its 3-way head that features Manfrotto’s ‘Fluid Drag System’ for tilt and panning. 

For traveling around or just for a day out, it’s great that the kit folds down so easily and is so compact and lightweight, fitting snugly in the supplied carrying bag. And whereas some lightweight travel tripods feel a bit flimsy, this one gives solid support even at its maximum operating height. It’s quite pricey for an aluminum travel tripod but well worth the money.

Alternatives

I don’t feel that Manfrotto needs any introduction. It’s arguably the most famous tripod brand in the world, celebrating its 50th birthday in 2024. Similarly, the company’s 190 range of tripods has long been a favorite of many photographers around the globe, renowned for their performance and dependability. Pretty much all of them have flip locks for the extending leg sections but the 190go! bucks the trend with twist locks, which I personally prefer. I wouldn’t class it as a ‘travel tripod’, as it doesn’t have the practically universal swing-up legs that have come to pretty much define the genre, but the upside is that it’s relatively quick and easy to set up for shooting and to fold away again afterward. Also unlike the vast majority of travel tripods, it has a pivoting center column that I find a really valuable feature. Overall, I think it’s one of the best tripods for photographers on the market today.

Manfrotto 190go! Carbon Fiber: What's changed?
The most noticeable change compared with other Manfrotto 190 series tripods (past and present) is that the 190go! has twist-action clamps for its individual leg sections. I prefer these over flip locks, for ease and speed, and it also makes the profile of the tripod sleeker without any locking levers sticking out. The ‘M-Series’ edition is the latest in the line, replacing the previous 190go! version.

Manfrotto 190go!: Specifications

Manfrotto 190go!: Price & Availability

The Manfrotto 190go! Carbon Fiber is sometimes sold as a complete kit with the Manfrotto 494 Ball Head but I feel it’s a bit of a mismatch, as the head has a much smaller maximum load rating than the legs. I bought the legs on their own and added a different head. The list price of the Manfrotto 190go! Carbon Fiber legs with no head are currently $520 / £445 / AU$533, which certainly isn’t cheap. Indeed, it’s about twice the price of the aluminum version of the legs, which lists at $260 / £232 / AU$301.

Manfrotto 190go!: Design & Handling

I really like the design and handling of the Manfrotto 190go! Carbon Fiber M-Series. Unlike most 190 series tripods, it has twist clamps rather than flip locks. There are four sections in each leg, which enable a compact stowage size but a respectable (although rather modest) maximum operating height. I like that I can grab all three twist clamps of each leg in my hand and release or lock them with a single flick of the wrist when the tripod is folded down. Manfrotto calls it the ‘M-lock system’, the twist clamps requiring just a quarter-turn to disengage them.

As I’ve mentioned, the carbon fiber edition that I’m reviewing here is about twice the price of the aluminum version, but I feel it’s worth paying the extra. Carbon Fiber comes in various grades of quality but the recently developed carbon tubing Manfrotto has used for this tripod is among the best I’ve seen. It enables a lightweight 1.35kg build with a strong maximum load rating of 15kg. I’ve paired my set of legs with the excellent Manfrotto XPRO Ball Head, which has the same diameter of mounting plate and matches the 15kg payload of the legs. For me, they’re a perfect match.

I like shooting from creative angles, so I’m pleased that the legs have more than the usual three locking angles. There are four altogether, at 25°, 46°, 66° and 88°. That gives plenty of scope for getting down low and for working around obstacles or on tricky terrain. For ultra-low-level shooting, the tripod features a 90-degree pivoting center column, so you can orient it as a horizontal boom. That enables a minimum operating height of just 8cm, not counting the height of the head. Not just for low-level shooting, I find that the column’s horizontal mode is also great for macro photography and for when I’m shooting with ultra-wide-angle lenses, as it can avoid the problem of the tripod feet creeping into the bottom of the image frame.

Neat extras include a hook for hanging a stabilizing weight or accessories from, and an ‘Easy Link’ threaded socket in the top casting, for adding the likes of an LED light, microphone or adjustable arm and monitor screen.

Manfrotto 190go!: Performance

Perhaps the biggest performance factor of any tripod, as far as I’m concerned, is that it’s compact and lightweight enough to carry around. I’ve got big, heavy tripods that I generally leave at home when I’m out and about, making them no use whatsoever. I find the comparatively small size and weight of the Manfrotto 190go! Carbon Fiber make it ideal for walkabout photography.

Of course, there are plenty of very good travel tripods on the market but they’re built for optimum compactness. As such, the legs swing up for stowage and the feet encircle the head, with the center column in its fully extended position. The downside of that for me is that I like being able to react quickly to unfolding shooting scenarios, and I find that the 190go! is very much quicker and easier to set up from its folded configuration. Similarly, the mechanism for pivoting the center column for use in horizontal mode is brilliantly well implemented and a snap to use.

My only reservation with the 190go! is that, despite having 4-section rather than 3-section legs, the maximum operating height is fairly modest at 147cm. My XPRO Ball Head adds an extra 12cm but, even so, the maximum overall height of 159cm (just under 5 feet 3 inches) can leave me feeling a bit short-changed for high-level shooting.

Back on the plus side, I find that the tripod easily lives up to its 15kg payload billing. It’s super-sturdy in use, even at its maximum operating height with all of the leg sections and the center column fully extended. Resistance to vibration and unwanted flexing is excellent.

Manfrotto 190go!: Verdict

You can’t really have it both ways. Full-sized tripods that are really sturdy are by necessity big, bulky and heavy to carry around. Travel tripods are generally small and lightweight but can be fiddly to set up and fold away again. For me, the Manfrotto 190go! Carbon Fiber M-Series tripod is an ideal compromise. Sure, the maximum operating height could be taller but, most of the time, I find the tripod is as tall as I need and its advanced set of features enables great versatility. It’s also really well built and I feel confident it’ll last for decades.

Alternatives

While it’s tempting to spend all your hard-earned on exciting new cameras and lenses, a good-quality tripod really is worth its weight in gold. Or maybe that’s not always the case. The goal of a travel tripod is to provide a harmonious blend of stability and portability, a solid tripod that you can depend upon time and again, yet is light enough and portable enough to accompany you on trips to far-flung places. 

Just like the best travel tripods, the Manfrotto Befree Advanced Carbon Fibre Travel Tripod excels when it comes to these prerequisites. It collapses into a carry-on sized package, is light enough to haul around on your back for hours on end and boasts Manfrotto’s exceptional build quality. The question is, does it have the legs to perform adequately out in the field?

Manfrotto Befree Advanced Carbon Fibre: Specifications

Material: Carbon Fiber (there is also an Aluminum version)
Folded height: 41cm / 16.1in
Maximum operating height: 150cm / 19.7in
Minimum operating height: 40cm / 15.7in
Weight: 1.25kg / 2.75lb
Load rating: 9 kg / 19.8lbs
Sections per leg: 4
Center column: Yes
Locking leg angles: 3
Feet: Rubber pads
Case/bag included: Nylon, Synthetic Fabric

Key features

The beauty of the Befree Advanced range is that you can select a travel tripod to fit your needs. Similarly specced variants are available with multiple heads (incl. fluid and 3-way), aluminum builds, tilting center columns, as well as Manfrotto’s M-Lock, and twist and lever leg-locking systems.

