p.1 #1 · The Return of Serious Tripod Testing: A Successor to Thecentercolumn
Thecentercolumn/David’s work has long been one of the most valuable tripod test databases available to the community. For the first time, it provided a quantifiable, side-by-side understanding of stability across different tripod systems, rather than relying on subjective impressions.
Although the site has not been updated in some time, it’s worth noting that tripod design remained largely stagnant for years. Only recently have we seen meaningful innovation, particularly with more compact, travel-oriented designs influenced by Peak Design, such as the Falcam Treeroot and Fotopro Origin Plus. In parallel, another design direction has emerged, borrowing from Sachtler Flowtech-style architectures, with offerings like the SmallRig Potato Jet and YC Onion Pineta.
Against that backdrop, it’s encouraging to see someone stepping in to carry forward David’s methodology. This new tester from China has clearly invested significant effort into building a controlled, instrumented test rig capable of resolving meaningful stability differences between tripods, something that is far from trivial to execute correctly.
The initial dataset is admittedly a heterogeneous mix of models that aren’t strictly comparable on a like-for-like basis. However, as the test library expands and becomes more structured, it has strong potential to evolve into a highly valuable, decision-grade resource, much like Thecentercolumn was at its peak.
p.1 #5 · The Return of Serious Tripod Testing: A Successor to Thecentercolumn
The shortcoming of this approach is that it does not account for specific use cases. I have two quick leveling tripods, a tripod that converts with a 75mm bowl for use with a video head, and a tripod that has the ability to add a quick level base or to add a very sturdy center column for greater working height - in essence three different tripod in one with the conversion options.
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