Reviews
A keeper tripod for travel and hiking!
Searching for an affordable, lightweight travel and hiking tripod, I found this carbon fiber unit that appeared to meet my needs for stability and cost. My photography is mostly about bird/wildlife, landscapes and occasional church events, so good stability is always a priority for me. The fact that this tripod is made of carbon fiber, packs compact, has an attachable hook for added weight and will accept different interchangeable heads are capabilities that I welcomed. My primary camera for landscape and events is a Nikon D750 paired to the Nikon 24-120/4 lens (approximately 3.5 lb total weight); for birds and wildlife, I use a Nikon D500 with a 200-500/5.6 lens (approximate weight 7 lb).
The tripod arrived in a well packaged box, was easy to unpack and set-up. The fluid head was already mounted, so all I had to do was make sure it was secured to the tripod. The twist lock legs were easy to unlock; each leg extended in a smooth motion and each one locked solidly (no slippage on any of the legs), even when extended to full length. After extending the legs, there were traces of what appeared to be lubricant fluid that I wiped off without any trouble. I tested the unit for motion and locks prior to mounting my camera; the motion was very smooth and all the locks worked perfectly. I also tested the load bearing capacity at home before going into the field. Both the tripod and the fluid head handled the weight of either camera without any issues. Note that my heaviest camera/lens set-up is 7 lbs, which is 4 fewer pounds than the tripod/head rating of 11 lbs.
Out in the field, the tripod performed as I had hoped, especially when I used it for landscape and portrait photography. I took the tripod to one of my favorite shooting spots, where the terrain is uneven, so I had to extend the legs to different lengths to compensate for the unevenness of the floor; the legs locked in place and I didn’t experience any slippage, either of the legs or the rubber footings. The tripod handled the weight of my D750 without a glitch; the fluid head performed well with a really good and smooth range of motion, both while panning side to side and when tilting up and down (I should note that when doing this type photography, I seldom extend the legs to their maximum, which helps with the stiffness of the legs). When I locked the head for a shot, it held position very well. The tripod and head also performed well when I used it for still, wildlife photography with the heavier Nikon D500 and 200-500 lens, although I would have preferred a little more stability or stiffness on the legs, especially when I had to extend the legs to the maximum so I could shoot at birds high in the trees (perhaps could had hung some additional weight off the hook but I had left my camera bag in the car). This heavier camera set-up of the D500 and telephoto lens probably lends itself to using a gimbal head versus a fluid head so the camera/lens stays balanced when zooming. Also, the footing on my Nikon lens is quite large compared to the plate on the tripod, something that could be fixed by buying a longer arca plate. I had to be more cautious with the D500 and 200-500 lens as the set-up did not feel as sturdy as with the D750 especially if the center column and legs were fully extended; I think it was probably due to the heavy lens set-up and location of center of gravity, as the tripod seemed to handle the weight without a problem. In any case, I was able to adjust and get the shots that I wanted. In the future, I may have to check a lighter, carbon or aluminum alloy gimbal head to see if it makes a difference when trying to photograph birds in flight or when expecting to move the head more and quicker. A few times, when I setup in muddy terrain and water, clean-up was a snap and because the tubes are carbon, there are no worries about corrosion. Now, for the monopod conversion. Oftentimes, when shooting birds, I prefer a monopod because it is a lot easier to move from location to location (birds rarely stay still for long!). The fact that I can convert a leg of this tripod to a monopod is really useful and took minimum time to set-up. Just unscrew the leg, and that’s it. The same for the fluid head, as it was easy to unscrew and secure on the monopod. For anyone that may want this switch from tripod to monopod to be a little faster, I would recommend getting a ball head and carrying it in the bag.
Overall, I am really pleased with how well the tripod has worked so far, especially at a price point of under $130. Using it for landscape and portrait photography with my D750, the tripod performed as I had hoped. It was stable, the head held the positions and angles really well for long shutter speed shots and the total weight of my camera and lenses was no issue at all. For the heavier set-up of the D500 with the heavier lens, I would more inclined to a heavier system, especially on windy days and for birds in flight photography. For still bird photography using this set-up, both the head and the tripod performed well although I would have liked the extra weight and stiffness in the legs (which probably means a heavier and larger tripod). Mounting a gimbal head on the tripod could add an additional 3-4 lb, which is getting close to the max weight capacity of the tripod’s 11 lb capacity, so I am not sure if that could be an option but may be checking it in the future. This tripod will definitely stay attached to my backpack.