We received the ball head twist carbon fiber variant, which features standard twisting leg locks and Manfrotto's 494 Center Ball Head. Fully extended, the tripod's four leg sections and center column combine to stand at 150cm (19.7in). Packed down, the tripod measures 41cm (16.1in) and has a diameter under 10cm (0.39in). It also comes in a nice Manfrotto-branded tripod bag and weighs just 1.25kg (2.75lb).

The 494 Center Ball Head features three points of control: a pan knob and larger dual knob for friction control and locking the ball head. Manfrotto’s removable plate is Arca-Swiss compatible, so it can be placed on an Arca-Swiss-type mount, but the tripod head’s mounting plate is not Arca-Swiss compatible.

An RRP of $390 / £394 is pricier than many tripods in this class, but shop around and you should be able to find a decent discount, which is much more palatable. And of course, you’re investing in a quality Italian-made product from one of the industry’s leading tripod manufacturers.

Build and handling

Carbon fiber is of course renowned for its durability and lightweight, but the legs on the Befree Advanced feel particularly sturdy. This is impressive, since the thinnest of its telescopic legs have a diameter of just 11.2mm (0.44in). The 494 Center Ball Head is made from aluminum, but feels similarly sturdy.

The knobs on the ball head and the twisting leg locks feel solid and don’t need to be overtightened to provide a sturdy lock. The plate can feel a little fiddly to lock in place and remove, but this isn’t anything new. Ultimately, the locking mechanism you prefer comes down to personal preference and usage.

Overall, this tripod exhibits the build quality you’d expect from Manfrotto. It’s worth noting that you need to upgrade to the Befree GT to access Manfrotto’s premium M-Lock system, but the standard twist locks work just fine. Leg locks are a weak point on any tripod – especially during a trip to a sandy beach – but treat this tripod with care and maintain it properly and it should serve you well.

Manfrotto Befree Advanced Carbon Fibre: Performance

The Befree Advanced Carbon Fiber performs well out in the field. Twisting leg extensions and leg-angle selectors on each leg make collapsing the tripod effortless. The latter is unlatched and held down with a thumb or finger as the leg pivots right up until it rests on the head. 

When pivoting the legs back down, the selectors don’t need to be unlatched and simply click three times to represent the three different leg angles. You can splay the legs at 90 degrees so the tripod lays flat (with center column fully extended). When fully extended to a serviceable – not towering – 150cm (19.7in), the non-pivoting center column is stable enough to achieve that extra height, even if this isn’t best practice.

The 494 Center Ball Head pans and tilts smoothly. It isn’t video smooth, but it’s smooth enough for photography and while the friction control can prove a little fiddly – you have to pinch it to turn it – the ball locks solidly into place.

When packed down, the tripod meets even easyJet’s meagre carry-on guidelines and is pretty thin. We’re not talking Peak Design Travel Tripod thin here, but thin enough that it’s easily stowed on the side of a camera bag. Add the light weight and the Befree Advanced doesn’t attempt to pull your camera backpack off-kilter like heavier tripods, making it much more enjoyable to carry on your back. 

The 9kg payload is what you’d expect from this class of tripod and the build’s inherent stability does mean that it feels secure when loaded up. Still, it’s important to remember what this tripod is designed for. A huge super-telephoto prime support, it is not. So I’d recommend keeping within the 9kg payload if you want to maximize your tripod’s longevity.

Manfrotto Befree Advanced Carbon Fibre: Verdict

Look past the steep price of admission, lack of Arca-Swiss compatibility and relatively short maximum operating height, and this is yet another fantastic tripod from Manfrotto. It’s light, it’s highly portable and it’s rock solid. And if it features something you’re not happy with, chances are you can find the variant for you within the Befree Advanced range. If you’re looking for a first good-quality tripod, an accompaniment to an ultra-sturdy but hefty tripod or something that’s light enough to travel the world and survive the journey, the Befree Advanced Carbon Fibre Travel Tripod twist is worth a look.

Read more: Find out about other tripod options in our guide for the best tripod for photographers, or check out the best ball heads for tripods.

Compared with ball heads, the Manfrotto XPRO Geared 3-way head stays put after being adjusted. While ball heads enable the speed and ease of making adjustments in all three tilt, pan and swivel directions with a single locking knob, they typically tend to sag a bit after tightening the clamp and releasing your grip on the camera. You can experience the same kind of problem with a conventional 3-way head, albeit to a lesser extent.

As a geared head, this one is designed so that the full weight of the camera is borne by the head even while you’re making adjustments. That cuts out any sag and maintains the camera position you intended. Furthermore, the micrometric adjustment knobs for pan, tilt and swivel enable very fine and precise adjustments.

Specifications

Material: Technopolymer
Maximum load: 4kg / 8.8 lb
Base diameter: 60mm
Plate type: 200PL-14
Degrees per turn: 9.5 degrees
Lateral tilt: -90 / +20 degrees
Front tilt: -20 / +90 degrees
Bubble/spirit levels: 3
Weight: 0.75kg / 1.65 lb

Key features

For positional adjustments, the XPRO Geared head uses a separate worm drive for each of its three directional movements. The mechanism for each is based on a revolving threaded cylinder connected to a control knob, which is paired to a toothed gear wheel. By twisting one of the control knobs, you can apply very fine and precise independent adjustments to pan, tilt and swivel, for example to ensure that verticals remain vertical and that landscape shots are on the level.

While the micrometric control knobs are great for fine adjustments, they’re a pain for larger positional changes. With this in mind, the head features a trigger-action clutch mechanism for each of its three controls. With a simple squeeze, you can disengage the worm drive and make large changes quickly and effectively, then go back to the using the micrometric knobs for fine adjustments.

For a visual guide, rotary scales are featured for all three axes of movement, calibrated in 5-degree increments. Tilt and swivel movements stretch from -20 to +90 degrees, whereas panning operates through a full 360 degrees. Further help is on hand from a bubble level on the base of the head, for leveling the tripod legs. Two additional bubble levels are fitted to the camera platform, for leveling the actual camera in either landscape or portrait orientation shooting.

Build and handling

Unlike most geared heads, the XPRO is made from ‘Technopolymer’, which is basically a high-performance plastic. By contrast, the pricier Manfrotto 410 Junior geared head is built from aluminum. A bonus in terms of handling is that the XPRO is particularly lightweight for a geared head, at 750g. That’s not much more than half the weight of the Manfrotto 410 Junior and, despite this, there’s not much difference in the maximum load rating, stated as 4kg for the XPRO and 5kg for the heftier 410 Junior.

The XPRO’s handling is very refined. The trigger-action clutch system works as advertised and is particularly intuitive in use. A full 360-degree turn of the micrometric knobs gives a 9.5-degree adjustment in any of the pan, tilt and swivel directions. That gives a good level of fine control, although not quite as fine as in the 410 Junior, which gives a 7.2-degree adjustment for each full turn.

