When it comes to tripod manufacturers, Benro might not be as famous as a couple of its Italian cousins, but this Chinese company has been up and running for more than 30 years and has manufactured some of my personal favorite professional-grade tripods, monopods, and support accessories during that time. I’ve tested and reviewed quite a few of them over the last decade and bought a couple as a result, subsequently being completely happy with them over long periods of time.

The monopod that I’m reviewing here is from the SupaDupa line-up. Typical of Benro products in general and SupaDupa monopods in particular, it’s cleverly designed with innovative features, expertly engineered, and immaculately finished. As such, it aims to be one of the best monopods for photographers on the market today. Whether you need to support the heavy load of a big telephoto lens or just beat the shakes when using slow shutter speeds, this Benro should prove well up to the task.

Benro MSD46CB SupaDupa: Specifications

Benro MSD46CB SupaDupa: Price

What price a monopod? The Benro MSD46CB Black Diamond SupaDupa costs $170 / £180, which is pretty much at the upper end of the scale, especially for a Chinese-manufactured monopod, although you can expect to pay more for a top-of-the-range Manfrotto or Gitzo, both of which are made in Italy. For comparison, we reviewed the similar Benro SupaDupa Pro MSDPL46C, which lists at an even pricier $209 / £209 and is shorter but heavier, though it does come complete with a useful leveling pan head, which is absent from the MSD46CB I’m reviewing here.

Benro MSD46CB SupaDupa: Design & Handling

There are a lot of things I like about this Benro monopod, but top of the list is the 8-layer carbon fiber from which it’s made. The look and finish of the carbon fiber absolutely scream ‘quality’, and as I’ll come to later, that translates into superb performance. And although impressively rigid even at full stretch, the carbon build helps to keep the weight down to an easily manageable 0.58kg or 1.3lb. That’s despite the monopod having a mighty maximum payload rating of 40kg / 88lb.

Speaking of full stretch, I’m a tall guy and have often been disappointed that even some of the best monopods on the market are simply too short for me to use without stooping. That’s definitely not a problem with this Benro, as it extends to a relatively towering 177cm, or 5ft 10in. Just like with the huge payload rating being delivered by a lightweight construction, the lofty maximum operating height comes with a surprisingly small stowage length of just 43.5cm or 17.1in. That’s made possible by no less than six telescoping leg sections.

Okay, I’d be the first to admit that such a large number of leg sections would normally equate to a couple of compromises. First up, as I’ve experienced with many travel tripods, the bottom sections often tend to be very thin and spindly, and therefore lacking in strength and rigidity. That’s not the case here, as even the bottom section has a generous diameter of 21.8mm (0.9in), with a robust and rigid feel to it.

The second compromise is that six leg sections require five separate clamps to release and lock them, which brings the prospect of the monopod being a time-consuming chore to use. As it turns out, the bottom four telescoping sections each have a twist-action lock. They’re pretty quick and easy to use, partly because when the monopod is contracted, you can grab all of the twist clamps in one handful and loosen or tighten them in a single gesture.

The top telescoping section is different from all of the rest, as it has a quick-release flip-action lock. Not only is it easy to locate by feel when your eye is to the viewfinder of your camera, but it’s super-speedy to operate. When using the monopod, I find that I generally tend to extend all of the lower sections and just rely on the top section with its flip lock for making any height adjustments. That makes using the Benro speedy and simple.

I’m a little disappointed that the monopod doesn’t come with a head, but I know a lot of photographers who find it unnecessary to use a head with a monopod. And at least if you do want to use a head, you can buy one of your choosing. Either way, the monopod has a 60mm / 2.4in diameter circular platform up top, which should prove ideal for mounting a camera or the mounting ring of a big, heavy lens, or indeed a head.

A crafty bit of design is that the securing screw for any of these has a dual-diameter spring-loaded arrangement, so the larger 3/8in thread automatically retracts to reveal a 1/4in thread if you need the smaller size. If you’re fitting a head on the monopod, there’s also a grub screw in the platform to ensure that it doesn’t work loose.

Another thing that you don’t want to be working loose is your grip on the monopod, sending your camera and attached lens crashing to the ground. I’m reassured that the monopod features a wrist strap, and it’s a particularly good one at that. Not only does it have an adjustable diameter to securely fasten around any size of wrist, but it also has a push-button, quick-release clip so that you can quickly and easily remove the wrist strap if you feel the need. The quick-release clip can also be easily removed from the securing lug to which it’s tethered.

Keeping a secure hold on the monopod is also aided by the inclusion of a Benro SupaDupa Shoulder Pad in the kit, a standalone version being available on its own for $20 / £15. It’s a really neat comfort pad that you can wrap around the monopod, with a rubberized, anti-slip inner surface, a padded mesh exterior, and a Velcro strip to keep it in place. You can actually use it with any monopod or tripod leg that has a diameter of between 32mm and 37mm (1.3in and 1.5in).

Neat extras include a couple of hex keys for making adjustments if and when needed, and there’s a clip for attaching one of them to the monopod if you feel you might need to use it when you’re out and about.

Even the foot of the monopod is pretty smart. I find that I’m often given to panning when using a monopod, as I use them with heavy telephoto lenses while tracking wildlife and sports subjects in motion. The fixed foot of most monopods tends to try to drill a hole in the ground during the process, and can make panning feel stiff and jerky. This Benro monopod features a spinning foot, which glides on its own V-profile roller bearing cage, making panning actions silky smooth.

If panning’s not your thing and you feel the urge to ram the bottom of your monopod into soft ground for a more assured footing, you can swap out the spinning foot with its rubber pad for a metal spike that’s supplied as part of the kit. You simply unscrew one and screw in the other, which takes minimal time and effort.

Benro MSD46CB SupaDupa: Performance

If I had to sum up the performance of the Benro MSD46CB Black Diamond SupaDupa Monopod in two words, they’d be ‘speedy’ and ‘sturdy’, but allow me to embellish. I like that, with no fewer than six telescopic sections, the monopod folds down small, but has a really tall maximum operating height.

That would usually come with the pain of setup and take-down being time-consuming chores. However, the provision of a flip-action clamp for the top section and twist-action clamps for the lower sections actually makes the monopod quick to extend and fold down again. It also makes any required height adjustments fast and effortless while the monopod is actually in use.

Then there’s the stability. I’m of the ‘fat legs first’ school of monopod and tripod use, in that I generally extend the larger-diameter top legs first and only deploy the relatively thin bottom ones if I really need to. I use this Benro rather differently, extending all of the lower sections, all of the time, and then extending or contracting the fattest top section with its flip-action clamp to apply any necessary height adjustments. In practice, that works really well, and the monopod remains rigid and extremely resistant to any unwanted flexing, even at its maximum operating height with everything fully extended.

And to finish with just a little thing, that spinning pad on the foot with its roller bearings gives a huge performance boost when you’re panning or just tracking subjects in motion.

Benro MSD46CB SupaDupa: Verdict

The Benro MSD46CB Black Diamond SupaDupa is definitely one of the best monopods I’ve ever used. It’s cleverly designed, superbly well-engineered, immaculately finished, and performs flawlessly. I really like that it folds down nice and small, and is really lightweight for the journey, yet stretches to a very generous maximum operating height and has a mighty payload rating.

The carbon fiber is of particularly good quality, and the clamps all work with smooth precision. I like the mix of twist-locks and a flip-action lock up top, which work brilliantly well together, enabling speed and ease of use. The spinning foot makes the Benro an absolute joy to use for panning shots. My only gripe is that Benro’s rather excellent leveling pan head isn’t supplied as part of the kit, despite the monopod being particularly pricey to buy.

Alternatives

Benro is a Chinese creator of pro-grade tripods and other photography and videography supports. The company has been going strong for 30 years and counting, and I’ve personally paid cash money for some of its products over the last 10 years or so. I’ve been very happy with all of my purchases, being continually impressed with the craftsmanship, quality and dependability, throughout heavy use over long periods of time. Items in my collection include the lofty but super-sturdy carbon fiber Benro TMA38CL Mach3 9X CF Series 3 Long Tripod, the Benro GH2N gimbal head for the joy of movement, the Benro SupaDupa Pro MSDPL46C carbon fiber monopod, and the highly ingenious, ultra-versatile Benro FS20PRO Hybrid Video & Foto Head.

The Benro A48FD Aluminum Monopod that I’m reviewing here might not be ‘SupaDupa’, but it’s still packed with clever tricks. Benro bills it as a lightweight flip-lock video monopod that’s ideal for small cameras, with a 3-leg locking base that includes a ball joint for smooth and stable shots, along with reverse folding legs for compact travel. I’d agree with all of that, although I really don’t feel it’s only ‘ideal for small cameras’. I think its 20kg / 44lb payload rating makes this monopod tough enough to support even the heaviest of cameras mounted with long lenses. All in all, it aims to be one of the best monopods on the market, and quite possibly the best value for money.

Benro A48FD Monopod: Specifications

Benro A48FD Monopod: Price

I recently tested and reviewed the rather excellent Benro MSD46CB Black Diamond SupaDupa Monopod, a heavy-duty monopod with a heavy-duty price tag of $170 / £180. I’d have bought one myself if I didn’t already have the older Benro SupaDupa Pro MSDPL46C in my supporting cast. Shortly afterwards, I spotted this aluminum monopod kit with added extras in the shape of a 3-leg base for the bargain price of just $99 / £59, and the deal was done. It seems outrageously great value, especially in the UK, and for me, it’s a worthy additional monopod that I can use for hybrid shooting. Further investigation revealed the full list price in the UK is actually £120, but even at that price, it's reasonable value.

If you’re feeling flush, there’s also the Benro SupaDupa Pro MSDPL46C carbon fiber monopod, which lists at a much more expensive $209 / £209. This kit doesn’t include a 3-leg base but does come complete with a leveling head that’s useful for panning when shooting video or stills.

Benro A48FD Monopod: Design & Handling

The full title of this monopod is the Benro A48FD Series 4 Aluminum Monopod with 3-Leg Locking Base, which pretty much gives the game away and doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Even so, it’s imaginatively designed to be genuinely supportive for both videography and stills photography. It’s a bit like the best bits of a monopod and tripod all wrapped up into one convenient package, able to stand on its own three feet while giving a helping hand to panning and tilting, so you can go steady while tracking the action.

Let me start by saying what this monopod is not… It’s not carbon fiber. Even so, it has a high-quality aluminum build. It’s just that it’s also nearly twice the weight of the carbon fiber Benro MSD46CB Black Diamond SupaDupa Monopod that I mentioned earlier, although that monopod doesn’t include a 3-leg base. Either way, the aluminum model isn’t exactly heavy, at a very manageable 1.07kg / 2.36lb, and that’s with the 3-leg base fitted.

There are four leg sections in all, enabling the monopod to rise up from a fairly compact 56cm / 22in folded length (or minimum height) to a maximum operating height of 164cm / 64.6in. Sure, it’s not the tallest monopod in the world, but I’m 6ft 5in and found that it was tall enough for me to use comfortably without stooping. Naturally, if you add a monopod/tripod head of your choosing, you’ll gain an extra few inches in maximum height. More on that later.

Each of those four leg sections is pretty beefy, with diameters of 36.2, 32.4, 28.6, and 25.2mm, as measured from fattest at the top to the thinnest at the bottom. The four sections come complete with three flip locks, again differing from the SupaDupa design, which mostly employs twist locks with just one flip lock at the top. I’m fine with flip locks throughout, especially as they work with smooth but solid efficiency.

I’ll come to that 3-leg stand in a moment, but let’s start at the top and work our way downwards. The circular platform for mounting a camera or head has a sizeable diameter of 56cm / 22in. Given the monopod’s aspirations towards videography and panning for stills, I’m pleased that there are no less than three grub screws featured in the platform to securely lock a head in place if you fit one. I just hate it when a head starts unwantedly unscrewing when I’m panning in a counter-clockwise direction.

Another neat thing about the platform is that it features a reversible screw, so you can use it for mounting cameras or heads with either a standard 1/4in or 3/8in thread. A spanner is provided along with some other tools for removing, inverting, and securely refitting the mounting screw in either orientation. While that’s in process, you can also remove the platform for securing or releasing the grub screws, and detach the wrist strap on its circular metal collar if you’d rather not use it.

A plus point of aluminum compared with carbon fiber is that it’s not prone to shattering if it gets a sharp knock (accidentally, of course). A minus point is that it feels relatively cold to the touch, which can be an issue in chilly weather if you’re not wearing gloves. With that in mind, there’s a generous length of comfort padding applied to the top tube, and very comfy it feels too, being not too firm and not too squishy.

Enough beating around the bush. Let’s get onto that 3-leg stand, which is indeed a pretty standout feature of the kit. The complete assembly fixes to the bottom of the monopod in the same way that you’d attach a regular foot pad or spike, via a single threaded socket. However, each of the legs within the assembly is mounted on its own separate hinge. You can therefore rotate each of the legs down from their folded-up position, so that they stick out laterally, ready for action. They lock in place automatically when you reach full extension, thanks to the inclusion of spring-loaded pins. The head of each of the three incumbent pins has the word ‘Push’ engraved in the top, and, sure enough, you simply push them in to unlock each leg and fold it up again.

The fact that the legs fold upwards means they don’t add anything to the stowage length of the monopod, unless you extend the bottom section to enable them to fold flush with the tube, rather than over the flip locks.

A smart feature of the 3-leg assembly is that it has a ball and socket joint at the top. An anodized red twist clamp enables you to lock or release the joint. When locked, it keeps the monopod standing upright, or at your preferred angle to the vertical. When unlocked, the ball joint enables tilt and panning for shooting stills or video. There’s a full 360 degrees of panning on offer, but the tilt range is relatively limited.

Although the 3-leg base is a major feature of the kit, there are times when it’s more convenient to ditch it altogether and use the monopod in time-honored fashion, with just a single foot. With that in mind, you can simply unscrew the 3-leg base and detach it altogether, stowing it away for safekeeping.

For regular monopod duty without the 3-leg foot in tow, the kit comes complete with a regular and impressively chunky pointed rubber pad. It simply screws into the bottom of the monopod in place of the 3-leg base. A metal spike is available to buy as an optional extra if you’d prefer that for working on loose ground.

For making adjustments to any of the flip locks, removing and refitting the platform, and for other running repairs or alterations, the monopod is supplied with a spanner and three hex keys of different sizes. There’s also a clip that you can attach to the top tube, for holding the largest of the hex keys and for tethering a cable that’s running down from your mounted camera.

I’ve seen plenty of expensive, luxury tripods and monopods from certain manufacturers that are supplied without a carrying bag (stand up and be counted, Manfrotto). I’m impressed that despite the cut-price tag on this Benro monopod, it’s nevertheless supplied with a high-quality soft case, complete with an adjustable shoulder strap and an inner zippered pocket for stashing the set of tools.

Benro A48FD Monopod: Performance

The Benro monopod is short enough for me to use on my hands and knees, if I feel the need. That also means it’s not too big or heavy to carry around easily. That’s a big performance factor in my book, as unwieldy kit is likely to be left at home when I’m out and about, where it’s of no use whatsoever.

For more practical purposes in general shooting, the Benro extends to a fairly generous height so that I can use it without stooping, and I’m a pretty tall guy (well, tall if not pretty). Maximum extension is a stern test for any monopod or tripod, because it makes use of the thinnest legs and all of the joints, each of which is a potential point of weakness. I’m pleased that the Benro feels really rigid and resistant to unwanted flexing and vibrations, even at its maximum operating height.

Last but not least in the performance stakes, given the hybrid video/stills nature of the monopod, is its ability to enable tilting and panning. I’d say that the system works, but that it’s good rather than entirely great. I found the range of tilt to be a little limiting, and panning was prone to catching occasionally, rather than having a fluid and free-flowing action. The remedy for both of these niggles comes in the shape of a pan and tilt head, which you can buy separately and fit to the monopod.

I’d heartily recommend the Benro FS20PRO Hybrid Video & Foto Head, which I actually bought for use with this and other monopods and tripods, and it’s been serving me thoroughly well. It’s a ball head that also includes independent tilt and panning locks with a nice fluid action. There’s even a secondary panning mechanism up on top, which is especially useful for rotating the Arca-Swiss top clamp to suit either a long lens with a tripod mounting collar, or a camera with an L-bracket or cage.

Benro A48FD Monopod: Verdict

I really like that the Benro A48FD Series 4 Aluminum Monopod with 3-Leg Locking Base amply caters to my every whim. Sometimes I want the extra stability and secure footing of a 3-leg base. Other times, I prefer the slimline and unrestricted placement of a single foot. The Benro does both, thanks to the inclusion of a 3-leg base and an alternative chunky rubber foot, which are quickly and easily swappable.

In other respects, the Benro continues to impress, with solid and sturdy performance, fast and simple adjustments, and a good range of operating heights enabled by its chunky 4-section design. Sure, it lacks the luxury of a carbon fiber monopod, but this aluminum stick is cleverly designed, smartly finished, and works a treat. All in all, it’s great for shooting both video and stills, and it’s an absolute steal at the price.

Alternatives

It’s been two and a half years since I reviewed the original 3 Legged Thing AirHed Cine, and I was very impressed at the time. It was everything I’d come to expect from the company behind it – an innovative design that packs an array of useful features, with excellent build quality and an impeccable finish.

Enough said? Well, while I’ve been steadily adding to my personal collection of 3 Legged Thing photo and video equipment over the years, the new and improved AirHed Cine CC is destined for a place on my shopping list, with its ability to turn pretty much any set of legs into one of the best video tripods. It certainly looks and feels right at home on my prized 3 Legged Thing Winston 2.0 sturdy carbon tripod.

3 Legged Thing AirHed Cine CC: Specifications

3 Legged Thing AirHed Cine CC: Price

Specialist video heads are often big, heavy, unwieldy, and very expensive to buy. The 3 Legged Thing AirHed Cine CC is ideal in my books (and those of my accountant), in that it’s relatively compact, lightweight, and reasonably priced, at $249 / £229 / AU$799. Considering the feature set and quality of construction, it’s a bit of a bargain.

3 Legged Thing AirHed Cine CC: Design & Handling

I didn’t find much of anything wrong with the original version of the 3 Legged Thing AirHed Cine fluid, video head, but the updated ‘CC’ adds some neat new tricks. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though, and start with the basics. The head is designed primarily with videography in mind, but it works just fine for shooting stills as well, especially if panning is the name of the game for tracking sports or wildlife subjects. It’s also a good fit for a large spotting scope.

A key feature of any video head is that it enables smooth pan and tilt movements, and, just like the original, the CC has a lovely fluid feel to it, based on a quality design and spring-loaded counterbalance mechanism. That said, the counterbalance is not adjustable to accommodate different sizes and weights of camera, but the omission is what I’d expect from a relatively compact, lightweight, and affordable video head, such as this one.

Crucial to panning and tilting is the panning handle itself, as your primary point of physical contact with the head. The handle is completely revamped in the new version, the main difference being that it has a retractable design. Not only does it enable you to choose the length that feels most comfortable and natural in use, but it also makes it less likely that you’ll need to remove it and stash it separately when stowing the head. The images above and below show the panning handle in its retracted and fully extended states.

True to type, the panning handle is mounted on splines, which enable a wide range of rotational adjustment as well as ensuring a secure fitment that avoids any slippage or wobbling. The arm release knob can be pulled out and rotated on a six-sided head to ensure it doesn’t stick out in the wrong direction and get in the way when fastened.

Also, as I’d hope for in a video head, the panning handle can be attached to the left or right side, catering not only to left-handed and right-handed users but also to individual preference. Some right-handers will prefer to use the panning handle with their left hand, to leave their right hand free for operating the mounted camera.

At the center of the left side of the head is the main tilt-action lock and release knob. It operates with smooth simplicity and can lock off the tilt very securely for fixed position shooting. Only minimal turning is required to lock or release the head’s tilt mechanism. A generous 165 degrees of tilt is on offer, from 90 degrees forward to 75 degrees backward.

Above and to the front of the tilt knob on the side of the head is a mounting socket with a standard 1/4-inch thread. You can use this to attach accessories like a microphone, LED lamp, or video monitor. 3 Legged Thing offers two sizes of optional ‘Pivot Magic Arms’ for the task.

Down at the bottom of the left-hand side is the panning lock/release knob. Like the release knob for the panning handle, this one is spring-loaded and sits on a six-sided head, so you can pull it out and rotate it to your preferred position. Loosening the lever enables a full 360-degree panning rotation. To help keep tabs on movement, there’s a 360-degree scale on the base, numbered in 15-degree intervals and marked with lines at smaller 2.5-degree increments.

To help with leveling your tripod legs, which in turn helps to ensure that everything stays on the level when you’re panning, there’s a bubble level built into the lower section of the head. A secondary bubble level is fitted to the main clamp at the top, for assistance with leveling the tilt mechanism.

Another upgrade over the original version of the head is that the clamp up on top can be removed by undoing four hex screws, and rotated laterally through 90-degree intervals. The bonus here is that you can change the orientation of the QR plate from running front-to-back to side-to-side. This can be a big advantage if you’re using a camera with an L-bracket or a cage.

The Arca-Swiss compatible quick-release plate is also redesigned. For starters, it’s longer at 100mm instead of 90mm, giving more scope for centering the weight of your camera on the head. It also features a sliding camera screw sled and spring-loaded locator pin, plus a cable management hook at the front. The QR plate also adds compatibility for 3 Legged Thing’s growing range of ‘Xpand’ accessories, cheese plates, and risers, and features multiple 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch threaded screw holes.

The images above and below show the top and bottom of the ‘XP 100 Ultra Plate’, 3 Legged Thing’s redesigned Arca-Swiss compatible quick-release plate that’s supplied with the head.

Last but not least, the head is supplied complete with 3 Legged Thing’s handy ‘Toolz’ multi-tool, which features hex keys, a flat-blade coin key, a keyring clip, and a carabiner for attaching it to whatever you see fit. It even works as a bottle opener if things get really tough.

3 Legged Thing AirHed Cine CC: Performance

I’m impressed that despite having a compact size and weighing in at just 690g / 1.5lb, the AirHed Cine CC has a beefy maximum payload rating of 10kg / 22lb. As I’ve mentioned, it doesn’t feature an adjustable counterbalance system, but I found it worked well with everything from small, lightweight cameras to big, hefty outfits comprising large camera bodies with super-telephoto lenses.

Any video head lives or dies by the smoothness of its pan and tilt mechanisms, and the AirHed Cine CC has a really nice fluid feel to it. The new extending panning handle is a joy to use, and all the controls feel smooth, precise, and intuitive. Suffice it to say, you can devote your entire attention to shooting rather than wrestling with the head to get what you want out of it.

It can be a bit tricky to level the legs of your tripod, which can be essential to ensure your camera stays on the level during panning. One elegant solution is to add a 3 Legged Thing LevelHed Levelling Base into the mix, but it’s pretty pricey at an additional $140 / £130 / AU$259. Something I’ve seen in some video and hybrid heads, like the Benro FS20PRO Video & Foto Head, is a secondary panning plate on top of the head, which enables you to just level the head for panning rather than the legs or a leveling base as well, but this is omitted in the AirHed Cine CC.

3 Legged Thing AirHed Cine CC: Verdict

The 3 Legged Thing AirHed Cine CC is a great fit for me and my gear. It’s conveniently compact and lightweight, so I can stash it away in my photo backpack and grab it whenever I need to swap from shooting stills to video. It actually works really well as a pan-and-tilt head for shooting stills in addition to video, especially if you add in an L-bracket for portrait orientation shots. The laterally rotatable clamp makes the new CC version of the head all the more ideal for this, as you can use the QR plate or slot in an Arca-Swiss compatible L-bracket running sideways instead of just front-to-back.

I also like the redesigned, retractable panning handle, as it enables me to select the length that I want to use, as well as saving on storage space without feeling the need to remove the handle every time I pack the head away. The tricked-up replacement ‘XP 100 Ultra Plate’ is yet another improvement, and I like the way that I don’t even have to use the QR plate at all if I’m shooting with big, heavy telephoto lenses that have an Arca-Swiss profile mounting foot in their tripod mounting collars. All in all, the ‘CC’ is a worthy upgrade over the original. With its clever design, rich feature list, excellent build quality, and stylish finish, this one’s a keeper.

Alternatives

Keychain cameras like the Kodak Charmera have gone viral – but that’s not the only photo gear shrinking down to fit on a key ring. Joby, the same brand behind the flexible GorillaPod, has launched a mini tripod that clips onto a belt loop or a bag that weighs just 106g / 3.7 oz.

The Joby HandyPod Clip Extend is a mini tripod built for smartphones, compact cameras, and action cameras. While the compact tripod itself is only around six inches, the built-in extending selfie stick can also be used to extend the tabletop tripod to a height of 33.5 cm / 13.19 inches.

