Review: Benro Travel Angel C-068m8 + B-0 +PU-50

This review is meant to give one more perspective on the great Benro/Induro debate. I’m happy with the product—though surely a few voices will say I’m crazy. At some point I may break down the head in order to see what changes have been made, if any, to the design of the infamous “pot metal… poor engineering” breakdown from some time ago on a different line of Benro ballheads.

Please consider it as one piece of information, and one perspective, of many.

Background on what I was after:

My goal was to find an ultra-light, ultra-compact tripod for extended travel through sometimes dangerous locations where I can’t be encumbered by heavy, bulky gear. Dead stability and full height were not the driving forces here, though maximizing both within the constraints of size, weight, and ease of use were obviously important. I didn’t want to be stuck with a true table-top tripod or ground pod. Money was not a primary factor here, nor was trying to find an all-around perfect tripod. I was after a niche product.

Why I chose a Benro instead of a Gitzo or Feisol:

I was considering three other tripods: Gitzo 1550t, Gitzo 1541t, and Feisol 3441s. All three have advantages over the Benro combination I purchased, though at the same time couldn’t match the Benro specs I was after. This search was initiated via the Gitzo 0-series tripods (0531/0541), though without having a 0-series that folds over the center column, the folded length was too long for my needs.

The 1550t is light enough (when used with its insufficient, included ballhead), and folds compact enough—but has 5 legs when I wanted 4 max. (I also wasn’t interested in the ballhead that came with it, and third party heads would compromise the weight/compactness of this tripod.)

The 1541t has 4 leg sections, but only folds to 16 inches, and weighs 2.1 lbs without a ballhead. Advantages: This leg set is probably more stable than the Benro.

The Feisol 3441s has 4 leg sections too, but only folds to 17 inches, weighs 2.2 lbs without a ballhead, and has rotating legs. A shorter center column would bring the weight down, but wouldn’t change the folded size. That and the rotating legs killed it for me. Advantages: This legset, with a 28mm largest leg diameter, is probably more stable then both the Benro and the 1-series Gitzo traveler, and reaches higher.

Only the Benro could get me in at ~2 to 2.2 lbs with a ballhead, fold down to 14 inches, and do it all with 4 leg sections that don’t rotate (the last leg rotating doesn’t have any impact on use; see below). As long as the Benro was up to the task—and stable enough for the lenses I wanted to use—the specs would be the deciding factor. Neither Gitzo, nor Feisol, nor Induro or any other manufacturer that I felt comfortable with made a tripod with comparable specs. It Gitzo makes a 0-series Traveler design, I’ll reconsider.

Construction:

Side-by-side with comparable Gitzo legs, the Benro feels up to par. The bolts that the legs rotate on were a little too stiff for me when I bought the legs, so I used the included tool to loosen them the tiniest bit; the tighter setup is probably a hair more stable.

The leg sections are stiff when locked, and lock tight. Unlike some of the other inexpensive brands, Benro has a tiny set screw (see photo) that holds the center column bolt mechanism down tight. The center column uses the same construction to secure the screw mechanism at the bottom of the center column for the spring-loaded weight hook. The center column is grooved so that it does not rotate. The rubber, bottom feet unscrew and can be replaced with pointed, metal feet. All the moving parts that need it are well-greased, and fit TIGHTLY together. The fit is very precise, the cutting/molding is very clean (any mess you see is just grease).

Use:

The tripod is a pleasure to use. The legs slide in and out very smoothly/easily, and with one short throw of the locks (1/4 twist), all the leg sections can be unlocked at once due to the anti-rotation locks. That the last leg section rotates does not matter because there obviously isn’t any sort of twist lock on it. Pulling on the shortest leg with a smooth tug extends the whole leg. Once the legs sections are retuned to the closed position, all of the leg locks can be similarly locked with another short throw.