Like many Manfrotto tripod heads, the XPRO Junior features a 200PL-14 quick-release plate. Again, it’s quick and easy to use and offers a good level of rigidity. However, being a proprietary Manfrotto design, it’s certainly not as standard as an Arca-Swiss plate.

Performance

We found the performance of the XPRO geared head to be good rather than entirely great. The plastic build certainly isn’t as rigid as with competing aluminum based geared heads and we noticed more flexing than with the metal 410 Junior. Even so, rigidity is certainly adequate for a full-frame DSLR or mirrorless camera with the likes of a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens attached. That said, we found that the XPRO was noticeably more prone to flexing than the 410 Junior when mounted with a camera and heavier 70-200mm f/2.8 lens attached.

Verdict

When you need the ultimate precision in lining up your camera for critical architectural, landscape and many and varied other shots, there’s no beating a geared tripod head. This one from Manfrotto is less expensive than most but offers a neat range of features and is dead easy to use. We mostly love it but, being made from plastic rather than metal, it’s not the sturdiest example around and a little prone to flexing.

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The Manfrotto 410 Junior geared head solves a problem. Many of us typically reach for a ball head when we’re shooting with a tripod, but they can be frustrating. When you need to make fine adjustments to keep everything on the level, or to shoot from a very specific angle, you can often find that a slight sag after tightening the locking knob can put everything on the skew. 3-way heads tend to offer a finer degree of control but can suffer from the same problem.

Geared heads work on a different principle. The weight of the camera and lens is fully supported even while you’re making adjustments, theoretically putting a stop to any unwanted sag or movement when you clamp a locking knob and let go of the camera. That’s the aim behind the design of the Manfrotto 410 Junior.

Specifications

Material: Aluminum
Maximum load: 5kg
Base diameter: 60mm
Plate type: 410PL
Degrees per turn: 7.2 degrees
Lateral tilt: -90 / +30 degrees
Front tilt: -30 / +90 degrees
Bubble/spirit levels: 1
Weight: 1.22kg / 2.7 lb

Key features

Typical of a 3-way geared head, the Manfrotto 410 Junior uses an independent worm drive for each of its three planes of movement. Each is therefore based on a gear in the form of a linear helical gear (or revolving threaded cylinder), which aligns with a toothed wheel. By twisting any of the three knobs attached to the respective cylinders, you can therefore apply fine, precise and independent adjustments to tilt, pan and swivel.

There’s a catch though, in that large changes to adjustment in any direction of travel can take many turns of the relevant knob, which is a time-wasting chore. To remedy the situation, the 410 Junior has a secondary clutch for each of its gears, which disengages the worm drive. By twisting the relevant clutch control, you can quickly and easily make wide-sweeping changes and then go back to the using the micrometric knobs for fine-tuning adjustments.

All three axes of movement come complete with a rotary scale, calibrated in degrees, for visual reference. Tilt and swivel movements stretch from -30 to +90 degrees, whereas panning operates through a full 360 degrees. For landscape orientation shooting, a single bubble level is featured as an adjustment aid. However, that won’t be any use if you’re shooting in portrait orientation, or need to shoot vertically downwards, for example when taking shots from above of an object placed on a table.

Build and handling

Unlike the more inexpensive Manfrotto XPRO geared head which is made from ‘Technopolymer’ (high-grade plastic), the 410 Junior engineered from aluminum. That makes it more rigid and robust, although it’s a sizeable chunk of metal and is getting on for twice the weight, tipping the scales at 1.22kg. It also has a slightly beefier maximum load rating of 5kg, compared with 4kg for the XPRO geared head. The base diameter of 60mm makes the head an ideal fit for Manfrotto’s heavier-duty tripods like the 055 series.

Handling is very assured. The clutch system works as advertised, enabling quick and easy big adjustments. Meanwhile, the micrometric knobs require a full turn to give a 7.2-degree adjustment, which equates to very fine and precise control.

The 410 quick-release plate is reassuringly large and solid, helping to reduce any unwanted flexing of the mounted camera. However, it’s a non-standard item so if you use other tripod heads that have Manfrotto’s more common 200PL-14 quick-release plate, or an Arca-Swiss plate, you’ll need to chop and change between the plate fixed to your camera.

Performance

In our tests, we found performance to be very good. Using a chunky full-frame DSLR or mirrorless camera with a 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens, the head feels pretty solid and resistant to flexing. However, we still noticed a bit of flexing when using a more heavyweight combo like a camera with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, despite this being well within the maximum load capacity of the head. Either way, rigidity and resistance to flexing is very noticeably better than when using the more lightweight Manfrotto XPRO geared head.

Verdict

From landscape and architectural photography to studio work, there are plenty of shooting scenarios that demand highly precise positional adjustments when your camera is mounted on a tripod. This 3-way geared head from Manfrotto is engineered with just that in mind. We like that it’s sturdily built and easy to use, while its micrometric control knobs enable very fine adjustments in all three planes. It’s a solid performer with a competitive purchase price.

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Manfrotto has been at the top of the tripod game for many years, and its MT055 lineup is famed for its stability and rigidity in a lightweight frame. The Manfrotto MT055CXPRO3 tripod got rave reviews, and its successor impresses further.  

The Manfrotto MT055CXPRO4 Carbon Fibre Tripod is the latest in the pro lineup and is part of an insanely good £299 offer at Wex. As well as being £80 off, they are throwing in a free Manfrotto X-Pro 3-Way Head worth £129!!

A great tripod is a staple in any photographer's kit, be it portrait, landscape or still life, the ability to have complete faith in camera stability is key. The Manfrotto 055 does just that! 

The carbon fibre legs make it very lightweight and compact, allowing for easy travel. A horizontal column mechanism allows versatility, enabling you to capture your shot, no matter the orientation. 

One of the best pan-tilt tripod heads, the Manfrotto MHXPRO-3W X-Pro 3-way head is a very compact head that оffеrѕ 'frісtіоn соntrоlѕ оn thе роrtrаіt аnd tіlt ахеѕ, tо hеlр bаlаnсе thе wеіght оf саmеrа еquірmеnt, ѕо fіnе frаmіng аdјuѕtmеntѕ саn bе mаdе wіth thе lосkіng knоbѕ'. 

This is going straight in my basket!

I love the Manfrotto MOVE Quick Release System. It’s been a revelation to me. That said, if you only have a single tripod head, it’s pretty much useless. The MOVE is aimed at photographers and videographers who need to swap between heads on a support, or transfer a single head between multiple supports. And it accomplishes its aims in fine style.

Here’s the thing. Two heads are better than one, as the saying goes. Personally, I often use a ball head for quick and easy setup, and a geared 3-way head when I need precise positioning for the likes of architectural and macro shots. I also use an entirely different fluid pan head for shooting video. What I don’t want to do is to buy a separate set of tripod legs for each head – it’s just more expense and more to lug around.