One of the tripod’s legs has a built-in carabiner, allowing creators to clip the tripod to a belt loop or backpack. The mini tripod’s folded length under 16mm / 6.5 inches makes it larger than a keychain camera, but still fairly portable for a tripod.

I can see the new mini tripod attracting creators on the go who want to pack light. The carabiner will also allow the tripod to be attached to lanyards or camera straps.

The HandyPod Clip Extend uses a standard 1/4-inch tripod thread, allowing it to accommodate a variety of different types of cameras. Those cameras should be under 1 kg / 2.2 lbs, but that still allows the tripod to support smartphones, compact cameras, action cameras, and even some lighter travel mirrorless cameras with lightweight lenses.

True to Joby’s roots, the tripod isn’t meant to spend its life on a tabletop. The legs have clips that allow the camera to enter what the company calls “mantis mode” and cling on to the side of railings and chain link fences.

A ball head allows creators to further adjust the camera’s angle, including supporting both horizontal and vertical positions.

The tripod also has an integrated cold shoe to add a light, mic, or another accessory.

The tripod also doubles as a selfie stick and handheld grip.

Last year, Videndum – the same brand that owns Manfrotto and Lowepro – sold the Joby brand to the Chinese manufacturer Vijim. At the time, Videndum said the move would help them narrow their focus on more pro-oriented gear.

Since then, Joby, who is still based in California, has continued to launch portable camera accessories. The June 09 launch of the HandyPod Clip Extend follows a GripTight Cold Shoe mount that allows smartphones to be held from a shoe mount, also announced in June.

The new launch isn’t Joby’s first tripod with a carabiner, but the June 2026 launch takes on a different design and adds an extension selfie stick compared to earlier options like the HandyPod Clip and HandyPod Clip Action.

The Joby HandyPod Clip Extend sells for about $35 / £31 / AU$58 / CA$57. Some retailers have already opened orders, including B&H in the US and Joby's online store.

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Benro is renowned for offering solid support to photographers and videographers. The Chinese manufacturer has been going for 30 years and counting, creating a diverse range of products. I’ve been impressed by many and varied bits of Benro kit, including the Benro Cyanbird Carbon FS30 travel tripod kit, Benro SupaDupa Pro MSDPL46C monopod, Benro FS20PRO Video & Foto Head, Benro GH5C gimbal head, and the Benro QRB95DUAL Quick Rotation Lens Bracket, to name but a few.

The Benro A572LLKH Lightning Lock Aluminum Video Tripod Kit that I’m reviewing this time around is from a new series of video tripods, their main claim to fame being the ‘lightning lock’ leg system. As its name suggests, the design aims to be super-fast for setting up the tripod and packing it away again after a take. Available in both aluminum and carbon fiber versions and with different heads, it aims to be one of the best video tripod kits on the market. I put the aluminum kit with the KH fluid head to the test.

Benro A572LLKH Lightning Lock: Specifications

Benro A572LLKH Lightning Lock: Price

The current range of Lightning Lock-series legs and complete kits starts at a very competitive price and stays very reasonable through to the top end. Kicking off the selection is the set of aluminum legs on their own, priced at $175 / £220. Adding the KH fluid head for a complete kit brings the price up to $280 / £330. The carbon fiber legs on their own are slightly pricier than the complete aluminum kit, priced at $300 / £340, while the range-topping carbon kit with head sells for $380 / £450. Even that’s very affordable for a pro-grade video tripod.

Benro A572LLKH Lightning Lock: Design & Handling

Following something of a time-honored tradition for video tripods, the legs are constructed from twin-tube sections. The idea is to maximize the overall stability while reducing the risk of tortional flexing and twisting while you’re panning. As such, the top and middle sections of the 3-section legs have double tubes, and the bottom section has the usual single tube.

When folded out, the legs have the usual look of five tubes in a row. At least, that’s how things look when the tripod is set to its minimum height. As you extend the legs for loftier operation, the top two sections extend in pairs of tubes, and the single bottom tube of each leg also extends.

Another bit of video tradition is that the Benro features a spreader between the legs. Again, this is to enhance stability and to make sure that the legs stay evenly and securely positioned while the tripod is in use. The spreader is typically hinged so that it folds out automatically as you pull the legs out from their folded position. As such, the tripod doesn’t feature alternative locking leg angles for operational use, and clips are included for holding the legs together when the tripod is folded down.

Getting on to the hotter news about extending and contracting the legs to alter the height, the tripod features Benro’s new ‘lightning locks’. I’m a fan, liking that each leg has just a single lock/release lever for height adjustment, making them very quick and easy to adjust. You simply pull each lever outwards from the leg to release all three sections, make the necessary height adjustment, then push it back in again. As well as speeding up the process of height adjustments, the system also makes it easier to level the legs.

While the lightning locks enable quick and broadly accurate leveling, you still need the platform that supports the head to be perfectly leveled if panning is on the cards. That’s so that the horizon doesn’t start to tip over at an angle during panning. As such, the tripod features a 60mm leveling bowl and a simple lock/release knob underneath the main platform. Again, it’s a quick and easy system to use, as you just have to loosen the knob, make the leveling adjustment, then tighten it back up to lock the platform in place.

As an aid to leveling, there’s a bubble level on the platform, and I’m pleased that it’s comparatively large and easy to see, unlike the tiny bubble levels of some tripods. Naturally, most cameras these days feature an artificial horizon that can be more accurate than using a bubble level, but every little helps.

I’ve found that some video heads have a panning action that’s a little too loose for my liking, whereas others feel a bit tight and stiff. A neat feature of the Benro is that, as well as the pan lock/release knob, there’s an adjustable fluid drag control. This has a twist action that enables you to set just the right amount of fluid drag that you’re most comfortable with, for the job at hand.

The tilt mechanism is relatively straightforward, with a simple lock/release knob. This gives some control over the amount of drag for front-to-back tilting, but not so much as with the panning adjuster. As I’d expect, there’s a spring-loaded counterbalance system but, again, this is quite a simple affair and the head doesn’t feature an adjustable counterbalance mechanism for tailoring it to different weights of camera.

To further enhance the feel of the tilt and panning action, the head features a generously long panning handle. It has the usual elbow that angles its shaft, and is mounted on splines that avoid any risk of slippage or wobbling. The grippy rubberized hand grip area of the panning handle is also comfortably large and feels good to the touch.

As is often the case with up-market video heads, a splined attachment bracket is featured on both the left and right sides of the head, to accommodate comfortable panning with either your left or right hand, respectively.

The clamp up on top is industry-standard 501 compatible and comes complete with a quick-release plate. The clamp has a rotary lock-release knob plus a security pushbutton at the rear, to avoid any nasty surprises with the plate sliding out accidentally.

The QR plate itself features a sliding mounting screw saddle for attaching your camera, cage, or lens with a tripod-mounting collar. There are also three spring-loaded security pins and a calibrated scale along both sides of the plate, for precision placement.

The tripod comes with large, rubber pads which give a firm and stable footing on hard flooring and ground. They’re removable, to reveal dual spikes as alternative footwear that’s more suitable for soft flooring and loose ground. It’s nice to have the choice, my only slight complaint being that I found the rubber retaining straps that hold the rubber feet in place to be quite stiff and fiddly for removal and replacement.

The image above shows one of the large rubber foot pads, whereas it has been removed for the image below, which shows the dual metal spikes.

Benro A572LLKH Lightning Lock: Performance

A key performance plus point is that the ‘lightning locks’ live up to their billing and enable super-quick setup of the tripod. That can be a massive bonus if you need to react quickly to an unfolding storyline at weddings and other events, and for shooting sports or wildlife. The bowl mechanism in the head is similarly speedy for quick and accurate leveling, so you’re ready to roll in no time at all.

There’s a fairly decent height range on offer, from a minimum operating height of 75cm / 29.5 inches, up to a maximum of 151cm / 59.5 inches. That should suffice for most scenarios, but won’t cover you for ultra-low-level shooting or for getting an overview with a really tall perspective.

Stability and rigidity are impressive, and the tripod is very resistant to flexing and vibrations when panning and tilting. Pan and tilt themselves operate with the requisite fluidity for videography, and I’m very happy with the adjustable fluid drag control for panning. The lack of an adjustable counterbalance system can be less rewarding, especially if you’re using hefty camera and lens combinations. The maximum payload rating of the kit is 6.8kg / 15lb, which again should suffice for most needs but isn’t overly generous. There’s also no threaded socket for attaching accessories like an LED lamp, microphone, or monitor screen via a magic arm.

Ultimately, the Benro won’t win any prizes for its range of height adjustment or maximum load-bearing capability, but performance is very pleasing within the design parameters. It’s a quick and easy video tripod to use, without being too big, heavy, and cumbersome.

Benro A572LLKH Lightning Lock: Verdict

There’s a lot to like in the Benro A572LLKH Lightning Lock Aluminum Video Tripod Kit. Living up to its billing, the new ‘lightning lock’ system enables super-fast height adjustments and leveling of the legs, while the 60mm bowl mechanism in the head allows for ultra-precise leveling adjustments. As well as being quick and easy to set up, the tripod operates with smooth efficiency and features an adjustable fluid drag mechanism for panning. That’s backed up by good resistance to unwanted flexing and vibrations.

The maximum load rating isn’t overly generous, there’s no adjustable counterbalance system, and the feet require a bit of effort to swap them between rubber pads and dual metal spikes. Even so, the Benro is simple to use, highly effective in most shooting scenarios, and very good value for money.

Alternatives

Carbon fiber tripods tend to hold heavier loads, but come at a premium cost. Really Right Stuff (RRS), the U.S.-based company known for its high-end carbon pro fiber camera support systems, believes its new Core Line offers a compelling solution.

According to RRS, the new Benchmark and Benchmark Inverted tripods are the most affordable carbon fiber tripods the company has ever produced, costing up to 32% less than comparable in-house alternatives.

The Core Line is RRS's first tripod series produced entirely at its facility in Lehi, Utah, from raw fiber to finished legs. That, the company says, is one of the main reasons the new options are more affordable than the brand's previous supports.

The Benchmark is a four-section carbon fiber tripod designed for maximum stability, reach, and load capacity. It offers four leg-angle positions (24°, 44°, 64°, and 84°), weather-sealed twist locks designed to prevent over-twisting, and magnetic pull tabs that make adjustments easier, even while wearing gloves.

Built for heavier camera setups, the Benchmark supports up to 75 lb (34 kg), with a height range of 4.2 in (10.7 cm) to 69.7 in (177 cm). It weighs 3.8 lb (1.7 kg) and folds to 23.6 in (60 cm). While suitable for travel and hiking, it is less compact than many dedicated travel tripods when folded.

The Benchmark Inverted shares the same core features but uses a three-section design with an inverted leg system that allows the tripod to be extended or collapsed from the top. RRS says this enables photographers to adjust the tripod without changing their position.

The Benchmark Inverted supports up to 40 lb (18 kg), weighs 3.6 lb (1.6 kg), and offers a height range of 4.6 in (11.8 cm) to 61.1 in (155.2 cm). It folds to 26.5 in (67.3 cm). Although relatively lightweight, its folded length may make it difficult to fit inside some backpacks.

The Core Line is available for preorder exclusively on the RSS website, with prices starting at $945 (£701 / AU$1,315) for the Benchmark and $795 (£589 / AU$1,106) for the Benchmark Inverted.

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Check out our expert review of the Peak Design Travel Tripod (carbon fibre), which tops our list of best travel tripods.

[HeaderNot every digital camera has in-body or lens-enabled image stabilization, and even those that do need a little extra help from time to time. Especially in low light, where I might not want to simply crank-up ISO sensitivity or deploy artificial lighting.

Enter the camera tripod, which has been around as long as photography itself. Think metal sheet or glass plate photographs from the 19th Century that required excessively long exposures to produce an image. Not only did subjects need to remain as static as corpses, but the camera did too.

Nearly two hundred years later, however, I’m still yet to encounter the perfect camera or the perfect camera tripod. Even finding a tripod that matches my personal needs most of the time can be tricky, and nigh impossible if embarking on both stills and video capture, with the latter requiring a smooth panning head capability and seamless real-time adjustment.

I blame the basic laws of physics; which, having suffered through physics lessons and exams as a teenager, I’m always happy to do. 

If I want a lightweight and portable tripod, it’s not going to be able to cope with my large camera body and heavyweight telephoto lens. And if I compensate by going for a larger, heavier tripod, it’s obviously not going to be as portable. Yes, some tripods will allow me to hang a balancing weight from a hook at the base of the center column, to lower the centre of gravity and increase stability, but not all.

Therefore, the rule of thumb I go by is to always opt for the sturdiest possible example, which typically means the heaviest tripod I am prepared to carry. There’s no point in buying something I’m going to struggle to transport and use; it’ll just get left at home. The warhorse of a Velbon CX 540 tripod and three-way PH-656Q pan-and-tilt head has served me well for the past 25 years. Yes, I could spend more on a carbon fiber tripod for maximum strength and a relatively lightweight build over a heavier aluminum model at a lower cost, but, whichever, there is always a compromise to be made.

And whether I choose a ball head, a three-way head, a two-way head, a geared head or a fluid video head is an article all to itself. Types of leg lock also differ; but basically, I’m looking at something that is quickly adjustable yet provides maximum flexibility in terms of height and stability with it. Three-section legs with lever locks have served me just fine.

Alternatively, to throw a cat amongst the pigeons, might a monopod with height adjustable sections and a tripod-like base occasionally suit you better than a tripod? I’ve found monopods useful when needing to gain height in a narrow or confined space, when shooting alongside other people, or over the heads of a crowd.

But while, ultimately, I don’t believe there is a one-size-suits-all solution, it’s safe to say that any camera tripod (or monopod) is better than no tripod at all.

Check out our full guide to the best tripods for photography

Insta360 has just completed a pre-launch event for its new Luna and Luna Ultra pocket gimbal cameras, sharing the device with creators and others at the legendary Leica campus.

The camera clearly takes a swipe at DJI's established Osmo Pocket 4 and Pocket 4P products, the latter of which is also waiting for final price and release date, but is has some distinct differences.

One of the most obvious is that both variants of the Leica Luna sport a detachable remote control – into which the controls, a touchscreen, and a microphone are built-in. This gives the Luna some interesting use cases for YouTubers.

At the event, the company shared that there will be two models of the Luna – a Luna Pro (with one camera) and the Luna Ultra with two.

The Luna Ultra will have five steps of optical zoom, with the tele lens 3x the wide, but also offering 6x (lossless) and 12x.

In both cases, the lens is co-engineered with legendary camera company Leica, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of its core technology last year.

The main image sensor is 1-inch, and has a f/1.8 maximum aperture.

The camera also boasts an in-camera beauty mode, which should make it very competitive in the vlogging space. This is a feature DJI has made sure is available in its cameras, and it seems to contribute to success – before Insta360 arrived to compete, DJI was reported to have 72.5% of the market share in Japan for video cameras by BCN in April, thanks to the new Pocket 4 launch (the Pocket 4P is still not on sale).

Insta360 has clearly also considered the cinematography market. There are cinematic profiles, as well as ACES workflow compatibility, 10-Bit I-Log and Dolby Vision.

As you might imagine, given the location for the event, there are also Leica color profiles built-in.

Last night DJI shared the much-teased Osmo Pocket 4P and finally put one in my hands – in no less a place than the Hotel Majestic at the center of the Cannes Film Festival.

The new Pocket 4P has no final price – though it’s fair to say it’s going to cost more than the $769 Osmo Pocket 4, which only has the single 1-inch sensor. What I can say is that it is definitely real and that I’m testing it with a review on the way.

It’s nice to have a chance to rub shoulders with movie stars, but once I’d made my way past the red carpet and into the hotel it was clear that the device’s Cannes debut was about positioning the 4P as a distinct product.

While the Pocket gimbal camera has established itself as a camera popular with vloggers – and there were plenty of those outside the hotel. Inside was the hands-on experience with the as-yet-unlaunched Pocket 4P, and that was teeming with cinematographers and professional filmmakers wanting to try out the new device.

Some details aren’t final, but DJI was very clear that the camera boasts 17 stops of dynamic range – which, incidentally, is the same amount as a cinema camera like the Arri Alexa 35 – and shoots D-Log 2.

This concentration on color science is significant and it'll be something I'll look at closely in my upcoming review – which we won't publish until the device's software is final and the price announced.

Clearly, I’ve not fully tested the camera that I was handed last night. But it also clearly has much in common with its sibling, the Osmo Pocket 4, which I reviewed already, so I'm intrigued to see how they compare in real-world use and high-end use.

And judging by the turnout from the filmmaking community, I'm not the only one!

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Depending on what you're looking for, check out the best cameras for vlogging and the best cameras for filmmaking.

DJI has just launched the teased Osmo Mobile 8P, or 'Pro' version of the phone gimbal series, and it comes with a significant new feature – a detachable touchscreen remote control with mirroring.

DJI's social post, showing a tiny piece of the new Osmo Mobile 8P, left the world making wild guesses as to what the now-released product would be (my personal favorite was the suggestion it might be a Tamagotchi-like toy). In practice, though, we saw a compact screen with a joystick and a record button below it.

The device features the 'Multifunction Module 2'. This is a built-in fill-light, and it can be directed to either face either direction, also including a camera which points in the same direction you're shooting.

This has two functions; firstly you can see it on the admittedly compact touchscreen interface and use it as a display (more use when you're using the display as a remote). Secondly, it is the 'eye' for the ActiveTrack system; the AI feature which keeps a subject in frame as you move the gimbal around.

The result is more precise framing, especially for selfies using your phone’s higher-quality rear cameras.

There are other features too. I was pleased to find that the latest version of DJI Mimo – the iPhone / Android app which connects to DJI's consumer devices – now includes a Smart Teleprompter which can show you a script on screen as you record (it's not as 'smart' as I hoped; it doesn't listen in and scroll with AI, but you can choose the speed yourself).

Features from prior Osmo Mobile devices that are still included are the Magnetic Phone Clamp 5, a phone charging cable, and this isn't the first generation to benefit from a direct phone connection for native tracking features (for example Apple's DockKit means some advanced features are available in Apple's Camera app).

The extending telescopic pole is also included, and supported by pop-out tripod legs, and it is easily possible to add a microphone like the DJI Mic 2 to the bottom, making your phone a very practical alternative to the best vlogging camera.

I remember when I first tested a DJI Osmo Pocket camera. The idea was unusual, but now it's a camera type the world can't get enough of, and other manufacturers are racing to catch up to the standard set by DJI – especially by the Osmo Action 3, the edition which really seemed to take off.

Part action camera, part vlogging tool, this device brings everything DJI has learned about keeping video stable even in shaky drones and puts it into anyone's hand – almost like a tiny film rig. With the arrival of the Osmo Pocket 4, DJI hasn’t reinvented the formula, but it has refined it in ways that matter.

So how does the new model stack up against the already excellent Pocket 3? That camera took some big leaps (new image sensor size, big rotating touchscreen). This time there are serious questions – from asking is the (inevitably cheaper) Pocket 3 now better value, through to should you upgrade?

Comparison table

Build and handling

There is very little to tell the two devices apart. Both are simple and easy to use and can be extended at the base with a handle or a battery handle depending on your need. Rotating the screen acts as a switch, though it can also be asked to remain on in portrait mode for social-media creators.

The additional physical buttons do make for easier usability because there is less need to navigate the touchscreen menus which, in turn, have been slightly refined. A minor win for ergonomics – especially people who make regular use of the digital zoom – but no reason to buy a new device if you have a Pocket 3.

Video

If you're out shooting video during the day you will not see a huge distinction between the two cameras. They both comfortably capture 4K60 with good-looking color and even offer good slow motion, though only 120fps on the Pocket 3. It has to be said 240fps is more impressive, and I enjoyed trying this out.

For those more into the subtleties of color and editing, the option of a flat 10-bit D-Log HDR color profile, as well the HLG the Pocket 3 was limited to. Assorted filmic tones in the app is a definite improvement.

The difference in the actual quality in low light isn't all that much, as the sensor is the same, but DJI has managed to eek out 14-stops of dynamic range rather than 12.7-stops in the newer model.

Stills

The Pocket 4 can shoot significantly higher resolution images, at 37 megapixels (and correspondingly bigger panoramic images by automatically turning the gimbal and stitching shots).

In both cases (and in video) the camera handles lower light well thanks to the combination of a larger image sensor than some action cameras, and image processing algorithms.

In no case is the Pocket 4 going to be your main 'stills' camera, but if you have nothing else it'll leave you slightly happier than the Pocket 3. Both leave you a RAW file to tweak though.

Features

The arrival of a generous amount of internal storage does make the Pocket 4 camera easily grab-and-go, but it's not the only thing Vloggers will appreciate. Many will also notice the power for on-board handling of beauty modes and the slight but noticeable improvements to the subject tracking.

Microphone connectivity exists on both models, so it's easy to connect one of DJI's bluetooth mics – and while the Pocket 4 can theoretically record more channels so gets a slight win, the working process will likely be the same.

The Pocket 4 does boast the option of a clip-on fill light which rotates with the camera, however, which is handy for a lot more scenarios than you might imagine (especially if you want sparkling eyes in your vlogs).

Battery life

Although the battery life is a little better on the Pocket 4, both cameras can shoot around two hours or more (in 1080P), so it doesn't feel like a massive leap to add an extra 20 minutes, especially since the camera can also be charged to 80% in that time and it is easy to swap the battery handle for high users.

Overall verdict

My advice is this. If you can get hold of it, the best advice is to get the Pocket 4 for the built-in memory, better slow-mo, and processing capability (hey, we'll all need beauty tools someday).

Yes, the Pocket 3 was the revolutionary device in this category, while the Pocket 4 is a refinement, but who wouldn't want refinements if they could have them?

However those refinements are very definitely non-essential – especially if you already have a Pocket 3 because, lets face it, you'll also already have a memory card! If, for any reason, you can't get the Pocket 4, then a Pocket 3 and a good memory card or two can will not seriously hold you back as a creative tool.

Flexible tabletop tripods take tiny camera supports higher by clinging to objects – but one photography accessory brand is building a full-size tripod that can cling to railings, trees, and other objects.

The Silence Corner Viperpod is a full-sized tripod that can hook onto vertical surfaces when space is limited, the ground is uneven, or the photographer needs to get an even higher perspective.

The Viperpod “defies gravity” with the same concept as Silence Corner’s Mambapod – a hook. Placing this hook over the top of a railing with the legs adding support on the sides allows photographers and videographers to shoot on narrow balconies, uneven terrain, and other scenarios where a traditional tripod may not work.

But unlike tabletop tripods like the Mambapod, when there’s plenty of space for a traditional tripod, the Viperpod can be used as a classic, full-height tripod. The Viperpod reaches up to 61.8 inches / 157 cm, while the smaller Viperpod Light sits at up to 51.2 inches / 130.1 cm.

The ability to cling to railings isn’t the only unusual design feature. The center column is an external one rather than sitting inside the center. This design allows the center column to tip forward for low angles, rather than requiring disassembly. The center column also doubles as a pan and tilt handle for the included ball head.

Moving the center column to the exterior also allowed the designers to create a packed diameter that’s around 20 percent smaller than the tripod would have been with the more traditional design. Folded, the Viperpod measures 45 cm and weighs 2.55 lb /1.16 kg; the Light sits at 39.2 cm and 2.1 lb / .96 kg.

The tripods are built with five leg sections, which are adjusted with twist-style locks. Along with the hook to cling to objects, the tripod also has a hook on the center column for added support.

Like Silence Corner’s earlier products, the Viperpod is launching on Kickstarter. If the project is successful, early backers could get the Viperpod Light for $279 / £207 / AU$390 / CA$382 or the Viperpod for $309 / £229 / AU$432 / CA$423.

All Kickstarter projects carry more risks than purchasing through reputable retailers. However, the Viperpod project has already surpassed the funding goal and follows five other successful crowdfunding campaigns from the California-based company.

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Take a look at the best tripods or the best travel tripods.

I will admit that the best tripods offer stability, help avoid camera shake, and allow you to avoid losing image quality by shooting at low ISOs. These are all things that I've learned over time when it comes to shooting landscapes, but I’ve come to the conclusion that shooting handheld presents you with so many more opportunities.

My parents bought me my first DSLR camera, a Canon EOS 700D (Rebel T5i), when I was around 15 years old studying photography at school. I had always been interested in landscape photography, and this was my chance to finally give them a go. One of my first memories using this camera was atop Solsbury Hill in Bath, UK, near where I grew up, on a thick and foggy atmospheric morning.

I was clueless when it came to camera settings, but I tried my hand at capturing the fog nevertheless. I didn’t have a tripod at the time, so I took these images handheld, foolishly at a narrow aperture of f/18. When shooting handheld at this kind of aperture you really need to have steady hands if you want to avoid camera shake. A total understatement that is!

