Tripod center columns are considered "controversial" because they add weight and when extended very far clearly affect balance. I cringe when I see a photographer with tripod legs not extended but the center column extended all the way. I've gone both ways as my Gitzo system allows removal of the column and substitutes a plate. In the landscape it rarely matters, in the studio moving the column up an inch or so occasionally can be useful without affecting the balance of the entire setup and without having to adjust all three legs. It's all physics.
First, I truly love Peak Design several products, but have sold several others. This one has some serious question marks for me:
- Non-removable ball-head (although its unimpressive weight seems better when realizing the ballhead is included in the weight). Sometimes I want to use a different ballhead, or a pano head, or a leveling head...
- Not being able to adjust the ballhead without extending the center column is just crazy to me. Especially considering the seemingly very thin joint where the ball connects to the center column. I sure wouldn't want to carry that over my shoulder!
- From the DPReview hands on "And more importantly, even in the little bit of time I used a prototype of this tripod, I found it to be more compact and more stable than what's offered on the lower end of the travel market." THIS IS $600! Nowhere near the lower end of the travel market.
Notably, the fact that this is branded the "Peak Design TRAVEL Tripod", I'm confident we will see a full size tripod soon. Hopefully it keeps many of the good design elements and improves on others, and that other tripod makers use some innovative competition to heart!
molson wrote:
I take that to mean they have no faith in the product themselves, but are willing to churn out a few if enough suckers pony up in advance.
I'm still trying to figure out why this thread is on the Sony forum...?
Kickstarter is used here a marketing tactic and a way to get a large cash infusion upfront to pay the costs of tooling, which are significant. Peak Design started with kickstarter and has used them for most if not all of their large subsequent product category releases, so it's also kind of their modus operandi.
Overall, I think the company is great and their products are good quality. I bought their Leash for my A7rII, and love it. Better than any other strap I've used before. They had a design change with the clips for it, and sent me a new set for free.
IMO this tripod looks like a really nice option. I really like the Arca Swiss P0-style ballhead and more compact design. Great for packing into a rolling carry-on. Having to raise the center column to tilt is unfortunate though. I would prefer twist locks for speed, but it makes sense that they can't be used on legs that aren't cylindrical. My current go-to for travel is a Sirui T-025x, but I'm 6'1" so I've been wanting something that is a bit taller. That tripod has a similar drawback with the center column being permanently "extended", though I've found it to be stable enough in my usage.
Surfnsun wrote:
They have a really well engineered product IMHO that comes with a premium price. It’s worth whatever people are willing to pay. And around here, with literally everyone spending thousands into the tens of thousands of dollars on their photography gear, they know their target demographic is willing to spend more in order to have the best. It seems to me, to be a company that has done its research.
They have an uphill battle with this tripod then against RRS and Gitzo if they're going after the premium segment of the market...kind of in an odd no man's land - not cheap but not premium enough with some questionable design decisions.
LBJ2 wrote:
I'm with you elizabeth77. For my Sony Kit, Sirui has been an excellent travel tripod solution for me (SIRUI T-2204XL+ E20 Professional Carbon Fiber )
Yep! I have the T-024SK; it weighs 2.2 pounds and is just over a foot long folded, and it's held up on windy boat decks in bad weather and in 3 feet of snow.
This PD release does occupy a weird tripod limbo - it's by no means low end of market, but it's not Gitzo CF, and it's not ultra-compact or ultra-light. I would have expected PD to either make a snazzy $1K+ CF tripod with crazy features, or a $500 CF tripod that is insanely minimal and light.
They have major brand loyalty, though, and judging from the Kickstarter they will do just fine.
a lot of things to like about the tripod, the legs certainly look cool, but that ball head is questionable. It's like a third rate copy of my current system, the RRS tqc 14 + arca p0. Having the ability to swap heads is a big deal, extremely common for me to swap between a photo vs video head, the PD head doesnt look like it can do any bit of video where most heads can get by with panning in one direction, which is better than nothing.
I do love their eco system, but I dont love them that much
my BS meter is alarming, claiming that the peak plate loosens every few hours? I've used the V3 for months, never had it loosen ever, is that really a thing? D ring better than hex due to convenience......... iffy at best. I think manfrotto D ring is junk that's prone to loosening, unlike PD plates, and it's due to the hex.
while the tripod may very well be junk, hard to take PN seriously in this review.
