Manfrotto Imagine More Befree Advanced Carbon

02.08.2018

My Go To Adventure Travel Tripod

written by:
John Suhar

02.08.2018

My Go To Adventure Travel Tripod

My style of photography has evolved over the years based on my interests, but currently I’m most fascinated by the night sky. Being alone in nature while the rest of the world dreams away fuels my soul and capturing this exquisite solitude has become a staple of my work. In capturing the night sky, an essential item for me is a high quality tripod. I was stoked to have the chance to try out the Manfrotto Befree Advanced Carbon tripod on a trip to the Catskills last weekend.

Befree Advanced Carbon Manfrotto

I fell in love with this product after a weekend under star filled skies. Manfrotto’s Befree Advanced Carbon tripod is ideal for the photographer on the go and especially great for adventure travel photographers looking for a lightweight system without compromising quality or performance.

Befree Advanced Carbon Manfrotto

Traveling these days has gotten increasingly heavier for me as I’ve added a drone, additional lenses, and a gimbal to my collection. As with all my gear, I’m always drawn to the lighter and smaller options. I try to keep my kit as light as possible and only bring the essentials, but even in doing so I’m on the verge of needing to check a bag when traveling. What I love most about the Befree Advanced Carbon tripod is that it provides the best of both worlds with performance and portability.

Befree Advanced Carbon Manfrotto

Made of carbon fiber, the tripod reaches a maximum height of 59.1″ with its column extended (50″ with the column down) and offers a folded length of 16.1″ for transport in its included carrying case. It will support up to 8kg of gear and weighs just 1.5kg. The tripod collapses easily and fits perfectly on the side of my Pro Light camera backpack Bumblebee-230. This lightweight portability comes with exceptional performance.

On all weekend adventures, I hope for clear skies for an opportunity to photography the stars. In this environment, it’s imperative to have a tripod that performs well and is easy to use. Some tripods require meticulous setup which can be a time consuming, but assembly is easy with the Befree Advanced Carbon. When shooting in the nature, especially during the golden hours of sunrise and sunset, the colors change so quickly making convenient setup essential to provide photographers with opportunities to capture each and every magical moment and color change within the sky.

One of my favorite features that allows me to capture these vibrant moments, is the leg lock system which provides easy and quick leg deployment. After familiarizing myself with the tripod, I quickly got the hang of unlocking and expanding the legs and setting up the tripod. The ease of making adjustments is especially helpful as I’m often switching from low to high setups to captures various angles and perspectives. In addition, the ball head has proven to be incredibly reliable and offers an intuitive quick release system. Another favorite feature is the pan lock and friction control knobs which provide an easy way for me to lock the tripod in on my composition. The quick release plate is easy to put on and take off allowing for maximum time shooting while in the field. In addition, the rubberized feet provide exceptional stability on all the surfaces I was shooting on, from smooth granite rock to wooded backcountry environments.

After using the tripod for a long weekend adventure in the Catskills, it’s evident that Manfrotto dedicated countless hours to research and development of a tripod that’s easy to use, ergonomically friendly, and a top of the line performer. The Befree Advanced Carbon will be an essential travel item on all of my upcoming trips!

 

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