REVIEW: Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Tripod

The Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Tripod is a robust and lightweight tripod great for travel photographers

Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Tripod - Review

Regular readers of this blog will know it’s about hiking/travel & photography - so this Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Tripod designed for travel photography was certainly of interest to me. I like to keep my reviewers brief and to the point, and here’s what I thought of it.

Firstly I was impressed by the compact form and it’s relative lightweight. The Aluminium version of this tripod comes in at 1490g and can support a weight of 8Kg. (The carbon fibre version also holds 8KG but weighs in at 1250g) With the tripod you get a handy tripod bag, this is of good quality and comes in very handy for either carrying by hand or attaching yo your rucksack. Being a travel tripod, the tripod packs down small to 40cm.

The are four legs, which feature an Aluminium twist leg lock feature which feels of good build and durability and is quick to use. As is now common the design sees these legs fold down from around the centre column.

Once folded out and before the legs and column are extended the tripod offers a minimum height of 40cm. Extend the legs, and the height reaches 127cm, and 150cm with the centre column extended as well. Each leg section is secured by the twist grips which have a good rubber grip for a good purchase in all conditions

Once at your destination and the tripod is fast to set-up, just flip the legs down from around the centre column, release the twist locks around the legs and extend as needed. Topping off the tripod is the 360º panoramic 494 aluminium centre ball head. A huge leap forward over the head that appeared on the original BeFree. As with previous generations of the Manfrotto BeFree the head takes Manfrotto’s 200PL Pro plate.

All in all I found this tripod a good addition to my travel kit. It is great for day trips/hikes - but a little weighty still for wild camps when I’m carrying a lot of gear where every gram matters.

The compact fold-away nature of the Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Tripod is a real winner for travel photographers

The Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Tripod comes in it's own hand carry case

As you would expect from Manfrotto brand, there's a real feeling of quality about the entire product.

Twist locks on the legs make for quick set-up

Legs have a good rubber grip for a good purchase in all conditions

As with previous generations of the Manfrotto BeFree the head takes Manfrotto’s 200PL Pro plate.

Leg angle adjusters help to make set-up quick

The levers are easy to use and robust

Topping off the tripod is the 360º panoramic 494 aluminium centre ball head. A huge leap forward over the head that appeared on the original BeFree.

Here's my summary of what I thought about the Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Tripod

Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Tripod - Pro’s

Everything is nicely finished, and there’s a real feeling of quality about the entire product.
It packs down into a very compact size in its own carry case at a total weight of 1490g
Twist locks and ergonomic leg angle adjusters make set-up quick and easy in all conditions, with excellent design and build quality.
The head is the real winner and a huge upgrade compared with the one that features on the original BeFree. It holds double the weight and locks down tight and is easily able to support a small to medium size DSLR or CSC.

Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Tripod - Con's

The one design element that lets the tripod down is the collar that releases and locks the centre column. This is made from plastic and the movement when extending the column up or down is by no means smooth and in total contrast to the rest of the tripod.

The one con is a minor point though and in summary the Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Tripod is a great choice for anyone looking for a travel companion or for that matter a compact tripod that can be taken anywhere.

Find out more information here: https://www.manfrotto.com/uk-en/befree-advanced-aluminum-travel-tripod-twist-ball-head-mkbfrta4bk-bh/

The Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Tripod is a great choice for anyone looking for a robust and good quality travel tripod

Happy Travels!

Post by Stuart Hodgson
'The Hiking Photographer'

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