The problem is that it takes time and effort to change the head on a set of legs. It’s not just a case of going round and round in circles, revolving one head on the main locking screw and then fitting another one. There are also grub screws to contend with, which lock the head in place once it’s attached. That stops the head working loose, especially if you’re using a fluid pan head for shooting video. The Manfrotto MOVE transforms a time/effort-consuming chore and turns it into a simple task that can be accomplished in just a few seconds.

Specifications

Material: Aluminum
Base plate diameter: 60mm
Safety payload: 20kg
Height: 3.8cm
Weight: 0.22kg

Key features

Time is of the essence when shooting stills or video, so nobody wants to waste it. Quick-release systems are old hat for attaching cameras to tripod heads, but what if you want to remove and refit the head itself? That can be a much more laborious process. And it’s not just a case of swapping between heads on a set of legs.

The same goes for, say, swapping between tripods, sliders and stabilizers when you’re shooting video. The Manfrotto MOVE is a quick-release system that sits between a photo or video head and the support to which it’s attached. It comprises two main parts, a flat base and a plate. The base attaches to a tripod or other support in the time-honored way, while the plate attaches to the mounting platform head.

Naturally, if you’re using multiple supports and/or heads, you’ll need the same number of bases and plates respectively. The complete MOVE Quick Release System comprises one base and one plate. Additional bases and plates are sold separately, so you can mix and match to accommodate whatever supports and heads you have in your collection.

The base has a 60mm diameter, in common with most heavy-duty tripods from a variety of manufacturers including Manfrotto itself. It features a twist-action ring for releasing the quick-release plate, as well as for locking it firmly in place.

The plate has a standard 1/4-inch attachment screw but the chances are that you’ll probably need the larger 3/8-inch size. That’s not a problem as the plate comes complete with a 1/4 to 3/8 adaptor which stows away neatly inside. The upshot is that universal connectivity is guaranteed.

Build and handling

The construction looks and feels pretty epic. Machined from aluminum, it’s tough enough to have a load rating of 20kg/44lbs, but is refreshingly lightweight at 0.22kg/0.49lbs. It’s hard-anodized too, so its high-quality looks are enduring.

Handling is simply sublime. The system is very quick and easy to set up. First, you simply need to screw the base onto your set of tripod legs or other support. A grub screw is often featured in supports, so this can be tightened to avoid the risk of the base working loose.

Next, you fit the quick-release plate to your head, again by screwing it in with or without the 1/4 to 3/8 inch adapter, as necessary. The plate also features its own grub screw or ‘anti-rotation pin’, to keep it firmly locked in place.

Once that’s done, you simply push the head onto the legs via the two MOVE components and they snap into place with a reassuring click. You can attach the head at any horizontal angle through a complete 360-degree circle, or rotate it once it’s mounted, then lock it firmly in place by twisting the locking ring. You can twist the locking ring in the opposite direction to rotate the head again. To remove it, greater twisting torque is required to overcome a spring-loaded safety mechanism. It’s all very simple and intuitive.

Performance

I tend to be very wary of additional components in a tripod setup. Every extra section and its accompanying locking mechanism in the tripod legs and center column are a potential weak point and can reduce rigidity. It’s also true that the more sections there are, the longer it takes to set everything up.

The opposite is true of the Manfrotto MOVE Quick Release System. For multiple supports and/or heads, it actually makes everything much quick and easier. And there’s absolutely no compromise in sturdiness or rigidity. Although the single-action ‘X LOCK’ twist mechanism is breathtakingly simple, it’s absolutely rock-solid.

Even when applying much more torque than you normally would with a pan handle, with a lot of friction loaded into head’s panning action, the MOVE never budged even slightly throughout our testing. The MOVE is simply one of those great ideas that works even better in practice.

Verdict

Moving home ranks as one of the most stressful things in life. Moving between heads on a set of tripod legs isn’t nearly as bad, but it’s still a pain. This clever gadget from Manfrotto makes the process as quick and easy as can be. You can swap between, say, a ball head or 3-way head and a video head in just a few seconds, with just the simple twist of a locking ring. Typical of Manfrotto gear, the MOVE is expertly engineered and immaculately turned out. Beware though, once you’ve tried it, there’s no going back.

Read more: first, you'll need a great tripod to quickly release from, find the best tripod for photography, the best video tripod, and the best carbon fiber tripods in our guides.

The Manfrotto 504X Fluid Video Head with 635 Fast Single Leg Carbon Tripod is designed for high-end and professional-grade video capture. As such, it’s expensive to buy but, considering what you get for your money, it’s competitively priced. The product code is MVK504XSNGFC, which doesn’t easily stay in the mind or trip off the tongue, but the combination of 504X head and 635 legs is all you really need to know.

The advanced feature set aims to give videographers and filmmakers the ultimate in speedy setup, versatility, and ease of use. Tripod manufacturers often seem to pull maximum load ratings out of the air, but the 12kg safety payload of this kit adheres to official UNI/PdR 105:2021 standards.

Specifications

Material: Carbon fiber + aluminum
Folded height: 89.5cm
Maximum operating height: 171cm
Minimum operating height: 44.5cm
Head: 504X Fluid Video Head
Weight: 5.8kg
Load rating: 12kg
Sections per leg: 3
Leg section diameters: 29.2, 24.8, 20.4mm
Locking leg angles: 3 (20, 50, 70 degrees)
Feet: Spikes with rubber overshoes
Bag included: Padded bag

Key features

The fluidity of any video head is a key feature, to ensure smooth panning and tilting for tracking movement. Putting an emphasis on this, the head has consistently adjustable pan and tilt drag, from zero to maximum friction settings. Locking knobs are also featured so that either axis can be locked off independently.

Sticking with the head, it features a flat base with a 75mm diameter, so it can be used independently on other supports and rails. For native use as part of this kit, it connects to a 75mm bowl to enable easy leveling, and there’s also a 60mm adapter for smaller heads.

As you’d expect, the pan handle can be attached to the left or right of the head, and a protective cap is supplied for the side that’s not in use. You can also use this as an Easy Link socket for attaching accessories. A 3/8-inch threaded accessory socket is also positioned towards the front right-hand side of the head. Back at the back, so to speak, there’s a bubble level to aid easy leveling. Leveling in the dark is just as easy, thanks to a built-in coin battery-powered LED lamp with an on/off switch. There’s a warning light for when the battery runs down, and it’s easily replaceable without the need for any tools.

The head has a 55mm center of gravity and comes complete with a 4-position counterbalance system. This enables you to adjust to different camera weights with click-stop settings of 0, 2.2, 4.4, and 6.5kg.

The head comes with a long quick-release plate with locking pins at each end and two camera fixing screws, although one can be easily removed if unneeded. Again, no tools are required. The long plate helps to ensure balancing the weight of an attached camera. 

As well as a locking knob on the head, there’s a safety bar that needs to be pushed in before the plate can be removed, just to avoid any nasty accidents.

