The decision to purchase a tripod may be a thorny issue without a definitive answer. The smaller and lighter the tripod is, the less stable it will appear, which could defeat the purpose of having one. I’m particularly prone to running across this issue while traveling when a heavy tripod is just not feasible. Travel tripods are always subject to compromises, but a tripod made by Heipi caught my attention. It’s”the” Heipi travel tripod and I’ve been trying it out recently. Here’s my thoughts on it.
The Specifics
Its Heipi traveling tripod a fascinating combination of a primary tripod and a ball head and a smaller sub-tripod which is stored inside the frame of the tripod’s larger size. When it’s stowed, it’s an integrated unit. The sub-tripod is able to stay in place or be removed to utilize separately. It’s priced at $399, which is a good price for a premium Carbon fiber tripod for travel.
The length of the tripod is 17.5in/44.5cm and a packed dimension of 2.7in/6.9cm. The weight of the whole package is 3lbs or 1.35kg with the sub tripod making up .42lbs which is .19kg of the total weight. Five leg sections are included (four turn-locking clamps). Overall it is small and portable, but its small size can make it feel somewhat heavy.
Although the legs are made of carbon fiber, the bulk parts of a tripod are made of metal including the latches collars, and head of the tripod. This definitely provides a higher impression of the quality of construction compared to plastic.
With the legs extended fully the main tripod could attain 50 inches or 126cm and the sub-tripod could be extended to the size of center column, boosting the length to 59 inches or 150cm. It’s an extremely clever design technique, removing the requirement for an additional center column.
The maximum size of Heipi travel tripod
It is interesting to note that, unlike other ultra-portable tripods that are on the Heipi model feel as if they are an “regular” tripod right from the legs that are cylindrical, to the design of the head and interface. The tripod is compatible with an arca-swiss type plate, and it uses standard size tripod screws.
A tripod that can be used for travel this Heipi lies at the top of the pack with regards to weight, height, and the number of leg sections. What makes this tripod stand out are the tiniest design choices.
The Tripod’s Main Legs
While the sub-tripod is fascinating but I am more interested in the tripod’s main legs functioning properly. Thankfully, they work. Although this tripod is designed with a 55 lbs or 25kg weight capacity, this amount (as as with any tripod) is not particularly applicable to the actual use. Instead, I’d say this tripod suitable for lenses with a maximum of 200mm for bodies up to professional-grade mirrorless or DSLRs. If you’re doing more “critical” usage, such as stacking macros or shooting in extremely turbulent conditions, you’ll need to think about heavier tripods.
A potential source of worry is the decision to use the flip lock over a twist lock. Flip locks aren’t as comfortable, they are more difficult to put together and take down, and they appear to be less secure than twist locks. Although I did not encounter issues with slippage in my tests I would still recommend to use twist lock for longer-term (multi-year) use on my tripods.
The legs of the tripod are detents which allow you to make the legs further if you require. For my copy of this tripod bending to these positions can be somewhat stiff and it’s not the most comfortable when the tripod is in a stowed position. The lock on the leg angles of my Gitzo are much simpler to use.
The Tripod Head
Heipi includes a top quality tripod head in the complete package. It’s not huge, but it’s still the 50mm diameter ball and the capacity to support a load of 55lbs. In addition I don’t pay a lot of attention to claims of weight-rating however this one is well-constructed and comforting.
In reality, the Heipi head is superior to the standard travel head. it comes with everything I’d expect of a fully-featured tripod head. Beginning with the plate that supports your camera, the Heipi head is compatible with the Arca-Swiss industry standard type mounting plate. They’ve verified compatibility with a variety of top brands that include Peak Design, Smallrig, Ulanzi, Sirui, and Benro. Therefore, you’ll be able use your L-brackets that you have already installed and any other gear from Arca-Swiss.
The plates locking system is an unusual twist lock mechanism, which is distinct from the flip-locks you typically see and screw-locks that are commonly found on tripod heads. It is, however, extremely solid to my. However, I’d recommend that you test it using any third-party plates you are planning to use in order to ensure safety.