Surprisingly, the images came out fine (as you can see above). Yes, if I had used a more suitable aperture I would have captured a crisper image, especially with the detail in the distance. But I was inexperienced, just learning the ropes. I enjoyed the experience in terms of being flexible, moving around freely and trying a variety of angles to shoot from.

As I got older, I eventually succumbed to purchasing a tripod as most landscape photographers that I saw had one. It was just a standard tripod, so it fitted nicely in my bag along with my camera. I had always assumed that for landscapes to be extremely detailed they needed to be taken on a tripod and at a narrow aperture of around f/18 – f/22. I soon realized this wasn’t the case.

There are benefits with using a tripod, but I also feel restricted when using one. The thought of carrying it around and adding weight to my bag instantly puts me off. When I shoot landscapes handheld I open my eyes more, I’m able to take images from various angles, angles which I can’t with a tripod.

When I found out that the aperture sweet spot for landscapes was between f/8 – f/13, this eliminated the need for a tripod for me. The image below supports this; it’s a very similar shot to my previous image but was taken at an aperture of f/10. Because of this I was able to use a faster shutter speed to eliminate camera shake, while avoiding diffraction, boosting the level of detail throughout.

I prefer to travel light when going out on shoots, as I’m an avid walker. When I see an inviting scene to photograph, I instantly want to capture it. But with a tripod I’d have to get it out of my bag, set it up, then make sure it’s stable and at the right height. I’d recommend purchasing a tripod when starting out as you’ll be unfamiliar with what settings to use, what works and what doesn’t.

But when you gain experience, ditch the tripod and see for yourself, you’ll appreciate the freedom. Ultimately, I believe landscape shots taken handheld are better because you can position yourself and your camera wherever you want. When using a tripod, you’re at its mercy.

The image above is a perfect example of this, I was walking around Solsbury Hill on another occasion and spotted this cow staring at me, perfectly placed composition wise. As I was shooting handheld, I could compose my shot and capture it instantly. But with a tripod on the other hand, this might not have worked.

This is because I was shooting on a slope at an angle, a tripod would have made this very difficult. And by the time I set up the legs, position, height, and attached the camera the cow would have likely moved and the opportunity would have been squandered. I also prefer to have my camera firmly in my grasp rather than in the hands of a tripod.

Do you agree? Maybe I’ve inspired you to ditch your tripod more often. Hands at the ready everyone!

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Want to eliminate camera shake? Then you'll need to know the reciprocal rule. If you're still a tripod stalwart, ask yourself: Are you using the right tripod head for landscape photography? And if you're not quite ready to take control of all your camera settings, it's time to learn the exposure triangle.

The serial DJI news leaker Igor Bogdanov has posted a clip of what appears to be a DJI Osmo Pocket 4P, or Pro, a version of the Pocket 4 with a dual camera system. This video is being shared on the same day the real DJI Osmo Pocket 4 is launched.

The new DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Pro, which was definitely released today, features a single camera with a 1-inch CMOS sensor, though boosted to 14-stops of dynamic range and offering 10-bit D-Log color, an improvement over its predecessor.

The camera on the top is mounted on a 3-axis gimbal, and has 2x lossless zoom, as well as a 107Gb of built-in storage and a 800MB/S transfer speeds, and updated ActiveTrack. You can read more about it in my full Osmo Pocket 4 review or

The wider community, however, has long expected that DJI would launch either a dual-camera system as the Pocket 4, or two different versions, one with a dual camera system.

The expectation is that there will be a 1-inch sensor for the main camera, as well as a 3x optical zoom as the additional camera inside the gimbal head. This would work in a similar way to the extra cameras in the DJI Air 3S or most serious photography-leaning mobile phones. (The iPhone Pro Max, for example, which I use, has three cameras on the back at different focal lengths.)

Now, as soon as DJI has announced the Pocket 4 – and nothing else – the rumor community, in the form of Igor Bogdanov, has stepped in to show what a DJI dual camera version might look like.

Is it plausible? It certainly isn't beyond the bounds of possibility, and the same poster alludes to the reason in his post: Luna, which Insta360 has not been shy about:

Luna is Insta360's anticipated entry into this same market, and the company has shared teasers via some social media accounts and at events already, including the blocky design above on their Japanese X column.

What will be the best pocket gimbal camera in the next few months seems very much open to debate.

DJI has just announced its latest gimbal camera, the Osmo Pocket 4, as teased last week. The camera is mounted on a 3-axis gimbal, similar to some DJI drones, helping you get smooth shots all the time, and previous models became very popular with vloggers.

Boasting upgraded features over its hit predecessor, the new camera still has a 1-inch CMOS sensor, but is now capable of 14 stops of dynamic range, or 10-bit D-Log HDR. The camera also boasts faster 4K/240fps slow motion (double the previous frame rate), and gesture control, so the automatic subject tracking can be initiated by a hand gesture or the 'peace' sign.

This comes under the heading of a step from ActiveTrack 6 to ActiveTrack 7 in DJI's linguistics.

In terms of image quality improvements, there are a number of changes, including in-camera AI Beauty effects which can tweak the subject's skin smoothness – this kind of feature has proven very popular with vloggers in my reviews of the best webcams.

The new design adds two new physical buttons, tucked behind the touchscreen until it is rotated to switch on the device. One allows switching between zoom presets (1x, 2x, 4x) and the other is a customisable button.

A significant change that is less obvious – because there is still a MicroSD card slot – is that the Pocket 4 boasts 107Gb of on-board storage for video or images. These can be transferred at up to 800MB/s to an attached computer via USB-C, or wirelessly to the DJI Mimo app.

Stills photo resolution is also 33MP rather than the previous 7MP. In addition, the accessory range now includes an attachable fill light as well as a battery handle.

The Osmo Pocket 4 Standard Combo goes on sale for £445 / €499 today (though officially will not ship until April 22), while the upgraded Creator Combo (including the same plus a wide-angle lens, Mic 3 transmitter & charger, mini tripod and a carrying bag (as well as the carrying pouch).

The Pocket 4 has a job to do – to follow up on the Pocket 3. That camera managed to make, somehow, the third iteration into the definitive camera of DJI's handheld vlogging camera. So far, anyway.

Until then, the device was a weird niche, sticking one of DJI's drone-like camera gimbals ontop of a handle. After that it was the must-have tool for content creators, capturing amazingly stable shots with all kinds of motion. The Steadicam alternative for the TikTok era.

You'd see everyone carrying them on vacation, or when making movies, and there were good reasons why. For many lone creators, it was like having a friend to film, who has the skills to pick up rotating shots and follow subjects – just as you need to stand out from the crowd online.

We've waited two years for a new model, and such is the popularity of the camera that there have been pages and pages devoted to rumors about it. Is this what we were hoping for?

Price

The Osmo Pocket 4 starts at £445 for the standard combo and £549 for the Creator Combo with the Mic 3 TX, the fill light and a big enough carrying bag! In both cases, that seems like equally fair value to the camera's predecessor.

Thankfully, that's nothing like the price jump from the Pocket 2 (at $349) to the Pocket 3 (at $519), but there was a significant jump in specs on that occasion, and it clearly paid off.

Specs

Build and Handling

The idea is that the Pocket 4 is a stabilized camera on a simple handle – controlled with a couple of buttons. Simple.

In practice, things are a little more complex, which in fact is why one of the most noticeable changes between this camera and its predecessor is the arrival of two physical buttons beneath the rotating 2-inch touchscreen that, when open, provide tactile control for zoom and a customizable option.

The screen on the DJI Pocket 4 rotates from straight in line with the device's body to horizontal, making it as big as reasonably possible. It also acts as an on switch and (depending on your settings) a horizontal/portrait switch.

The camera in the gimbal does not rotate, but you can rotate the screen back to portrait format to shoot for TikTok etc. and the camera now switches to the best cropped resolution it can manage – 3K – which seems adequate.

There are a lot of other settings available via the camera's touchscreen, which operates a 'swipe from the side' approach which is simple on the face of it, but can get quite in depth.

To keep this in the 'compact camera' class, while offering flexibility when it comes to battery, DJI makes the bottom of the grip removable. The standard handle – which just extends it to the length needed for my big hands – can be removed by pressing a button on the front and replaced by a 'Battery Grip' to offer more life (at the cost of more weight).

Without one or the other fitted, though, you find yourself without a tripod thread at the base of the camera; a USB-C port is there instead. That port allows transfers of up to 800Mb/s from the built-in 107Gb of storage that renders a MicroSD card very much optional with this version of the device – one more step toward easier usability.

The camera's 2-inch screen, at 16:9, still isn't massive, but it seems big enough to feature all the controls. It is slightly easier, too, to control the zoom – which is at least lossless at 2x – using the new buttons beneath the screen.

The trick is to get used to swiping from the sides of the screen and the other hope for the bulky-fingered is that the DJI Mimo app can act as your friend; you have remote control of the device via your phone, as well as the ability to view and download content.

Content creators will be very pleased by the arrival of low light capture that works with the ActiveTrack feature, as well as the improved frame rate for slow motion.

Other features which are brilliant fun and offer great variety are the switchable modes, like the FPV mode, which can create cool rotating shots – the one down side being that the gimbal cannot turn 360-degrees so it cannot spin infinitely.

The camera also has some significant new features for new creators – built in AI glamour effects (skin smoothing options) – and some film effects. These are actually pretty impressive, and might be a good reason to buy for a lot of vloggers.

Performance

In the few weeks I've been testing the camera, it has been apparent to me that there are real improvements available here to vloggers, even without the long-anticipated second camera.

If I were looking for issues (and, you know, that is my job), I'd say that on some of the pans where the camera follows a slow subject – I had it follow a clipper boat up the Thames – it seems to judder ever so slightly. That's because the very smooth movement of the subject exposes the motion of the motors, but you don't see it at other times.

Sample images

Overall verdict

Taken on its own, the Pocket 4 remains an amazing camera, and it's easy to see why DJI has chosen to make refinements rather than go with the large-scale changes that some predicted. If it isn't broken, why fix it?

The answer to that question might come from a competitor soon enough, but for now, there isn't one – just this vague suspicion many had that a second camera was the solution (after all, it happened to their phones, didn't it, not to mention the DJI Air 3S drone).

For now, though, the image sensor does a good job, with great standard colors, so despite the ability to apply a profile to Log I found myself perfectly happy using the camera defaults. The subject tracking was quick and responsive. Focusing can be close enough to make this a good vlogging device too – unlike some action cameras.

So, this camera comes along in a category DJI has defined and gets everything right. It doesn't make a huge leap forward, so it might not make much sense on an upgrade list for Pocket 3 owners, but for anyone else, the brilliant smoothing is hard to argue and given the price is still well below full-frame vlogging cameras, this seems a natural first choice.

Alternatives

While not confirmed, several relatively dependable online sources are showing versions of the Insta360 Luna – a camera seemingly coming to challenge DJI's Pocket 4, the update to the massively popular gimbal camera we now know will be announced tomorrow.

While there has been discussion of the Insta360 Luna for a while, debate is now crystallising around the possibility of two models – a Luna and a Luna Ultra, as suggested by Igor Blogdanov (QuadroNews).

We've been pretty confident that the two-eyed version is on the way for a while thanks to the presentation by Insta360's own CEO, Liu Jingkang (or 'JK'), at the company's annual conference. At that time, though, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 was just a rumor – now we know from DJI's social posts that it will be announced tomorrow.

This is also the point at which JK shared the name 'Luna' with the audience.

We also can't be sure, with only a few seconds of promotional video to look at, but it looks a lot like the Osmo Pocket 4 is going to have a single camera, leaving the goal wide open for Luna's dual camera setup.

Other specs, not to mention quality and user experience, will be relevant to buyers too, but I understand the pull of an extra optical camera. You wouldn't catch me upgrading my phone to a model with fewer cameras.

Some rumor-mongers do have an answer for that too, of course. It has been suggested that a DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Pro might be on the cards at some future date, though there has been no firm evidence about that (certainly ont a release date) from DJI.

In fact, in most cases, the camera that people had presumed was the future Pocket 4 from DJI has turned out to be a sighting of the Luna being tested. But not all of them. There are definitely tweets like this from Igor Bogdanov that seem to show images of two different variants of the Pocket 4 camera on a similar handle – and one of them has dual lenses (arranged very differently from the Luna).

So there we have the scene set for the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 announcement, and we also imagine that a little bit more will be discovered about Luna very soon afterward – though whether there will be a one-camera version isn't known yet.

Some online have suggested 'Luna Ultra' for the dual camera, likely because the Go Ultra is the newest and highest spec version of that tiny camera, but that is speculation. We have seen 'Luna' next to the dual camera version (and no 'Ultra') already, so perhaps that's it?

When will we know for sure? April 19. Why? Insta360 more or less told us that NAB will have news in this not-too-subtle posting:

Which will be on sale soonest? Which will be the best on DCW's list of best gimbal cameras? It's hard to know. but we'll keep watching.

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

Stabilisers like the Feiyu Scorp-C2 are designed to keep your camera’s horizon level as you perform a wide range of handheld pans, tilts, and low-to-high angle tracking shots. They also enable you to shoot tripod-steady handheld shots without the burden of having to carry and set up a classic tripod (though you can rest a stabiliser on its own mini tripod and perform smooth pans and tilts using its built-in joystick). Unlike the handheld cages and rigs, gimbals have three motorised arms that enable you to pan, tilt, and roll your camera smoothly. The downside of using a gimbal is that you need to balance your camera and lens (the payload) carefully before each shoot. An unbalanced payload puts strain on the stabiliser’s motors, which can cause camera shake (or even force the gimbal to shut down to protect its motors!). With a cage/rig, you are the motor, so no time-consuming balancing is required.

I’ve rested and reviewed a few Scorp gimbals for Digital Camera World, starting with the Feiyu Scorp Mini, followed by the Scorp 2. All the gimbals in Feiyu’s Scorp range share one key design feature - a hooked sling handle that looks like the tail of a scorpion - hence the branding ‘Scorp’. I’m a big fan of this design feature as it enables me to easily glide the gimbal-mounted camera very close to the ground to follow a subject and then crane it up to head height in one smooth motion. To enjoy a smartphone-friendly version of the Scorp, check out my review of the Scorp Mini 3 Pro.

FeiyuTech Scorp-C2: Specifications

FeiyuTech Scorp-C2: Price

Back in September 2025, I tested and reviewed the Scorp 3, which was capable of carrying payloads of up to 3.5 Kg for the price of around $400/£439. The newer Scorp-C2 can also carry payloads up to 3.5 Kg, but at the far more affordable price of $250/£269. I was therefore intrigued to discover how the Scorp-C2 differed compared to its more expensive cousin and whether its reduced price would equate to inferior performance in functionality and features. Cut to the chase - in my test, the Scorp-C2 outperformed its more expensive cousin when it came to making a wide range of smooth camera moves.

FeiyuTech Scorp-C2: Design & Handling

As you’d expect from its name, the Scorp-C2 is an updated version of the original Scorp-C. The newer model features several improvements to its design, such as a more effective built-in face tracking module. The Scorp-C2’s AI tracking module version 4.0 delivers a 15% wider field of view than its predecessor, and it can track your face up to a distance of 18 metres away. The Scorp-C2’s mounting camera platform is more spacious, too, which makes it easier for you to mount your DSLR/mirrorless camera on the gimbal.

Like the more expensive Scorp 3, the Scorp-C2 can also handle lens and camera payloads up to a weight of 3.5 Kg, whereas the older Scorp-C could only cope with 2.5kg. My Sony A7 and lens weighed in at 1.046kg, so it was well within the Scorp-C2’s 3.5kg carrying capacity. Saying that, I used the same payload on the Hohem iSteady MT3 Pro, which can carry a maximum of only 2.5 KG, and the Hohem found it a bit of a burden, especially when trying to roll the camera - check out my review: (Link to be added on publication). As you’ll see from the Performance section, the cheaper yet more powerful Feiyu Scorp-C2 had no trouble putting my Sony A7 through moves that the more expensive Hohem iSteady MT3 Pro found challenging.

So we’ve already established that the cheaper Scorp-C2 can carry the same payload as the more expensive flagship in the Scorp range - the Scorp 3. This Scorp-C2 affordability is made possible by removing some of the high-end features found in the Scorp 3, such as the option to detach the end of the sling handle and use it to remotely control the Scorp 3’s pan, tilt, and roll axes. Another missing feature in the Scorp-C2 is the absence of the touch-sensitive display found on the Scorp 3’s handle.

Personally, I didn’t miss the absence of touchscreen controllability on the Scorp-C2. I preferred toggling between its PF, PTF, and FPV shooting modes by tapping its physical mode button - more on these modes in the Performance section. You can see which mode has been selected on a much smaller LCD display at the rear of the handle, and status lights on the gimbal's shaft also indicate the chosen mode. The control wheel on the side of the gimbal can be configured by a physical button to enable you to fine-tune a tilt, roll, or pan with a physical twiddle. I usually assign the roll axis to the control wheel as this enables me to ensure that the horizon is always level.

The touchscreen on the more expensive Scorp 3 enables you to access menu features such as performing a calibration to make sure that the camera is balanced correctly. With the Scorp-C2, you can access all these sub-menus via the Feiyu Scorp app, so in effect, you have touchscreen control courtesy of your iPhone. The app is great, and it shows you exactly how successfully you’ve balanced the camera using colour-coded indicators for each axis. As long as each axis displays a green value, you’re good to go.

Balancing a gimbal is always a challenge, but it’s an essential part of the shoot. The Scorp-C2 has a handy control dial that enables you to balance the tilt arm with precise incremental control. It’s a shame that the other axes don’t benefit from this easy-to-adjust feature, as I’ll explain in the next section.

FeiyuTech Scorp-C2: Performance

To test the Scorp-C2 stabiliser, I took it (and my Sony A7) to London’s Tower Bridge. The upper metal walkways crossing the Shad Thames street make a suitably cinematic backdrop to testing the stabilizer’s different modes. For foreground interest, I’d hired an Italian model/actress (Insta: @Antonia_sabato) to make some moves that I could follow with my camera mounted on the Scorp-C2.

On any shoot, I tend to arrive early, especially when shooting with a gimbal. As my model was paid by the hour, I didn’t want to waste time trying to balance a gimbal after she had arrived, so I popped into Starbucks and set the gimbal onto its mini tripod to begin the balancing process. The little balancing control wheel that I mentioned in the Design section made it quick and easy to balance the tilt axis, but the roll axis was very stiff to adjust, so this took more to-ing and fro-ing until I could get it balanced. On the whole, though, it took me around 10 minutes to balance my payload on the Scorp-C2, which is pretty good going, and when calibrating the gimbal via the Feiyu Scope app on my iPhone 16 Pro, I had a reassuring range of green balance indicators for the Pan, Tilt and Roll axes, so I was confident that the gimbal would perform well during the shoot.

I then met up with Antonia (whom I hadn’t worked with before), and since the tide was currently rising in the Thames, I decided to film her on the river’s rocky ‘beach’ with Tower Bridge as a spectacular backdrop. Luckily, Antonia was wearing sturdy boots rather than pointy heels, so she was able to negotiate the slippery, mossy steps leading down to the beach. I popped the Scorp-C2 into PTF mode. This enabled me to tilt the Sony A7 to follow Antonia with a tilt as she walked down the steps and then pan with her as she started her stroll along the rocky beach. The sling handle (and the extra handle produced by the closed mini-tripod) gave me a good two-handed grip on the gimbal, and I was able to glide it smoothly to follow Antonia, without any wobbles or bumps caused by walking over the slippery and uneven terrain. I can describe my camera moves in detail, but I strongly suggest that you watch the supporting video that accompanies this review, as you’ll see how effective the Scorp-C2 is in a variety of locations.

We then headed to the Shad Thames street (as seen in the TV show Doctor Who and the first Highlander movie back in the 1980s). Here, I was keen to try out the Scorp-C2’s FPV mode, which, unlike the other modes, enables you to roll the camera as well as pan and tilt it. This is great for POV (point of view) shots that mimic the more organic moves of a person as they look around their environment. It performed these POV shoots nice and smoothly, as you’ll see in my supporting video.

The control unit on the Scorp-C2’s handle has three buttons designed to help you roll the camera when it is held horizontally. Many gimbals call this ‘Inception’ mode after the spectacular rotating corridor fight sequence in the movie of the same name. I tend to view this mode as a bit gimmicky, but since I had the three buttons to play with, I went for it! The central button causes the camera to tilt forward (and parallel with the ground). The other two buttons enable you to trigger a continuous rolling action (either clockwise or counterclockwise). You dimply tap a button to change the speed of the rotation. I enjoyed tracking Antonia from the front and behind while she walked, while the camera rolled. I was then able to cut between the two angles as she rotated in the frame, creating a dynamic and disorienting walking sequence. Go on, check out the video!

After a successful London shoot, I returned home to digitise and edit the footage. I then set up the Scorp-C2 in my local woods to test out the AI tracking module. While mounted on its mini tripod, the Scorp-C2 was able to smoothly pan and tilt the camera to follow my every move (even when I tripped and fell over a tree stump!). I was impressed at how quickly the Scorp-C2’s AI tracker recognised and responded to my hand gestures. Most gimbals tend to place you in the centre of the frame, which is fine for most talking to the camera scenarios. However, you can usually make a re-frame gesture that enables you to offset your position so that you’re standing frame left or frame right (which is handy if you want to gesture towards a particular background landmark, for example). I’ve struggled in the past to get some gimbals to recognise this ‘re-frame’ hand gesture, but the Scorp-C2 gave a reassuring three green flashes every time I made the gesture, so it gets a big thumbs up in relation to its AI tracker.

Oh, one last point! Normally, when shooting with a mirrorless camera mounted on a gimbal, I don’t bother to wire it up to the camera via a USB-C cable so that I can trigger the shutter button via the gimbal. However, the Feiyu Scorp smartphone app made it very easy to link the Scorp-C2 to my Sony A7 via Bluetooth. I then enjoyed being able to trigger video recording by pressing the tactile red record button on the gimbal's handle.

FeiyuTech Scorp-C2: Verdict

I thoroughly enjoyed testing the Scorp-C2 because it worked! I liked the fact that I could trigger different modes quickly by using a physical button (and the Feiyu Scorp smartphone app enabled me to dig deeper into sub menus that customised things such as motor follow speed). I’d previously used the same Sony A7 payload to test the Hohem iSteady MT3 Pro, but that stabiliser couldn’t roll my camera without drooping. The Scorp-C2 happily tilted, panned, and rolled my gear effortlessly, which means I’d favour it for a future creative shoot. As a solo shooter who needs to walk and talk to camera, I also appreciated how the updated AI module tuned the Scorp-C2 into a skilled camera operator who could smoothly follow my every move.

Alternatives

Shooting smooth video with a mirrorless camera is still harder than it should be, but DJI may have just changed that. With built-in AI tracking finally arriving for “proper” cameras, the RS 5 promises to do more than stabilize your shots. It could change how you shoot entirely.

Since the gimbal doesn't have access to the sensors and TTL cleverness of the camera, the previous DJI RS 4 Mini brought a tracking module, which has its own camera to identify the subject of your shot and that has moved up the chain to the RS 5.

Other key gear seeing significant updates are the automated locks; the process of safely putting the device away is now almost completely automatic.

AI intelligent tracking, a new guide for camera operators so they know the limits of their step, premium quality components, compatibility with more cameras, and a new briefcase handle might all offer something to filmmakers – but is it enough?

RS5: Price

With two price options, at £485 (about $650) for the gimbal (including all the essential accessories like the battery grip, tripod base, quick-release plates ) and £619 (about $830) for the RS 5 combo I tested here, which adds the AI tracking module and briefcase handle this isn't the cheapest of gimbals, but DJI has always been a premium player in this space. The RS 5 also takes a high payload and, price-wise, is essentially the same as a Zhiyun Crane 4, for example, despite the RS 5's better features, so still seems like a value win.

RS5: Specs

RS5: Build and handling

The RS 5 feels suited to serious tasks right from the unboxing. Specifically I tested the RS 5 Combo edition, which arrived in an excellent zip-able hard case which has just enough flex in it that, when it comes to packing up at the end of a long shoot, you don't have to worry too much about getting everything just right, but also just enough padding that you can be confident of the RS 5's future (with pockets for your battery, tripod, and other screw-in parts).

After unboxing, you'll need to pair the device with your phone and camera, so don't expect to have things working immediately the first minute on set. Why your phone, you ask? Because this is the means of firmware updates.

I'm testing the combo with the RS Enhanced Intelligent Tracking Module, which includes a camera so the AI can watch humans (up to 10m away). It clips easily but firmly onto the top of the Ronin with two hinged clips, and contacts on its base do the rest. At the front a LED ring around the lens indicates whether it has acquired a tracking lock or not, so the talent can know what is going on.

The tracking module works via the 1.8-inch touchscreen, accessed via with a right-swipe (I found the size fine).