UPDATE - I wanted to add some of the pictures I took using the tripod. These are some of the results of shooting on a stable platform. These birds are some of the still subjects I like to photograph; much better result than when hand holding a camera that weighs 7 lb plus.
The tripod arrived in a well packaged box, was easy to unpack and set-up. The fluid head was already mounted, so all I had to do was make sure it was secured to the tripod. The twist lock legs were easy to unlock; each leg extended in a smooth motion and each one locked solidly (no slippage on any of the legs), even when extended to full length. After extending the legs, there were traces of what appeared to be lubricant fluid that I wiped off without any trouble. I tested the unit for motion and locks prior to mounting my camera; the motion was very smooth and all the locks worked perfectly. I also tested the load bearing capacity at home before going into the field. Both the tripod and the fluid head handled the weight of either camera without any issues. Note that my heaviest camera/lens set-up is 7 lbs, which is 4 fewer pounds than the tripod/head rating of 11 lbs.
Out in the field, the tripod performed as I had hoped, especially when I used it for landscape and portrait photography. I took the tripod to one of my favorite shooting spots, where the terrain is uneven, so I had to extend the legs to different lengths to compensate for the unevenness of the floor; the legs locked in place and I didn’t experience any slippage, either of the legs or the rubber footings. The tripod handled the weight of my D750 without a glitch; the fluid head performed well with a really good and smooth range of motion, both while panning side to side and when tilting up and down (I should note that when doing this type photography, I seldom extend the legs to their maximum, which helps with the stiffness of the legs). When I locked the head for a shot, it held position very well. The tripod and head also performed well when I used it for still, wildlife photography with the heavier Nikon D500 and 200-500 lens, although I would have preferred a little more stability or stiffness on the legs, especially when I had to extend the legs to the maximum so I could shoot at birds high in the trees (perhaps could had hung some additional weight off the hook but I had left my camera bag in the car). This heavier camera set-up of the D500 and telephoto lens probably lends itself to using a gimbal head versus a fluid head so the camera/lens stays balanced when zooming. Also, the footing on my Nikon lens is quite large compared to the plate on the tripod, something that could be fixed by buying a longer arca plate. I had to be more cautious with the D500 and 200-500 lens as the set-up did not feel as sturdy as with the D750 especially if the center column and legs were fully extended; I think it was probably due to the heavy lens set-up and location of center of gravity, as the tripod seemed to handle the weight without a problem. In any case, I was able to adjust and get the shots that I wanted. In the future, I may have to check a lighter, carbon or aluminum alloy gimbal head to see if it makes a difference when trying to photograph birds in flight or when expecting to move the head more and quicker. A few times, when I setup in muddy terrain and water, clean-up was a snap and because the tubes are carbon, there are no worries about corrosion. Now, for the monopod conversion. Oftentimes, when shooting birds, I prefer a monopod because it is a lot easier to move from location to location (birds rarely stay still for long!). The fact that I can convert a leg of this tripod to a monopod is really useful and took minimum time to set-up. Just unscrew the leg, and that’s it. The same for the fluid head, as it was easy to unscrew and secure on the monopod. For anyone that may want this switch from tripod to monopod to be a little faster, I would recommend getting a ball head and carrying it in the bag.
Overall, I am really pleased with how well the tripod has worked so far, especially at a price point of under $130. Using it for landscape and portrait photography with my D750, the tripod performed as I had hoped. It was stable, the head held the positions and angles really well for long shutter speed shots and the total weight of my camera and lenses was no issue at all. For the heavier set-up of the D500 with the heavier lens, I would more inclined to a heavier system, especially on windy days and for birds in flight photography. For still bird photography using this set-up, both the head and the tripod performed well although I would have liked the extra weight and stiffness in the legs (which probably means a heavier and larger tripod). Mounting a gimbal head on the tripod could add an additional 3-4 lb, which is getting close to the max weight capacity of the tripod’s 11 lb capacity, so I am not sure if that could be an option but may be checking it in the future. This tripod will definitely stay attached to my backpack.
UPDATE - I wanted to add some of the pictures I took using the tripod. These are some of the results of shooting on a stable platform. These birds are some of the still subjects I like to photograph; much better result than when hand holding a camera that weighs 7 lb plus.
23/02/2026