For most photographers, the perfect tripod offers solid support with a lofty maximum operating height but folds down into a reasonably compact size for stowing away. It shouldn’t be too heavy either – nobody wants to lug around more weight than necessary.
Bulky tripods often feel like a bit of a chore and end up being left at home, where they are of no use at all. At the other end of the scale, lightweight tripods are often disappointingly short and comparatively flimsy, not heavy enough to offer stable support and prone to swaying around in a breeze.
In terms of the material, carbon fibre has a few advantages over aluminium. It’s impressively rigid yet lightweight to the extent that most full-sized carbon tripod kits (including the head) are about 20 percent lighter than their aluminium counterparts. Another bonus of carbon fibre is that it tends to be better at damping vibrations. And, on a chilly day, it feels less cold to the touch than aluminium.
3 Legged Thing Pro 2.0 Winston
£349/$400
More than the sum of its parts www.3leggedthing.com
The Pro 2.0 Winston has three rather than four sections in each leg and a single centre column section.
It doesn’t fold down as small as its siblings but still shrinks to 61cm yet extends to a 194cm