Down under, the legs are similarly tricked-up. The three carbon fiber sections of each leg have wide diameters of 29.2, 24.8, and 20.4mm, to enhance rigidity and stability as well as enabling the hefty payload rating. The diameters are actually identical to the three sections in the Manfrotto 055 MT055CXPRO3 tripod. Unlike in conventional tripods, however, the widest section is the middle one. After twisting this to the unlock position, the intermediate top section and narrowest bottom section can telescope in and out to any desired position, before relocking the whole assembly with another single twist.

Helping to ensure a lofty maximum operating height of 171cm and a low-level 44.5cm minimum shooting height, the legs can be locked at three alternative angles of 20, 50, and 70 degrees. Up top, there are two further accessory mounting sockets with anti-rotation fixings, in addition to the accessory mounts on the head. 

There’s also a built-in loop for adding a carrying strap or tether. You also get a Velcro strap for keeping the legs together while carrying the tripod, if you’re not popping it into the supplied padded carrying bag.

The foot of each leg features dual metal spikes for stability on grass and other soft surfaces. Slip-on rubber shoes are also supplied in the kit, and more ideal for hard surfaces.

Build and handling

Build quality feels of an exceptional standard throughout, based on premium-grade carbon fiber and aluminum parts, precision-engineered. The independent adjustment and locking knobs for pan and tilt work to perfection and the quick-release plate locks in with reassuring security. 

For counterbalance adjustment, Manfrotto recommends attaching the camera, then tilting it with the locking knob released and building up the counterbalance weight until it doesn’t tilt any further. Adjustments are quick and easy in practice.

Nobody wants wonky video unless it’s for creative effect. Levelling the camera is straightforward thanks to the included, illuminated bubble level, and a single locking knob for the bowl that extends downwards between the three legs. To ensure that the head doesn’t come unscrewed accidentally while panning, a locking screw secures it to the bowl assembly.

The single-twist ‘Fast’ legs make quick setup an absolute breeze. In the instruction manual, however, Manfrotto repeatedly warns against attempting to loosen the twisting section beyond its end-stop, which can cause damage to the mechanism. It’s similarly quick and easy to select any of the three locking leg angles for each leg, thanks to 3-poision sliding locks at the top. 

Down at the bottom, it’s also fast and simple to fit or remove the rubber overshoes for the spiked feet.

The two keyed Easy Link accessory sockets on the legs enable attachment of optional Manfrotto arms and other accessories, with anti-rotation locking which also works with ARRI accessories. One feature that some might miss is a spreader but Manfrotto sells a 2-in-1 Mid-Level/Ground Spreader separately as an optional extra (code number MVASPR2N1) for around £95/$95. As its name suggests, you can attach it as a ground-level spreader when working on flat surfaces, or as a mid-level spreader if you’re shooting on uneven terrain.

Performance

As a set of legs and a video head, both components perform extremely well. Combined together, they’re truly exceptional. Everything just works, and works brilliantly well. The head and legs are amazingly quick to set up and intuitive to use.

Vitally, the fluid pan and tilt mechanisms enable ultra-smooth movement, with the luxury of adjustable damping. Similarly the sliding quick-release plate and counterbalance system ensure really well-balanced operation.

The kit offers rock-solid support with very high resistance to unwanted flexing and wobbling, even at the maximum operating height. The same goes for really low shooting angles, employing the 3-angle leg locking mechanisms. It would have been the cherry on the cake if the compact, fold-away 2-in-1 spreader was included in the kit but performance is nevertheless superb without it.

Verdict

The 504X Fluid Video Head in this up-market kit for pro-grade video shooting is a masterpiece in its own right. It’s highly advanced and very versatile yet simple and intuitive to use. The head is supported by a set of 635 Fast Single Leg Carbon legs, which give rock-solid support. It’s ‘fast’ because the three sections in each leg can be extended or retracted with a single twist of the outer section. The kit has a hefty 12kg load rating but weighs an entirely manageable 5.8kg, and comes complete with a padded bag. Build quality and operational performance is absolutely superb throughout.

Read more: find out about the best tripod for photography in our guide. Or need a tripod for video? Check out our picks for the best video tripod.

The Manfrotto 055 series of tripods has become somewhat legendary over the years and, for us, the MT055CXPRO3 is the pick of the bunch. Further down the pecking order, there’s an aluminum 3-section edition that you can buy as just a set of legs or as a full kit with an optional ball head or 3-way head. There’s also a 4-section carbon fiber edition that folds down somewhat smaller.

For our money though, the 3-section carbon fiber version comes up trumps for rigidity and all-round performance, along with ease of use and a reasonably lightweight construction. It’s pretty pricey though, especially considering that there’s no ‘kit’ option for the 055 CXPRO3, so you need to add the cost of a suitable head, if you don’t have one already.

Specifications

Material: Carbon Fiber
Folded height: 63cm (75cm with ball head)
Maximum operating height: 170cm (182cm with ball head)
Minimum operating height: 9cm (horizontal center column)
Pivot center column: 0/90 degrees
Weight: 2.1kg (2.6kg with ball head)
Load rating: 20kg
Sections per leg/centre column: 3 / 1
Leg section diameters: 29.2, 24.8, 20.4mm
Locking leg angles: 4 (25, 46, 66, 88 degrees)
Feet: Rubber pads
Case/bag included: None

Key features

The 3-section carbon fiber legs have unusually wide diameters of 29.2, 24.8, and 20.4mm from top to bottom, aiming to deliver excellent stability and rigidity even at their maximum extension, with a maximum load rating of no less than 20kg. Whereas many tripods nowadays are fitted with twist locks for each section, the 055 features flip locks. They’re of Manfrotto’s latest ‘Quick Power Lock’ design, and are very quick and easy to use, which we’ll come to later.

Many tripods give the option of three lockable leg angles but the 055 goes one better with four. Splaying the legs to wider angles gives more stable support at lower operating heights, as well as enabling you to adjust to uneven terrain.

A key feature is the pivoting center column, which you can configure in regular vertical orientation or as a horizontal boom. The latter is particularly well suited to macro photography and for shooting with ultra-wide-angle and fisheye lenses, ensuring that the tripod feet don’t creep into the picture. However, the center column can only be locked in vertical or horizontal positions, unlike in the directly competing Vanguard VEO 3+ 303CBS, which has a number of lockable angles through a complete 180-degree arc of movement. This makes the Vanguard arguably more versatile and includes the option of shooting right down at ground level, albeit with the camera upside down, whereas the Manfrotto has a minimum operating height of 9cm.

Up on top, the tripod features a sturdy platform for attaching a head, with a large diameter of 60mm. We’d pair the legs with the Manfrotto XPRO Magnesium Ball Head, which is available with either Manfrotto’s proprietary 200PL-14 Quick Release Plate, or in a ‘Top Lock’ Arca-Swiss compatible version. Both have a load rating of 15kg. Alternatively, there’s the Manfrotto XPRO 3-Way head with more traditional pan, tilt and swivel adjustments, which has a 12kg load rating.

Due to its pivoting mechanism, the 055’s center column doesn’t feature a weight hood at the bottom for adding ballast. Instead, there’s a hook on the spider which doubles as an eyelet for attaching a carrying strap. On the same level as this, there’s a 3/8-inch threaded socket beneath a protective cover for adding accessories like a Manfrotto arm for attaching lights, monitors, and other gadgets. There’s also a bubble level to aid easy leveling, which is mounted in a panning platform so you can rotate it for the best visibility.

