I bought this very tripod on the strength of Alyn's recommendation, and I have not been disappointed. Great video, very thorough and an excellent review. Thanks for the advice.
Really appreciate the review as someone who is scouring the market at the moment for a new tripod. Nice to see an honest, more niche take when it comes to reviewing. Finding the positives as to why it works for you specifically. Also jeez that A7SII comes up a treat doesn't it? Love your videos. Keep up the good work!
Excellent review of a great tripod, being an astro and landscape photographer myself I bought and did a full review on my channel of this very model, I am still using it after owning one for 4 months now, love it.
Great review Alyn and as a result, I have purchased the same tripod. It's perfect for what I need and very easy and quick to work with. Love the spiked feet as they come in very handy in a lot of situations. Cheers for the review as it helped me a lot in making my mind up after looking at so many Tripods. Keep up the great work buddy!
Yeah, I would be interested in this, too. I actually bought the Star Adventurer Mini because of you, Alyn, but hadn't time or chance to test it (clouds and/or work the next day). So a video about this would be great, because I'm interested in how you exactly use it.
Hello. I like your review. I am looking for a tripod for astrophotography. I am using vanguard espod CX 203 but the tripod is not able to let me click objects right above my head. Also the tripod is shaky when i use it with my camera and 150-600mm lens. My only question to you is can i click objects right above my head with this tripod and ball heads?
I have this exact tripod. I like it but I was shooting the other day with heavy wind and sand. One of the legs came out of the lock completely and the plastic piece on the inside went flying with the wind. Also I notice a lot of sand and dirt get in the legs, locks and the angle adjust pop out thing. I use it to shoot with a big medium format film camera and it works really good.
Holy cow!!! To think that you actually filmed this with just the light from the Moon is mind blowing!!! :O By the way: I also have a Benro, but a way cheaper one!
Giuseppe Pipia glad you appreciate that ☺️ yeah but another thing to love about Benro is they don't skimp out on the features with the different price ranges
It's just amazing! And I think that with a cheap white reflector your face would also be illuminated greatly! Almost makes me want to switch to Sony. ;) Haha! Indeed! I also have the bag to carry the tripod with, the spikes for rough terrain and the tools to tighten all the screws!
You've got that on certain Vanguard heads as well. A little orange button that needs to be pushed in order to release the camera entirely from the head. Love it!
Really good review. Looking at this model to replace yet another broken manfrotto! Didn’t realise this was the one you had. Thanks for the info man. 😊👍🏻
I have the aluminum Mach 3 TMA47AXL. Super tall tripod. And it does get cold for sure! I felt that for this model the weight wasn't a huge difference between the 2 materials to justify the price difference. Amazing quality tripod. And I have the B2 ballhead. I also have the MeFoto Roadtrip tripod for its compactness.
Hi, does the 47 in the model number mean the size of the legs thickness?, as Alyn said it comes in different leg thicknesses. I'm thinking of buying the 47AXL myself but won't be happy and it arrives and I find out the legs are the thinnest 🤔 Any help would be appreciated 👍
Clukin Marvelous I've been pleasantry surprised with how well it handles salt water. I've probably only taken the twist locks off twice to give them a clean but the threads are still perfectly fine. Normally when I get home from the coast I'll rinse it in the shower quickly without taking it apart. But yeah, twist locks are still like day 1
NIce review Alyn! Regarding your statement about all knobs being the same, posing a potential problem when shooting at night, I may have found the answer...the Leofoto LN-254CT Carbon Fiber Tripod. It's lightweight, 10x carbon fiber legs, all CNC-machined metal, and includes quite nice metal interchangeable spikes plus a neat little carabiner tool plus allen wrenches.However, what really grabbed my attention, is that the Awesome ball head includes a built-in Panoramic head! So, needless to say, it makes a superb landscape tripod, plus, the pano head, when swiveled into the drop-down notch, now turns into a Gimbal Head! The build quality, IMHO, is up there with Gitzo and RRS, for a fraction of the price. And finally, IMHO it is the best ergonomically designed ball head, because each control knob is a completely different shape/texture, so there's no way of inadvertently making an unintended adjustment out in the field! So logical, and why all manufacturers don't do this is beyond me. Obviously, I highly recommend the Leofoto LN-254CT!