The head included with the Heipi travel tripod comes with an adjustable mobile bracket that retracts. A pleasant surprise, this bracket is also large enough to accommodate the iPhone 14 Pro Max in the case. This kind of combination is usually out of the capabilities of a lot of accessories for smartphones, which is why it’s a pleasure to see it in this case and shows the attention to detail of Heipi.
On the head on the head itself, there’s plates that have screws that are movable to make it more compatible with other types of plates. There is also a tiny bubble level, which could assist in levelling the tripod to shoot panoramas.
When it comes to panoramas The Heipi head can support 360-degree panning. It also has the ability to hear and feel clicks each 10 degree (these clicks are muteable for use in video). The tripod’s design can make it difficult to read the markings for panoramas on the bottom of the tripod head however, it’s still an ideal choice for filming tripods.
Additionally, the head allows turning your camera into portrait mode by a notch that is located on the side. This notch can be helpful for phones with an integrated phone mount or a camera that does not have an L-bracket.
A potential downside is the fact that one of the potential drawbacks is that Heipi tripod isn’t designed to work with the other heads of tripods. It is possible that you could use another tripod head however, if the head you’re using has a greater diameter base, you’d need to physically remove a part of the tripod in order to ensure it fits. If your existing tripod has a smaller travelling head then this limitation won’t be a problem.
The Sub-Tripod
The sub-tripod serves double duty as the center column that is raised that is part of the primary tripod, as well as a tabletop tripod that is detached. It is a center column. it increases the overall height of the tripod from lower than chest height to more in the upper part of your chest. The center column should be raised. It’s always a last option when establishing your tripod because it’s not as stable, and this is certainly the same. It worked as well as a normal center column, however I’d only recommend it in the event of a need.
When the sub-tripod is removed it’s an extremely useful macro tripod or tabletop. I can see myself getting out of using this tiny tripod in areas in which you don’t need the full-size tripod, for example in areas that are crowded. Due to its lightweight design and the close connection to this tripod’s main one, I’d be thrilled to bring this along for a trip, and then put it in my bag to use during the duration of.
Field Test of Field Testing Heipi Travel Tripod
In actual use The most important aspect that struck me was the effectiveness of the tripod was in cutting weight while operating as a regular tripod. There are some things that aren’t quite right such as the use of flip-locks in place of twist-locks however, I didn’t encounter any major problems. My previous experiences with ultralight tripods for travel caused me to shake my head at design flaws or general instability issues.
The tripod isn’t as sturdy as my larger Gitzo legs however, I’d be happy to bring it on a trip. Since it’s a travel tripod in design, I’m sure you can’t be averse to it being that way. In comparison to other tripods for travel I’ve tested, this is on the higher end of stability.
In my tests during my testing, I used Nikon 14-30mm, 24-70mm as well as 70-300mm lens on the Z6 as well as Z7. Although they’re not particularly demanding lenses when it comes to the focal distance, they’re an excellent match for the tripod’s case. Lenses like these are the kind of lens I’d take if I were travelling light. For the three lenses, there were no problems with head sagging, shaking images or any other sign from tripod instabilities, not even with long exposures.
In terms of using the tripod head on a daily basis I was a big enthusiast of the design as well as its stability, too. One thing that stood out for me was the heavy drag of this head of the tripod. Some photographers may like this because it is less likely to sag when with heavy loads, but I thought it was too high, especially since there’s no method to lower it.
Overall, I’m very pleased with my experience using the Heipi travel tripod. Although it’s now much easier than ever before to select cameras and camera bodies that are lighter that do not compromise quality the tripods have always been restricted by the simple laws of physical principles. Heipi isn’t breaking rules of Physics however, I believe they’ve made some excellent design choices. It’s a great tripod for travel. Heipi travel tripod is perfect for the travel photographer of today who uses a compact DSLR or mirrorless equipment.