Thanks to gesture recognition, it also works the other way by holding your palm to initiate things (and you get a clear indicator light). You can shoot on your own and have the camera follow you – not something easily possible with a mirrorless cam before. Solo content creators were often forced to use either a tripod (no motion) or a clever gimbal on a phone for the lack of a tracking module. DJI has sovled this, and done so well.

Of course this is still a gimbal you need to take the camera on and off of. Balancing the camera is never the easiest part of life with a gimbal. Again it's something you need to follow the instructions for step by step if you're doing it for the first time.

Wouldn't it be awesome if DJI's plate fitted my tripod so I didn't have to unscrew it and swap when it came time to do tripod shots? Not a fault of the Ronin – there are a lot of different tripod base plates – just occurred to me!) On the plus side, it is easy to re-fit thanks to the supplied screws and the design with a lens center guide.

DJI also do a lot to make the balancing as easy as possible, too, with a video tutorial and the presence of DJI's crisp display which can indicate a lack of balance. The final stage is an automated auto-balancing which is fun to watch – just rest the camera on a surface, put the feet of the included tripod attachment out, and let it do its thing for a few moments.

The gimbal has a grip beneath and the option to attach a "Briefcase handle" at almost any angle you choose, yet it still has a working Gimbal and camera control (and one I didn't detect lag on).

That means, in practical terms, you can set it up to hold the RS 5 and your favoured camera like a top-held movie camera (say a Sony Venice) and get swooping cinematic shots from low to the ground.

The design's also replaces the battery grip from the RS 4, the new one charging in less than half the time – just an hour – and I found that I was able to shoot continuously for several hours, certainly a lot longer than my arm is happy supporting a camera, lens, and gimbal. I have little problem believing that it'll get close to 14h.

Performance

In terms of stability, I had very little by the way of complaints. I am, I admit, the kind of operator who will – from time to time – balance quickly and tolerate the orange warning or (as you'll see in the video) not even take the camera strap off. Despite this naughty laziness on my part (and so long as I ensured the strap had free movement), the DJI managed to cope with the extra strain.

This can be the advantage of a powerful device and a long battery life – the option to operate beyond the ideals for expediency.

The Intelligent Tracking impressed me a great deal when I was acting as operator and using the screen. The RS 5 was quick to identify humans (or pets or cars) near the camera for me to tap on and track.

Despite the screen size, it was also easy enough to draw a square around objects that the AI doesn't automatically suggest. This makes a nice walk past shot, like a close orbit, easy to achieve.

I also found essentially zero issues when it came to connecting my camera's Bluetooth and using the RS 5's record button.

Overall verdict

Strictly reviewing the 'RS 5 Combo', including the tracking module and briefcase handle, I feel like I'm reviewing the camera gimbal to replace all gimbals. Often products are just iterative steps along a product line, but here there is a genuinely significant improvement – combined with a series of iterations too. There is no previous generation that wouldn't benefit from the RS 5 as an update (though, to be fair, the tracking module can be bought for the RS 4).

Getting used to using a gimbal takes a little time, especially if your camera or lens are less able to communicate, but this is the easiest to balance and now supports Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Panasonic Lumix, and Sony. The AI tracking is incredibly intuitive, too. Admittedly, when you're thinking about your camera settings too, all the mode toggles can be overwhelming, but you'll welcome having simple physical switches rather than menus to tap through.

Ultimately, the RS 5 is a great gimbal, and the RS 5 Combo – with that handle and the tracking module – can empower an operator to achieve a lot more than they might have imagined. The reliable battery (a whole day's work is unlikely to be an issue) plus a firm mechanism make it close to perfect.

Alternatives

See our full guide to the best gimbals for DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.
We also have separate guides for the Best gimbal for smartphones,
and for the best gimbals for GoPros

How I tested the DJI RS 5 Combo

I tested the RS 5 over a couple of weeks in different locations. For the most part, I used my Sony A7 III camera, connecting using the Bluetooth. This included attempting to move around a small studio and capture shots of Ariane X for a music video, by hand and using the AI tracking.

DJI loaned me the Combo kit to test.

The iSteady MT3 is a 4-in-1 gimbal capable of mounting smartphones, action cameras, compact cameras, and lightweight DSLR/mirrorless cameras. It's designed to be a versatile stabilizer for the modern content creator using lightweight camera devices rather than heavy and bulky cameras.

Professional users will benefit from choosing the iSteady MT3 Pro, which has a greater payload capacity, more AI tracking options, and an innovative remote control system. This remote is also capable of showing a low-latency live feed of what the camera sees, allowing you to frame shots even when you aren't behind the camera.

But not everyone needs these pro features, and that's where the MT3 comes in. Offering excellent stability and solid build quality, you're essentially getting a fuss-free entry-level gimbal without worrying about additional features and hardware that most people won't need.

Specifications

Price

The Hohem iSteady MT3 is priced at $329 in the US, approximately £270 in the UK, and $510 in Australia. This makes it $120 (US) cheaper than the Pro version, which features a higher payload capacity, a Spot Mini motor and gear ring, a detachable remote for flexible shooting, and more extensive tracking options. Direct competitors include the DJI RS 4 Mini and Zhiyun Crane M3S, or if you'd like a more budget-friendly alternative, then the Zhiyun Smooth Q5 Ultra review is worth a look.

Design & Handling

The Hohem iSteady MT3 features a professional-grade hybrid build, combining aircraft-grade aluminum arms for structural rigidity with high-strength polycarbonates to keep the total weight at a portable 765 g. It feels solid enough to handle a few knocks and even low-level drops. It also looks the part with a two-tone color palette of dark grey and bright red.

The textured rubberized grip provides a secure, non-slip hold, but on longer shoots, I was left craving a softer rubber finish. Hohem could offer this as an additional wrap-around or bake it into the design of the handle. The axes are coated in Teflon, which delivers excellent friction-free balancing.

The payload capacity (1.4 kg / 3.1 lbs) and motor torque have both been increased and improved upon compared to the MT2. These are backed up by the iSteady 10.0 algorithm, which allows it to handle small mirrorless setups, like the Sony A7 series or Canon R10. If you have a larger payload, then the bigger brother, the MT3 Pro, supports up to 2.5 kg, 5.51 lbs.

The MT3 now boasts an integrated 2MP AI vision sensor rather than the detachable modules found in previous models. This built-in camera enables autonomous human tracking directly from the gimbal hardware, meaning you no longer need to rely on the Hohem Joy smartphone app. In addition to human tracking, this gimbal is capable of recognizing simple hand gestures to start tracking or recompose a shot.

Further improvements have been made in the area of mounting and switching between camera types. To support modern media production in various formats, Hohem has developed a new Multi 5.0 Quick Release System. This allows users to switch between horizontal and vertical orientation by loosening a knob and sliding the mounting base. Doing this on older models would have required a full motor recalibration, so this change is very welcome.

Despite these improvements, I still found operating the MT3 a little overcomplicated. There are so many latches, dials, and locks that it can be tricky to know which ones control what. After a while I became more familiar with how it worked, but the design meant that this took longer than it really needed to.

Performance

The iSteady MT3 is a lightweight gimbal designed to handle payloads up to 1.4 kg (3.1 lbs). I was keen to test this claim, so I dug out my Canon 6D with a 24-105 mm lens, which is almost equivalent to the maximum limit. I mounted it onto the gimbal, but it couldn't handle it at all, rolling forward on account of the lens. In fact, even with only the DSLR mounted (770 g), it was only just able to perform the necessary stabilization.

Interestingly, our reviewer had similar payload problems with the iSteady MT3 Pro, especially when he was attempting to perform roll movements using a medium-weight mirrorless camera setup. If your payload is anywhere near the advertised amounts, then I'd steer clear.

I therefore readjusted my expectations and mounted my iPhone. The gimbal was, of course, able to handle the weight of this, although it did initially judder and shake because it couldn't accurately detect the weight. This problem was quickly resolved, though, by performing a manual payload check. From then on, I had no issues.

The gimbal offers four different modes: PF (pan follow), OTF (pan, tilt, follow), L (all lock), and POV (all follow). Cycling through these modes is as simple as pressing the 'M' button. PF is ideal for walking shots, PTF for looking up at buildings or down at a subject, L for zoom or trucking shots, and POV for first-person-style footage where you want the viewer to "feel" every movement. Choosing the right mode is essential for capturing the type of movement you desire.

Every single mode performed excellently during testing. The correct locks were maintained, and movements were smooth with no micro-twitches experienced. It was possible to capture most shots with the built-in handle, although there were a few moments when the additional tripod grip proved invaluable. This allowed me to get more dynamic shots and reach about 15 cm higher/further than I would have been able to with just the built-in handle.

One of the standout features of this gimbal is the AI tracking, which supports human tracking (no object tracking, I'm afraid). It wasn't perfect, and at times it took an unnecessarily long time to "lock on", but I quickly adapted to its idiosyncrasies. In short, I wouldn't rely on it to perfectly track a human without keeping an eye on what it's doing.

In addition to AI tracking, the AI camera allows for hands-free operation courtesy of a series of supported gestures. I found the "shaka" gesture to be the most useful, with the gesture acting as a remote shutter. Second to that, using two thumbs for switching between landscape and portrait modes was also helpful.

Verdict

The Hohem iSteady MT3 is an entry-level gimbal that makes it possible to perform cinematic camera movements such as pan, tilt, and follow. It does this effortlessly, smoothly, and reliably. The advertised payload capacity is a little unrealistic, with testing proving that the gimbal is only suited to very lightweight mirrorless camera setups and smartphones.

Switching between camera types and between horizontal and vertical orientations is made possible through a new quick-release mechanism. It's perfectly functional, although unnecessarily fiddly on account of the overcomplicated design. That said, once the camera or smartphone is locked in position, the latches hold it firmly in place.

The AI camera makes it possible to track humans, although it's not perfect, with the gimbal sometimes taking a little too long to lock onto a face. It also couldn't handle more complicated human movements where the human wasn't nicely positioned in the shot.

Cheaper gimbals are available, but if you're looking for a reliable smartphone stabilizer that's built to last, then the iSteady MT3 is a safe bet.

Alternatives

I’m a fan of Hohem’s line of camera stabilisers (or gimbals), having tested and reviewed five models for Digital Camera World, starting with the Hohem iSteady MT2 back in 2023. Most of the gimbals in the Hohem iSteady range target the needs of smartphone content creators, though the original MT2 could carry a payload of a mirrorless camera and lens up to the weight of 1.2kg, and the new MT3 Pro has a maximum payload of 2.5kg.

It has been interesting to see the Hohem iSteady range evolve, and a key stage in this evolution appeared in July 2024, in the shape of a detachable remote control panel (that enabled you to tilt and pan the gimbal from a distance) on the iSteady V3. This detachable remote control panel got a major upgrade with the release of the Hohem iSteady M7 in March 2025, as you could now transmit a live video feed from the built-in camera on the gimbal’s front-mounted AI tracker to the detachable remote’s display. This useful feature enabled you to compose your shots more easily, especially when operating the tripod-mounted gimbal from a distance.

Fast forward to 2026, and the original iSteady MT2 has had several major upgrades, incorporating handy gadgets such as the detachable video-monitoring remote control panel introduced with the M7. The latest Hohem stabiliser is available in two versions - the Hohem iSteady MT3 and the Hohem iSteady MT3 Pro. At first glance, the main difference is that the Pro kit ships with extra accessories, such as a Spot Mini Motor. This mounts onto the gimbal to enable you to adjust focus and zoom via the wireless remote. A gear ring, motor holder, and cable are also included. However, there are other differences between the Pro and standard versions of the MT3, as we’ll explain.

Specifications

Price

The MT3 Pro is currently available for preorder from $449, while the non-pro version - the iSteady MT3 - costs $329.99. If you shoot on a variety of cameras, from smartphone to mirrorless, then the Pro version is worth considering, especially if you want to control a mirrorless camera’s zoom or focus settings via the Pro kit’s Spot Mini Motor and gear ring. The iSteady MT3 Pro can also carry a heavier payload of 2.5Kg, 5.51lbs, compared to the cheaper iSteady MT3’s capacity of 1.4kg (3.1 lbs). So if you only shoot on a smartphone or action camera (or tend to shoot with your mirrorless camera set to auto focus), then you can save yourself just over $200 by going for the cheaper MT3.

Design & Handling

The newly released Hohem iSteady MT3 Pro and the cheaper Hohem iSteady MT3 differ in their build as well as their accessories. The Hohem iSteady MT3 has a maximum payload of 1.4kg (3.1 lbs), so you might think twice about buying it if you want to carry a mirrorless camera and a heavy lens that weighs close to that payload limit. The Hohem iSteady MT3 Pro can shift a camera/lens payload up to a weight of 2.5Kg, 5.51 lbs, so I felt confident that it could smoothly carry my Sony A7 and a Sony FE 1.4/24 GM lens, which weighed in at 1.05kg - well below the stabiliser’s maximum payload threshold.

At the time of writing, I’ve tested 25 gimbals for Digital Camera World, varying from the smartphone-friendly Insta360 Flow 2 Pro to the heavy-lifting DJI RS4 Pro. I like shooting with smartphones because you can usually clamp your device in the gimbal and start shooting! With a heavier mirrorless or DSLR camera, you need to balance the payload on the stabiliser. This involves the time-consuming process of separately adjusting the pan, tilt, and roll axes of the stabiliser so that the camera is perfectly balanced. If the camera/lens payload isn’t balanced correctly, then this puts stress on the gimbal’s tilt, pan, and roll motors, which can cause a stabiliser to judder and shake instead of giving you smooth tilts, pans, and rolls.

It took me around 10 minutes to balance my Sony A7 on the Hohem MT3 Pro. This is about average when it comes to balancing a mirrorless camera on a stabiliser (once you know what you’re doing!). To get an axis arm balanced perfectly, you have to move its arm by a few millimetres. The pan and roll arms on the MT3 Pro were quite stiff to adjust, so I would often overshoot when trying to make alterations in tiny increments. The tilt arm, however, has a handy cog wheel that I could rotate until this axis was perfectly balanced. It would be nice to have similar wheel controls on the roll axis, especially for faster balancing.

Once you’ve manually balanced a camera on the MT3 Pro, you can use the 1.4” display’s auto calibration menu to check that the payload is balanced correctly. You also get a handy colour-coded diagnostic display that shows you if the tilt, pan, or roll axes are being strained by an incorrectly balanced payload. This is a very welcome design feature as there’s nothing more annoying than a gimbal starting to judder when you’re filming a model (and paying them by the hour!). I’m happy to say that I had no issues with the gimbal’s performance once I’d spent time balancing it.

A common mistake when using gimbals is to forget to unlock the tilt, pan, and roll axes before shooting. The MT3 Pro’s three axes each have physical sliders that you need to push to unlock them, so it’s possible you might forget to unlock one of them, leading to the gimbal not performing correctly. The DJI RS4 Pro has motorised axes locking/unlocking, so it’s ready to shoot without you having to manually check each axis, but that costs around $200 more than the Hohem iSteady MT3 Pro. As they say, you get what you pay for, and automatically unlocking axes on a gimbal is a luxury item that you shouldn’t really need once you get used to unlocking them manually.

Performance

To test the Hohem iSteady MT3 Pro, I took it to London’s Barbican Centre, a location with plenty of towers and corridors that made it perfect for performing a wide range of stabiliser-powered cinematic tilts, pans, and tracks. I was also there to test a wireless microphone (review to follow), and I planned to do that by interviewing Maryna about her job as a full-time model (Insta @gluecklichmarinalp).

I planned to use the Hohem iSteady MT3 Pro to capture cutaway clips of Maryna trundling her suitcase full of clothes to the location and then performing a range of poses in different outfits. Maryna was booked for the shoot at 9:00 am, so I arrived at 8:00 am, which gave me plenty of time to rebalance my Sony A7 and Sony FE 1.4/24 GM lens on the MT3 Pro.

I used a prime lens because its wide f1.4 aperture would enable me to capture great-looking shots in low light and provide an attractive background bokeh to complement my model. I also used a prime lens because it couldn’t zoom in or out. When adjusting a lens’s focal length, it changes the way the camera is balanced on the gimbal, so you’d need to rebalance the payload every time you zoom in or out. To get closer to Maryna, I simply tracked (or dollied) forward. Because my lens was a prime lens with no zoom function (and I was shooting on auto-focus), I didn’t need to add the kit’s supplied Spot Mini Motor and gear ring to the stabiliser and camera during my test shoot.

Normally, when I shoot a model in the Barbican Centre, I don’t get moved on by security. This is because I tend to use a smartphone, which has a less ‘pro’ photographer profile. However, I have been asked to move on a couple of times at the Barbican when using a tripod. On this shoot, I was worried about being interrupted because I was shooting a pro model with a more serious-looking mirrorless camera and stabiliser rig, but the two-hour shoot went smoothly - even when filming in the private interior of the Barbican Centre, with its beautiful brutalist architecture as a backdrop to my posing model.

I found it very liberating to capture footage on the gimbal-mounted Sony A7. I was able to toggle easily between shooting modes by tapping the M button on the control panel. PTF (Pan, Tilt, Follow) enabled me to frame the top of a tower, tilt down to introduce Maryna, and then pan to follow her as she trundled her trolley full of outfits towards the shoot location. The horizon stayed perfectly level during the tilt and the pan.

The Hohem MT3 Pro ships with an attachable bidirectional Dual Twist Handle. This gives you a better and more stable two-handed grip in the gimbal. I especially enjoyed attaching it in briefcase mode so I could easily perform low-to-high angle crane shots while tracking my walking subject using the (PF) Pan Follow mode. I also experimented with the POV (Point of View) mode. This adds a roll to the pan and tilt to capture a more organic floating look. However, I found that my payload was just too heavy, and the camera would flop down when the gimbal tried to roll it. POV with a smartphone is smooth and gliding, but the Hohem MT3 Pro couldn’t perform this move, despite the 1.046 Kg payload weighing in at far lighter than its maximum 2.5. On the plus side, I rarely want the camera to roll, as I like to keep my horizon nice and level.

Another disappointing discovery on my test shoot related to the gimbal’s ability to let me swap from shooting in a horizontal (landscape) orientation to a vertical (portrait) one. I was easily able to slide the quickly releasing plate out of the gimbal and re-insert it so the camera was printed vertically. However, the camera would then slowly droop forward due to the fact that I couldn’t screw it tightly enough onto the Hohem’s tripod plate. Now, this could be a fault of the Sony camera’s thread or the gimbal plate’s screw. I don’t know for sure, but I failed to shoot any social media-friendly vertical reels. Personally, this wasn’t a big issue as I tend to shoot horizontally in 4K and then crop the footage in post if I need a vertical version.

As I said earlier, I tend to use gimbals to carry smartphones. The combined weight of the 1.046 Kg Sony camera payload and the 1.07 Kg was heavier than I was used to, but with the additional sling handle and the main grip, I could easily perform a wide range of moves with little effort.

I appreciate that describing gimbal-powered camera moves isn’t that helpful, so do check out my supporting video that shows a range of the MT3 Pro’s moves in action (once you’ve watched the advert at the start!). While most of the camera moves are relatively smooth, I did notice some micro ‘twitches’ on occasion, which is something that’s far less noticeable or prevalent when using a smartphone on a Hohem stabiliser.

A key strength of all Hohem gimbals is their ability to be deployed on their mini tripod so that you can get them to pan and tilt the camera using the gimbal’s built-in AI tracker. I asked Maryna to make an OK gesture to trigger AI tracking, and the gimbal smoothly tilted and opened to follow her every move. She then made the palm-up gesture to stop the tracking process and walked out of shot. Despite having to pan and tilt a relatively heavy payload, the Hohem iSteady MT3 Pro did a smooth job, worthy of a human camera operator.

Verdict

The Hohem iSteady MT3 Pro enables you to ‘run and gun’ with your mirrorless camera in any location, making it almost effortless to perform a wide range of professional camera moves such as pans, tilts, and tracking shots. The addition of pro accessories such as the Dual Twist Handle makes it even easier to manoeuvre (especially if you want to perform low to high-angle crane shots). The detachable remote control with a built-in video feed is also very useful in helping you compose shots (especially if you’re tracking a model while walking backwards down a flight of stairs), and it's a nice design touch that this remote can also be mounted on the end of the Dual Twist Handle for easier access to changing modes, for example.

This is the first time I’ve tested a Hohem gimbal with a mirrorless camera, and I found that the camera moves weren’t always as smooth as those performed with a smartphone. The occasional ‘twitch’ of the pan motor meant that some shots weren’t quite as smooth as I’d have liked, so this loses it half a star. And I was disappointed that my camera dropped when in vertical orientation. But as you’ll see from my supporting video footage, I was able to perform a range of pro camera moves while filming a model making hers!

Alternatives

Vanguard has launched three new tripods aimed at enthusiast and pro photographers. All use carbon fibre for their legs and are designed to support heavy camera gear.

Alta Pro 3 263Alta Pro 3 303

The two new Alta Pro 3 tripods are a traditional tripod design, with an extendable center column and a built-in low-angle adaptor. The key difference between the two models is their leg diameter, which is either 26mm or 30mm. Both use 3-section legs, which should offer greater stability and rigidity compared to a 4-section design, albeit with an inevitable portability trade-off (folded length is 69.5cm for the Alta Pro 3 263, and 72.5cm for the Alta Pro 3 303).

The legs have three angle settings, which when combined with the low-angle adaptor means you can shoot as low as 24cm from the ground. Each new Alta Pro 3 incorporates an aluminium central column with a hexagonal cross-section that allows the legs to fold closed to a diameter of under 10cm. Maximum extended height for the Alta Pro 3 303 is 150cm, or 176cm with the center column extended; the Alta Pro 3 263 is around 5cm shorter for both settings.

But where the new Alta Pro 3 tripods really make a case for themselves is their ability to support a serious amount of weight. Even the smaller Alta Pro 3 263 is rated to carry 20kg of gear, while the 303 will stand strong under a whopping 25kg. Despite this sturdiness, the Alta Pro 3 303 weighs a manageable 2kg, and the 263 is just 1.65kg.

Both tripods are supplied with Vanguard's LBP-55S ball head - a professional quality, low-profile dual-axis design that features an oversized ball for maximum grip, and a friction control lock for increased control. This makes the head suitable even for longer lenses, while the dual axis allows you to easily level your camera on any terrain, then pan/reframe your shot using the top axis.

Vanguard supplies the Alta Pro 3 263 and 303 with a padded tripod bag, and the tripod is backed by a 2-year warranty (extendable to 10 years if registered with Vanguard). Both are available to buy now: the Alta Pro 3 263 is priced at £350, and the 303 is £400 (US pricing as yet unknown).

Alta Pro 3X 304

The third tripod in the new Alta Pro 3 range is the Alta Pro 3X 304. This is also constructed from carbon fibre and has the same generous 30mm leg diameter as the Alta Pro 3 303, along with 23-, 50- and 80-degree leg angle settings. It differs from the other tripods by not having an integral center column. Instead, Vanguard supplies a separate column which can be fitted directly to the tripod's canopy to extend overall height from 150cm to 182cm.

The advantage to keeping the center column separate is the legs can fold tighter together when packed, resulting in an 8.5cm folded diameter. Packed length is also shorter than the other Alta Pro 3 tripods at 61cm, thanks to the Alta Pro 3X having 4-section legs rather than 3. Overall weight is a reasonable 1.68kg. What's more, despite having an additional leg section, which can sometimes compromise rigidity, the Alta Pro 3X can still support a mighty 25kg of kit. 

As with the other Alta Pro 3 tripods, the 3X 304 is supplied with a LBP-55S ball head and a padded tripod bag. RRP is £350 (US pricing not yet known).

The unfortunate drawback of being a human being and a videographer is that having just two legs and two arms limits you to producing static content. By the way, if by some ungodly means you’ve figured out a way to be in the frame while operating the camera, please let me know.

Anyway… Edelkrone, a producer of high-end cinematography gear, has been trying to solve this corporeal issue for some time, and, for some creators, may have with its latest release, the DollyONE V2, a railless, self-driving camera dolly.

I say some creators as the DollyONE V2 certainly isn’t geared towards low-budget beginners producing entry-level content, nor does the device handle bumpy surfaces well or shots requiring speedy movements.

However, the DollyONE V2 could just be the tool needed for solo creators looking to take their already-polished videography skills to more immersive heights without having to splash a ton of cash.

For $1,200 / £902 / AU$1,379, you get some pretty nifty features. Particularly useful is the ability to create a trajectory for the DollyONE to follow by programming up to six points on the ground using the Edelkrone app that controls the DollyONE V2's every move.

I also like that the DollyONE V2 can move in a linear and arc fashion and I can imagine the arc movement being especially useful for building tension in scenes.

While you get a respectable amount of trajectory versatility, the DollyONE V2 is limited to smooth, flat surfaces and has a maximum speed of one foot per second . Edelkrone states it handles “minor imperfections" such as shallow seams and small cracks well, but early tests from YouTubers show otherwise.

