Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #102842 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Brand: Rdi International Ltd

Customer Reviews

Good quality tripod but a little heavy
I have been using the Manfrotto MN-055 PROB for about a year now and I am impressed. The tripod feels like it will last forever and is a sturdy and very stable platform, especially when using the first two leg extensions or anything in between. If you use the third leg extension then the tripod is starting to climb to its maximum height and with a heavy camera and lens you can start to notice vibration but a cable release can help. I like the flexibility of the tripod enabling the pitch of the legs to be changed for low shots and the ability to mount the camera horizontally. The only drawbacks are that it is quite heavy and it could do with a better hook on the central bar so that it is easier to hang your rucksack on to give extra stability. A little niggle is that the tripod isn't supplied with a shoulder bag so for these reasons I am dropping a star. It works really well with the MN-804RC2 pan head set and is recommended.

Absolutely rock solid platform
This is a serious tripod people.

The first thing that you notice is its weight. It's not light and if I planned on taking it up the side of a mountain for landscape shots I would be sorely tempted to con my girlfriend into carrying it for me! But seriously, the thing is so well built you just know it will never let you down. If super light weight is paramount to you look elsewhere before buying this. I can't mark it down for weight though and on shorter shoots it probably won't bother you much - I wanted something well built and I sure as heck got it.

The legs are two section quick release affairs and again are very well built, the quick release grips being made of tough plastic. The legs have a series of pre-determined angles of lock built into them which is handy. The legs are opened up by pressing a silver catch at the top which will release the leg to move to it's next designated lock position.

What I really got this for though was its ability to get close to the ground for macro shots in the trenches. You can splay the legs right out and adjust the centre column so it operates horizontally instead of vertically so you can support your camera setup mere inches from the ground. With the legs splayed out like this it provides a hugely stable platform for your camera. You need a bit of space to do it say 1m squared but if you're outside this will rarey be an issue.

In its upright configuration the range of height adjustment is vast. I'm 5"9' (hardly tall admittedly) and the tripod can easily support a camera well above my eye level should you need it.

There is also a spirit level fitted in case you need to know it's bang on level - handy. Also, two of the legs have foam grips for carrying in cold weather. Why they didn't put one on the third leg for the sake of completeness is beyond me but that's a minor gripe.

The tripod is rated to take loads of 7 KG.

An all round very versatile do it all tripod.

Highly recommended.

Built Like a Truck!!
Yes, the 055 is heavy if you're carrying it a long way - but not excessively so. The purpose of a decent tripod is to hold your gear on a rock-solid basis - it can only do this by being strong and having minimal flex---this causes weight - simple really.

When I bought the 055 I toyed long and hard with going for the Manfrotto 190 models...being lighter and slightly smaller, cheaper etc. BUT, it did have more flex than the 055 and it was around 30cm shorter when extended!! The 055 is as tall without centre column being used, as the 190 is with it fully extended! Height may not be a problem if you're not too tall - I'm 5' 11" and the 190 models would have meant stooping to use the camera viewfinder....decision made, it was the 055 for me. I don't regret it.

If you go for Manfortto's optional carry-bag (MBAG80P), you can sling it over a shoulder, so any carrying issues disappear.