Build and handling

Build quality is simply excellent. The construction is based on top-quality carbon fiber for the leg sections and center column, along with magnesium alloy for the metal parts. The outcome is a really solid, full-sized, heavy-duty set of tripod legs that has a comfortable carrying weight of just 2.1kg. As a point of reference, the aluminum version of the 055 3-section tripod is 400g heavier.

As we’ve mentioned, there’s a current vogue for travel tripods in which you fully extend the center column and then swing the legs up for compact stowage. The 055 doesn’t go down that route, so it doesn’t fold down so small but the upside is that it’s really quick and easy to set up for use. The ‘Quick Power Lock’ levers are designed so that they have a pivoting push-pull action, and it’s easy to release both section clamps with a single swipe of the hand.

It’s similarly straightforward to lock the leg sections in place, with superb stability. Should the clamps ever need adjusting over time, it’s a simple job that you can do yourself.

We really like the mechanism for adjusting the leg angles as well. At the top of each leg, there’s a spring-loaded lever which you simply push in to release the lock and select an alternative angle. With four separate locking angles to choose from, the widest angle brings the legs up to an almost horizontal position.

The pivot mechanism follows suit, with particularly intuitive and easy operation. To switch from vertical to horizontal configuration, all you need to do is to loosen the center column twist-action clamp, and press a button on the bottom of the center column to release the catch and push the column fully upwards. Once you reach the top, the holding section pops up and you can pivot the center column through 90 degrees and push it back through. The single twist-action clamp enables re-locking the center column in its horizontal position, complete with the desired amount of horizontal extension and complete 360-degree panning.

Performance

The 055 CXPRO3 entirely lives up to its claims of giving really solid, stable support. Throughout our testing, we found it to be extremely resistant to flexing and vibration. Outright performance isn’t just about stability though, as speed and ease of use are factors in the equation. The 055 excels here as well, being wonderfully quick and easy to set up. From the leg section clamps to the adjustable leg angles and pivoting center column facility, everything just works, and works really well in an entirely intuitive way. Ultimately, it’s a simple yet highly effective tripod.

Verdict

Something of a stickler for tradition, this Manfrotto 055 series tripod has a conventional configuration. The market is currently awash with ‘travel tripods’ that have swing-up legs to reduce the storage size. This one doesn’t, so it’s relatively large when folded down. The upside is that it’s remarkably quick and easy to set up, gives a lofty maximum operating height, and delivers rock-solid support. Everything works intuitively, including the pivoting center column mechanism which adds versatility, but you’ll need to buy a head separately, plus a carrying bag if you feel the need for one.

Read more: looking for your next tripod, whatever you are shooting we have you covered, find out more about the best travel tripods, the best carbon fiber tripods, and the best video tripods.

Manfrotto has launched two new tripod kits, each incorporating Manfrotto's clever and innovative MOVE Quick Release System. The Manfrotto MT055CXPRO3 Carbon Fiber Tripod with MHXPRO-3W Head & Move Quick Release Kit is based on Manfrotto's tried and tested MT055CXPRO3 Carbon Fiber Tripod. These legs aren't new, but they do offer a stout shooting base with a 170cm maximum height, 63cm closed length and 20kg maximum payload. A 2.1kg product weight is on the heavier side for a carbon tripod, but this is a tripod design for rigidity over portability, a point further proved by the legs being comprised of 3 sections rather than the more typical 4 or 5. The kit's included head is Manfrotto's excellent MHXPRO-3W 3 Way Pan-Tilt Head. This offers greater compositional precision than a ball head, yet its compact retractable handles still pack down tightly for a streamlined shape.

Alternatively, the Manfrotto MT055CXPRO4 Carbon Fiber Tripod with MHXPRO-BHQ2 XPRO Ball Head & Move Quick Release Kit is the more portable kit of the pair. Still incorporating an 055-series tripod legs, the CXPRO4 instead features 4-section legs for a more compact 54cm closed length, while still matching the MT055CXPRO3's 170cm max extended height. The kit includes a MHXPRO-BHQ2 XPRO Ball Head - a top-notch ball head design with ergonomic lever locks and a stout 15kg payload and adjustable friction control.

But what sets both these kits apart is the device that sits between the tripod legs and the head. Manfrotto's MOVE Quick Release Catcher System Set is a compact adapter with a 3/8"-16 thread at the bottom of the catcher base, and a regular 1/4"-20 spigot atop the QR plate. The circular plate simply clicks into the base and is released with a twist of the base's knurled twist lock collar. The idea is if you need to switch your camera between multiple tripods, rigs, sliders or a gimbal, each support can be fitted with a MOVE Catcher base, and a single QR plate attached to the base of your favorite tripod head. This can then be quickly and easily transferred between supports. Alternatively, if you use multiple heads - a ball head for stills, and a pan/tilt head for video - a MOVE Catcher can be fitter to the top of each head, and a MOVE QR plate screwed to the tripod socket on your camera, so you can easily switch your camera between different heads.

Both tripod kits are available now from B&H, with the Manfrotto MT055CXPRO3 Carbon Fiber Tripod with MHXPRO-3W Head & Move Quick Release Kit priced at $699. The Manfrotto MT055CXPRO4 Carbon Fiber Tripod with MHXPRO-BHQ2 XPRO Ball Head & Move Quick Release Kit retails for $749.

Read more:

• The best travel tripod
• The best video tripods 
• The best monopods
• 7 golden rules of tripod stability
• Best ball heads for tripods
• Best pan and tilt heads for tripods
• Best gimbal heads for tripods

We saw some seriously good tripod deals during Black Friday this year, and they were essentially on Amazon Australia. The online retail giant has done it again, closing the year off with a bang by slashing prices of Manfrotto tripods by up to a very generous 57%!

• There are some excellent Canon camera Boxing Day deals

Now, any photographer worth their salt knows you need to be steady to get a good shot and, if you're definitely keen on motion blur or to capture anything with a slow shutter speed, you are definitely going to need a tripod of some kind. More importantly, if you're a videographer or vlogger, you most definitely will need to keep things steady as. And while there are some excellent brands out there, the most popular name is probably Manfrotto.

Manfrotto makes some of the best tripods in the world, with most of them offering great stability, particularly those featuring the horizontal column mechanism that can be extended. Power locks for the legs keep the tripod stable no matter where you are, and they also make it quick and easy to deploy or pack up the tripod.

Other features on some Manfrotto tripods include a bubble level, while some have an easy link connector to attach photo accessories like lights or reflectors.

No matter what your needs are, you might find a Manfrotto tripod to suit your needs during Amazon's Boxing Day sale. We've picked a few of our favourite offers below to help you find a great option.