Hi Alyn great content as always,, Im sure I passed you in the lane headed towards ponsticil Saturday evening, I was in a little white van coming back from taking photos the blue hour was Incredible 👌
Hello Alyn..Are you still happy with this Tripod? I’m looking for a new one and just looking to see if this is your MAIN one?? Sturdy as on can be in wind? THANK YOU!!
Hey Helen, yes I stand by everything said in this video and the tripod still functions as if new. I only use his tripod when doing star tracking and moon photography with a long lens. My main tripod is the TMA28C, it's a bit lighter and smaller for carrying up mountains!
@@AlynWallace would you say that tma28c will be sufficient for use for wide angle star tracking with the move shoot move? Thinking of getting that one for landscape and astrophotography. Doubting between portability of the 28 mm vs the the sturdiness of 38mm.
@@koenpijpersphotography yes certainly! You dont need anything extremely sturdy unless you do telephoto, probably 200mm+, thats where i notice issues with my tripod + startracker, thats why im looking for a new one :)
Extremely useful and simple review. Info delivered in context to your application. Thank you for this. I'm not left wondering if it applies to me or not. There is so much nonsense and senseless waffle on YT. Sounds like the exact setup I can make full use of. Thanks again.
@@AlynWallace I was planning to buy VX30 or GX35 but a friend is gonna visit the USA next month, would be great to actually get the Arcatech Panoramic with Leveling Base. Do you think the Large Leveling Base is better? Tripod is Benro TMA37AL. TMA37AL can carry this combination or? I'll use it for wide angle Astro panoramas and also some deep sky with the Star Adventurer.
I really need help with this because I only have my eyes to look at the stars and I don't know what camera is good can you please respond to me also were do you film all your videos because you can see all the stars there and barely any city lights
Hey dude. I don't offer camera recommendations sorry because everyone has different budgets and requirements. I live in Wales, we have lots of dark skies :)
I saw this tripod today in a shop and despite the fact that I really own a Benro carbonfibre tripod ( FIF28CIB2) I was very really impressed with this one. It's so damn high and so damn stable that I would probably buy it for heavyduty stuff, though it's too heavy for hiking, so my carbon Benro will still do a good job for me.
I have a Benro travel version, but I love it; adn it gets the weight of Vixen Polarie star-tracker, Sony and wide angle lens without any problem... to use the other star-tracker (The StarAdventure by Skywatcher) I need a bigger tripod. I'm super happy to have found your RUclips channel :)
Great input there. Which model exactly is that? I presume it is the Benro TMA37C right? I'm trying to decide between this and the TMA38CL (4-sections, a bit taller in max height) for my daylight long exposure work. My main concern is the stability of the system. I have a heavy tripod pan head, the Manfrotto 410. Most of the time, I use the camera at a height no more than 130cm (which is what the TMA37C will reach with fully extended feet, central column not extended). The TMA38CL will reach even higher, so here are my 2 options: A. TMA37C: will have to fully expand the 3 sections to get to ~135cm but generally, 3 sections are more rigid than 4. B. TMA38CL: will have to have 1 or 2 sections partly extended to get to ~135cm. It is a heavier system but as they say, 4 sections will make the tripod more prone to vibrations. Is this also true when certain parts are folded? I think it is since the part of the legs that folds inside, doesn't touch the inner part of the tubes, so either fully extended or partially folded shouldn't make a difference in stability. So, all in all we have option A (TMA37C) which has 3 leg sections that have to be fully extended to reach ~135cm and on the other side, option B (TMA38CL) which has 4 leg sections but also gives me a heavier system (probably good for stability during windy conditions). My main camera system is a Sony A7Rii and the Sony 2470 f2.8 GM lens (total ~1,5kg). Which one would you choose?
