Manfrotto 055 CX4 Pro Carbon Fibre

JRPhotography · May 12, 2009

I am thinking of buying this tripod for travel photography. I have played around with it in my local shop and really like the weight and strength. It is howver a lot of money to pay for a tripod and so I am seeking opinions from anyone that owns one.
Jason

Jason Row Photography

Garbz · May 12, 2009

Define travel photography. Regardless of it's weight or how cool it looks, something 54cm high (excluding head which ads another 15cm) with a 15cm diameter is not nice to travel with. It's a good tripod and all, but you may find it staying at home.

soylentgreen · May 12, 2009

Those models seem a tad heavy for "travel". For the price, Manfrotto's are on the heavy end of carbon fiber. I am not too keen on there leg lock system. I prefer the twist lock of Gitzo and lightweight. A bit pricey, but worth every penny when it comes to reliability and performance. The 0 or 1 series are made for compactness and travel.

blash · May 14, 2009

Garbz said:
Define travel photography. Regardless of it's weight or how cool it looks, something 54cm high (excluding head which ads another 15cm) with a 15cm diameter is not nice to travel with. It's a good tripod and all, but you may find it staying at home.

+1. It needs to be able to fit into your carry-on suitcase easily with all the other stuff you'd normally fit in there for it to be worth it in that regard.

Personally, I haven't had a problem bringing my tripod on board an airplane for 5 flights in a row. I just leave it in the plastic bag it came in the box with so that the legs don't extend laterally while on-board - for carrying, I bring a backpack with me and I put it in the bottom of the shoulder strap when I need to fit into a tight alley of sorts and rest it across the bottom of both shoulder straps otherwise, which gives some decent lower-back support depending on your height and the weight isn't noticeable at all. I really don't get why carbon fiber is necessary especially when you sacrifice stability for it.

Garbz · May 14, 2009

blash said:
I really don't get why carbon fiber is necessary especially when you sacrifice stability for it.

Try carying a 055ProB legs around, about 10cm larger and easily twice the weight of the carbon fibre. I agree for ultimate stability a good metal tripod is the way to go but on our recent trip with the photo club my tripod stayed next to another member's 8x10 large format camera, when we saw the trail sign said 6km return. No infrared photography for me on that trip

I recommend getting two tripods, really. Decide now which one is more important to you first. Get yourself a small carbon tripod for travelling, and then a big sturdy beast for places you can get to by car, and for situations where you need to raise your camera above the heads of the crowd and piss off the people behind you watching the fireworks display :lol:

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KmH · May 15, 2009

I would also suggest making sure your travel tripod have a weight hook to hang your gear bag on to 'anchor' it when in use.

blash · May 15, 2009

Garbz said:
Try carying a 055ProB legs around, about 10cm larger and easily twice the weight of the carbon fibre.

Do you mean the 055XPROB? Because that's what I've got and that's what I was referring to above.

Garbz · May 16, 2009

Nope 055PROB, The legs are identical except that I can't extend and click the centre shaft into the horizontal position. I need to physically unscrew it to change it which takes about a minute longer. But considering the large discount I got on the runout model I'm not complaining

Rhubarb · May 18, 2009

I use the Manfrotto 055 CX4, and have taken on it a few multi week hikes, including trekking to Everest as well as many overnight hikes. IMO its a great tripod to work with, I personally prefer the leg lock system - its sturdy and easy to position on uneven ground at all heights quickly.

Only downside is it is a tad on the heavy side, ideally I would prefer something lighter to carry around, however I haven't been able to find anything lighter that looks as nice to work with. Also the weight of tripod does help when your dealing with a camera and lens combo that has some weight.

I generally strap it to the bottom of my pack - just need to be mindful when putting your pack down, or when on harsh terrain and your doing some 'bumb sliding'.

Oh, and it doesn't have a hook on the bottom of the centre poll which I find a little frustrating, it does have a metal loop that you can use to clip a bag or weight onto but it would be a whole lot easier if it was a hook.

I guess you need to consider all of the gear you take with you and its total weight and whether adding this tripod is going keep your total weight in a comfortable range for you.