While considering options for travel tripods earlier this year, I came across the Leofoto LS-284C carbon fiber tripod and was curious about it. The combination of size, weight, and cost ($200) for a travel tripod was very appealing, so I obtained one for a trip that I took in February.
When folded, the tripod is a compact 17.5 inches long. It is supplied with a nice carrying case which is long enough to include an attached ball head. A center column is also included. Rather than permanently mounted on the tripod, the center column screws onto the mounting platform making it very fast and easy to put on and remove. In use, I found the center column to be quite stable. The tripod also comes with a spike set, tools, and a clip to hang from the platform to suspend weight. The carrying case was very comfortable to carry sling-style.
Some addition specifications according to the manufacturer:
Max height with center column: 60 inches
Max height without center column: 47.2 inches
Max load: 26.5 lbs
Weight: 2.4 lbs
When I used the tripod on this trip there was no wind. Exposures were five to six seconds long and I had no issues with tripod stability. If conditions are windy, I would probably suggest adding weight and/or possibly retracting the lower leg sections at least part way, if needed. For my use on the trip, I used the tripod legs fully extended and partially extended. All of my images came out nice and sharp.
The tripod is easy to set up and the leg locks are secure. The leg spread is a bit on the narrow side when the tripod is at its maximum height, but I did not find this to be an issue. It does have three leg lock positions. The widest is at 85 degrees which gets the mounting platform about 2.75 inches from the ground, which is really nice for low shots.
I don't have other travel tripods to compare this one to, so I cannot comment on the features and performance of this tripod in comparison to others. I will say that I have been overall quite pleased with it so far, especially for the price.
And most here laughed at and pooh poohed Amvona/Dynatran tripods. They were the vanguard of the revolution and Gitzo forced them out for patent infringement. I am beginning to think most of these tripods come from one factory with only minor details changed, When the law begins to catch up, they fold the company and start a new one.
Dustin Gent wrote:
nice write up! I just sold my Sirui stuff and came across the Leofoto a few weeks ago. Just got one of their L brackets, which seem well built.
So are you happy with the quality? I am on the fence about just buying the real deal. The Gitzo I tried was amazing, silky smooth.
Yes, I am happy with the quality. This is a $200 tripod, so I don't have expectations of it being as top-notch as a $600-$800 Gitzo or RRS. That being said, if you consider that the cost is roughly 1/3 to 1/4 of the high-end products, I believe that you get much more than 1/3-1/4 of the quality. The issue that I am having is that I have nothing to compare to in travel tripods, so I cannot say one way or the other how this tripod actually compares to any other CF tripod having similar weight and size.
I love the weight and size of this tripod and I have to say that it is well designed and built overall. The lowest leg segments can flex - I tried putting weight on the platform (just pressing with my hands and body weight) and was able to make the lower legs flex a bit. I was not in a shooting situation in which that made any difference, but it might, depending on the situation that someone is in. If that were the situation, I would retract the lower sections partially or completely and use the center column. I generally don't use center columns, but this one has a nice stable feel to it.
My other two tripods are RRS series 2 tripods and I recently sold a Gitzo series 5. All three of these are wonderful and I have been very happy with each of them. For evaluating the Leofoto travel tripod, I have done my best to be objective and take into consideration that it is a completely different class of tripod (lightweight and small). I imagine that all tripods in the weight range of the Leofoto (approx 2.5 lbs) will be more prone to vibration than a bigger, heavier CF tripod. This is where I really wish that I had other travel tripods to compare to - it would really be interesting to evaluate first hand the relative strengths and weaknesses of various models.
As far as extending and retracting the legs, the feel of that is just fine. They move smoothly. The leg locks are nice too, probably not quite as smooth as the Gitzo that you tried, but not problematic either. Actually, I have to say that the leg locks on the Leofoto are substantially smoother than the ones on the big Gitzo that I had (some of them had some resistance and could be a little hard to rotate). The legs also hold their position when the angles are being changed. They don't flop around, so it is easy to change leg angles.
runamuck wrote:
And most here laughed at and pooh poohed Amvona/Dynatran tripods. They were the vanguard of the revolution and Gitzo forced them out for patent infringement. I am beginning to think most of these tripods come from one factory with only minor details changed, When the law begins to catch up, they fold the company and start a new one.
I have heard other people make the same comment regarding the tripods coming from the same factory. I have no idea if that is the case or not. I did notice though that an L-bracket/grip that I have for my x-t2 (which I really like) cannot be obtained any more and it was available on Amazon last summer. Could be the exact situation that you mentioned with patents, but I don't know.
This is the bottom end of the Leofoto line of tripod legs and it will be fine for use shooting landscapes and macro work. It is too short for use with a telephoto lens unless someone is very short. I want a working height of at least 54 inches for my 5'9" body.