@alyn have you ever had any issue with the tripod? I’m looking into getting the same one but the reviews I read talk about the legs breaking or cracking, or completely falling off?
Great information as usual and nice touch doing a video by moonlight. Searched everywhere here in Australia for a Benro V3E to no success, any views on the B3 triple or double actions. Cheers
Hello, thanks for the review! The carbon fibre version is a bit pricey. Will the aluminium version work as well for the Star Tracker? Especially if there is wind, will it be more shaky and affect picture quality for long exposures?
I have been reading up on the Benro range Alyn..the Mach 3 TMA38CL3 coming up with favourable reviews...is it the tripod you have in this vid? My tripod is ancient (Manfrotto...served me well) but time to update...good vid
Great video. I recently purchased RRS system and love them! But so expensive. Mostly for the weight, since i travel alot with heavy gears. But that music! What’s the name?
Whats your opinion on the Rokinon/Samyang 14mm f2.8 manual focus lens?I recently bought one and im concerned as to how sharp should this lens be...i set mine up on the tripod,turned off steady shot and set up a piece of newsprint at about 4 or 5 feet away and used focus assist at 5.9x and 11.7x,it seemed it wasnt as sharp as id expect,readable words,but not sharp.the small letter "e"in the words was not really sharp...to make the story short,how sharp is this lens supposed to be?im testing it out on the stars in a few days and have already got a return shipping label from B&H photo if i find the star shots unacceptable...any info appreciated,Thanks! Ray
If you are talking about the original version then it is starting to show its age compared to others on the market now. But they are known for quality control issues so you may have a bad copy. Send it back and try another
Nice review - subscribed! Now to find a properly lit review and really take a look at it 😁 - Any idea how does it compare to a Manfrotto befree carbon? Mine has a few years of very rough outdoor use and still going strong, but I’m always on the lookout for better/lighter gear!
It is a wonderful tripod. However, be sure to tighten the rubber feet before using it for the first time. After using it for much of the night, I hiked back to my car and found only one rubber foot. Had it been daylight I would have seen the feet fall off. I have the spiked feet which should do well for most outdoor stuff, but not the indoor work. It is very sturdy and light.
I bought this very tripod on the strength of Alyn's recommendation, and I have not been disappointed. Great video, very thorough and an excellent review. Thanks for the advice.
Is the tripod still holding up?
@@lifegoeson1007 it is, absolutely. If I lost it for any reason, I would buy the same again.
Really appreciate the review as someone who is scouring the market at the moment for a new tripod. Nice to see an honest, more niche take when it comes to reviewing. Finding the positives as to why it works for you specifically. Also jeez that A7SII comes up a treat doesn't it? Love your videos. Keep up the good work!
Cheers Jonathan glad you found it useful. Yeah the A7Sii is in a league of its own for low light video, crazy!
Excellent review of a great tripod, being an astro and landscape photographer myself I bought and did a full review on my channel of this very model, I am still using it after owning one for 4 months now, love it.
Great review Alyn and as a result, I have purchased the same tripod. It's perfect for what I need and very easy and quick to work with. Love the spiked feet as they come in very handy in a lot of situations. Cheers for the review as it helped me a lot in making my mind up after looking at so many Tripods. Keep up the great work buddy!
Another great video. Any chance of a video about the sky tracker? Cheers
Yeah, I would be interested in this, too. I actually bought the Star Adventurer Mini because of you, Alyn, but hadn't time or chance to test it (clouds and/or work the next day). So a video about this would be great, because I'm interested in how you exactly use it.
Will stick it on the list and try and try and get something out soon guys :)
Why did you choose the TMA37 over the TMA47?
Hello.
I like your review. I am looking for a tripod for astrophotography. I am using vanguard espod CX 203 but the tripod is not able to let me click objects right above my head. Also the tripod is shaky when i use it with my camera and 150-600mm lens.
