Manfrotto Befree Tripod

I had stumbled upon the Manfrotto Befree tripod while reading about new gear that was making its way onto the scene. What attracted me to this tripod was its size and weight. I knew I wanted a small tripod that I could take as a carry on when I needed to fly out of town.

Pros

• Incredibly small and compact: When this tripod is packed up and folded into its carrying bag it is a little under 16 inches. It also only weights 3 lbs. with the attached ball head. 
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    Manfrotto MKBFRA4D-BH Befree compact lightweight grey tripod for travel photography with ball head

    $139.99

    (as of 01/08/2018)

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• Extends to a remarkable size: This tripod will extend to 56.7 inches with the center column fully extended.
• Well constructed: Like most Monfrotto products, this tripod is put together very well. The release levers used to raise and lower the tripod are very tight and secure. Packing the tripod to put away for storage is a synch.

Cons

• Incredibly light weight: With the tripod extended to its full height I’ve noticed that the tripod can easily be knocked and pushed around because there is a minimal amount of weight from the tripod anchoring it to the ground. This is a minor concern for me if I’m filming and I bump into my camera.
• Will not support a heavy duty camera: The maximum load capacity with this tripod is 8.8 lbs. While this isn’t significant it can comfortably support my camera, lenses and shoulder rig. I would recommend that you are cautious with anything more than 8lbs with this light weight tripod.

Why I recommend
Perfect for someone looking for a small compact tripod. It’s great to utilize on shoots in which one is doing a small shoot out of town and all you need is a small tripod. This tripod comes in a variety of different colors and there is also a carbon fiber version available. All in all I’m very pleased with the Manfrotto Befree tripod and will be using this product over the next few years.