Although unwanted movement in footage does seem to be introduced by the motor too, which is another critique, but to the motor’s credit, it does reportedly work silently.

Above: Watch Brandon Li's video review of the Edelkrone DollyONE V2

Unlike other manufacturers that have a nasty habit of locking you into their systems with add-on after add-on that need to be purchased separately, Edelkrone has made the DollyONE V2 compatible with third-party tripods.

You will need to purchase the HeadOne V2 – which controls tilt and pan – and an Edelkrone X self-adjusting tripod separately to unlock the DollyONE V2’s full capabilities. This’ll set you back substantially more, but it’s not necessary if you just need self-driving functionality.

You might also like…

Looking for a slider to add camera movements to your video productions? Then check out our expert guide to the best camera sliders, which handily includes our take on the best smartphone dolly too.

Mini / tabletop tripods don't often stand out, but here's a distinctive new model from Leofoto. The MT-03mini is actually the smallest in a range of three 'crab leg' tripod offerings from the brand and weighs a mere 130g. Thanks to its folding legs, it packs down to just 105mm long (without head), but with the two-section legs unfolded, you get a maximum height of 170mm.

The legs have three angle settings and can lower the shooting height to just 65mm. Combined with those 'crab' feet, the tripod can cope with very uneven surfaces. Multiple 1/4-20 mounting points along each leg enable fitment of small accessories like LED lights. Four color options are available: black, silver, green and orange.

Pricing is quoted at 21,120 Yen, which converts to $136. That's a lot for a mini tripod, and far more than the larger MT-03 model currently sells for (around $70). We'd surprised if the new baby version ends up costing more than its bigger sibling. So if you want a mini tripod that's as flexible as a GorillaPod but looks sleeker, check out the Leofoto MT-03mini.

Today DJI announces the new RS5 camera gimbal in the rest of the world, bringing the intelligent tracking module (first seen with the RS 4 Mini) to the 5th generation of gimbal.

This new module can track people, vehicles, pets, or any subject, and maintain locked focus on a human subject up to ten meters (32ft) from the camera. According to DJI, once the module has identified someone, it can follow them and re-acquire them even if they leave the frame, even in a crowded scene.

Significantly in the social era, the RS5 can switch to vertical shooting without needing extra accessories. Its total weight is 3.22lb / 1.46Kg including the quick-release plates and battery grip.

The gimbal also features DJI's 2nd gen automated axis locks, meaning the device automatically unlocks when the gimbal is turned on or lock the gimbal in position at sleep or powers off.

A new briefcase-style handle makes it possible to capture new angles above or below the subject, while remaining in control of the footage. There is also a new Z-Axis indicator on the display, which the operator can use to see whether the Ronin's sensors think they should adjust their gait and pace, or whether the device feels capable of absorbing the image shake on its own.

The battery life is stated at 14 hours with the included grip (which can be fully charged in an hour), or up to 30 hours with the BG70 High-Capacity grip. Bluetooth shutter now supports Panasonic and Fujifilm for the first time, as well as Sony, Canon, and Nikon.

The DJI RS5 is on sale from today in the UK and Europe for £485 including a mini-tripod, control cable and BG33 battery grip. In Australia, the RS5 will set you back AU$839 for the standalone gimbal and AU$999 for the Combo pack.

It will not be on sale in the USA thanks to the ban on new DJI products which use radio frequencies imposed by President Trump. (We're not expecting any developments in the USA v China trade dispute until at least after after Chinese president Xi Jinping and Donald Trump meet, currently scheduled for April.)

A phone can take on most content creation jobs these days, so why not give it the support it needs – that's the theory behind a gimbal which is a camera stabilizer that helps produce more professional content.

This is a device of many generations, but since the Osmo Mobile 6 – or OM6 – DJI has brought a professional feel with an analog control wheel as well as the joystick. This can, for example, use NFC to take control of the 'focus' effect in on the phone so the device gives you wider cinematographic controls.

This newest model has other updates too – a fill light and subject tracking system that can also help connect to any of the DJI Mics (not just the Mic Mini), as well as (new for this generation) an infinitely rotating pan, so you can be tracked continuously around the device if you need.

USB-C charging (and the ability to charge your phone via the same port) all add up to make a lot of appeal, but is this the right choice if you're looking for more stable phone video?

DJI Osmo Mobile 8: Pricing

The Osmo Mobile 8, or OM8, has relatively high end features but does not come at the highest price in this category, so I'd put it down as good value too.

The obvious competitor is the Insta360 Flow 2 Pro, which – at the time I tested the device – was one of the few other devices that offered Apple DockKit compatibility and 360-degree panning, but came in for slightly more cash than the OM8.

DJI Osmo Mobile 8: Specs

DJI Osmo Mobile 8: Build and handling

I've said it before (and I said it with the OM7) – DJI is very confident in building a convincingly professional-feeling product, even in this category, which is awash with cheap plasticky devices. There is a reassuringly robust feeling about this design, which has good ergonomics around the trigger (which activates the stabilization and some other functions).

Despite its compact size, the design manages to include a decent-length telescopic extension pole so you can get your phone camera above a crowd, and a built-in tripod that can pull out of the base and pop back in. That's a lot of physical functionality and in my testing over a few months it survived admirably.

Physical controls amount to a thumbwheel (handy for things you might tweak in a linear scale, like focus), a thumb stick (used for directing the phone/camera), and three simple buttons. These mean you can start and stop recording, even on an iPhone in the normal camera app, without reaching up for the screen.

DJI provides an app, Mimo, as well as letting you use the phone's own app, for that slightly more professional feel – or at least that's how I interpreted the experience. Mimo, to be fair, is also equipped with a host of filters and even beauty adjustments so perhaps it's just as Gen-Z as anything else out there, but if, like me, you are looking to access the premium features (or find features like D-Log from your drones) then Mimo is the place to look.

Mimo, of course, is also the tool which offers remote control of all DJI's action cameras, so if you have any of the OM8's siblings then the app might just need an update, and will already be familiar to you.

Finally, there is the clip-on, clip-off fill light (or should I say 'Multifunction Module' we have seen on previous Osmo Mobile devices. It has the fancy name because it also features a built-in camera used to help the system's AI spot people and pets (and gesture commands).

DJI Osmo Mobile 8: Performance

Whether I opted to use my phone's camera app (I was testing with an Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max) or the DJI Mimo app, I found the experience slick and straightforward.

Battery life certainly seemed to last well in my tests – I didn't run it out in any shoots – however whether it actually can last exactly ten hours seems somewhat unrealistic to ask.

The design allows for low-angle shots (holding the camera near the ground) and tracking pets as well as people.

The system is also pretty quick to get started, turning itself on when you open it up (especially prompt if you're prepared to leave the grip attached to your phone, though my phone case was a bit too big for it which is why you see my iPhone Pro Max very exposed in the test pictures).

When I tried it, I also found the system perfectly capable of lifting a small plug-in SSD drive in the USB-C socket.

DJI Osmo Mobile 8: Overall verdict

The DJI Osmo Mobile 8 has been good enough to help me turn my iPhone Pro Max into a professional shooting rig. I've shot music videos and lengthy 4K videos on it. Sure, some will look closely to tell-tale signs of depth of field that tend to give away phone cameras, but – as it turns out – for most casual viewers, the evidence comes more readily from the less-than-steady hold people tend to have on their phones.

The OM8 doesn't just provide a solution to that issue, but keeps doing so all the way up the scale of production, so while you get something that will help track you for a one-person shoot, you'll also be able to take advantage of the subject tracking when you're guerrilla shooting a music video in a London graveyard.

It's worth remembering, too, that if you're used to EIS – Electronic Image Stabilization – a gimbal like this gets you the full image resolution.

Alternatives

Hohem’s newest pro-grade gimbal designed to accommodate everything from mirrorless cameras to smartphones is now outfitted with a screen-clad remote for controlling advanced AI tracking. Announced during CES 2026, the Hohem iSteady MT3 is the accessory-maker’s newest pro-grade gimbal.

The iSteady MT3 will come in a standard and a Pro variant, with pre-orders beginning on January 20 in the US only. Hohem hasn’t yet shared international availability or pricing.

The iSteady MT3 has a handful of updates compared to the previous MT2, starting with the remote. While the earlier model was also compatible with remotes, the MT3 remote has a built-in screen for using the Live Feed to control the gimbal’s AI tracking capabilities. The touchscreen offers quick access to settings, including follow modes and speeds, from up to 10m or 32.8 feet away.

That remote also has a joystick and a Bluetooth-enabled camera shutter release. A toggle on the remote also supports remotely adjusting the zoom on supported PZ or power zoom lenses.

The gimbal uses a built-in 2MP camera to power AI-based object tracking. The company says the AI can track humans, pets, vehicles, and “any subject”. The AI tracking can be controlled from the touchscreen, the gimbal’s trigger-like button, or using gesture controls for human tracking.

The Hohem iSteady MT3 has a handful of other enhancements compared to the earlier MT2. The previous version had a 2.6lb capacity (1200g), where the MT3 supports up to 3.1 lbs (1.4kg), and the MT3 Pro up to 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg). Battery life also jumps from 17 hours to 20 hours.

The gimbal also updates with faster swaps from horizontal to vertical shooting positions. Hoehm says the new model also has a 40 percent increase in torque.

Like earlier models, the MT3 supports mirrorless cameras, compact cameras, smartphones, and action cameras. The accessories needed to adapt to different types of cameras are all included in the box, along with a quick-release plate kit.

The Pro Kit will also support a Spot Mini Motor accessory, which allows the gimbal to control either focus or zoom using the dial on the side of the gimbal handle. Six screw holes also allow for adapting and modifying the gimbal with a wide range of accessories, including twist handles, lights, and monopods.

The base model starts at $329, with the Pro at $449. The Pro Kit with the Spot Mini Motor support retails for $549. Pre-orders at B&H are expected to begin on January 20; international pricing and availability are not yet available.

The Zhiyun Smooth Q5 Ultra is a 3-axis gimbal with a compact, foldable design that is incredibly portable. It boasts advanced stabilization, AI tracking, voice control, a detachable remote, and more. For the price, it's quite staggering how rich the feature set is.

This type of gimbal is an ideal solution for solo creators who need to be able to accommodate multiple setups. Its ability to flip between portrait and landscape modes also makes it a perfect fit for social media creators who crave versatility.

The Smooth Q5 Ultra competes admirably for a place in our guide to the best smartphone gimbals, with direct competition coming from the Insta360 Flow 2 Pro and DJI Osmo Mobile 7P. Zhiyun's offering features some innovative accessories and a fill light, which help to set it apart.

Zhiyun Smooth Q5 Ultra: Specifications

Zhiyun Smooth Q5 Ultra: Price

The Zhiyun Smooth Q5 Ultra is available from Zhiyun's Official Store for $99.99 / £84.99. If you'd like the combo kit that includes the AI tracking module and wireless remote control, then that costs $119.99 / £99.99. Alternatives include the DJI Osmo Mobile 7P for $129.99 / £118.50 and the Insta360 Flow 2 Pro for $159.99 / £145. Each device offers a similar set of specs, with the Smooth Q5 Ultra proving to be the best budget-friendly option.

Zhiyun Smooth Q5 Ultra: Design & Handling

Having unboxed the gimbal, AI tracker, and remote control, I was fully up and running in around ten minutes. Everything shipped fully charged, and all I had to do was clip my phone in, attach the AI tracker, and pair it with my phone, and I was away. It could not have been easier.

The gimbal itself has a primary construction of plastic, which contributes to the overall lightweight design, weighing approximately 390g / 13.8oz. Holding it, even for long periods of time, didn't result in any arm, wrist, or hand strain, and for that I was grateful. It's marketed as a compact gimbal, and even though it's foldable, unfortunately, it's not small enough to fit comfortably in a pocket.

The design includes an ergonomic grip for comfortable single-handed operation, and the exterior boasts a matt white finish that is both scratch and stain-resistant. I have no concerns that it'll stay looking new for a long time to come.

At the top of the handle is a color display that keeps the user updated on the current state of the gimbal. This includes the amount of battery left, whether it's connected via Bluetooth, if the AI tracking is enabled, and a host of other indicators.

The clamp that holds the mobile phone is sturdy and strong, so strong that I nearly trapped my fingers in it while removing my phone. Take this as a positive rather than a potential health hazard. Zhiyun has also included an abundance of rubber grips inside the clamp to ensure your phone stays scratch-free.

At the bottom of the gimbal is a 1/4-20 screw mount that enables the attachment of a tripod or similar compatible accessories. There is a small tripod included in the kit, which is ideal for positioning the gimbal on a tabletop or even on the floor. There's also a 215mm extension pole built into the center of the gimbal. You wouldn't immediately know it's there, but if you push on the top of the handle, it'll begin to extend. This was super useful for capturing more arty, unusual shots.

A final feature that is worth mentioning is the inclusion of a fill light on the back of the gimbal. Using it will significantly reduce the battery life, but it is a handy little addition, especially for creators who want a lightweight run-and-gun setup.

The gimbal has a companion app called the ZY Cami App, which includes more intelligent tracking, an editor, and a slew of other additional features. It's not required, though, with the gimbal functioning fine with any mobile phone's default camera app.

Further to the core gimbal, the combo kit of the Smooth Q5 Ultra includes a detachable remote and an AI tracking camera. The remote allows for long-distance control, including the ability to hit record. The tracking camera attaches underneath the clamp mechanism and includes an indicator light that keeps you updated on its status.

Zhiyun Smooth Q5 Ultra: Performance

Overall, I was very impressed with the performance of the gimbal. As mentioned, it was very easy to set up, and I was quickly able to crack on with capturing photos and videos. The 3-axis operation was reliable and predictable 99% of the time, although there were a few occasions where it seemed to drift a little from what I expected. At that point, I was grateful for the ability to recenter the gimbal head with the quick press of a button.

Operating the gimbal was straightforward, and even my ten-year-old, who has no prior experience using a device like this, was able to quickly yield predictable results. The button and dial placement also meant that it was possible to change settings while operating the gimbal.

The AI tracker was able to track my face with no difficulty and yielded smooth results every single time. This tracker is able to pick up gesture controls such as an okay sign that enables tracking, double thumbs up to toggle between portrait and landscape orientations, as well as a peace sign to take photos or start filming. Unfortunately, the sensors' ability to recognise these gestures was so hit and miss that I wasn't able to use them predictably.

The small and handy remote control allows for operation up to 10m away from the gimbal. It works seamlessly and includes the ability to control the gimbal's orientation as well as start/stop recording. With the remote switched on, it's also possible to control the gimbal with voice commands. It was responsive and much more reliable than gesture commands. One change I would like to see in this feature would be a move away from direct commands towards an AI model that lets you use more natural language to get the same results.

In terms of battery life, the gimbal lasts up to 13.5 hours, although this is reduced to 5.5 hours with AI tracking enabled and the fill light turned on. This is just about sufficient for a full day's filming, and you can always turn the fill light off between shots. It only takes two hours to recharge, although it's not a removable battery, so you might find it hard to operate the gimbal while you're charging.

Zhiyun Smooth Q5 Ultra: Verdict

The Zhiyun Smooth Q5 Ultra is a lightweight gimbal that is quick to set up and generally reliable in its operation. With AI tracking and a detachable remote, the device offers several innovative features that elevate the user experience. I wasn't enamored by the gesture commands, but that aside, I found the gimbal to be reliable, predictable, and overall a joy to use.

Alternatives

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

This is just my opinion, sure, but I don't think I'm alone in saying that the world of vlogging has changed a little! Suppose you're looking to get out there and make an impression. In that case, the starting point now shouldn't be lenses, locked-off camera quality and everything a classically trained creator would tell you – it should be about being there, in the moment, yet mysteriously having slightly better-looking video than everyone who just holds their phone in their hands. Here is the solution... A gimbal stabilizer - and I recommend this one from DJI:

The thing is, either you (or someone you know) is trying to make it big on TikTok, YouTube shorts, or Instagram – or even one of the more classic horizontal-format platforms – and the way to create video that stands out is likely to be shooting on a phone (most phones, these days, take pretty good 4K video and people edit in the apps that belong to the platform).

My original review of the Osmo Mobile 7P

Where things tend to fall down is that people also hold their phones in their hands and are let down by the length of their arms or other artistic constraints. Wouldn't it be great to be able to put the camera down and have it follow you? Or hold it a little further away and know that any shake and wobble would be compensated so the video looks just a bit more pro (but not so professional that fans woudln't think you authentic... it's a fine line).

That's what makes this a great gift for the vlogger in your life (even if that's you) – because it can handle so much and it does so with the camera that, frankly, is probably the most convenient for the platform you're trying to break out with.

The files you shoot will go straight to your phone. That's where you edit for TikTok or YouTube shorts.

There is a lot of capacity for growth too, but the investment is relatively low, and the quality jump from hand-held is massive and noticable. It's also noticeable in a funny kind of way, because the video is still shot on a phone, so people will see your work as deeply authentic, yet also perceive that it is of better quality because of the reduced shake. Sure, phones do have software to correct this a little, but this is done digitally, and the result is never as good as when mechanics like this are involved.

It's a simple thing, but it'll also likely make it easier to hold the camera at a more flattering angle to your face. The controls are simple and natural, easily reached with a thumb if you're holding the device, and there is a well-designed app with a tutorial, so it will not be a difficult transition to level up your work, and increase your likes!

American-made tripod brand Really Right Stuff is increasing prices beginning on December 01.

In an email to fans, Really Right Stuff said that prices on tripods are increasing on December 01. As an example, the company said that the Versa-34 that retails for $1,250 will list for $1,315 after December 01 in the US, which is a five percent increase.

While US photographers are no strangers to increasing prices in the wake of new tariffs, Really Right Stuff is a Utah-based company that makes its tripods in the US. A company representative told Digital Camera World that the increase is due to rising inflation and production costs.

“Due to rising inflation and production costs, we are raising our prices for the first time in two years,” the company wrote in an email. “RRS strives to keep our prices reasonable while ensuring the quality of our product, and this is a necessary measure in maintaining that high standard.”

According to the company’s website, RRS “proudly make[s] and hand-assemble[s] our products in the USA will never change.”

The company also designs its own soft goods, but unlike tripods, products like tripod bags and pouches are outsourced to a US company that sources from factories in Asia.

According to the email to fans, only tripod prices are indicated to be increasing.

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Browse the best tripods or the best travel tripods.

I first discovered Freewell while hunting for camera accessories that are built for real-world use but that didn’t carry a premium price tag. The brand has a reputation for thoughtfully engineered gear, such as filters, gimbals, and tripods, that feel professional and get the most out of accessories.

Travel tripods have always been a tricky balance for me. I want something light enough to carry for hours along a coastline or through a city, yet rigid enough to support heavier cameras and lenses. Often, I’ve found myself frustrated with travel tripods that are so light they wobble, or so heavy they’re more of a burden than a tool.

That’s why the Freewell FW-T1 Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod caught my eye. It promises both portability and performance, two qualities I usually have to compromise between. It’s clearly aimed at travel photographers, vloggers, and content creators; people who need stability on the go without sacrificing convenience. Whether you shoot landscapes, cityscapes, or social content, this tripod positions itself as a versatile companion to carry along for the ride.

Freewell FW-T1 Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod: Specifications

Freewell FW-T1 Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod: Price

When I first checked the price ($299.99 / £299.99 / AU$399.99), I admit I hesitated for a second. It’s not a budget option, but compared to high-end carbon fiber travel tripods, it sits comfortably in the mid-range. And after using it, I feel it’s absolutely justified.

What you’re paying for is more than just lightweight carbon fiber construction: the FW-T1 has a full 360° ball head, monopod conversion, a smart quick-release system, and thoughtful extras like a phone holder and optional AirTag compartment. When I compare it to cheaper aluminum travel tripods I’ve used in the past, it feels like night and day in stability and usability. And compared to pricier carbon fiber tripods, it hits a sweet spot. Almost all of the premium features without the higher-end cost. For me, that makes it an excellent value for money.

Freewell FW-T1 Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod: Design & Handling

The moment I picked up the FW-T1, I was struck by how light it is, 0.9 kg (2 lbs). It folds down to just 42.8 cm (16.9 inches), which meant I could slip it into my backpack or the provided carry bag, along with my medium format camera and standard zoom lens, and barely notice the extra weight. Walking with it along the Gower coast, in South Wales, felt effortless compared to my larger tripods.

Setup is intuitive. The leg sections twist out smoothly and lock firmly, and the three angle positions of 20°, 55°, and 75° offer flexibility for all kinds of terrain. Even in windy coastal conditions, the tripod stayed rock solid, which instantly gave me confidence to leave my camera on it while adjusting settings or swapping lenses.

The ball head is another standout feature. It’s smooth, responsive, and can even hold my camera in portrait orientation without needing an L-bracket, which is a small but incredibly useful detail. Adjusting my composition was precise via the multiple articulation points, including pan and tilt, and once the camera was mounted, I didn’t have to worry about it slipping or rotating.

The quick-release plate design is pure genius, and a feature I had not yet discovered on a tripod. In addition to its traditional use, it doubles as a phone holder when you flip it upside down, which is perfect if you want to mix stills photography with social content creation. I could quickly attach my phone to capture clips or behind-the-scenes content without needing any extra gear, which is a real time-saver when shooting alone.

Other thoughtful features include the removable center column for low-angle or macro shots, a ballast hook for added stability, three 1/4 -20" expansion threaded holes for attaching extra gear like lights and microphones, and an optional AirTag compartment to keep track of the tripod. Small touches like these make the tripod feel like it was designed by someone who actually uses a tripod in the field, not just as a spec sheet exercise.

To further add to this tripod's versatility, one leg can be removed to convert the tripod into a monopod. I didn’t think I’d use this much, but it’s been perfect for situations where I need speed or where space is limited, like hopping between rocks on the coast.

Freewell FW-T1 Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod: Performance

I took the FW-T1 to the Gower coast with my medium format camera (Fujifilm GFX 50S II) and standard zoom lens (GF 35-70mm). I was impressed by how little extra weight it added to my kit; almost negligible. Even in gusty conditions, the tripod held firm, enabling me to shoot landscapes, long exposures, and low-angle shots without any wobble.

The ball head made framing easy, although with so many pivoting points, it took me a second to get used to which lever locked which point. To my surprise, tilting the ball head into a portrait orientation was rock solid, and I didn’t need to fumble with an L-bracket, although it is still the safest option. Switching between my camera and phone was quick and intuitive thanks to the dual-purpose Arca-Swiss quick-release plate. I could move seamlessly between capturing high-resolution stills and content for social media, which made shooting feel fluid rather than segmented.

The monopod conversion was useful for faster shots. For example, when I wanted to capture quick handheld-style panning footage along the cliffs, I could detach a leg, extend the monopod, and have a stable, mobile setup in seconds. The ballast hook on the removable center column came in handy, too. I added my camera bag for extra weight when the wind gusted, which made a noticeable difference in stability.

I also appreciated how the tripod performed in low-angle scenarios. The reversible center column allowed me to get creative with compositions close to the ground, something that would have been cumbersome or impossible with my previous tripod. Overall, the FW-T1 delivered on every spec it promises, but more importantly, it made the shooting experience smoother and more enjoyable.

Freewell FW-T1 Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod: Verdict

After spending a little time with the Freewell FW-T1 Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod in the field and filming content at home, it’s clear to me that this isn’t just a lightweight travel tripod, but a thoughtfully engineered, versatile tool for photographers and content creators.

It’s light enough to carry all day, compact enough to fit in a backpack, and stable enough to support medium format cameras, DSLRs, mirrorless systems, and smartphones. Features like the monopod conversion, its quick-release plate doubling as a phone holder, low-angle capability, and optional AirTag compartment elevate it beyond a simple travel tripod, and due to this, I think it is a good value for money.

As a travel tripod, it may not stack up to the relentless use and heavier gear associated with landscape or wildlife photography. But if you’re a travel photographer, vlogger, or content creator who wants a reliable, easy-to-use, and highly versatile tripod, the FW-T1 is an excellent choice. For me, it’s become a trusted companion on trips, and I genuinely enjoy having it as an option in my kitbag.

Alternatives

If I had to name an equivalent to the ‘Rolls Royce’ motoring brand in the field of tripod design and manufacturer, it would be Gitzo. To me they’ve always created tripods and accessories of absolutely the finest quality, at the most premium prices. The company itself has French origins dating back to 1917, concentrating on tripods and supports from the 1950s onwards. A key facet of Gitzo design is the pioneering use of carbon fiber and magnesium alloy to create super-sturdy yet relatively lightweight tripods. It’s perhaps not surprising that Gitzo became part of what is now the Videndum Group in 1992, a company that also features Manfrotto in its portfolio.

