GROUP TEST
you get the hang of angling the plate in before pushing it down. It took a few tries for us to get it right, but then it was second nature. The plate attachment is made of plastic, which just doesn’t feel like it would last, but we had no reliability problems with it during the test. The legs are where this tripod differs from its rivals. There are ѕturdу, 29mm aluminium uрреr legs and a central brace that can be adjusted with a locking knob. This does give extra rigidity when compared to non-braced tripods. Most unusual is the gеаrеd сеntrе соlumn. You crank a side handle and the centre column moves up or down in a controlled way. Many stills photo tripods have had this for years but it’s not particularly popular any more. It adds weight and complexity, but does give an extra bit of height, and you can adjust the head height far more precisely. This may be important to you for close-up work. There are hеаvу dutу rubbеr fееt for grір аnd ѕtаbіlіtу оn vіrtuаllу аnу ѕurfасе, and they shouldn’t mark expensive floors. Although the official payload is 6kg/13.2lb, chances are you wouldn’t want to put your ten grand cinema camera combo on top of the £178/$210 Velbon. However, for smaller cameras, it’s a very affordable system that smacks of old- school charm. IMAGES The Velbon has a distinct old-school look and feel but is a great performer for the money
THE VERDICT
If you want a traditional, twin-tube leg tripod, the Libec is a solid performer at a good price. It’s well built but doesn’t have adjustable damping, so you have to like it or lump it. Conversely, the Velbon does have adjustments and a traditional (if different) look. It doesn’t have the ultimate build quality of the Libec, but it is significantly cheaper. The oddball is the carbon fibre Vanguard. It’s not really a video tripod, but can be used for video as one of its features. If you are an all-rounder who shoots stills and some video, it could be the tripod that meets all your needs, in an affordable and smart package.
Two tripods stand out as stunning performers in our test, and both have remarkably similar specs and even look like clones. The Manfrotto and the Benro are fantastic performers and offer great performance, reliability and should last for many years. The Benro has aluminium legs and adjustable counterbalance. The Manfrotto has no adjustable counterbalance but has carbon fibre legs, and a slight edge in the pan and tilt performance... but not by much. The crucial part is that the Manfrotto costs significantly more than the Benro, and this might affect your buying choice. But you can’t go wrong with either of them.
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SPRING 2020 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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