This looks like a pretty slick option. I like that they are thinking out of the box. I have many Peak Design products but I'm not so sure about this one. I don't know what need it fills for me. My current travel/backpacking/hiking tripod, the Surui cf T-025 travel tripod extends to nearly the same height, compacts to a smaller form factor, is nearly half the weight at 1.5lbs (legs and head) and it hasn't had any real stability issues. On the other hand, my larger and beefier Benro CF tripod with a RRS ball head that I use when on road trips is much larger but only about 1lb heavier.
When I first saw it, I instantly backed it but cancelled it after I had a few hours to think about it further.
No interest from me at that price. I’ve taken the carbon Sirui T-025X north well into Canada and to the edge of the Indian Ocean in South Africa and it’s served my needs and been lightweight enough.
I don't get the hate. It looks like a clever design. Anyone who travels a lot appreciates the trade off between size/weight and rigidity. Of course it is not meant for bird photographers with 800 mm lenses. Of course it has compromises. But for the size, weight, integrated ball head, integrated phone mount and the price is is a good deal.
I use a RRS TQC-14 with an Acratech GP-SS ballhead, or a larger Feisol tripod with Arca Swiss P0 ballhead. I am sure both of those are more solid than this PD setup. But they are heavier, bulkier, harder (or impossible) to fit in carry on luggage with everything else I take. And they cost twice as much.
I ordered one on the Kickstarter. Won't work for everything but sometimes it will work well for me - I think. I have tried smaller options like the Sirui travel tripods. Every time, I return to the RRS TQC 14 but the quest continues. I use Sony gear.
First off I love Peak Design bags got 5 of them so not sure What hate there is or cost remarks. Wanna spend money go look at Fogg and Artisan. But the tripod looks interesting. Not sure on the head but hey you don’t like it than don’t spend your money. Others may differ. Let’s see how it performs.
Charlie N wrote:
my BS meter is alarming, claiming that the peak plate loosens every few hours? I've used the V3 for months, never had it loosen ever, is that really a thing? D ring better than hex due to convenience......... iffy at best. I think manfrotto D ring is junk that's prone to loosening, unlike PD plates, and it's due to the hex.
while the tripod may very well be junk, hard to take PN seriously in this review.
Literally every other hands on is a sponsored video by Peak Design and you think this is the one that’s BS?
And yes, I had the PD capture clip v3 loosen on my A7III with 16-35 gm when hanging in portrait orientation from a ball head. I did not bring a hex key with me, it was left at the hotel room, so I was hosed. This also happened in Japan when using it in the capture plate with the 24-70gm. It began to loosen as I was hiking.
I have about 4 capture clips and the rubber pads on at least one of them is very different than the rest. I value these things for doing what they do but Peak Design could still improve them significantly.
I am not a Peak Design hater, I have:
Everyday Messenger 13 V1
5L Sling
Toiletry Travel bag
Tech Travel bag
Field Pouch
Capture x 4
Slide camera strap
Slide lite camera strap
But they have plenty of area for improvement in the capture plate. They have areas for improvement in most of their products.
The tripod is nice looking. I don’t think I will be getting it since I already have a RRS TQC-14 that fits in my backpack / carry on / anything I have bothered with. If I was gonna trade back down to a smaller / lighter / flimsier tripod I would get get the Manfrotto BeFree so I can actually adjust the ballhead without a) lifting the center column and b) risking unlocking the tripod clamp.
jharter wrote:
I don't get the hate. It looks like a clever design. Anyone who travels a lot appreciates the trade off between size/weight and rigidity. Of course it is not meant for bird photographers with 800 mm lenses. Of course it has compromises. But for the size, weight, integrated ball head, integrated phone mount and the price is is a good deal.
I use a RRS TQC-14 with an Acratech GP-SS ballhead, or a larger Feisol tripod with Arca Swiss P0 ballhead. I am sure both of those are more solid than this PD setup. But they are heavier, bulkier, harder (or impossible) to fit in carry on luggage with everything else I take. And they cost twice as much.
I ordered one on the Kickstarter. Won't work for everything but sometimes it will work well for me - I think. I have tried smaller options like the Sirui travel tripods. Every time, I return to the RRS TQC 14 but the quest continues. I use Sony gear....Show more →
Even the discounted price is $489 and you think that is a good price for a compromised tripod not better than what's out there already (unless style is important - and to PDs market that is at least partly true)? To each their own JH!
I think it's the blatant false marketing that upsets some people. They claim half the size yet even their own head to head comparison in the ad. shows the MeFoto is shorter (only just, but still) in fact two of the three tripods that they compare against are virtually the same length (though note in the picture PD have reduced the size of their image to make it look shorter. It's this sort of psychological false advertising/marketing (along with their claims - which stick in people's thoughts) - that grates.