The Gitzo GHF3W 3-Way Fluid Head is a typically luxurious product, designed to be a perfect match for Gitzo Series 2 and larger Mountaineer and Systematic ranges of tripods. However, it has pretty much universal appeal for anyone who wants one of the best 3-way heads for any make and model of tripods for photographers.

Gitzo GHF3W 3-Way Fluid Head: Specifications

Gitzo GHF3W 3-Way Fluid Head: Price

Ouch! This tripod head costs $690 / £487 / AU$1,330, although you can often find it quite heavily discounted if you shop around. Even so, the perfectly respectable Manfrotto X-PRO 3-way head only costs around a quarter of the price, at $220 / £129 / AU$289. Some say you pay through the nose for the Gitzo badge and that the brand is very overpriced.

On the other hand, I’ve met a couple of pro photographers who bought Gitzo tripod kits decades ago and are still using them after many years of daily grind in the most demanding conditions, without even a sniff of a problem. One of them said to me he was confident that his Gitzo would be the only tripod he’d ever need to buy. Maybe this head is actually very good value, if you can afford to take the long view.

Gitzo GHF3W 3-Way Fluid Head: Design & Handling

Gitzo products are undeniably stylish, but I’ve never felt they were a case of style of substance. The Gitzo GHF3W 3-Way Fluid Head is definitely substantial, with a payload rating of 13kg / 28.7lb. That’s a lot more than the rating of many a set of tripod legs and certainly more weight than I’d ever need to throw at it. Even so, the head itself is surprisingly lightweight at just 0.96kg / 2.1lb, thanks to clever design and the use of magnesium alloy as the main construction material.

Sometimes I feel that 3-way heads are substantial in a bad way. Compared with relatively streamlined ball heads, they often have long operating handles that stick out and enlarge the stowage size, as well as having a knack of catching on things as you’re walking around. By contrast, the Gitzo is remarkably compact for such a heavy-duty 3-way head, its packing size being diminished by retractable operating handles for tilt and swivel. It’s certainly not unique in this respect, but the mechanisms are engineered very well with sturdy square shafts.

While the handles slide smoothly on their shafts, movement is even more silky when it comes to adjusting the head. This is thanks again to high-quality manufacturing, but also due to the fact that independent fluid cartridges are fitted for each axis. These give a suitably fluid feel to movement. The two retracting handles for tilt and swivel are supplemented by a fixed knob for panning lock/release. As with the other two handles, the panning knob has a graphic that indicates variable friction damping is available – the more you turn the knob, the freer and easier panning becomes.

At the base of the head is a clearly marked panning scale. It’s marked in 15-degree intervals with long lines, and at smaller 5-degree increments with shorter lines. Numbered values are shown at 45-degree intervals, so everything is nicely covered off. I find the calibrated scale especially useful when shooting a sequence of panned shots that I intend to stitch into a panorama at the editing stage.

There’s a generous range of tilt and swivel available on both axes, with -70 to +90 degrees front tilt and -30 to +90 degrees laterally, but the Gitzo has another trick up its sleeve. Just below the camera platform there’s a black lever with an arrow printed on it. Move the lever in the direction of the arrow (how can you resist?) and you’re able to rotate the camera platform through 90 degrees. This enables you to quickly and easily swap the axes for tilt and swivel.

Another bit of trickery is designed into the bubble level. Instead of being fixed, the large and easy-to-view bubble level is mounted on a 90-degree rotating base. The idea (and I think it’s a good one) is that you can simply twist the bubble level housing so that the same level works in either landscape- or portrait-orientation shooting.

The quick-release plate locking mechanism is safe and secure, with a pushbutton lock-release feature. It works a treat and while the official Gitzo quick-release plate has a product code of GS5370DR, you can use any Arca-Swiss plate. That’s especially handy if you’re using big, heavyweight lenses to take advantage of that generous payload rating, as many of these now feature tripod mounting rings that have integral Arca-Type feet, so you can plug them directly into the platform on the head.

The camera platform itself is beautifully engineered and impeccably finished, fully in keeping with the rest of the head, as shown below.

Down below, the mounting plate for attaching the head to a tripod has a smart black anodized finish. It’s the same plate that has the panning scale marked on its upper surface. The circular plate has a diameter of 60mm / 2.36”. This makes it an ideal fit for Gitzo’s heavy-duty tripods with similar payload ratings, as well as the vast majority of heavyweight tripods from other manufacturers.

Gitzo GHF3W 3-Way Fluid Head: Performance

I have to admit to finding ball heads something of a revelation, a few decades ago. After many years of using 3-way heads, I was really taken with the speed and ease of setting up a ball head. The Manfrotto XPRO Ball Head is one of my favorites. More recently, I’ve rather come full circle, and I’m not just talking about the merits of a 360-degree panning facility. I’m happy to take a little longer setting up a shot, and generally prefer the greater attention to detail that a 3-way head can give me, with its independent locks for tilt, swivel, and panning.

I should also confess that I don’t have the patience of a saint and don’t want to waste time fiddling around for ages when setting up a tripod head. I found that the Gitzo gave me the best of both worlds. It enabled ultra-precise adjustments in any and all directions, while also being quick, easy, and painless to use. Better still, the lock/release handles work with such a sublime feel, partly thanks to their independent fluid cartridges, that I got a genuine feel-good factor from using the head.

And when it comes to the crunch, I found that I could load up the head with hefty camera and lens combinations, and it gave me rock-solid support with no unwanted flexing, sagging, or vibrations. I also really like the 90-degree rotational mechanism for quickly and easily swapping the tilt and swivel axes around, as well as the bubble level that works so well in both landscape and portrait orientations.

Gitzo GHF3W 3-Way Fluid Head: Verdict

I think that the Gitzo GHF3W 3-Way Fluid Head really looks and feels the business. Designed and manufactured in Italy to the highest standards, it’s the tripod head equivalent of jumping into an exotic Italian supercar. Compared with run-of-the-mill tripod heads, the Gitzo is an absolute joy to use and I feel that it’s a thing of engineering beauty in its own right.

Ultimately, performance is exceptional in every area, doing full justice to the design excellence and manufacturing quality of the head. It also goes a long way towards justifying the asking price, although, when we get right down to the bottom line, the Gitzo costs more to buy than many of us would be prepared to pay for a 3-way head, even for one which will probably last a lifetime.

Alternatives

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

I do enjoy testing and reviewing gimbals/stabilisers for Digital Camera World. Indeed, the Feiyu Scorp 3 is the 26th gimbal that I’ve reviewed to date since I took the Zhiyun Crane Combo kit for a spin back in April 2022. A gimbal encourages me to search out a subject (such as a model or a vintage railway line) and perform a range of cinematic camera moves such as pans, tilts, tracks, and cranes!

I’ve tested a wide range of gimbals - from the smartphone-friendly Hohem iSteady V3 to the professional heavyweight DSLR-lifting DJI RS 4 Pro.

The Feiyu Scorp 3 falls into the heavy-lifting end of the gimbal spectrum. It’s designed to let you manoeuvre a payload of up to 3.5 Kg (7.72 lbs), so it had no trouble carrying a Sony Alpha 7 III and Tamron 28-75mm lens, which weighed 1.37 Kg.

Feiyu released their original 3-axis Scorp-C gimbal back in late 2021. I tested the Scorp 2 in May 2024 and gave it four stars. More recently, I tested Feiyu’s smartphone version of the Scorp - the Scorp Mini 3 Pro and was so impressed with its performance that I awarded it five stars. To find out how 2025’s Scorp 3 shapes up against its predecessors, read on…

Feiyu Scorp 3: Specifications

Feiyu Scorp 3: Price

The Feiyu Scorp 3 kit can be purchased for $399/£439, or for $429.00/£469 you can buy the Scorp 3 Kit, which contains extra accessories such as a padded carry case, a weight-reducing shoulder strap, and even an LED fill light that you can slide into your gimbal-mounted camera’s shoe mount to illuminate close subjects (such as a selfie). These useful accessories are well worth the extra money - especially the protective case, which has webbed storage compartments to stop you losing small but essential accessories such as charging cables, a hex/allen key, and a quick-release plate.

At $399/£439, the Feiyu Scorp 3 kit is certainly cheaper than a DJI RS 4 Combo, and the Scorp 3 can manage a slightly heavier payload (3.5 Kg compared to the DJI RS 4’s 3 Kg). So if you’re looking at a more affordable alternative to the DJI RS 4, then the Scorp 3 is worth checking out. You can find a link to my review of the DJI RS 4 in the Alternatives section at the bottom of this page. I gave both the DJI RS 4 and the Feiyu Scorp 3 the same rating, too, which makes the Scorp 3 an attractive alternative to the RS 4 when it comes to price and performance.

Feiyu Scorp 3: Design & Handling

When I unboxed the Feiyu Scorp 3, I had a strong sense of déjà vu! This was because I had tested the Scorp Mini 3 Pro Kit a couple of months earlier. As its name suggests, the Scorp Mini 3 is a diminutive smartphone-compatible version of the Scorp 3. Both gimbals share the same attractive design, with a distinctive underslung handle that enables you to slide the gimbals close to the ground and then sweep them up into the air for striking cinematic tracking to crane shots!

The underslung handle is my favourite feature on the Scorp range. On the Scorp 3, you can even remove the end of the handle and use it to operate the gimbal remotely via a joystick. This could be a useful design feature if you’re filming something dangerous, such as unpredictable wildlife on safari or a car rally from the roadside!

The Scorp 3 also boasts a remote control in the form of a detachable panel. The main difference between the Scorp 3 and the Scorp Mini 3 is that the payload of the smartphone-friendly Scorp Mini 3 is only 2kg / 4.4 lbs, whereas the Scorp 3 is designed to carry mirrorless/DSLR cameras up to 3.5 Kg/7.72 lbs.

At first glance, the Scorp 3 looked identical to the Scorp 2. It appeared to look and behave in a similar way during my test, too. It was only when diving into the Scorp 3’s specifications that I discovered a few differences.

The key difference between the Scorp 3 and the Scorp 2 is that the latter can carry a heavier payload of 3.5 Kg/7.72 lbs, compared to its predecessor’s 2.5 Kg/5.51 lbs. Surprisingly, despite being the more powerful gimbal, the Scorp 3 is slightly more compact than the Scorp 2 (but only by a few centimetres). However, at 1.36 Kg/3.02 lbs, the Scorp 3 is a fair bit heavier than the Scorp 2, which weighed in at 1070 g/2.36 lbs. This extra weight makes the Scorp 3 require a little more effort to handle, as you’ll see from this review’s Performance section.

Another important difference between the Scorp 3 and the Scorp 2 is that the Scorp 3 has an upgraded 4.0 tracking module. This was first introduced in the Scorp Mini 3. This improved tracking module has a 15% wider field of view than the Scorp 2’s module, which enables the Scorp 3 to track more quickly and more accurately than the older model.

As you’ll see from my supporting video in the Perforce section, the AI tracking module was able to perform skilled pans and tilts that followed my every move in a natural and organic way - just like a skilled camera operator (who works for free and doesn’t need a coffee break!).

Feiyu Scorp 3: Performance

Instead of heading to the city (like I usually do), I decided to test the Feiyu Scorp 3 by filming steam engines trundling up and down a retro railway line in the countryside at Nene Valley Railway. I packed my Sony A7 III and accessories such as an iPhone 16 Plus in my currently favoured backpack - the Wandrd Stratus Pho 18L. I used the tripod-mounted iPhone 16 Plus to film the gimbal when it was deployed on its mini tripod and was tracking me via its AI tracking module. Check out this section’s supporting video to see the Scorp 3 in action. I carried the Scorp 3 in its dedicated carry case.

My Sony Alpha 7 III with its Tamron 28-75mm lens weighed in at 1.37kg, which is well within the Scorp 3’s 3.5 Kg maximum payload range. The gimbal itself weighs 1.73 Kg, so I was carrying a combined weight of 3.1 Kg when filming with the camera mounted on the gimbal. This was quite a heavy package to carry around, but thanks to the angled design of the underslung handle (and the extra grip you get when you collapse the tripod into a rear extension handle), it was surprisingly easy to manoeuvre through a series of camera moves.

I prefer using smartphone gimbals such as the smaller Feiyu Scorp Mini 3 Pro because you can pop the relatively lightweight smartphone onto the gimbal and start shooting straight away. With heavy mirrorless/DSLR gimbals such as the Scorp 3, you need to spend time (around 5-10 minutes) balancing the camera on the gimbal, so that the Scorp 3 functions smoothly and you don’t add unnecessary wear and tear to the motors.

Balancing a camera involves adjusting the gimbal’s tilt, roll, and pan axis sliders in turn, so that the balanced camera produces less strain on the motors and you achieve optimum gimbal performance. I found that the Scorp 3’s roll axis was the trickiest to balance, as you need to push quite hard to slide it back and forth until you achieve a balanced position. The tilt arm’s slider has a more useful balancing knob that enables you to adjust the tilt balance with millimetre precision. It would be nice to see this balancing knob feature added to the other sliders in the future.

One really useful feature was a balancing guide accessible in the menu on the Scorp 3’s OLED screen. This provided a clear visual indication of which axes were balanced or unbalanced, allowing me to precisely adjust the balance of a problematic axis. Although I had balanced the camera at home, I still needed to go through the balancing process upon arrival at the railway to ensure optimal gimbal function. The Scorp 3 is aimed at professionals who will be happy to spend the time setting up their kit correctly, whereas the Scorp 3 Mini Pro is designed for smartphone content-creators who just want to run and gun.

Once my camera and the gimbal were set up, I enjoyed exploring the Scorp 3’s various shooting modes - PF (Pan Follow), PTF (Pan Tilt Follow), Lock, and FPV (First Person View). These could be set by tapping on an icon on the 1.3” touch-sensitive OLED screen, or I could toggle through each mode by tapping the physical Mode button on the control handle. My favourite mode was PF (Pan Follow) as this enabled me to crane from a low to a high angle while keeping the camera pointing straight ahead (instead of tilting up or down like it would in Pan, Tilt, Follow (PTF) mode). To see the Scorp 3’s various modes in action, check out this review’s supporting video. As you’ll see from the video, I was able to capture a variety of smooth tilts, pans, cranes and tracking shots to create a scenic montage of the vintage railways. There is one wobbly shot where I was walking quite fast to follow a moving train. At speed, the gimbal struggled to iron out the wobbles caused by my fast-paced movement.

I also encountered an issue when I performed very low-angle forward tracking shots. The camera would occasionally twitch to the left or right by a few millimetres as I walked forward, instead of smoothly pointing directly ahead. This occasional micro ‘twitch’ led to a few of my low-angle tracking shots being rendered unsuitable for inclusion in my montage sequence. My forward tracking shots were smoother when I held the gimbal and camera at waist height, but the occasional slight twitch on the low-angle tracks loses the Scorp 3 half a star. I must point out that none of the clips in the supporting video have had any post-production stabilisation applied, so you can see that the Scorp 3 is capable of making smooth pans, tilts, tracks and cranes, despite the occasional low-angle micro ‘twitch’ to the left or right.

The Scorp 3 also ships with a mini tripod. This functions as a useful handle when in its folded position, but when opened, you can stand the gimbal on the ground and use its joystick to perform smooth pans and tilts. There’s also a handy pair of A/B buttons that enable you to set a start and end point for a joystick-controlled camera move. You can then trigger the gimbal to perform the move between the chosen start and end points, which gives you a precise and repeatable camera move.

You can also control the gimbal via remote control by detaching the end of the underslung handle, or control it via the Feiyu Scorp app by swiping virtual controls on your smartphone’s screen.

Feiyu Scorp 3: Verdict

I enjoyed using the Feiyu Scorp 3 to make my relatively heavy Sony payload pan, tilt, track, and crane around the vintage railway location. By shooting with a handheld gimbal, I was able to move quickly and be ready to film steam engines when they arrived or departed. I could also shoot tripod-steady clips without cluttering up the busy station platform with a trip-hazard full-size tripod. The gimbal’s mini tripod was very useful as, in conjunction with the AI tracker, it enabled me to present to the camera as if I had a talented camera operator who could pan and tilt the camera to follow my every move.

If you need to film a live event with a DSLR/mirrorless camera, then the Scorp 3 will certainly enable you to move fast and capture a wide range of cinematic camera moves - but make sure that you give yourself time to balance the camera at the start of the shoot to enable optimal performance. The Scorp 3 gives you a much smaller footprint than you’d get with a traditional DSLR tripod, so it’s perfect for using in crowded locations such as a wedding (or a railway station platform).

Alternatives

3 Legged Thing, best known for its tripods and monopods named after rock stars and other celebs, has announced Axis, a new modular strap system for carrying your camera. It’s being launched on Kickstarter on Tuesday, September 9, with early bird pricing across the entire range for 31 days.

There are six straps in the range, catering for everyone from minimalist street shooters to those who like to carry multiple bodies to cover every eventuality. All are equipped with Quick Detach (QD) connectors for quickly attaching and releasing your camera while holding it securely.

The Axis Pulse is a wrist strap that is ideal for those who like to have their camera to hand at all times, and is ideal for everyday carrying of compact and lightweight mirrorless cameras via the QD connector.

The Axis 24, 34, and 44 are classic neck/shoulder straps that come in three widths, with a choice between a slim and lightweight 24mm strap, a comfortably padded 34mm strap, or super-supportive 44mm strap designed for heavier pro setups.

The Axis Sling is a breathable, padded crossbody sling strap that securely holds the camera at the hip, and can be used singularly or with a pair joined together to act as a dual-camera harness.

And finally, the Axis Anywhere enables you to clip your camera to a backpack, belt, or harness, and is ideal for travel, hiking, or filming on the go.

All the Axis straps connect securely to cameras via the Quick Detach system, which was originally developed for astronautics, military, and law-enforcement purposes – and is even trusted by NASA for tethering cargo. However, 3 Legged Thing has added a couple of refinements of its own to keep cameras safe, accessible, and ready for action; the company's '4 Axis QD Buckle' and 'QD Swivel' enable photographers to adjust how their strap fits and moves to suit their body shape for a tailored fit.

The straps swiftly and securely attach to 3 Legged Thing’s QD4 and QD7 Arca-Swiss compatible quick-release plates, which have integrated QD sockets for seamless connection. They also work with the company's current range of L-brackets, which boast QD and Arca-Swiss compatibility.

Other design features include cam lever lock adjusters that lock solidly, neck and shoulder padding to reduce irritation and increase airflow, Hypalon-reinforced stitching for increased durability, and optional padded linings to ensure all-day comfort on lengthier shoots.

Axis straps are designed, engineered, and manufactured in Great Britain, joining the company's recently released Zadie L-bracket for the Nikon Z6 III. 3 Legged Thing says that it has invested in a new UK-based sewing facility, creating local jobs and ensuring the entire range is built to the highest standards of craftsmanship.

Danny Lenihan, Founder and CEO, 3 Legged Thing, said: “This project has been eight years in the making, though massively interrupted by the pandemic, so we’re incredibly excited to bring the Axis Strap System to the market. I genuinely believe that QD is the future of camera-carrying solutions, and we will be bringing this technology to many more products in the future. We’re also delighted that we’re creating a production facility in the UK for these straps, so they can proudly carry the ‘Made in Great Britain’ mark.”

The Axis Kickstarter campaign runs for 31 days from September 9, 2025. Backers can expect substantial discounts across the range, with the biggest savings reserved for those who back the production in the first 24 hours from the campaign launch at 4pm, Tuesday, 9 September.

After that, the regular Kickstarter backer prices (or your local currency equivalent) are Axis Pulse £38, Axis Anywhere £42, Axis 24 £49 (£53 with optional padding), Axis 34 £56 (£60 with padding), Axis 44 £64 (£68 with padding), Axis Sling £68, and Axis Double Sling £128. These prices will be available for 31 days, after which they will revert to the full retail price.

Joby, the maker of the iconic flexible Gorillapod mini tripods, has a new owner. On September 03, the London-based Videndum announced an agreement to sell the Joby brand to Vijim – a photography accessory brand owned by a China-based company.

The move means that Joby gear will be under new ownership and marks a shift to focusing on high-end pro gear for Videndum – the company that owns Avenger, Gitzo, Lowepro, Manfrotto, Savage, Sachtler, Litepanels and several other photo and video brands.

“This sale supports the Company’s strategy to focus on core professional markets,” Videndem wrote in the announcement.

The company did not disclose the amount agreed upon for the sale of Joby, but said that the proceeds will be used to pay down the group’s debt. In the first half of 2025, the company reported 25% lower revenue than the same period in 2024, leading to an adjusted operating loss of £7 million (around $9.48 million / AU$14.4 million) and putting the company’s net debt to £137.7 million ($186.5 million / AU$283.4 million).

In 2024, the company announced a plan to increase operational efficiency and reduce spending amid “a challenging macroeconomic backdrop.” In the first half of 2025, the company said tariffs and increased demand led to limited inventory in the US, leading to lower revenue than initially anticipated. However, the company says much of the difference was offset by the its previously announced restructuring and cost management plans.

As Videndum shifts towards higher-end gear, the company has decided to sell off the Joby brand. Joby is arguably most known for its Gorillapods, a line of tripods whose standout feature is flexible legs that can be wrapped around anything from fence posts to tree branches to create more height flexibility from a small tabletop tripod.

Along with the Gorillapods, which span from smartphone to DSLR-ready models, Joby also produces microphones, lights and other accessories for content creators. While best known for the Gorillapod, Joby also offers full-sized tripods geared towards content creators, as well as kits that mix tripods, mics and lights into one set for creators.

The Joby brand was originally launched in the San Francisco area but was later acquired by Videndum in 2017.

Vijim is a sub-brand of Ulanzi, which is owned by Shenzhen Vijim Technology Co Ltd, based in China. The company’s line of products ranges from modular photography kits to folding smartphone tripods to lights.

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The Hohem iSteady V3 Ultra is the 25th gimbal I’ve tested and reviewed to date for Digital Camera World. I’ve seen gimbals evolve to embrace the emergence of AI, turning them from a tool that enables a videographer to pan, tilt, and occasionally roll their camera/smartphone, to an effective robot camera operator that will follow their every move! More on that in the Performance section.

I’ve tested a wide range of stabilisers too, from budget smartphone shifters such as the Insta360 Flow 2 to heavy lifters like the budget-gobbling DJI RS 4 Pro review, which enables you to glide a heavy DSLR around almost effortlessly!

The subject of this review – the Hohem iSteady V3 Ultra – is almost identical to the previous year’s iSteady V3, but it boasts an innovative design feature that first appeared on the 2025’s more expensive iSteady M7 – a video feed from the front of the stabiliser that you can view on the rear control panel. More on this useful new feature in the next section.

Hohem iSteady V3 Ultra: Specifications

Hohem iSteady V3 Ultra: Price

The Hohem V3 Ultra retails at $169/£189 and is available in Shadow Black or Arctic White. The iSteady V3 Ultra’s $169 price tag is cheaper than the iSteady M7 ($269/£269), but more expensive than the similarly specced iSteady V3 ($129/£129). This is because the iSteady V3 Ultra’s removable remote control panel features a 1.22-inch touch-sensitive screen that first appeared on the more expensive iSteady M7. The older iSteady V3 did have a removable remote control panel, but it lacked a screen, so you could only use its joystick to control the gimbal’s moves, trigger recordings, and swap gimbal modes with the tap of a button.

Or you can go for the iSteady M7 ($269/£269), which can lift a slightly heavier payload, has the upgraded detachable remote control panel, and can tilt through a wider range than the iSteady V3 series.

You can find my reviews of all of these stabilisers on this site, which should help you make an informed decision, but I did enjoy the freedom and ease the iSteady V3 Ultra’s touchscreen provided when it came to changing modes or swapping smartphone orientation between horizontal and vertical with a tap of an icon.

Hohem iSteady V3 Ultra: Design & Handling

At first glance, the iSteady V3 Ultra looks identical to the previous year’s iSteady V3. And given that Hohem has kept the V3 prefix rather than calling it the V4, this indicates that it is almost the same device. There are some differences, however. For starters, the older model could only pan between a range of -120° - 210°. The Hohem V3 Ultra is free to pan through 360°, which means that when tracking you via AI, it will always keep you in the frame.

The new V3 Ultra has the same compact dimensions as the V3, but it is slightly heavier by a negligible 8g. The biggest difference between the V3 and the V3 Ultra is that the latter has a touch-sensitive screen that also doubles up as a video feed from the AI sensor at the front of the gimbal. This video feed is handy when shooting selfies using the higher-specced cameras on the front of your smartphone.

When the iSteady V3 appeared in July 2024, it enabled the stabiliser to be more compact by storing its mini-tripod legs inside the main handle. Prior to this, many gimbals had a separate tripod that needed to be attached via a thread. The new V3 Ultra has the same compact tripod design as the older V3. Simply slide the three legs out of the handle to deploy the gimbal in free-standing mode. You can then walk and talk hands-free while the gimbal uses AI to track your every move.