Read more: 

Best travel tripods
Best carbon fibre tripods
Best video tripods
Best mini tripods
Best budget tripods

Something of a wonder material, carbon fiber is used extensively in the construction of racecars and other high-performance vehicles, as well as in most of the best tripods you can buy. Carbon fiber tripods are both stronger and lighter than their aluminum counterparts, which is useful for pretty much any genre of shooting. But ‘better’ usually equates to ‘more expensive’ and carbon tripods are certainly no exception.

Although renowned for being pricey, carbon fiber tripods don’t have to be prohibitively expensive. Many major manufacturers offer carbon options of their tripods that are fairly budget-friendly. Check out some of the big names in the business like Manfrotto, 3 Legged Thing, Benro and Vanguard, and you’ll see a number of carbon fiber tripods that offer premium quality at very good value for money.

So how do you 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 find a tripod with all of the features you need, and that you’re not paying for a whole bunch of extras that you’re never going to use. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best options on the market right now.

Best carbon fiber tripods 

Best multi-purpose carbon fiber tripod

Carbon fiber tripods usually fall into one of two categories – big full-height tripods or travel tripods. From 3 Legged Thing’s Pro 2.0 range, the Winston 2.0 is a full-height tripod that reaches a towering 194cm / 76.4” maximum operating height, complete with a super-strong 40g / 88lbs load rating, and that includes its rock-steady AirHed Pro ball head that comes in the complete kit, all wrapped up in a high-quality padded carrying case. And carrying is actually simplified by Winston taking a leaf out of travel tripod design. The legs swing up and surround the extended center column, enabling it to fold down to just 61.2cm / 24” in length.

Naturally, it can sometimes be just as important to be able to shoot from a really low level instead of from up on high. The tripod obliges, as you can remove the center column and attach the head directly to the legs, which splay out to enable a minimum operating height of just 23.1cm / 9.09”.

In many recent tripods, you can remove one leg and attach it to the center column to act as a monopod. The Winston goes one (or two) better in that you can remove all the legs. As well as monopod duty, this enables you to fit optional Vanz dual ball/spiked feet (sold separately as an optional extra) and turn the Winston 2.0 into a sturdy tabletop-tripod. Other footwear is also available, to suit pretty much any kind of terrain.

Read our full 3 Legged Thing Winston 2.0 tripod review

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Best budget carbon fiber tripod

The Vanguard Vesta TB 204CB is a highly affordable and complete carbon fiber travel tripod kit, and the inclusion of carbon fiber legs and a ball head at this price point is remarkable. Weighing just 0.78kg (1.72lb) and folding down to a compact 37.5cm (14.8 inches), it is ideal for travelers who want to pack it inside a daily bag without it being a burden.

The tripod's design features four-section legs with twist-locks and a reversible center column that can be used for low-level shooting. The included T-46 ball head has a quick-release plate, a single locking knob for pan and tilt, and a separate friction control.

Its main limitation is its modest maximum height of 130cm (51 inches) with the center column extended, and the tripod can feel a little bit wobbly at this full height. But on the whole, the Vanguard Vesta TB 204CB is an attractive and well-made kit that offers exceptional value for money, and makes an excellent choice for budget-conscious photographers on the go.

Read our full Vanguard Vesta TB 204CB review

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Best travel carbon fiber tripod

Built from carbon fiber and aluminum alloy, the Freewell FW-T1 supports everything from smartphones to medium-format cameras while remaining exceptionally lightweight. Its standout feature is versatility; the quick-release plate cleverly doubles as a phone holder when flipped, allowing creators to switch seamlessly between professional photography and social media content.

One leg can be detached to convert into a monopod, offering flexibility for fast-paced shooting. The tripod also includes a 360° ball head that supports portrait orientation without needing an L-bracket, accessory expansion holes, and a hidden compartment for an AirTag.

The twist-lock legs allow for quick setup with three flexible angle positions (20°, 55°, and 75°), making it adaptable to uneven terrain. The ball head is smooth and precise, though the multiple levers can initially be confusing. While it sits in a mid-range price bracket, the professional build quality and thoughtful engineering make it excellent value for money.

Read our full Freewell FW-T1 review

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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 our full Peak Design Travel Tripod review

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Best design

The Benro Cyanbird Carbon Tripod comes as a kit with Benro's FS30 Head, and the pair makes for a great combination that stands out for its innovative design and performance. Unlike many typical travel tripod designs, this forgoes swing-up legs, thus allowing for quicker setup and breakdown, but rather than being completely circular in shape, the legs are made of oval, curved leg sections that wrap around a triangular center column, minimizing its stowed size to a still-very-compact 45.5cm. The supplied FS30 ball head offers similarly innovative design solutions, with the panning section located at the top of the head rather than the base, which makes leveling the tripod for panning particularly easy.

Despite its lightweight construction – tipping the scales at a shade under a kilogram – it offers impressive rigidity and stability, offering solid support for loads up to 4.5kg, even at its maximum height of 150cm, effectively resisting vibrations and ensuring stable shots. While this carbon tripod is priced higher than the hybrid version (which combines carbon fiber and aluminum), its clever design and attention to detail justify the cost, and it's a worthwhile investment for photographers and videographers seeking a compact, lightweight, and high-performing travel tripod.

Read more: Benro Cyanbird Carbon Tripod + FS30 head kit review

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Best for height range

The Neewer LiteTrip LT38 travel tripod is constructed from high-quality carbon fiber, but rather than traditional circular tubes, the legs have a flattened profile for compact stowage. It features five-section legs and a two-section center column, and offers three locking leg angles, which enable a really versatile range for shooting up high and down low, with a maximum operating height of 155cm and a minimum operating height of 15cm.

Some five-section tripods are a bit on the flimsy side, but not so the LiteTrip LT38, which boasts a substantial 10kg load capacity and effectively minimizes vibrations and unwanted flexing. What's more, the 12 leg-locking levers are quick and easy to operate, enabling quick setup times. All in all, this Neewer tripod makes for an excellent choice, combining a high-end carbon fiber build with a robust and adaptable ball head, delivering outstanding performance.

Read more: Neewer LiteTrip LT38 review

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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 my testing, I was 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 our full Manfrotto 635 Fast Single Leg Carbon & 504X head review

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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 our full Manfrotto MT055CXPRO3 review

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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 build, which uses braided carbon fiber 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 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 our full Benro Rhino FRHN34CVX30 review

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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 intuitive 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, other tripods 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 our full Vanguard VEO 3+ 303CBS review

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Aluminum vs Carbon Fiber

Aluminum tripods are created from an aluminum alloy, and while it's not the strongest metal available, it is relatively strong for its weight. It also has the benefit of being fairly malleable, meaning that if you manage to damage it via impact, it will more likely become bent rather than completely broken, and therefore still be usable.

Carbon fiber is a composite material in which strings of carbon atoms are set in a plastic resin, and have a very high strength-to-weight ratio, meaning that tripods made from the material are much lighter to carry. However, while tougher than aluminum, if it suffers from a sudden impact, its greater rigidity means it’s prone to cracking or shattering – in cold weather or when dropped onto a hard surface. So carbon fiber tripods need to be used with more care than aluminum ones.