I've used the Siriu T1204X (940g + whatever ballhead you want) and now the Ingjue CK-228 (959g + whatever ballhead you want) and with a ballhead these are around the same weight as the PD, however I've have never lost a single shot to stability (note I'm not including my clumsiness in knocking the tripod!), even when shooting up to 3-4 minute exposures.
I always feel that people are conned big time into buying expensive tripods that have minimal benefit, as in the gain is far far from exponential, over those 1/3 price except maybe in terms of longevity but that is then a personal choice, I prefer to put out less now and see what comes along later, and of course in the event of theft or loss it's much easier/cheaper to replace. I still have the comfort in knowing my shooting is not compromised in any way by doing this.
For me those advocating expensive tripods (which is often on this board) is like going to the shops to buy groceries, the small Ford will do it just fine but some must use a luxury 4x4, both however achieve the same. You only need the 4x4 when you have off-road needs (and in tripod terms - a difficult scenario such as time-lapse or shooting from in a stream etc.).
Just a word on some comments re. using Kickstarter. I can fully understand why PD use it, it's great economics. Here's their take on it which appears in the ad. and I agree with every word.
*We launch our products on Kickstarter because it gives us the freedom to run our business exactly how we want. The funds we generate on Kickstarter make it possible for us to continue developing products without seeking venture capital. That means we're not beholden to growth goals, revenue targets, or product timelines imposed by other people. Instead, we focus on doing what we love: building the best things we can possibly make, fueled by support from the best customers we could possibly ask for.*
Frogfish wrote:
Even the discounted price is $489 and you think that is a good price for a compromised tripod not better than what's out there already (unless style is important - and to PDs market that is at least partly true)? To each their own !
I think it's the blatant false marketing that upsets some people. They claim half the size yet even their head to head comparison shows the MeFoto is shorter (only just, but still) in fact two of the three tripods that they compare against are virtually the same length (though note in the picture PD have reduced the size of their image to make it look shorter. It's this sort of psychological false advertising/marketing (along with their claims - which stick in people's thoughts - that grates).
I've used the Siriu T1204X (940g + whatever ballhead you want) and now the Ingjue CK-228 (959g + whatever ballhead you want) and with a ballhead these are around the same weight as the PD, however I've have never lost a single shot to stability,, even up to 3-4 minute exposures. I always feel that people are conned big time into buying expensive tripods that have minimal benefit over those 1/3 price except maybe in terms of longevity but that is then a personal choice, I prefer to put out less now and see what comes along later, and of course in the event of theft, loss it's much easier/cheaper to replace. I know my shooting is not compromised in any way by doing this.
For me those advocating expensive tripods (often on this board) is like going to the shops to buy groceries, the small Ford will do it just fine but some must use a luxury 4x4, both however achieve the same. You only need the 4x4 when you have off-road needs (and in tripod terms - a difficult scenario such as astro or shooting from in a stream etc.).
Just a word on some comments re. using Kickstarter. I can fully understand why PD use it, it's great economics. Here's their take on it which appears in the ad. and I agree with every word.
*We launch our products on Kickstarter because it gives us the freedom to run our business exactly how we want. The funds we generate on Kickstarter make it possible for us to continue developing products without seeking venture capital. That means we're not beholden to growth goals, revenue targets, or product timelines imposed by other people. Instead, we focus on doing what we love: building the best things we can possibly make, fueled by support from the best customers we could possibly ask for.*...Show more →
I'm assuming their 2x smaller has to do with volume, not length/weight, etc. And I can see why half the volume would be really appealing in a travel tripod. Personally, I'd be interested in this if I weren't a graduate student in uni stil. As-is, I continue to shoot with what's available (had been shooting a monopod, lost it in the snow during a shoot, will likely get another monopod to replace it, and maybe a cheap tripod for long exposures).
austinschutz wrote:
I'm assuming their 2x smaller has to do with volume, not length/weight, etc. And I can see why half the volume would be really appealing in a travel tripod. Personally, I'd be interested in this if I weren't a graduate student in uni stil. As-is, I continue to shoot with what's available (had been shooting a monopod, lost it in the snow during a shoot, will likely get another monopod to replace it, and maybe a cheap tripod for long exposures).
Ah that may be indeed be so - however their advertising doesn't specify and so let's the reader draw their own conclusions
What I will say in regard to that is that volume per se is rarely an issue when traveling. It's almost always the length that is the issue, not an extra inch in width, it has to fit in my backpack or suitcase / roller and so sometimes length can be (used to be) an issue. Weight when backpacking is definitely an issue and something I am always looking to reduce.