While this tripod design is innovative, it’s not perfect. The tripod’s three metal legs are quite spindly, so when you extend the gimbal’s selfie stick to its full length, your gimbal-mounted smartphone might sway a little when being panned and tilted in tripod mode. Another gimbal that stores its tripod inside the handle is the Insta360 Flow 2, but this model’s built-in tripod legs are chunkier (and therefore sturdier).

The other key feature of the iSteady V3 Ultra is its detachable AI sensor. When filming via the Hohem Joy app, you don’t need to turn on the AI sensor. Simply draw a square around your subject on the screen of your smartphone, and the app will control the stabiliser to keep the subject in the centre of the frame.

You can also use gesture control to make the gimbal follow you when it’s deployed in tripod mode, as you’ll see in the Performance section (and its supporting video).

The cool thing about the AI sensor is that when it’s turned on, it will track your face when you are using a third-party app, such as the iPhone’s Camera app. This enables you to enjoy being tracked while filming in the iPhone Camera app’s Cinematic mode - something the Hohem Joy app can’t do. More on the app in the next section.

Oh, and the AI sensor also doubles up as a mini key light! By tapping a button on the side of the V3 Ultra, you can activate the sensor’s light and rotate the dial to control its intensity. It can also be set to three colour temperature presets: 6500K(Cool), 2700K(Warm), and 5000K(Neutral). The AI sensor’s built-in LED is only 2W, but it’s still powerful enough to illuminate a selfie when you’re holding the stabiliser at arm’s length.

Hohem iSteady V3 Ultra: Performance

To test the Hohem iSteady V3 Ultra, I took it into London so that I could film my usual model, Maddy (@runway.voguish), while making a range of camera moves. But first, I stopped off at the Barbican Centre to test out the gimbal’s AI-powered face tracking feature.

I popped the V3 Ultra on a step and deployed its mini tripod legs so that it could stand on its own. I fired up the Hohem Joy app on my gimbal-mounted iPhone 16 Pro. The app connected the iPhone automatically to the iSteady via Bluetooth. To record audio, I plugged the Boya Magic mic’s tiny receiver into the USB-C port on my iPhone. On some smartphone stabilisers, the tilt axis prohibits the use of a wireless mic receiver, but the iSteady V3 Ultra has plenty of clearance between the iPhone and the tilt motor.

I was then able to stand in front of the gimbal-mounted smartphone and make an OK gesture to make the iSteady track my face. By extending two fingers vertically, I was able to start recording footage. Thanks to the combination of the built-in tripod legs and the AI-powered face tracking, I was able to walk and talk freely while the iSteady V3 Ultra panned and tilted my iPhone 16 Pro to keep me in shot. By placing my palm towards the camera, I should have been able to stop the gimbal from tracking me so I could walk out of shot, but for some reason, it didn’t always recognise this particular gesture.

I also powered on the AI tracker and used it to control the gimbal while I recorded some Cinematic mode footage from the iPhone 16 Pro’s native camera app. This shooting mode added a nice background blur to my footage. The AI tracker is quite handy as a little status light helps you see when it has recognised a gesture by turning green.

When I tapped the trigger on the front of the iSteady V3 Ultra, the camera panned through 180º so I could film myself in selfie mode using the iPhone’s superior front-facing cameras. As a result, I couldn’t see the iPhone’s display. I was, however, able to see my face on the 1.22” screen on the rear of the gimbal, thanks to a video feed from the AI tracking module at the front of the gimbal. This enabled me to ensure that my face was in shot. I was even able to tap on my face on the display to trigger face tracking, which made it even easier to capture self-footage.

This video feed is a game-changer for the self-shooter who needs to talk to the camera while on the move. I was also able to wipe the remote control panel’s screen to leave the live video feed and access icons that enable you to change working modes (such as PF - Pan Follow) or zoom in and out using + and - icons. This electronic zoom only worked when I was shooting video in the Hohem Joy app.

The touchscreen was also very handy for fine-tuning the gimbal’s level. I noticed that the spirit level in my iPhone’s Camera app was indicating a slightly tilted horizon. I was able to use the touchscreen to tweak the roll axis’s angle by 0.5º to make the horizon perfectly level. A nice touch! As I’ve already mentioned, you can detach the control panel and use it to control the gimbal remotely (up to around 30 feet). I’ve not really encountered a shooting scenario where a remote control would be useful, but at least it’s an option.

I then popped across the river to meet up with Maddy so I could test out various gimbal modes, such as Pan Follow (where it pans to follow my hand movements without tilting up or down too much). I also used PTF (Pan, Tilt, Follow), where the camera also tilts up and down while panning. In both of these modes, the horizon stays completely level, which is hard to do when filming handheld without a gimbal. I also used the POV (Point of View) to make the gimbal pan, tilt, and roll. This mode captured more organic-looking moves that simulated Maddy’s point of view of the local architecture as she walked through an industrial area. Check out my supporting video to see the V3 Ultra and Maddy in action.

As a filmmaker who is long in the tooth, I really don’t like shooting video in vertical (portrait) orientation. However, I notice that vertical view reels in Instagram get a lot more love (and screen space) than horizontally shot footage. Normally, I shoot horizontal footage and then crop it in Final Cut Pro to create a vertical version. With the iSteady V3 Ultra, it was quick and easy to shoot vertical and horizontal versions of a scene by simply tapping an icon on the display. This caused the gimbal to quickly rotate the iPhone from portrait to landscape orientation and vice versa.

Talking of gimbal rotation, I did encounter an issue when trying to shoot a sideways tracking shot of Maddy walking down the street. Occasionally, the gimbal would roll my iPhone through 180º, which in effect turned Maddy upside down. This happened a few times, but only in one particular location. I guess it might have been a balancing issue where the gimbal was trying to find the optimal orientation for my iPhone. I needed to turn the iSteady V3 Ultra on and off a few times and re-attach the iPhone before I could get it to perform my desired tracking move, which was a little frustrating as I was working with a model who is paid by the hour!

The Hohem Joy app is designed to help you get more from the iSteady V3 Ultra. Some of the app’s extra modes are a bit gimmicky - such as the option to add raindrops to your footage that you can ‘control’ via gestures (if your subject gets the timing of their hand movements right!).

I did like the app’s one-tap Inception mode though, as it causes the gimbal to slowly rotate the camera via the roll axis as you track forward through a location. Check out my video to see that mode in action. The app also has a TimeWarp mode that captures high-speed ‘hyperlapse’ footage as you walk through a city, but in practice, this only captured a jerky, slightly sped-up version of the footage. The Insta360 Flow 2 Pro produced much faster and smoother hyperlapse footage when used in conjunction with its Insta360 app.

Hohem iSteady V3 Ultra: Verdict

I did encounter some issues with the iSteady V3 Ultra, such as it flipping 180º to suddenly capture upside-down footage (see video). I also found that the tilt angle had a relatively limited range of -35° to +45° (compared to the Insta360 Flow 2’s wider tilt range of -99° to 231°). However, on the whole, the iSteady V3 Ultra performed well, and I was able to record a wide range of cinematic camera moves such as pans, tilts, and POV shots when filming a model exploring the streets of London. I also enjoyed the freedom the V3 Ultra gave me to walk and talk to my gimbal-mounted iPhone 16 Pro while it panned and tilted to keep me in shot, courtesy of a very effective AI-powered face tracking module.

The detachable remote-control panel with its ability to send a video feed from the front of the gimbal makes the iSteady V3 Ultra stand out from the stabiliser crowd, especially as this feature was only previously available on the more expensive Hohem iSteady M7. If you already own an iSteady V3, then I don’t think the upgraded control panel makes the iSteady V3 Ultra a ‘must buy’, but if you’re looking for your first compact and affordable smartphone gimbal to take your camera moves to the next level, then the iSteady V3 Ultra is certainly recommended.

Alternatives

Vanguard has been making a variety of photographic kit, binoculars, spotting scopes, and gadget bags for many years now, starting its business back in 1986. Although the current product range is very diverse, if I had to sum up what immediately springs to my mind when I hear the word ‘Vanguard’, that word would be ‘tripods’.

The company makes a huge range of tripods – large, small, and in-between – to suit all wants and needs. The catalog includes some of the best tripods for photographers, best tripods for videographers and best travel tripods. The Vesta TB 204CB tripod kit that I’m reviewing sets its sights not only on being a travel tripod in general, but also one of the best budget tripods in particular. It seems to be impossibly great value for a complete carbon kit.

Vanguard Vesta TB 204CB: Specifications

Vanguard Vesta TB 204CB: Price

Think carbon fiber tripod kits and you’re probably thinking big bucks. And you’d nearly always be right. The luxurious yet lightweight material is used in some of the world’s best tripods, but they tend to command hefty purchase prices. As a complete kit with ball head, the Vesta TB 204CB is not only refreshingly lightweight but has a comparatively featherweight price tag of $120 / £100. The big question is, “Is it worth it?”

Vanguard Vesta TB 204CB: Design & Handling

When I’m travelling, there’s usually a flight involved somewhere along the line. That can cause a bit of a problem as I like to take my camera gear as cabin luggage, so it has to fit into one bag. The Vesta TB 204CB fits the bill perfectly, as its folded length of 37.5cm / 14.8" and weight of just 0.78kg / 1.72lb make it easy to slip into a small bag, along with the rest of my gubbins. Maybe that’s why this travel tripod isn’t supplied with a bag of its own. The more likely reason is that, unlike the vast majority of carbon fiber tripod kits on the market, it’s priced to appeal to those on the tightest of budgets.

Let’s kick off with the legs, which seems entirely natural. They’re made of carbon fiber, and not just any old carbon fiber but from an up-market cut that really looks and feels the business. And unlike some tripods that have carbon legs but a metal center column, the Vanguard is made from carbon fiber throughout.

Each leg comprises four telescoping sections, which is par for the course when it comes to travel tripods. Unlike with three-section legs, the extra section enables a taller maximum operating height along with a smaller folded height, for easier stowage. As with almost every travel tripod on the market nowadays, the Vanguard has a swing-up design for the legs, so that the feet encircle the extended center column when folded. This tends to take about 20cm / 8” off the folded height, so that you can squeeze the tripod into the smallest of spaces.

The clamps for releasing and fastening the legs are twist-locks, which I tend to favor over flip-locks. They’re good ones, too, with only minimal rotation being required to release and lock the legs. It’s also easy to grab all the locks in one handful when the legs are retracted, saving time and effort.

The outer or top leg section has a diameter of 20mm, and there’s a drop of 3mm as you work your way down towards the bottom. As a result, the very lowest section of each leg has a relatively thin and spindly diameter of just 11mm. That might compromise the rigidity of the overall tripod when the bottom sections are extended, but we’ll see how it works out later when I get to ‘performance’.

A bit of a ‘must-have’ feature for any tripod, as far as I’m concerned, is ‘multi-angle legs’. These make it much easier to work on uneven terrain, or around obstacles, as well as making the tripod more secure in low-level shooting. I’m happy that the Vanguard has three locking leg angles, and they’re engaged by a simple spring-loaded lever at the top of each leg.

At the bottom of each leg, the feet are of the rubber pad variety. It’s a safe bet that works well on most surfaces but the pads don’t feature retractable metal spikes, which can work better on loose ground or carpet.

To further shrink the minimum shooting height, the center column has two sections rather than one, each of which has its own twist-clamp, similar to the ones featured in the legs. I’m a little surprised that the outer section of the telescoping center column isn’t full-length, which would enable a greater maximum operating height when the inner section is extended. As it is though, you can shrink the minimum shooting height down to 30cm / 12”. If you want to go lower still, you can reverse the center column and shoot right down to ground level with the camera inverted.

Up on top, there’s a ball head that fits nicely with the design of the legs. It’s quick and easy to use, with just a single lock/release knob. There’s therefore no pan-only release (despite a calibrated panning scale being featured), nor an independent friction adjuster. What you do get is a bubble level to aid leveling the head, as well as an Arca-Swiss type quick-release plate.

Vanguard Vesta TB 204CB: Performance

The legs have quite a large number of adjustments, based on nine leg section twist-locks, two center column twist-locks and three multi-angle levers. Given that you’ll most likely swing the legs upwards for minimum stowage size, the net result is that the tripod can take a bit of time and effort to set up for shooting and to fold down again afterwards. Even so, it’s a relatively simple and painless procedure.

I like to explore all the angles when shooting and I’m particularly pleased that the multi-angle legs and telescoping 2-section center column enable ultra-low-level shooting without having to invert the camera and shoot with it upside down. That’s still an option if you feel the need.

Despite the reservations that I expressed earlier, it turns out the tripod legs remained pretty rigid and resistant to flexing and vibrations at full extension, even with the thin bottom sections brought into play. At least that’s what I found during testing, with the center column retracted. To gain extra height by extending the bottom section of the center column, I found that the tripod felt rather less rigid. Extending both sections of the center column to enable the full operating height of 130cm / 51" made the tripod very susceptible to vibrations and oscillations. That’s rather disappointing, especially considering that the maximum height is pretty modest anyway.

Vanguard Vesta TB 204CB: Verdict

There’s a lot to like about the Vanguard Vesta TB 204CB tripod kit. As a travel tripod, It’s suitably small when folded, measuring just 37.5cm / 14.8", and it’s refreshingly lightweight at just 0.78kg / 1.72lb, despite having a decent maximum payload rating of 3kg / 6.61lb. It also has a luxury look and feel, based high-quality carbon fiber for the legs and center column. The ball head is none too shabby either. The whole kit is outrageously inexpensive, considering its feature set, but it’s disappointingly wobbly at its maximum height. If you can set your sights a little lower, so to speak, and can avoid the maximum operating height, it’s a smart bit of kit.

Alternatives

Vanguard has made a name for itself as a high-ranking manufacturer of tripods, monopods bags, cases and other photographic accessories, as well as binoculars and spotting scopes, with an illustrious history that stretches back to 1986. Although the company’s current product range is very diverse, ‘tripods’ are always the first thing that springs to my mind when the name crops up. Indeed, Vanguard makes some of the best tripods for photographers, best tripods for videographers and best travel tripods.

The tripod that I’m reviewing here doesn’t fit into any of those categories, although it’s sufficiently lightweight to classify as a travel tripod. Instead, the Vesta 203AP aims to be one of the most inexpensive complete tripod kits on the market, and is definitely a contender as one of the best budget tripods, if you’re after a set of sticks for minimum outlay.

Vanguard Vesta 203AP: Specifications

Vanguard Vesta 203AP: Price

Vanguard makes a huge range of tripods to suit every need and budget. But when it comes to ‘budget’, you’d struggle to find a complete tripod kit from a reputable manufacturer that costs less than the $70 / £50 / AU$100. That’s the selling price of the Vanguard Vesta 203AP. Ultimately, it’s a fraction of the price of many a set of legs or a head, sold individually rather than as a complete kit, potentially making it a bargain buy.

Vanguard Vesta 203AP: Design & Handling

The Vanguard Vesta 203AP looks and feels pretty small and lightweight, but it’s not advertised as a ‘travel tripod’. That’s a fair point, as the vast majority of travel tripods these days have swing-up legs, so the feet encircle the extended center column when folded down, to reduce the stowage size. But you pay a price for those space-saving designs, in that it takes longer to set up your tripod and pack it away again. Instead, the 203AP has regular legs that simply hinge out through a small arc. Even so, the tripod folds down to just 57cm / 22.25", complete with head, so it can still fit into small spaces for stowage.

As I’d fully expect at this price point, the leg sections and center column are made from aluminum rather than carbon fiber. A downside is that they feel cold to the touch in chilly weather and, in keeping with the minimalist design and pricing, there’s no comfort padding on any of the legs. There are also only three sections per leg, rather than the four or five often featured in travel tripods.

That compromises the maximum operating height as well as smallness when folded, but, again, there’s an upside in that with only two clamps per leg, rather than three or four, it’s relatively quick and easy to set up the tripod and fold it down again. The sections are released and clamped with flip-lock levers. Twist-locks are often preferred as they don’t tend to stick out as much, but the levers in this tripod are very slimline.

Another advantage of the tripod only featuring three sections per leg rather than four or five is that it avoids the bottom leg sections being too thin and spindly. As such, the diameter of the top section is 20mm and the inner ones measure 17mm and 14mm, so even the bottom one isn’t super-skinny.

One thing I really do miss in this tripod is that it only has one locking angle for the legs. I’m more used to three angles, so I can splay the legs further apart. It can be very useful for shooting on uneven terrain and for working around obstacles. It’s also great for enabling really low-level shooting, while also adding stability at short operating heights, making the tripod less prone to toppling over. With just one angle on offer, the minimum height is relatively tall at 53.5cm / 21.1".

On the plus side, the textured rubber feet enable a slip-resistant footing on rough and smooth surfaces. At full stretch with the leg sections and center column fully extended, the maximum operating height is a little disappointing at 155cm / 61", or just an inch over 5 feet. The center column has a locking screw that, again, is quick and easy to use. However, you can’t remove and reverse the center column, which would have enabled ultra-low-level shooting, albeit with the camera inverted.

I’m pleased that despite the bare-bones nature of the tripod, Vanguard has included two bubble levels, one on the platform at the top of the legs and one on the head. These are handy for leveling the camera. Leveling can be an important factor given that the tripod features a panning head. Correct leveling ensures that the camera stays on the level when panning, even through a whole 360 degrees, which is ideal for shooting video as well as taking a sequence of stills to stitch into a panorama.

Although it looks and feels like a 2-way pan head, with an operating handle and independent panning lock, there’s a neat trick to add versatility. An additional panning lock on the other side of the main one enables you rotate the upper platform on which the camera sits, in relation to the rest of the head. Rotate it through 90 degrees and you can use the tilt mechanism to swivel the camera into portrait orientation instead of the regular landscape orientation.

Another little luxury that you might not expect in a bargain-basement tripod is that this one features a quick-release plate. It features a D-ring and slot for securing it to your camera with a finger and thumb of coin, and a sprung pin that can help to avoid the camera unwantedly twisting or working loose on the plate.

Vanguard Vesta 203AP: Performance

Performance is pretty impressive in terms of the speed with which you can set up the tripod and start shooting. It’s certainly quicker to put up than typical travel tripods, thanks to its relatively simple design. However, what you gain in speed, you lose in compactness for stowage. With only three leg sections and no multi-angle leg facility, nor the ability to reverse the center column, the range of operating heights is comparatively limited. It ranges from a minimum of 53.5cm / 21.1" to a maximum of 155cm / 61". Ultimately, the tripod is too tall for ultra-low-level shooting and you might feel it’s too short for comfortable shooting at its maximum height.

The lack of wider leg angles also makes the tripod feel a little prone to toppling over at its minimum operating height. Up towards the maximum height with all of the leg sections and center column extended, the tripod is quite prone to vibrations and feels a little lacking in rigidity. Sure, it only has a fairly modest maximum load rating of 3.5kg / 7.78lb but simply feels a bit wobbly. The highlight of performance is that panning and tilting work smoothly, courtesy of the panning handle, which makes the tripod good for tracking action with a camera or birdwatching with a spotting scope.

Vanguard Vesta 203AP: Verdict

High-quality tripods often cost a small fortune, so it would be unfair to expect too much from a complete kit that’s priced at just $70 / £50 / AU$100. Sure enough, the Vanguard Vesta 203AP is relatively simple in its design and basic in its feature set. Rigidity isn’t altogether convincing either, but, for the money, it works pretty well. It’s sufficiently compact and lightweight to take along for the ride, quick to set up, and easy to use. The 2-way motion of the pan/tilt head enables smooth and wide-ranging movement, and the additional upper panning mechanism gives the option of switching to portrait orientation shooting. As a basic tripod, it’s really pretty good, and they don’t come any more affordable than this.

Alternatives

When we buy a tripod kit, it invariably comes complete with a ball head. And with good reason: they are compact, easy to use, quick to operate and effective. But for all their merits, they are simply not as accurate as a pan-and-tilt tripod head, commonly known as a 3-way.

With a ball head, a single clamp grips the ball upon which the camera mounting plate is positioned. This is what makes them so fast and easy to use; a quick twist and the camera is locked in place, ready to shoot.

However, that simplicity comes at the price of accuracy; if your composition is generally good but the horizon is a teeny bit off kilter, then unlocking the clamp loosens the whole kit and caboodle. So you may find that in attempting to fix your wonky horizon, you inadvertantly tilt the camera up or down by a couple of degrees – thereby ruining your carefully crafted composition.

Then there's the dreaded ball sag; it's common for a ball head to dip just a teeny bit once you lock the clamp and then let go of the camera. And the heavier your setup, the greater the degree of danger.

A 3-way tripod head, by contrast, has separate locking controls for panning, tilting side to side, and tilting up and down. So while they are slower to use – necessitating the use of three separate controls and locks – they are far more accurate.

You can concentrate first on leveling your horizon and, once that's bang-on, panning to perfect your angle of view, then you can lock that off and get your angle of elevation just right. For lovingly composed landscapes, there's simply nothing better.

Taking things a step further, a geared tripod head is essentially a pan-and-tilt head that is permanently solidly locked in place, but can be adjusted in all three planes in microscopic amounts with a geared knob. They are even slower still, but supremely accurate. And let's face it: if you're up at dawn waiting for the sun to peep above the horizon, then you have the time.

Naturally, Digital Camera World has buying guides dedicated to helping you find the best pan-and-tilt head and the perfect geared head for you. But if you insist on sticking with a ball head, then why not invest in a better one? We have a guide to the best ball heads, too.

So when it comes to a 3-way, don’t be shy, give it a try!

The Freewell Vlogpod is a tabletop mini-tripod that has three strong but flexible legs. The idea is that as well as popping it on a table, the legs can be wrapped around posts, poles, branches – or any other similar object that may be to hand – to shoot from an elevated height.

As the 'Vlogpod' name suggests, Freewell is aiming it at vloggers, but it's equally as useful to photographers who need a light and portable support without carting around a bigger travel tripod. Indeed, it has a nicely designed ball head topped by a camera mount that converts to a smartphone cradle, so is in the running to be both one of the best mini tripods, and iPhone tripods and smartphone supports. Let's see how it stands up to the competition.

Freewell Vlogpod: Specifications

Freewell Vlogpod: Price

While the list price is $50 / £45 / AU$90 is a bit pricey, I found some retailers were offering generous discounts at the time of writing, so it pays to shop around (our price-finding widget should hunt out the best prices for you). If you can pick it up for around the $35 / £40 / AU$78 that I found it for, then that's a little more palatable, and closer to the price you might expect to pay for a regular mini tripod.

That said, the Vlogpod's trick of being able to latch on pretty much anything could make it worth the extra if you like to shoot from up high but don't want to carry a big and heavy traditional tripod around with you.

Freewell Vlogpod: Design & Handling

The Vlogpod is 328mm long when folded, but when its legs are splayed for tabletop use, its maximum height is reduced to around 280mm. There is no center column for height extension, as found on some competing mini tripods; however, this is largely academic, as the product is designed not only to be used on a table or wall, but wrapped around a fence post or the branches of a tree, so it can go as tall as the objects in your environment. It does make it tricky to get the precise height you want, though.

When it comes to low-level shooting, the legs can be bent to achieve a lower height of about 150mm. Alternatively, they can be manipulated to different heights to form a level shooting platform when used on uneven surfaces.

The Vlogpod's flexibility comes from a seven-strand aluminum core, encased in ABS plastic reinforced with polyamide glass fiber (PA GF). The legs have a textured outer grip that is comfortable to hold, and the underside is ribbed to provide a firm grip. It is easy to bend the legs into shape with a little force, and they hold their shape well, gripping onto objects and supporting their payload without working loose. At the top of each leg is a 1/4"-20 socket for the attachment of extension arms and the like.

The legs are topped by a removable ball head that offers 360 degrees of panning movement, plus there's a cutout to enable vertical shooting. It moves smoothly and is firmly clamped with a locking screw. A regular tripod screw attaches cameras, or this can be recessed, and the base flipped out to reveal spring-loaded clamps to hold a phone.

There's a further 1/4"-20 socket on the ball head should the other three not quite be enough for you, as well as a pair of cold shoes at each side of the mount, though it has to be said that these are only likely to be of use when used with a phone, as they would sit underneath the mount when a camera is attached.

Freewell Vlogpod: Performance

There have been plenty of flexible tripod designs in the past, and the true test is how well its legs hold their shape once contorted into position. I'm pleased to report that the Vlogpod does this admirably. I tried it with phones, compacts and DSLRs, and found that I could trust it to keep its rigidity with quite heavy payloads. Its stated 3kg is pretty generous for a mini tripod like this, though you do have to make sure the legs are firmly wrapped with heavier camera and lens combos.

Part of this strength is due to its size, and while it's compact compared to a 'proper' tripod, the legs are quite thick, although their triangular shape means they fold together neatly. They're quite long too, but this enables them to keep a firm grip on supports of various sizes. It's pretty light, but still quite bulky to carry around without a bag, and there's no extending center column, so getting it to the desired height relies on finding suitable objects to put it on/strap it onto.

