GEAR MINI TESTS
3 LEGGED THING LANCE AND ALANA £130/$150 3leggedthing.com In some ways, it’s easier to engineer very complex devices than products that on the surface appear relatively simple, like the humble monopod. But with something that superficially may seem basic, every detail has to be just right for it to stand out. As always, British tripod firm 3 Legged Thing really works hard on the details to make its gear cool and funky, but also work very well. The latest designs are a pair of carbon-fibre monopods from the Legends range that come in kits with fold-out support feet, so are ideal for filmmaking. These feet aren’t meant to allow a camera to sit on top and be left alone, but we did try this and it worked fine on the larger Lance unit. That was with a Sony A7S III and 70-200mm f/2.8 GM lens and it wasn’t windy. Of course, this isn’t recommended. The taller unit is the £130/$150 Lance, while the smaller Alana is the same price. They both use carbon-fibre legs with aerospace-grade magnesium alloy fittings that support 100x their own weight. Both feature a rubber grip at the top, designed with channels to get rid of moisture from sweaty hands. Each has a useful wrist strap and very large rubber twist-lock clamps that are fast and easy to use, clamping onto the legs well, with no creep at all. Both have nice orange anodised details that suit Sony mirrorless cameras well, as well as Docz2 foot
TAKE YOUR PIC Both Alana and Lance cost the same but differ in size
and extended. The Alana has five leg sections, so folds down smaller and is therefore ideal for travel. It goes as high as 163cm/64.7in, which is plenty for most uses. Having more leg sections means it takes more time to adjust and pack away and has the potential to be less stable. Although we found it rock-solid, just like the Lance. This goes up to a whopping 207cm/81.5in, and that’s before you put your choice of ball head on the top – if you want one. It’s hard to fault either monopod. They are relatively light, and you have a choice of a larger version or a more compact version, all for the same bargain price that includes the stabilising feet. PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 9/10 Great-value carbon monopods with good design features Pros: Solid, well-built and funky Cons: No head included
“Also useful as mic stands or booms”
stabilisers which fold up for storage. Loosen the orange tightening knob and these allow 360 ° rotation and a 30 ° tilt angle, which is useful since there is no ball head on top to give any camera movement. However, it is quite difficult to tighten down the orange locking knob, so you have to be prepared for it to slip. Another great feature is that the top has a spring-loaded combination screw, so it works when screwed into tripod heads using the 3/8in bolt or directly into standard tripod fitments using the 1/4in thread. That also means they are useful as mic stands or booms. The biggest difference between the two is the size of both folded-up
SPECIFICATIONS 3LT Lance (Alana in brackets) Head fitting: Flat with 3/8in and 1/4in combination screw Leg sections: 4, carbon fibre (5) Height range: 66.5cm/26.1in to 207cm/81.5in (49.5cm/19.48in to 163cm/64.7in) Maximum payload: 60kg/132lb Weight: 1.2kg/2.64lb (1.17kg/ 2.57lb)
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