My only question to you is can i click objects right above my head with this tripod and ball heads?
I have this exact tripod. I like it but I was shooting the other day with heavy wind and sand. One of the legs came out of the lock completely and the plastic piece on the inside went flying with the wind. Also I notice a lot of sand and dirt get in the legs, locks and the angle adjust pop out thing. I use it to shoot with a big medium format film camera and it works really good.
Holy cow!!! To think that you actually filmed this with just the light from the Moon is mind blowing!!! :O
By the way: I also have a Benro, but a way cheaper one!
Giuseppe Pipia glad you appreciate that ☺️ yeah but another thing to love about Benro is they don't skimp out on the features with the different price ranges
It's just amazing! And I think that with a cheap white reflector your face would also be illuminated greatly! Almost makes me want to switch to Sony. ;) Haha!
Indeed! I also have the bag to carry the tripod with, the spikes for rough terrain and the tools to tighten all the screws!
That safety catch on the release is a great idea.
Really is! Didn't even know about it til I bought one and as I said, it saved my ass a couple of times!
You've got that on certain Vanguard heads as well. A little orange button that needs to be pushed in order to release the camera entirely from the head. Love it!
The safety catch only works on Benro AS plates?
Awesome, no BS review. Thanks!
Really good review. Looking at this model to replace yet another broken manfrotto! Didn’t realise this was the one you had. Thanks for the info man. 😊👍🏻
you should use the 600mm with the star tracker and counterweight for deep sky imaging.
Yeah need to pick up the counterweight, tried it without the other day and it wasn't great haha
I have the aluminum Mach 3 TMA47AXL. Super tall tripod. And it does get cold for sure! I felt that for this model the weight wasn't a huge difference between the 2 materials to justify the price difference. Amazing quality tripod. And I have the B2 ballhead. I also have the MeFoto Roadtrip tripod for its compactness.
Hi, does the 47 in the model number mean the size of the legs thickness?, as Alyn said it comes in different leg thicknesses. I'm thinking of buying the 47AXL myself but won't be happy and it arrives and I find out the legs are the thinnest 🤔
Any help would be appreciated 👍
Any views on how it manages salt water? My Manfrotto 055 is not doing too well with the salt, tripod leg clips and grit (not easy to clean it out)
Clukin Marvelous I've been pleasantry surprised with how well it handles salt water. I've probably only taken the twist locks off twice to give them a clean but the threads are still perfectly fine. Normally when I get home from the coast I'll rinse it in the shower quickly without taking it apart. But yeah, twist locks are still like day 1
Cool, I was expecting this to be the weak link. I am frequently in mud so knowing it can tolerate grit well is a big plus.
NIce review Alyn! Regarding your statement about all knobs being the same, posing a potential problem when shooting at night, I may have found the answer...the Leofoto LN-254CT Carbon Fiber Tripod. It's lightweight, 10x carbon fiber legs, all CNC-machined metal, and includes quite nice metal interchangeable spikes plus a neat little carabiner tool plus allen wrenches.However, what really grabbed my attention, is that the Awesome ball head includes a built-in Panoramic head! So, needless to say, it makes a superb landscape tripod, plus, the pano head, when swiveled into the drop-down notch, now turns into a Gimbal Head! The build quality, IMHO, is up there with Gitzo and RRS, for a fraction of the price. And finally, IMHO it is the best ergonomically designed ball head, because each control knob is a completely different shape/texture, so there's no way of inadvertently making an unintended adjustment out in the field! So logical, and why all manufacturers don't do this is beyond me. Obviously, I highly recommend the Leofoto LN-254CT!
