MINI TESTS
3 LEGGED THING TRAVIS 2.0 TRIPOD £180/$216 3leggedthing.com
When a tripod is called ‘Travis’ – after the drummer from pop-punk bank Blink-182, who is engaged to one of the Kardashians – you know this isn’t a dull, old, conventional set of sticks. Its technology also includes ‘Chicken Lips’ shims and optional extras of ‘Vanz footwear’. As always, British firm 3 Legged Thing merges out-there marketing nous with cool details on well- designed, funky tripods. The firm has its roots in photo tripods, but now offers high-end video versions, too. The Travis 2.0 is from the ‘Punks’ range and is a good value magnesium alloy tripod – ideal for photos rather than video, but can be used for both. That’s because its AirHed Neo 2.0 is a ball head that’s not perfect for full-time video use. It comes with an Arca-Swiss fitting, which is more common in stills than video, and doesn’t have a fluid-damped pan and tilt. You can lock it into position and unlock the pan axis separately. But for serious video work it’s best to use something like 3 Legged Thing’s £130/$160 levelling base and fit a proper video head, like the AirHed Cine. Of course, this makes the price and bulk go up significantly. But with the legs offering such good value anyway, it’s actually a worthwhile thing to do. You are still left with a compact and rocksteady tripod. The tripod itself is a four-section metal unit that folds up to just 457mm/17.9in long, yet when fully extended reaches 1370mm/53.9in high. It also goes as low as 118mm/4.6in if you remove the centre column
SPECIFICATIONS Head fitting: Flat Leg sections: Four Leg angles: 23°, 55°, 80° Height range: 118-1370mm/4.6-53.9in Maximumpayload: 18kg/40lb Spreader type: None Folded height: 457mm/17.9in Weight: 1.82kg/4.01lb
“The large, rubber twist-lock clamps are fast and secure onto the legs well” and screw in the optional Vanz legs, making it a tabletop tripod. That’s a huge range, covering most needs. The large, rubber twist-lock clamps are fast, easy to use, and secure onto the legs well, with no creep at all. The legs can be adjusted through three different angles using the quick-adjust latch at the top. All three are easily detachable, so can be deployed as a monopod or boom arm. The tripod has nice, orange anodised details that suit Sony mirrorless cameras very well, too. For such a small and compact tripod that only weighs 1.82kg/4.01lb, the maximum payload is a very
impressive 18kg/40lb. There’s also a 1/4in-20 threaded mount to take accessory arms or a stud, to mount a monitor or small LED light. It’s certainly very versatile. The tripod comes with a decent bag and strap – plus a useful multi- tool. You get a lot for your money, especially if you can live without a proper video pan and tilt head. PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 8/10 Good value and stylish photo-style compact tripod and head Pros: Solid, well-built and funky Cons: No self-levelling or separate tilt for video
ROCK SOLID It might be called a Punk, but this tripod
is a stable performer
SONY STYLE The orange detailing goes from the head to the leg locks and more
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PROMOVIEMAKER.NET
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