Manfrotto Befree Travel Tripod

<p>Hi! I am looking for a lightweight travel tripod to use with my Sony NEX-6 compact camera and this looks like it may be what I want. Has anyone out there used it and, if so, what do you think of it?<br>

Thanks! cb :-)</p>

<p>It's light, compact when folded, and sturdy enough for relatively light gear. However, there's no getting around the More Mass -> Better Stability & Vibration Damping correlation so you'll need to factor in your own shooting circumstances. I like it very much after climbing a few flights of stairs with the rest of the gear.</p>

I've not played with a Befree (though Manfrotto have a good reputation). I just wanted to suggest looking

at the Velbon Ultrek range or - for a bit more stability with more size - the REXi L, as alternatives (I use the

latter as a travel pod). Good luck with whatever you choose.

<p>thanks guys-appreciate it. cb :-)</p>

<p>I handled one for a short time the other day. I'd want to spend a little more time checking out the leg angle adjustment controls, etc. Not sure how they work as it was just a tight friction fit at the time but there was some sort of controls to it so there may be a ratchet or angle stops of some sort. It seemed to be a rather complicated sort of design compared to some of the others. Again, this was a very quick impression so it might be something you'd want to go over yourself in a store, etc. Unlike some of the competition, like the Benros, etc., I believe it has a proprietary Manfrotto clamp system. This might limit the choices in L brackets, etc. </p>

<p>With a few exceptions, these designs which aim at allowing for folding the legs back alongside a fixed column for a truly compact folded length may have that as an issue, the fixed extended column as well as limited heght due to the shorter tube length available for telescoping.</p>

<p>I have an earlier Manfrotto design which is a tad heavier but doesn't fold up the same way. Although not as compact, it's simpler and at first guess, more stable.</p>

<p>Hi Craig-thanks for the reply! I did more research after posting my question and came to the same conclusion as you did and decided to pass on the tripod.<br>

Thanks again.</p>

<p>regards, cb :-)</p>