Hi Alyn great content as always,, Im sure I passed you in the lane headed towards ponsticil Saturday evening, I was in a little white van coming back from taking photos the blue hour was Incredible 👌
Ha yes that was me! Was heading for a 1-on-1 astro shoot with a client at Llangorse :) I remember eyeing up your van actually haha
Man! Great review. I was bouncing around between a few options. This video sold me. Thanks,
Hello Alyn..Are you still happy with this Tripod? I’m looking for a new one and just looking to see if this is your MAIN one?? Sturdy as on can be in wind? THANK YOU!!
Hey Helen, yes I stand by everything said in this video and the tripod still functions as if new. I only use his tripod when doing star tracking and moon photography with a long lens. My main tripod is the TMA28C, it's a bit lighter and smaller for carrying up mountains!
@@AlynWallace would you say that tma28c will be sufficient for use for wide angle star tracking with the move shoot move? Thinking of getting that one for landscape and astrophotography. Doubting between portability of the 28 mm vs the the sturdiness of 38mm.
@@koenpijpersphotography yes certainly! You dont need anything extremely sturdy unless you do telephoto, probably 200mm+, thats where i notice issues with my tripod + startracker, thats why im looking for a new one :)
Extremely useful and simple review. Info delivered in context to your application. Thank you for this. I'm not left wondering if it applies to me or not. There is so much nonsense and senseless waffle on YT. Sounds like the exact setup I can make full use of. Thanks again.
Alyn, I can't find V3E anymore, what's the new version named? Is it the VX series?
yup
@@AlynWallace I was planning to buy VX30 or GX35 but a friend is gonna visit the USA next month, would be great to actually get the Arcatech Panoramic with Leveling Base. Do you think the Large Leveling Base is better? Tripod is Benro TMA37AL. TMA37AL can carry this combination or?
I'll use it for wide angle Astro panoramas and also some deep sky with the Star Adventurer.
I really need help with this because I only have my eyes to look at the stars and I don't know what camera is good can you please respond to me also were do you film all your videos because you can see all the stars there and barely any city lights
Hey dude. I don't offer camera recommendations sorry because everyone has different budgets and requirements. I live in Wales, we have lots of dark skies :)
I saw this tripod today in a shop and despite the fact that I really own a Benro carbonfibre tripod ( FIF28CIB2) I was very really impressed with this one. It's so damn high and so damn stable that I would probably buy it for heavyduty stuff, though it's too heavy for hiking, so my carbon Benro will still do a good job for me.
I have a Benro travel version, but I love it; adn it gets the weight of Vixen Polarie star-tracker, Sony and wide angle lens without any problem... to use the other star-tracker (The StarAdventure by Skywatcher) I need a bigger tripod. I'm super happy to have found your RUclips channel :)
Glad you have the same experience as me, great bits of kit :) Hope you enjoy the future vids too
Cool review and experiences with, thank you for your point of view!!!
Great input there. Which model exactly is that? I presume it is the Benro TMA37C right? I'm trying to decide between this and the TMA38CL (4-sections, a bit taller in max height) for my daylight long exposure work. My main concern is the stability of the system. I have a heavy tripod pan head, the Manfrotto 410. Most of the time, I use the camera at a height no more than 130cm (which is what the TMA37C will reach with fully extended feet, central column not extended). The TMA38CL will reach even higher, so here are my 2 options:
A. TMA37C: will have to fully expand the 3 sections to get to ~135cm but generally, 3 sections are more rigid than 4.
B. TMA38CL: will have to have 1 or 2 sections partly extended to get to ~135cm. It is a heavier system but as they say, 4 sections will make the tripod more prone to vibrations. Is this also true when certain parts are folded? I think it is since the part of the legs that folds inside, doesn't touch the inner part of the tubes, so either fully extended or partially folded shouldn't make a difference in stability.
So, all in all we have option A (TMA37C) which has 3 leg sections that have to be fully extended to reach ~135cm and on the other side, option B (TMA38CL) which has 4 leg sections but also gives me a heavier system (probably good for stability during windy conditions). My main camera system is a Sony A7Rii and the Sony 2470 f2.8 GM lens (total ~1,5kg). Which one would you choose?
