The Canon Magazine 105
TRAVEL TRIPODS
CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL Carbon fibre
ALTERNATIVE MATERIAL Aluminium,
1.2kg, £99/$99
WEIGHT 1.07kg
FOLDED HEIGHT 32cm
MAX, MIN OPERATING HEIGHT
130cm, 31cm
MAX MONOPOD HEIGHT 133cm
HEAD ADJUSTMENTS Lock
BALL HEAD Benro N00
QUICK-RELEASE PLATE Arca-Swiss type
LOAD RATING 4kgSPECIFICATIONS
BENRO SLIM
TRAVEL £125/$149
Slim by name and nature, it’s a smart buy for an
ultra-light carbon fibre kitlthough it predates the
iFoto series of Benro
tripods, this one looks
like a scaled-down
version of the 19AIB0 kit.
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legs and a two-section centre
column, with the usual
facilities of swing-up legs.
The aluminium version of
the kit sells for £99/$149 but,
in the UK at least, this carbon
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expensive, while shaving 130g
off the weight. Indeed, at
1.07kg, it’s the second most
lightweight kit in the group
and only 10g heavier than the
Vanguard V EO 2 GO 235CB.
Both tripods have the same load
capacity of 4kg and while the
Benro folds down a centimetre
smaller at 32cm, its maximum
operating height is more
restrictive at 130cm compared
with the Vanguard’s 143cm.
The ball head is very
compact yet performs well, but
it’s the only one in the group to
lack both an adjustable friction
damper and an independent
panning lock. Unlike in the
larger Benro iFoto tripod ontest, the blue accents of the
Slim Travel’s head are also
featured in twist grips for the
centre column and leg sections,
the latter being aluminium
instead of rubber.Performance
Rigidity is good for such an
ultra-lightweight tripod but
certainly not as impressive as
in the Benro iFoto model on
test. There tends to be a little
more sag in the tripod head as
well, after tightening the
clamp and releasing your
grip on the camera.FEATURES
VERDICT
01
It is smaller, but the
ball head takes the
same Arca-Swiss
plate as the iFoto kit.02
You can’t see the
bubble level when
the camera’s fitted.03
In the carbon edition,
the centre column
and the leg sections
are made from
carbon fibre.04
The blue aluminium
grips on the legs add
a touch of flair.05
There are only two
available locking leg
angles instead of the
more usual three.FEATURESBUILD & HANDLINGPERFORMANCEVALUEOVERALL04020503A
p-market tripods are usually made from carbon fibre
instead of aluminium. They have a more luxurious feel, a
smarter looking finish, and can be slightly more resistant
to vibrations. Carbon fibre can also feel less cold to the touch but,
then again, most tripods of either material tend to feature
comfort padding on at least one leg.
The main advantage of carbon fibre is that it’s more
lightweight than aluminium, giving it a clear advantage for ‘travel
tripods’. But that’s not the whole story. Although the weight-
saving can be substantial in full-sized tripods, it’s much less
noticeable in small travel tripods. For most kits available in both
aluminium and carbon fibre options, the latter only usually saves
around 200g in weight, little more than 10 per cent. Considering
the carbon fibre editions are about 50 per cent more to buy,
aluminium travel tripods can be a more cost effective choice.MATERIAL
GAINS
Carbon fibre is pricier
than aluminium, but is it
worth the extra?U
For carbon fibre travel tripods that
offer good value for money, we’ve
included the Benro Slim Travel
FSL09CN00, Novo Explora T5 and
Vanguard VEO 2 GO 235CB01