Manfrotto Befree Advanced MKBFRTA4BK-BH - Stativ - med 494 Center Ball head

The main reason I bought this was to try a bag different from my LowePro. I liked that the BeFree had good outside mounting for the tripod. My version of the LowePro did not. I don't like that the padding for the waist strip is minimal versus the LowePro (much more padding).

I bought this for as I was traveling back and forth to Europe and I didnt have room for a full sized tripod. This fits nicely into a carry on bag and though compact it sets up quickly and is a great platform.

I have a much sturdier Manfrotto 055XPROB but this was too heavy and big to slip into a bag when traveling light especially when flying. The Be Free is small and light enough to slip into a cabin bag without taking up to much space or weight allowance. It's reasonably sturdy supporting my Canon 7D and Sigma 17-70 lens well. I haven't tried it with anything heavier yet but I don't expect it to be as good as the 055XPROB. For what it's worth I tried the above camera combo on a small Gorilla Pod and learnt the hard way that it's not very stable when doing long exposures. The Be Free handles this situation just fine. I quite like the ball head which I've not had before and might convert the 055XPROB to one as well.

I bought one a few years ago. What a piece of junk this thing was. Forget it and buy a real tripod, not this one ! Manfrotto products have gone down hill...

My go to Travel tripod. HAs worked well for me in the past year. Its sturdy and holds my Cannon 5D well. Fits the universal tripod clip so it saves me time when going between many of the Manfrotto equipment I own. I just added a different head on top and it fits in well with my gear. The ball joint would work well for any Student or Freelancer starting out.