GROUP TEST
SPECIFICATIONS Legs: Carbon fibre single tube Leg sections: 3 Payload: 7kg/14.43lb Minimumheight: 41cm/16.1in Maximumheight: 185cm/72.8in Weight: 4.3kg/9.48lb
HOW IT RATES
Features: 8/10 No adjustable counterbalance, but has everything else Performance: 9/10 Smooth pans and tilts, and solid as a rock Handling: 9/10 If you don’t like a spreader, it’s fast and easy Value formoney: 8/10 This is well built kit that should last for decades OVERALL RATING: 9/10 A solid and dependable pro-level tripod system Pros: Performance, ease of use, light to carry Cons: No adjustable counterbalance, not the cheapest
“Once you’ve got your camera counterbalanced on top, the pan and tilt controls are obvious and easy to use, and offer adjustable resistance”
There is a long 140mm/5.5in plate to allow you to move your camera body around to get the counterbalance right. The plate slides in from the back, rather than a quick-release style that drops in from above. The head uses the new-style Manfrotto Bridging design, where lots of the middle of the head has been removed to save weight, and there’s a 75mm bowl fitting. The beauty of the head is in the smooth, variable fluid movements in pan and tilt. The pan control is adjusted via a huge and obvious big red aluminium ring, and the tilt by a large knob on the left. These features are easy to use and offer precise control for the movements, which are silky smooth and well damped. The head has two Easy Link connectors to allow an external monitor or other accessory to be fitted directly. The 535 tripod is a three-section, single-tube video tripod designed for stability and high loads, yet it’s not too
heavy. The lever leg locks are simple to operate, the legs slide very smoothly, and the feet have rubber bumpers, which can be wound back to expose spikes. Each leg features an angle selector, letting you choose between 23°, 50° and 70° angles. In use, the tripod and head combination works perfectly together, offering a fully professional and good quality feel. Once you’ve got your camera counterbalanced on top, the pan and tilt controls are obvious and easy to use, and offer adjustable resistance so you can get all the movements just right. The only gripe is that it can be a bit of a squeeze getting to the pan lock knob, as you have to reach around the front. But once you’ve got used to it, it’s not really a problem. The kit is well built, not too heavy, with top-quality engineering oozing out of every part. If you can’t get decent footage out of this tripod set-up, it’s not the equipment that’s at fault...
ABOVE The large red aluminium ring is the adjuster for the pan drag, and is easy to use
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SPRING 2020 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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