I just bought the TMA37C, going to Iceland next month with it
@alyn have you ever had any issue with the tripod? I’m looking into getting the same one but the reviews I read talk about the legs breaking or cracking, or completely falling off?
Great information as usual and nice touch doing a video by moonlight. Searched everywhere here in Australia for a Benro V3E to no success, any views on the B3 triple or double actions. Cheers
Hello, thanks for the review! The carbon fibre version is a bit pricey. Will the aluminium version work as well for the Star Tracker? Especially if there is wind, will it be more shaky and affect picture quality for long exposures?
the aluminium version should have about the same stability, just a bit heavier because its metal
I have been reading up on the Benro range Alyn..the Mach 3 TMA38CL3 coming up with favourable reviews...is it the tripod you have in this vid? My tripod is ancient (Manfrotto...served me well) but time to update...good vid
This is the TMA37C
Appreciate the review!
Can this be used with a skywatcher star adventurer
Yup it's the reason I bought this one
Great video. I recently purchased RRS system and love them! But so expensive. Mostly for the weight, since i travel alot with heavy gears.
But that music! What’s the name?
Ulannaq Ingemann ah nice dude. It's by Henrik Olsen
Alyn Wallace awesome. You have great content my friend.
Nice explanation, go on !
Whats your opinion on the Rokinon/Samyang 14mm f2.8 manual focus lens?I recently bought one and im concerned as to how sharp should this lens be...i set mine up on the tripod,turned off steady shot and set up a piece of newsprint at about 4 or 5 feet away and used focus assist at 5.9x and 11.7x,it seemed it wasnt as sharp as id expect,readable words,but not sharp.the small letter "e"in the words was not really sharp...to make the story short,how sharp is this lens supposed to be?im testing it out on the stars in a few days and have already got a return shipping label from B&H photo if i find the star shots unacceptable...any info appreciated,Thanks! Ray
If you are talking about the original version then it is starting to show its age compared to others on the market now. But they are known for quality control issues so you may have a bad copy. Send it back and try another
Nice review - subscribed! Now to find a properly lit review and really take a look at it 😁 - Any idea how does it compare to a Manfrotto befree carbon? Mine has a few years of very rough outdoor use and still going strong, but I’m always on the lookout for better/lighter gear!
Great video. Very informative. I'm sold. Do you have a US affiliate link?
Great review mate. Where did you film this too?
Llantwit Major :D Did another little vlog there too not sure I'll release it though as it was a bit pants
Yep yep ... great review... and quip in the middle of the vid 🤣🌵
More reviews would be brill
Cheers Bry appreciate it!
Thanks for sharing this was so useful! :D
Benro and Induro make best carbon fiber tripods ... i have an aluminum benro and induro carbonfiber n love them both ...
Haha, "find that big knob"
I answered myself the camera used for filming this shot.....i told me; Sony a7s for sure....checked the description and bum! Here it is
It is a wonderful tripod. However, be sure to tighten the rubber feet before using it for the first time. After using it for much of the night, I hiked back to my car and found only one rubber foot. Had it been daylight I would have seen the feet fall off. I have the spiked feet which should do well for most outdoor stuff, but not the indoor work. It is very sturdy and light.
A loo mini yum
“fewer” twist locks. Grammar police. We’ll show ourselves out.
I'm Welsh, we don't does grammar
Short column issue? LOL DUH!!!!!
First time I see somebody show a product in the dark. Not good idea, man!!!
I fucked up and bought a vanguard... 😔 In hindsight I should of just thrown a bit more money at a better tripod...
Reviews are cool. 🖒
Cheers Ryan! There's always gunna be better no matter what you buy :)
I'm okay with my Vanguard. 😁
Little bit disappointing for me..After 2 week And Only Review😖😖😖
You didn't like your Benro tripod? Sorry didn't understand what you were getting at there
Alyn Wallace im not photographer..im just a viewer 😒😒😒😒