Peak Design Pro Tripod evaluation: stronger, taller, higher

Whenever Peak Design releases a brand new product, whether or not it’s a backpack, a digicam strap, or perhaps a pockets, I’m all the time wanting ahead to seeing what sort of genius engineering tweaks the San Francisco-based firm got here up with. And whereas there are some intelligent tips right here, the newly launched line of video tripods is extra about making use of classes the staff discovered from its first tripod launch over six years in the past. The legs are sturdier, there’s an improved heart column, a redesigned ball head, and lots of different enhancements price going by means of.

First, the fundamentals: there are three variants to select from: the Pro Lite, Pro, and Pro Tall, all of which share the identical core options however differ in max top and weight. The entire lineup of tripods is on the market on Kickstarter, however they received’t be low cost — the Pro Lite, Pro, and Pro Tall value $799, $899, and $999, respectively. Discounts for backing them on Kickstarter vary from 23 p.c off the Pro Lite to 27 p.c off the Pro and Pro Tall.

I had an opportunity to check all of them over just a few weeks.

The Pro Lite is the lightest mannequin and weighs 3.7 lbs. You’ll discover the added heft in comparison with the two.81 kilos of the carbon fiber Travel Tripod — Peak Design’s first and solely tripod till now. Quite a lot of that further weight is justified and comes from the ball head. We’ll speak about that quickly.

The Pro Lite is 4 inches taller than the unique Travel Tripod with a sturdier and longer heart column. That further top is simply sufficient for me to file my to-camera sections at eye degree. (For reference, I’m 6 ‘1 or 187cm.)

Then there’s the Pro and Pro Tall. These tripods are heavier, taller and have a bigger weight load than the Pro Lite. I principally saved utilizing the Pro and Pro Tall tripods indoors and have added issues like sliders and my heavier cinema cameras rig.

Each tripod is comprised of carbon fiber; there aren’t aluminum choices, and every is mild sufficient to carry anyplace with me. Even the Pro Tall, at 4.5 lbs, gave my again a pleasant break in comparison with my standard video tripod — a decade-old 5.5 lb Manfrotto 055 with a 3.7 lb fluid video head. But, out of the three, I discovered myself utilizing the Pro Lite probably the most, since I attempt to preserve my gear as mild as attainable throughout hikes or lengthy photograph walks.The ball head featured on all three tripods has a brand new quick-release system that feels way more safe than the one discovered on the Travel Tripod. The digicam simply snaps onto the Arca-Swiss appropriate plate, and there’s a separate locking mechanism flush in opposition to the facet of the ball head. This lock, which the Travel Tripod didn’t have, made me extra assured I wouldn’t unintentionally launch it and drop the digicam by bumping right into a tightening knob.

I’ve been utilizing Peak Design’s first tripod because it launched in 2020. The ball head has deteriorated over time. It nonetheless works, however the lock usually will get caught and is tough to launch as soon as tightened. This new lock addresses that situation.

I don’t know the way this new ball head will carry out in just a few years, however I anticipate it to be higher. A devoted lock toggle which wasn’t current within the Travel Tripod means you received’t need to overtighten the earlier tightening system. Durability is likely one of the most necessary features of a tripod, and once you pay a premium worth for one, you hope it lasts for years. That Manfrotto that I discussed earlier, I’ve been utilizing it for almost a decade.

One of my favourite new options is that it’s a lot simpler to modify to vertical filming. It can simply flip onto its facet by unlocking the ball head. The Travel Tripod has that means, however with restricted maneuverability. The new head can transfer freely in any route. I like it!

The ball head panning was easy, however there aren’t friction changes. It’s both unlocked or not, however it was in a position to deal with my mirrorless Fujifilm XH2s and even my heavier cameras just like the Canon C70 nicely. However, you’ll want a separate $149 (MSRP) attachment if you wish to add tilting capabilities.

I assume most readers appeared on the scorecard and noticed that I added “tilt module” below each the “good” and “dangerous” sections. Allow me to clarify. On one hand, it’s annoying to pay further for this accent and I want it got here with the tripod. On the opposite hand, I like that you just don’t need to pay the added value in case you don’t plan to make use of it. One attainable workaround is to make use of an L-bracket in your digicam, flip the ball head for vertical filming and your built-in pan axis now turns into a tilt one.

The tilt module snaps onto the ball head with its Swiss-Arca base, similar to a digicam would. The extendable deal with magnetically attaches to the again of the lean mod. It’s tremendous intelligent. But the lean accent wasn’t excellent for every part. As with pan, there’s no technique to modify the friction. That made it tougher to maintain my tilts easy and regular with heavier gear, akin to my Fujifilm XH2s with a 5o-140mm lens.

There can also be an alternative choice — you may use an totally different fluid video head, however you’ll must get a separate $129 (MSRP) Pro Leveling Base attachment. It replaces the included ball head and has a a lot shorter heart column. You can nonetheless shortly and simply degree it on uneven surfaces.

There are numerous smaller enhancements. They have higher leg locks, sturdier concave heart columns, a hidden hex instrument (you don’t want to connect one to the facet, it’s within the heart column), and a neater technique to disassemble and clear elements. Even the carrying bag is roomier; it’s not a really tight-fitting sock like earlier than.

But are they well worth the worth? It will depend on how you employ your video tripods. Over the previous few years, with higher digicam and lens stabilization, my want for video tripods has slowly diminished. During my evaluation interval, I ended up utilizing the Pro Lite tripod extra usually as a photograph tripod than a video and it slowly changed my unique Travel Tripod. While the opposite two within the lineup stayed in my studio for video work. But every of the brand new tripods addresses each ache level of the unique Travel Tripod.