Photography News Issue 57

Photography News | Issue 57 | photographynews.co.uk

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First tests

Manfrotto Befree Advanced Carbon tripod £319.95

Having a tripod means you can shoot things you couldn’t shoot handheld – long exposures, multiple frames for composites, timelapse, steadier video… the list goes on – and travel models are aimed at improving the chances of you taking one with you. They should be small and light, but strong enough to mean you’re not compromising overly on stability. Other than its carbon-fibre build, Manfrotto’s Befree Advanced Carbon is very similar to the aluminium Befrees we reviewed in PN 54. The main difference is that, at 1290g, it’s lighter than the aluminium by 240g. Carbon should also add stability . Unlike the aluminium versions, the Carbon is only available with Manfrotto’s M-Lock twist locks. This makes sense as it saves another 100g in weight, over level locks, but one of the only criticisms I had of the aluminium version was the rubber of twist locks felt a bit slippery. It’s the same here. I’ve got used to this now, but I would take a bit more grip. The included 494 Centre Ball Head can be removed and stowed, lowering the weight by a further 330g, to well under 1kg. But while you can remove the centre column, there’s no way of mounting the head without it; in any case you’d only save 90g or so. Weight wise the tripod is excellent; I took it on several long hikes on a recent trip to Croatia and I barely noticed it. Like many such designs, to get the shortest closed length you need to raise the centre column, and invert the leg sections to close around it. It’s easy to do and is assisted by the shape of the 494RC head, which has little cut out sections to take the legs – as well as cutting weight. The M-Locks are good here, too; no protruding parts means they don’t snag like levers can. The legs are angled using the same leg-angle selectors as on the previous Befree models; these are OK, if a little slippy with their painted metal finish. They’re designed to be used left or right handed and the contact point falls right under your thumb, and I found I could operate it easily with either hand. The legs can be angled at 22°, 54°, and 89°. At the 54º angle, if you extend the legs by about 2in,

Specs

Prices £319.99

In the box Manfrotto MKBFRTC4-BH tripod, MH494-BH 494 Centre Ball Head, plus 200PL-Pro quick release plate, tools and carry bag Leg sections Four Material Carbon fibre Max height 150cm (127 cm without centre column) Min height 41cm Max load 8kg Closed length 41cm Weight 1250g Contact Manfrotto.co.uk

you get the specified lowest shooting height of about 41cm. It could be lower, but centre column gets in the way (a short centre column, the BFRSCC is £19.99). However, 41cm is plenty low enough for most instances, and if you want a proper worm’s eye view you can take out the rubber plug in the centre column, remove and reverse it, hanging the camera upside down. Around the same section is the magnesium alloy spider, which has a hook, but no bubble level; and there’s not one in the head either. Here you’ll also findManfrotto’s EasyLink port to screw in accessories to holding lights and flexible arms for macro work. Extending the legs is fast and easy. By covering them all with your hand, all of the M-Locks can be opened at the same time with a single twist, and the leg sections slide out smoothly. The locks held well, even when I put serious pressure on them. Good to its claims, the carbon fibre is strong with some bend, but only in the lowest parts. This also comes from a good leg thickness of 21.7mm, 18.2mm, 14.7mm and 11.2mm per section. Despite being small, it doesn’t feel weedy at all. The feet are angled rubber, curves to match each leg angle, and give decent grip even under pressure. They’re actually little plugs, which can be pulled out for cleaning, or swapping for reversible rubber/metal spike feet (optional, priced at £51.95). The maximum height of 127cm without the centre column is fine, and you can hit 150cm with it raised, though this will mean more risk of vibration as it would on any tripod. Speed wise, I managed to go from fully folded to standing, centre column down in about 16secs. If all you want to do is extend the legs fully it’s well under 10secs, as most of the time

Need a new travel tripod? You could do a lot worse than this one. It’s on the pricey side for amateur legs, and a lot more than the equivalent aluminiummodel; you’re paying about 60p for every gram you take off – but it’s certainly small, light, solid and well engineered, so ticks all the boxes and comes highly recommended. Equally, if you’ve £320 to spend, you might want to look at the slightly larger, stronger Befree GT version at only £80 more. The included 494 Centre Ball Head is a good one, costing about £60 in its own right. Its movements are smooth enough, it pans with ease there’s a tension control, which many lack. The controls are plastic, but don’t feel like a compromise; whether they stand up to 1000s of operations is unknown. I tested the Befree mainly with a Nikon D850 and 16-35mm f/4G lens, and foundnoproblemswithvibration, though of course it did exhibit more wobble than larger, thicker legs; and this increased as with the centre column raised as it normally would. I was using self timer and exposure delay modes, but found no problems with sharpness. KS Verdict comes from inverting the legs, and lowering the centre column. It’s only a little longer the other way around.

I took it on several long hikes and I barely noticed it

Images Likemany travel tripods these days, the Befree Advanced Carbon’s legs invert to close around the head, leading to a compact, folded design.

Images The twist lock legs are quick in operation and strong. It’s fast and easy to set different lengths for shooting on uneven ground so you don’t miss a thing.

Pros Small, light and solid. Good feature set Cons Significant cost, limited height, no bubble level

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