Carbon fiber tripods are touted as stronger and lighter than their metallic counterparts. When we refer to tripod ‘strength’, we’re essentially talking about stiffness – resistance to compression when a load is placed on top. Stiffness is measured in gigapascals (GPa), and aluminum scores 69 compared to around 181 for carbon fiber. So, for the same diameter tripod leg, carbon fiber is much stronger, and because the material is less dense, it’s far lighter, too (although you should note there are different grades of carbon fiber).

Metal is a better thermal conductor than carbon fiber, which is bad news in cold weather, as aluminum tripods will be incredibly cold to the touch – too cold to handle without gloves. Carbon fiber tripods are warmer to the touch, which landscape photographers will appreciate. Many aluminum tripods have a foam covering on the top section of one leg, but this further adds to the bulk, and you’ll still need gloves to set up the tripod.

How to choose

Although all tripods have three legs, there are lots of features to differentiate between different models. These are some of the key features to consider when picking the right one for you:

Maximum height
A tripod that can at least reach up to your own head height is useful – but it can make the tripod bigger and heavier, so you may need to compromise on this.

Minimum height
How low can you go when photographing a subject? Some tripods allow their legs to stretch out sideways, or to reverse the column so the head is suspended between the legs, to get you close to the ground. This is particularly useful, say, when photographing flowers.

Folded size
The size of the tripod when folded is important for travel. Some tripod legs have more sections than others, to help keep the tripod compact when not in use. Some have swing-up legs, so the feet encircle the head.

Heads
Some tripods are sold with a head, and others are not, to allow you to choose the legs and head separately. Most tripod kits are sold with a ball head.

Leg section clamps
Twist-action locking clamps are generally more popular for loosening and locking the leg sections, but the Manfrotto 055 uses equally effective flip locks.

Monopod option
With some tripods, you can unscrew one leg and use it with the center column as a monopod.

Pivot facility
Some tripods have a center column that pivots to allow you to have the camera pointing straight down to the ground – useful for flat-lay photography, and more.

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

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The best mini tripods aim to give you the stability of a full-size tripod, while being lighter, more compact, and easier to carry. Typically, they weigh just a few hundred grams, and you can easily slip them into a pocket or inside a camera bag. They also cost much less than full-sized tripods. But, of course, their stunted size does mean that they don't offer the shooting height of a taller tripod – hence why they are often used on a table, wall, or other sturdy raised surface. They can open up all sorts of possibilities, including long exposures, group selfies, and more. Some are multi-functional and can be converted to a handgrip or selfie stick, offering extra functionality and flexibility when you're out and about with your camera.

It's important to note that mini tripods are also only suitable for lighter camera kit – think a mirrorless with a kit lens, compact camera, or an action cam, rather than a pro-level DSLR with a monster zoom attached. But they are not just for cameras, and are also supremely useful for supporting accessories like off-camera flashguns, light panels, or microphones. Many come with clamps that can also hold a smartphone – though if that's your prime reason for buying one, see my dedicated guide to the best iPhone and smartphone tripods.

Below you'll find my pick of the best mini tripods available today, and precisely which is best for you will depend on how and what you shoot. Some have bendable legs that can cling to protruding objects or sit on uneven surfaces, others have extendable legs or an adjustable central column for extra height, and several come with a ball head for precise angles and positioning. I've noted such features in my recommendations, but for more information, I've included links to our full reviews. Let's get to it…

Best mini tripods 

Best mini tripod for portability

Given Manfrotto's sterling reputation in the tripod market, it makes sense that the firm's mini support would also be impressive – and the Manfrotto PIXI is just that. It's a fairly standard mini tripod in many ways; small enough to slip into a jacket pocket or small bag and capable of holding up to 1kg of kit. It also adds a handy ball head into the mix with 360° of rotation and a simple push-button secure-and-release mechanism. However, it doesn't tilt up by more than 35°, making astrophotography impracticable.

I was impressed most of all by the build quality of the Manfrotto PIXI – its aluminum legs are smoothly curved in a way that just feels premium. What's more, when they close, they form a single rounded column that transforms the PIXI into a pretty serviceable camera grip, which is extra useful for video.

See our full Manfrotto PIXI mini tripod review

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Most flexible mini tripod

The Freewell Vlogpod is a tabletop mini-tripod with flexible legs, designed to be wrapped around various objects, such as posts and branches, as well as used on flat surfaces. The secret to its flexibility is a seven-strand aluminum core inside each leg, encased in durable ABS plastic and polyamide glass fiber. This construction allows the legs to be bent into your desired shape while maintaining the rigidity needed to support a payload of up to 3kg, which is plenty for a DSLR or mirrorless with a standard or wide-angle lens.

But it's not just for cameras. Underneath the sturdy camera mount is a spring-loaded cradle that holds your phone securely. This clever convertible mount sits atop a removable ball head that offers 360-degree panning and has a cutout for vertical shooting.

I was particularly impressed with the Vlogpod's ability to hold its shape firmly, even with heavier loads. The ball head is smooth to operate and secure once locked. While the tripod lacks a center column for height extension, this is compensated for by its ability to attach to elevated objects in the environment. It's a bit too bulky to carry in a pocket, but this is a necessary trade-off for its strength and versatility, and its 456g weight and overall strength make it a good and comfortable-to-hold solution for a flexible tripod.

See our full Freewell Vlogpod review

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Best value 2-in-1 mini tripod

The K&F Concept 62-inch 2-in-1 Selfie Stick Tripod offers a surprising amount of functionality for its low price point, acting as both an ultra-tall selfie stick and a lightweight tripod. Constructed from a blend of aluminum and plastic, it features a sleek 'carbon fiber-look' aesthetic, and the build quality is surprisingly impressive for an inexpensive accessory. Its standout physical feature is a seven-section telescopic center column that reaches an impressive maximum height of 62.1 inches (157cm). The downside is that, when folded, it measures 13.9 inches (352mm), which is rather long, but still manageable for backpacks.

At its lowest height, it is sturdy enough to support a small mirrorless camera (up to its 4.4lb/2kg limit). However, raising the telescopic column introduces significant wobble, making it less ideal for heavy equipment or windy outdoor conditions. It comes with a detachable Bluetooth remote that pairs easily with smartphones, which is particularly useful for remote shutter activation and long-exposure photography.

See our full K&F Concept 62-inch 2-in-1 Selfie Stick Tripod review

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Best premium mini tripod

If you're looking for a versatile tabletop tripod that isn't just confined to a tabletop, look no further than the Benro Tablepod Flex. Including a set of flexible legs inside the solid legs is ingenious, as it means you can attach it to any surface when you’re out and about. You can also configure the legs to form a monopod/selfie stick if you should need some extra reach and it comes with a mobile phone adapter so it can be used with either a smartphone, compact camera, or small mirrorless.

If you often use accessories such as a light or a mic, you'll be pleased to hear it comes with two accessory arms so you can attach different devices easily. It's a little on the expensive side for a tabletop tripod. But considering all the well-thought-out features, it's worth spending a bit more.

See our full Benro TablePod Flex Kit review

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Best tall mini tripod