Once you get into the Leofoto 3 and 4 series tripods they are in the same price range as the Feisol tripods. They are all going to be far less expensive than the RRS or a Gitzo tripod. With Gitzo the quality control and customer service have declined so much of late that there are not even on my list.
To me, the Leofoto here looks almost identical to the RRS TFC-14 in terms of the dimensions and specs. Clearly some of the details are different. But given Leofoto's other products, I would guess that they just copied the TFC-14 and then changed a couple little things. I am curious about the quality of the carbon fiber used, as this can make a tremendous difference in the stiffness, and high quality carbon fiber doesn't seem to come cheap. Without doing an exact side to side test though, its hard to know for certain.
I think that's a very different situation.
It seems (AFAIK) all those batteries are made by Fujitsu for various people; none are copies. Eneloop is the Panasonic branding of them, if Ikea buy them from Fujitsu and sell them cheaper that's fine obviously.
But the Leofoto looks, like many others, not to be purchased from RRS and rebranded, but just copied.
Well I am in the market for a new tripod and head. I was one of those people who had the mindset that the $1000 price difference between the Gitzo or RRS and mine wouldn't make my photos $1000 better. After real world use the last 14 years or so, there are issues that I find annoying, but am unsure if the high end ones would not even avoid (clamps loosening, legs not staying tightened, tripod head not super silky smooth - has "jitters" when moving the head, etc).
I am in the position to get good gear, but the Sirui I just sold was really a good tripod, minus some issues that you would expect from a $250 combo setup. Gitzo customer service is not good, and i remember the legs coming off of the CF versions - they fix this issue?
If the Leofoto versions are a real knock off of Gitzo and just as good, I wouldn't mind trying out a Leofoto. Sirui customer service was good.
I wish that I knew if the Leofoto was the same quality as the Gitzo, but there is no way to know without direct comparison. The tripod that I reviewed was their smallest and lightest. For $200, I think that it is quite nice. As another person mentioned, there are quality differences in carbon fiber and I would guess that a manufacturer like RRS has a higher quality - they should with the price difference and they are certainly known for ultra high quality gear. As I mentioned, I can get the lower leg segments to flex if I put weight on the tripod using my hands/body (not a huge amount of weight as I certainly don't want to exceed the design capacity). How that compares to the CF of other lightweight tripods is something that I just don't know the answer to. It might be better, worse, or the same.
You might want to take a look at the reviews on some of Leofoto's other tripods too. I think that I saw reviews on both Amazon and B&H.
They may be copied but not exactly. Any decent engineer could reverse engineer a Gitzo or RRS tripod. It is not difficult. As a maintenance machinist I was often handed a shaft, gear or other machinery part and make a new one as per sample figuring out dimensions of worn spots. Starting with a new piece just makes copying easier. The fly in the ointment is nobody knows how many factories there are making knockoff tripods.
Making CF tubes is a complicated undertaking and the number of factories is certainly limited. Owners don't care who buys their tubes. It is far more important that the tubes be sold. A stopped production line is losing money rapidly.
Nobody knows how many are buying parts on the open market and selling under yet another name. Buying from Amazon gives you a month to try them out risk-free.
DavidBM wrote:
I think that's a very different situation.
It seems (AFAIK) all those batteries are made by Fujitsu for various people; none are copies. Eneloop is the Panasonic branding of them, if Ikea buy them from Fujitsu and sell them cheaper that's fine obviously.
But the Leofoto looks, like many others, not to be purchased from RRS and rebranded, but just copied.
Now we know there is litte or no difference in the batteries. The big difference is price, not quality. Eneloops are nearly $20 for four. Far higher than Ikea's price.
I looked at the specs and it is just 47 inches high without the column extension. Even allowing 8 inches for ballhead and camera, it is still under 5 feet.Unless my legs fall off below the knees it is way to short for me.
From the original post:
Some addition specifications according to the manufacturer:
Max height with center column: 60 inches
Max height without center column: 47.2 inches
Max load: 26.5 lbs
Weight: 2.4 lbs
it is a travelers tripod. it gives up some things to be more usable for others. in order to get that 2.4lbs w/o head weight there's going to be some sacrifice. yes it can be for some a challenge but then they must be willing to carry the extra weight for both the height and additional material to maintain the rigidity going up in that height. me I really don't have that issue and I still wouldn't give in to the extra weight and/or loss of rigidity that comes with it. everything is a trade off and its the end users choice of options.
the screw in up height center column is interesting. i'll see what it brings to the table next week in usefulness
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sjms wrote:
I ordered up the Leofoto tripod in the review today. I will A/B it with the RRS TFC. looks like a reasonable facsimile. will see.
It will be interesting to see what you find. While I fully expect the RRS to be higher quality, it will be interesting to hear your thoughts relative to price point.
The center column is indeed interesting. It screws on and off quickly and seems stable. If one does not need it, it can be left at home. And, being able to take it off easily is great for setting the tripod at a very low level.