Ballhead:

These legs usually come with the B-00 ballhead, but having heard that the standard ballhead is the weakest link in the system for these legs, I found a seller who had (or made) a package with the larger, B-0 ballhead. It’s possible that my legs would close ever so slightly tighter with a smaller ballhead, but I don’t think the difference would be noticeable without a close measurement; it surely wouldn’t make any difference in packing or use.

Service:

Well, I can’t speak to what getting service will actually be like, but my one experience dealing with the Mac Group was great. I had questions about getting a shorter center column, using the B-0 ballhead instead of the B-00, and the difference between the “kit” version of the legs and the stand-alone version. Benro’s US Marketing Product Manager emailed me back personally, and we had a great back-and-forth discussion about some of the details of what I was asking about. It was great to be able to get in touch with someone so easily, and to have my questions answered so quickly. This, at least, was reassuring.

Caveats:

Benro is relatively new, there’s at least one report of an older, sketchy ballhead internal design (much posted about), and doesn’t have a huge presence in the U.S. yet. They are clearly the same company as Induro (both under the umbrella as the Mac Group), though offering different, non-overlapping models in some cases. It’s not clear what the customer support will be like, whether this will last, and how difficult getting replacement parts will be.

The bottom line for me is that price aside, only Benro had the tripod that most closely fit my needs as far as specs go: 4 legs, as close to 2 lbs as possible, stable, 14 or 15 inches closed (smaller better), 4’ to 5’ height, carbon fiber, and well built. If Gitzo made something comparable, I would have considered it—and I don’t doubt that the Gitzo would be great, with a great company behind it. I would love to test this against a 0-series Traveler tripod by Gitzo.

I wouldn’t necessarily just buy a Benro if I wanted something bigger, and more solid, for long lenses. I think a Gitzo or Feisol (if they get anti-rotation legs) would be the first place I look. But I’d see what Benro had to offer, and I’d seriously consider it.

A few more size comparison shots:

Great report. I bought the Induro C114 with the DM01 ballhead. I looked at the Gitzo traveler but it had too many leg sections and kind of pricey for what it is. I wish I had known about the benro but I am pretty pleased with mine so far. 17. 5 inches folded, 20.5 with head. I had to remove the pin on the clamp so I could fit the arca style plates. I still keep my camera strap around my neck until I am sure that the head is locked.

Great review! I recently bought the C068-M8 legs only from BHPhoto, but the fold seems different than yours. On mine, the center column seems longer and head platform is even with the legs when reverse folded. I guess the kit version comes with a shorter center column besides the platform difference? Strange.

javanutsy wrote:
Great review! I recently bought the C068-M8 legs only from BHPhoto, but the fold seems different than yours. On mine, the center column seems longer and head platform is even with the legs when reverse folded. I guess the kit version comes with a shorter center column besides the platform difference? Strange.

The Mac Group person I spoke with actually seemed to imply what you are talking about, though I figured the difference was primarily (if not totally) due to the platform. Interesting indeed.

Can you measure your center column so that we can compare the two? I should get a chance to measure mine tomorrow morning. How about, with the center column fully extended, from the top of the center column "leg lock" to the platform (or point) that the ballhead sits upon?

javanutsy:

Ok, looking back on the email, the Mac Group said just what you noted (he didn't imply it). Here's an excerpt from the email I got:

"The C-069M8 tripod legs are slightly different than the legs in the complete kit (C-069M8 + BH-00).
In order to have the tripod head fit inside the legs when they are folded upward, the center column is slightly shorter and the diameter of the center column base is also smaller. These size differences are enough to account for the weight variation."

He mentioned C-069, though mine is the C-068. I believe what he said for the 9 is the same for the 8 (because the weight charts show the same "weight variation"). BTW, the weight variation is, according to the literature, .2 kg. The kit being lighter by that amount.

Can you post a photo of your legs folded with column up?

Here's my C-068M8 at its most retracted state:

Thank you for review, Russ. It does look like a great combo. I found there are sellers on eBay who are willing to put the same set together (or with J-0 ball head as replacement) if you send them an email.