The ball head rotates smoothly and locks firmly, so once you've attached your phone/camera to a handy branch, it can be leveled up for straight compositions. The dual phone bracket and camera mount is a nice touch too, and handy if you like to switch between devices.

The four accessory screw sockets add to its vlogger-friendly credentials, enabling the attachment of all sorts of accessories such as mics and lights. The cold shoes are a nice-to-have bonus, but aren't of much practical use when shooting with a camera due to their positioning.

Freewell Vlogpod: Verdict

Mini tripods with bendy legs have been around for quite a while, but I was really impressed with the rigidity of the Vlogpod, which proved its worth by staying firmly in place once manipulated into the desired shape under a fairly hefty payload. It certainly feels like a better solution than the ball-and-socket designs of some competitors. It's a lot comfier to hold, too, so much so that it could also double as a selfie stick, albeit one with a pretty limited extension, as there's no extending column.

This lack of extension won't be a problem in tripod use, as long as you're in an environment with tall things to wrap it around. It's definitely lightweight, tipping the scales at just one pound (456 grams), but is a bit too bulky to stick in a pocket, and you'll need to tuck it into a bag. But it's a necessary tradeoff as its size gives it its strength and ability to wrap around an impressive variety of girths.

Alternatives

Vanguard is a global company with headquarters in Myanmar and branches in many other countries around the globe. It’s been making high-quality tripods and other photographic accessories as well as the likes of binoculars, spotting scopes and gadget bags, building up an extensive catalog over the last 40 years or so. The company has a knack of dreaming up innovative ideas and successfully turning them into useful products. A case in point is this Vanguard VEO PH-38S 3-way pan head, which is almost like a 4-way head, thanks to its dual-axis panning system. As such it aims for a spot in the best 3-way heads hall of fame, and then some. Let’s take a closer look.

Vanguard VEO PH-38S 3-way pan head: Specifications

Vanguard VEO PH-38S 3-way pan head: Price

What price a good 3-way head? It often depends where in the world you’re buying it. For example, Manfrotto products tend to vary considerably in price from one world region to another. As such, the Manfrotto X-PRO 3-way head costs $220 in the USA and £129 in the UK. It’s therefore very good value in the UK, less so in the USA. This Vanguard head is currently priced more competitively in the States, at $160 but is still pretty good value at £150 in the UK.

Vanguard VEO PH-38S 3-way pan head: Design & Handling

Although ‘different by design’ and decidedly innovative, the Vanguard does include a feature that I like and have seen before in various other 3-way heads. I’m talking ‘retractable handles’. The levers for both tilt and swivel have long metal shafts with comfortably large and grippy textured knobs. Better still, the knobs extend and retract along the shafts, with locking positions at each end. The bonus is that you get more leverage for easy and precise adjustments when they’re extended, along with space-saving retraction for stowage.

The tilt and swivel handles have the same textured knobs, although the shaft of the swivel handle is a little longer. Both have a fairly generous range of overall movement, equating to -30 degrees to +91 degrees. The larger 91-degree directions offer vertically downward shooting (front/back) and portrait orientation shooting (lateral) respectively, the latter without the need for using an L-bracket. It’s good as far as it goes although some might miss the provision of marked reference scales, which can be handy for replicating a previous setup.

The main panning mechanism fits with tradition by being at the bottom of the head. Unlike tilt and swivel, this one is calibrated. It’s numbered at 45-degree intervals with large lines at 15-degree intervals and short lines at 5-degree increments. There’s a small locking lever for the lower panning mechanism, which is very different from the large handles for tilt and swivel.

The tricked-up bit of the design is the secondary panning mechanism, which is situated between the tilt and swivel mechanisms, a bit like the filling of a sandwich. But why would you want this anyway? For one thing, you can rotate the upper handle on its X-axis so that both of the long handles are in line. This saves the levers sticking out in two directions and is more ideal for use with an L-bracket or a large lens that sits on a tripod mounting ring. In both cases, you don’t need a lateral swivel adjustment, as that’s taken care of. Vanguard points out that you can also configure the tripod head for left-handed use by laterally rotating the upper handle through 180 degrees, in relation to the lower one.

Up on top, there’s a single bubble level. This is less useful than a combination of three spirit levels, at least when it comes to leveling the camera in portrait orientation. In regular landscape orientation as well as when using an L-bracket or a lens with a tripod mounting ring, the bubble level is perfectly sufficient.

For attaching a camera, the head features an Arca-Swiss type quick-release plate, which ensures the greatest amount of universal compatibility. A growing number of L-brackets and the feet of tripod mounting rings now use this system, so you can slot them straight into the head without even using the quick-release plate. A security pin in the base avoids the QR plate sliding out accidentally, and it retracts when using other kit, if it needs to fit flush with the base and there’s no clearance for the protruding pin.

The bottom of the head has the usual circular profile for attaching it to a set of tripod legs, and a diameter of 58mm. That’s a good match for like-minded, heavy-duty tripods, the head having a 10kg / 22lb payload rating. A smaller version by the name of the Vanguard VEO PH-36S 3-way pan head is also available which has a 6kg / 13.2lb payload rating and a 50mm diameter base.

Vanguard VEO PH-38S 3-way pan head: Performance

For conventional use, I found the Vanguard 3-way head worked really well. The telescopic arms for tilt and swivel enable enhanced handling, making it easy to apply very fine and precise adjustments, as well as more sweeping changes. The lower panning section also works similarly well. However, I’m less convinced about the upper panning section. After fully releasing the locking mechanism, I found the panning action was disappointingly stiff and lacked any kind of fluid feel.

Perhaps I was expecting too much, but I was hoping to be able to use this for panning when shooting video. An upside in this respect is that, so long as the lower tilt adjustment is leveled even on sloping ground, the upper panning mechanism keeps everything on the level when you’re panning, which is a boost for videography as well as for taking a series of shots to stitch into a panoramic image.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been testing a number of 3-way heads with a Sony A7 II body and a Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.4 Pro lens. The combination weighs a not inconsiderable 1.4kg / 3.2lb and the lens doesn’t feature a mounting ring, so the weight shifts to being significantly off-axis in portrait orientation shooting. I found that the Vanguard head did an impressive job of supporting the load in both landscape and portrait orientation shooting, with minimal flexing or vibration. I checked this by manually focusing the lens and using an enlarged preview in the camera with image stabilization switched off.

Vanguard VEO PH-38S 3-way pan head: Verdict

I always think it’s nice to see things that are a bit different. The dual-axis panning facility in this Vanguard certainly gives it a novel look and feel, compared with the vast majority of 3-way heads on the market. If the upper panning mechanism worked with more of a fluid, free-flowing feel, my joy would be complete, as I’d feel the head was equally viable for shooting stills and video. That’s not really the case but, even so, it’s a highly impressive 3-way head that mostly works a treat and offers satisfyingly solid support.

Alternatives

Benro has built a solid reputation on suitably solid tripod systems over the last 30 years. I’ve been particularly impressed with some of the company’s recent and more innovative products, including the Benro FS20PRO Video & Foto Head, which is like a ball head and a pan and tilt head, all in one package. The Benro HD2A 3-way head that I’m reviewing here is a more traditional 3-way head, aimed squarely at stills photography.

It’s the middle option in a set of three, having an 8kg load rating, whereas the HD1A is rated at 5kg and the HD3A supports up to 12kg. The smallest in the range lacks reference scales but all are built to the same overall design principles, aiming to be among the best 3-way heads on the market.

Benro HD2A 3-way head: Specifications

Benro HD2A 3-way head: Price

The photographic market, like many others, is awash with Chinese products that are super-cheap but of questionable quality. Benro has been a Chinese company since its inception in 1996 but has never skimped on quality, instead focusing on high-end design and manufacture. The HD2A 3-way head is a classic case in point, with a competitive but certainly not cheap price tag of $110 / £110 / AU$199. That makes it a bargain of varying degree depending on world region, compared with the likes of the Manfrotto X-PRO 3-way head which costs $220 / £129 / AU$289.

Benro HD2A 3-way head: Design & Handling

The design looks pretty standard fare for a 3-way tripod head but there’s a little more to it than meets the eye. High-quality black anodized metal surfaces have a durable and attractive eggshell black finish. Typical of Benro products, there are contrasting blue accents, which I’ll come to later. The tilt and swivel handles are comfortably long, with grippy rubber knobs on metal shafts, enabling accurate and precise adjustments with good leverage. Unlike in some designs, however, the handles aren’t retractable to reduce stowage size.

The front/back tilt range is generous, stretching from 35 degrees upwards to 90 degrees downwards, thus giving a 125-degree range in total that includes vertically downward shooting. Unlike the smallest HD1A in the range, the adjustment comes complete with a reference scale, which has numbered positions of 35 (upward), 0 (level), 45 and 90 degrees (downward), along with long marked lines for 15-degree intervals and shorter lines for intermediate 5-degree increments.

Lateral swivel has a relatively limited range of 15 degrees clockwise and 90 degrees counter-clockwise, although this serves its main purpose of enabling portrait orientation shooting without the need to use an L-bracket, or when using large lenses that rotate within a tripod mounting ring.

As is often the case with 3-way heads, the lock/release knob for panning is relatively short and stubby. Again though, it’s nice and grippy with a textured, rubberized surface. Loosening the knob enables smooth and free panning through a complete 360 degrees. Again, there’s a reference scale marked in 5-degree intervals, this time being particularly useful for taking a calibrated series of panned shots for subsequently stitching into a panoramic image. The reference markings for all three axes are also handy for replicating setups if you need to repeat a shot.

Given that 3-way heads are ideal for architectural and landscape photography, where you want to position the camera exactly on the level, I’m pleased to see the inclusion of three separate spirit levels. Using an alternate two out of three enables precise leveling of the camera in either landscape or portrait orientation mode.

The reference markers that I’ve mentioned represent an upgrade over the previous version of the head. The other update is an Arca-Swiss compatible quick-release system. This enables maximum compatibility with other kit and is particularly useful given that many large lenses now feature tripod mounting rings with an Arca-type foot. Many L-brackets also have an Arca-type profile, enabling them to slot straight into the base plate of the head. When you do need to use the QR plate, it’s impressively long at 70mm / 2.76in, making it easy to center a wide range of cameras.

Flip the head over and you’ll find a typically circular base plate. It has a fairly large but not massive 52.5mm / 2.1in diameter, making it an ideal match for intermediate sized tripods with a similar payload rating to the 8kg / 17.6lb of the head. The height of the head is also of medium size, measuring 12cm / 4.7in.

Benro HD2A 3-way head: Performance

I found the ergonomics of the Benro head to be deeply satisfying. The controls for tilt, swivel and pan all work with smooth efficiency, requiring minimal effort to loosen them for adjustment and lock them up again afterwards. Really precise adjustments are quick and easy to achieve, while panning has a free-flowing feel to it. Another performance boost, if you can call it that, is that I didn’t drop my camera on the floor. Seriously, the lock/release knob for the quick-release plate has a special safety feature that requires you to pull it out and give it an additional twist to release the plate. The plate also features security studs to stop it sliding out to one side or the other.

The six rubber pads built into the quick-release plate aren’t the firmest in the world that I’ve ever used but nevertheless provide a solid and sturdy seating for the camera, while also potentially absorbing a little unwanted vibration. I’ve recently been testing 3-way heads with a Sony A7 II body fitted with a Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.4 Pro lens. The combination has a weight of 1.4kg / 3.2lb and the lens doesn’t feature a mounting ring, so the weight is significantly off-axis in portrait orientation shooting. The Benro was easily able to support the load and proved very stable and rigid, as confirmed by manually focusing and using an enlarged preview with image stabilization switched off.

Benro HD2A 3-way head: Verdict

What you see is what you get. I really like that this Benro head looks immaculately engineered and beautifully finished. Not just a case of style over substance, those good looks translate into excellent performance. Good things seem to come in threes, with refined 3-way adjustment, three reference scales and three spirit levels. There aren’t really any fancy tricks or design innovations, but the head is simple and intuitive to use, and offers really solid support. It’s a win as far as I’m concerned.

Alternatives

3 Legged Thing has unveiled its latest custom-fit L-bracket. Zadie QD has been engineered to snuggly fit the contours of the Nikon Z6 III, and follows in the footsteps of 3LT's other Nikon Z-series L-brackets – the Zelda, Zooey, Zayla, and Zaara – surely the company is running low on suitable names that begin with 'Z' by now…

Like the other brackets in the series, it has been crafted from anodized aerospace-grade magnesium alloy and is fully Arca-Swiss compatible, so it slots seamlessly onto most tripod heads. It has cutouts to leave the battery door, all the important connector ports, and camera straps fully accessible, as well as clearance for full rear-screen articulation.

The 'QD' appended to the name signifies that it has Quick Detach sockets for connecting to compatible straps or accessories. The bracket also includes a Peak Design Capture clip-compatible adapter and long camera screw. There is a range of 1/4”-20 and 3/8”-16 mounting points, plus adapter inserts, as well as a camera strap slot in the base for conventional or modern slings. It is also designed to work with 3 Legged Thing’s forthcoming XPand System, which the company says is a modular collection of interconnectable plates, risers, and connectors that allow photographers and filmmakers to build custom rigs for any workflow.

Unlike previous brackets in the series, the Zadie has not only been designed in Great Britain, but made there too. Danny Lenihan, Founder & CEO, 3 Legged Thing, explains: “Zadie represents a new chapter for us – not just in product design, but in homegrown innovation. Ever since the pandemic, we’ve been working towards moving our production to the UK, and we’re absolutely delighted that Zadie is the first such offering to come to fruition on our shores. She’s tough, elegant, and built with intent, offering real-world functionality for working professionals and creative explorers alike.”

I can't help but wonder whether the decision to manufacture in Britain might also have something to do with the UK having signed a relatively agreeable deal on the recently introduced tariffs imposed by the US on foreign-made goods. This is opposed to the uncertainty caused by the on-again-off-again threats by the Trump administraion to hike tariffs on Chinese imports, the country where other 3LT products are usually manufactured (at the time of writing, a last-minute 30-day 'pause' had just come into effect, keeping tariffs on Chinese-made items at 'only' 30 percent rather than the threatened 125%, but who know where they'll end up).

But I digress! An L-bracket is prized by landscape and studio photographers because it enables orientations to be quickly switched from landscape to portrait, while maintaining the camera's center of gravity above the tripod and keeping the composition similar in both horizontal and vertical shooting.

I really rate 3 Legged Thing's L-brackets, and if the Zadie is true to the other products in the series, it will be one of the top options, as you can see in our best L-brackets buying guide. The Zadie QD is available any minute now in Darkness (black) and Copper (orange) colorways and costs $129.99 / £109.99 (Australian pricing to be confirmed).

Zadie QD is available for pre-order is available from these retailers:
 🇺🇸 3 Legged Thing Zadie QD at B&H (US)
 🇬🇧 3 Legged Thing Zadie QD at Wex (UK)

The KraftGeek Variety Tripod is a combined selfie stick and tripod designed to hold small cameras or phones, and one of its main selling points is the large number of cold shoes that can be independently rotated to hold all manner of accessories. It will be welcomed by vloggers and other video presenters who need to add lighting and better quality sound recording to their setup.

It also reaches taller than most competing products, at 62.5 inches (a little over five feet), and its two-section legs extend for a wider, and thus more stable, shooting base. All this makes it a real contender as one of the best selfie sticks, mini tripods, and iPhone tripods and smartphone supports available.

KraftGeek Variety Tripod: Specifications

KraftGeek Variety Tripod: Price

The Variety Tripod has a list price of $60 / £45 / AU$86 and is available on Amazon, as well as KraftGeek's website. However, at the time of writing, it was being sold at a discounted price, so keep an eye out for offers. The standalone kit has a ball head for cameras and a universal mount for phones, but it is often bundled with KraftGeek's Flexy Mount, which can hold tablets and other wide devices, too.

It's not the cheapest option on the market, costing a little more than the same company's JustTap Magnetic Phone Tripod, which stretches taller but is strictly for phones – and only ones with a MagSafe connection at that. So, does the Variety Tripod's added versatility make it worth the extra? Let's plough on.

KraftGeek Variety Tripod: Design & Handling

The KraftGeek Variety Tripod measures 12.3 inches when fully stowed and extends simply by pulling the extending column until it reaches the desired height, up to a maximum of 62.5 inches. It's fairly stiff to ensure that it can manage loads of up to 2kg. It can be used as a selfie stick or a tripod, thanks to two-stage pull-out stabilizing legs that form a broad base.

A ball head offers 360 degrees of panning and 110 degrees of tilt for phones and action cams, and a pair of rotating cold shoes at either side allow the attachment of mics, lights, and so on. It comes with a universal phone cradle that flips easily from landscape to portrait orientation and is equipped with a further cold shoe. There's also a Bluetooth controller that connects magnetically to a recess on the main column.

KraftGeek Variety Tripod: Performance

Extending to a decent 62.5ins (158cm), it's designed with shooting to-camera presentations in mind. However, it remains over a foot long when folded for stowage, which is the unavoidable downside of having such a tall maximum reach. As such, it's not going to slip into a spare pocket, but is perfectly carryable if you have a suitable bag.

The ball head rotates smoothly through 360 degrees, while 110 degrees of tilt enable versatile shooting angles. A thumb-operated wheel locking mechanism allows a variety of cameras to be easily attached via a standard 1/4’’-20 tripod mount socket, up to a load capacity of 2kg (4.4 lbs). It's suitable for action cams, compacts, and lightweight mirrorless or DSLR cameras, although I wouldn't go much bigger than a Nikon Z50 II or D3500 and kit lens (or equivalent combos). The ball head is flanked by two cold shoes that rotate through a full 360 degrees, enabling accessories to be positioned as you like and further adding to the Variety Tripod's vlogger-friendly credentials.

For phone shooters, a universal cradle is supplied that screws onto the top of the ball head. This all-metal cradle has a neat design that enables it to flip from horizontal to vertical shooting orientations (or at a jaunty 45º angle, should you wish) and makes it ideal for shooting both B-roll and phone-viewable-friendly video. There's a further cold shoe on the phone mount, should the other two not be enough. You can substitute this cradle with KraftGeek's Flexy Mount for tablets, which is available as an extra or in a bundle with the base kit.

It converts from a selfie stick to a monopod by pressing a button on the bottom that unlocks the three legs to form a 20cm (7.9in) radius base. That's fine for table-top use, but when the center column is fully extended, each leg can be pulled out to create a wider (and more stable) 28cm (11in) radius base.

A Bluetooth remote attaches magnetically to one of the tripod legs. The rechargable device is good for 20,000 shutter activations before it runs out of juice, which can be topped up via USB-C. It's a doddle to connect to any modern smartphone, though it should be noted that this only works with phones, not cameras.

KraftGeek Variety Tripod: Verdict

Aimed squarely at influencers, its 62.5-inch extended height should be tall enough for most to-camera video applications, and it can be used with a wide variety of cameras and phones, plus all manner of accessories, thanks to multiple cold shoes. Attaching mics and lights in this way helps add a professional air to your video productions.

When used as a tripod, its two-stage fold-out legs provide a reasonably solid base, but the center column is a little spindly for my liking, and I'd feel nervous trusting it with anything more than a compact camera. But it does its job admirably as a phone tripod and selfie stick, and I think its main appeal will be to smartphone shooters.

At over a foot long when packed away, it's not the most portable option if you like to tuck things into a pocket, but it's unavoidable in a product that both stretches so tall and provides a decent level ot stability.

Alternatives

The KraftGeek JustTap Magnetic Phone Tripod is a combined selfie stick and tripod designed for mobile phones with a MagSafe connector. It extends to a generous five-and-a-half feet in height and has a wide set of legs that pop out with a tap, making it ideal for eye-level selfies. It's certainly a contender as both one of the best selfie sticks and best iPhone tripods on the market. Let's see what else it has to offer.

KraftGeek JustTap Magnetic Phone Tripod: Specifications

KraftGeek JustTap Magnetic Phone Tripod: Price

The tripod has a list price of $50 / £38 / AU$79 and is available on Amazon, as well as KraftGeek's own website, but at the time of writing was being sold at a discounted price, so keep an eye out for offers. Considering its lofty height, generous load rating, strong magnetic connection, and the inclusion of a Bluetooth remote, that makes it pretty good value.

KraftGeek also makes a non-MagSafe version of the JustTap tripod that instead has a traditional phone clamp, and is a little cheaper with a list price of $40 / £30 / AU$62.

KraftGeek JustTap Magnetic Phone Tripod: Design & Handling

The JustTap Magnetic Phone Tripod measures 13 inches when fully stowed and extends to 66 inches at full height. The tripod is extended simply by pulling the extending column until it reaches the desired height, and has a stiff resistance so that it won't collapse under heavy loads. The 'JustTap' in the product name refers to its pop-out legs. Tap a button on the base (or drop it gently on the ground) and its three stabilizing legs pop out to form a base.

It uses a MagSafe magnetic connection to attach your phone to the tripod, and also comes with an adhesive magnetic ring to attach to devices that aren't MagSafe-compatible. There's also a Bluetooth controller that connects magnetically to a recess on the main column.

KraftGeek JustTap Magnetic Phone Tripod: Performance

Its lofty five-and-a-half-feet extended length should enable it to reach eye level for most people (unless you're a giant), thus making it ideal for natural-looking selfies. The downside of its impressive reach, however, is that it remains necessarily long when folded down, at just over a foot in length – it's certainly not pocket-sized, so you'll need a generously sized bag to carry it in.

The pop-out legs work brilliantly, springing out effortlessly as you tap the base of the device on the ground, enabling one-handed setup (for the legs, at least; you'll need to firmly tug the center column to extend it). The legs form a base with a decent 22.5cm radius, which is strong and stable enough to withstand all but the most powerful gusts of wind, even when fully extended.

The MagSafe connector provides a strong and secure connection, and is rated to secure loads of up to 2.5kg, which is far in excesss of any smartphone, MagSafe is a propriery Apple connection, but there are plenty of magnetic Android phone cases that provide similar functionality, and KraftGeek provides a self-adhesive magnetic ring in the box that can be stuck to the back on non-Apple phones.

The Bluetooth remote is turned on with a long press of the button and is easily synced with your phone. A short press then activates the shutter, while a long press turns it back off again. KraftGeek says that it should keep going for 20,000 shutter activations on a single charge, after which it can be recharged via USB-C.

KraftGeek JustTap Magnetic Phone Tripod: Verdict

Measuring a huge 66 inches long, this goes much further than many competing products, and is equally handy as a generously proportioned selfie stick or a solid tripod that can meet your gaze for eye-level selfies. It does remain pretty long even when folded, though, so it's the most pocketable of solutions.

It's easy – fun, even – to convert it from a selfie stick to a tripod with a light tap of the base, and I found that the product feels robust and well built enough to trust it with my iPhone. Speaking of which, it is best suited to owners of Apple phones due to the proprietary MagSafe connection.

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 

I spend most of my days checking through our buying guides to ensure that they offer the very best recommendations, replacing older products when new and better options come along. The other day, it was the turn of our budget tripods buying guide. The guide was a bit woolly when it came to exactly when a tripod was determined to be ‘budget’, so I decided to set a rule that to make it into the guide, any product had to have a widely available street price of under $200 / £200 / AU$400, and preferably a lot less, while still being a quality and reliable piece of kit.

During my research, I found the UK price of the Manfrotto Befree GT Pro 3-Way is just £149 at one of my trusted go-to retailers; this was well within the criteria and an astonishingly good price for such an advanced tripod. It was definitely going into the guide! It not only has a three-way head, as opposed to the cheaper ball heads that most budget tripod kits tend to have, but one with a clever folding design that makes it take up no more space than a ball head when stowed for transportation. And it features a 'Fluid Drag System' that enables smooth movements necessary for video capture, which is unheard of for a tripod from a reputable manufacturer, such as Manfrotto, at this price point. The UK deal I found is below (apologies to readers in other territories!).

The alarm bells were ringing: surely it’s too good to be true? Further research found it priced at £199 at another retailer, so under the price barrier I’d imposed, but only just. Another retailer listed it at £285 – the retail price at the time the review was penned, and a much more realistic price for a product of this calibre.

Checking US retailers, I couldn’t find it anywhere under $200, so, alas, it fails on the ‘widely available street price’ count and ultimately couldn’t claim its place in the guide, even if it is an absolute bargain at one UK retailer listing it at this price. Perhaps they were clearing stock? Perhaps it was a mistake? And perhaps it would be going up to the more realistic price tomorrow, which is no good for a guide that requires longevity, so that people can rely on it for solid buying advice.

The moral of the story? Something can be both too good to be true and also true at the same time. And when that’s the case, jump on it!

See our full Manfrotto Befree GT 3-Way review