All shots taken using the Benro Travel Angel (unless the Benro Travel Angel is in the shot!)
Tabarca street midday sun & shade, OMD M1 supported by Benro Travel Angel
My Measure
I love well made well engineered products (for any purpose) that are well thought through and go beyond function….and deliver Joy. This cannot be measured with any scale other than how you feel.
The plan was to live with, travel and use the tripod exclusively during a trip to Spain. Most gear is great when tested in store and again most gear will make a case for being fit for purpose. It is only when you start living with, travelling and using tools that the real value or otherwise starts to become a part of your methodology and weaves its way into or out of your photographic process. I overthink this aspect of gear. I develop a bond with the good stuff and discard to the big “draw” in the attic that which does not deliver. And I simply cannot go by numbers, weights and measures. I’ve never looked at a beautiful woman and wondered how equal the distance is between each eye and cheekbone as proof of beauty! I just feel joy. So that established I’m an emotional photographer who likes good gear and cares little for facts. I sometimes make buying mistakes, discovering this usually in the field when the item is beyond return to the store. We have all challenged ourselves not to be victim of Gear Acquisition Syndrome but I find it fun, I just don't mind the odd mistake. I will buy photo bags galore, use them and slowly whittle down to those that just work. I do like to be lean, taking and using only the gear that is in my view supreme for the purpose. I just don't expect every purchase to meet the exacting standards I will expect, I discard and move on. I look after my equipment but I want to use it without fear of function failure. I want the functions that I will use to operate quickly and seamlessly and brilliantly, I get such a joy from joy! When someone buys a fine art photograph they are buying what they see and feel. But what is sold is the process, and the end result is my joy. Photography is joy, a passion and therefore the fewer elements that are a chore the better. I cannot control or avoid the chore of travel, waiting for weather systems and special moments but the common process’s of taking and preparing for the shot I can control. The joy of using great tools is a part of the final image. I cannot conceive of great results any other way than to enjoy the process and the tools involved.
First.....some Cuttle fish for lunch
The Benro Travel Angel is a lightweight compact premium carbon fibre tripod. Built for travel at 1.45kg and built for use with an 9 layer carbon fibre construction. This Benro tripod screams premium, and it should given the reassuring ticket price. Taking delivery is an event, Inside a box is a very well constructed protective case, with pockets equipped with tools and a set of spiked feet. No afterthought, this case is complete; padded, lined, strap, handle, pockets and proper zips. The kind of thing you’d pay for. Inside is another cover, again well thought through drawstring cotton cover which I have to say is perfect for placing the tripod into a small suitcase, which I did when travelling to Carcassonne France recently.
Possibly the pick of the day - A long exposure in strong sea winds
Watch the Benro Travel Angel perform impressively as it withstands strong winds to make the above long exposure shot which was one full minute ! The wobble is my iphone in hand during the recording, the tripod & camera were rock solid in this wind....
The Travel Angel is gorgeous, if like me you are capable of experiencing euphoria from a peace of engineering excellence then you will certainly get a rush of promise from your first handling of this tripod. The finish is excellent both on the incredibly smooth carbon fibre and the magnesium deployed elsewhere. The first thing that just has to be done is a little twist of those rubber twist locks. They are fantastic, literally a short twist and out pop the legs, another short twist and they are locked solid ready for use. This is important because when your legs are up and down and requiring adjustment and complete fold away up to a dozen times a day it really matters that they just work effortlessly and this is just one reason why a pro and dedicated amatuer will pay for better equipment. These twist locks are weather sealed so this beautiful action is what you can expect all day every day not just in a store. I have a number of tripods, large and travel. I have lightweight aluminium travel tripods and a large studio carbon fibre with a hydraulic head. Along with a recent purchase of an Induro Hi Hat with a large Induro ball head. So this little Benro is competing with the pinnacle of engineering and that is a tall order for something which can attach to a rucksack and strolled onto a aeroplane.
Conclusion: This Benro Travel Angel has somewhat turned my ideas on their head with regard to priorities with a travel tripod. I’ve come to to the conclusion that actually since a travel tripod is the one you will have with you the most, it is the one left in the car boot, it is the one that will be on the plane when travelling, it is the one you can face a long trek with it. Rather like the best camera is the one you have with you nothing could be truer than for the tripod. And that is why I recommend you don’t take any short cuts with tripod’s but especially the one you will have with you the most. It needs to out perform your beast of a tripod that is invariably left back at home or studio since it is the one likely to be in use for most of your photography. Therefore the maximum amount of portability, ease of use, durability and of course stability that you can possibly afford needs to go into the tripod you might otherwise be tempted to think of as your “second” tripod because the truth is that it will most likely be the one you have with you. The head on this tripod is also joy, beautifully engineered with such smooth actions, a real pleasure to adjust and doesnt make me hanker for the gorgeous smooth action of the monster hydraulic head left at home. The head locks like a much grander pro head with minimum settle even on a longer lens. I’m also used to an absolute beast of an Induro ballhead which locks so solid you could hang a truck off it with zero movement. The Travel Angel is also repleat with a spirit level which is just such a relief as the in-camera levels leave me un convinced. There is a separate lock for pan, again this is essential but so is the engineering for a smooth precise action. The presence of a hook to add weight for additional stability or just to keep items from wet/dirty ground is very welcome. Dimensions: Tall enough, short enough and light enough. Sorry for the lack of numbers there but numbers are not my measure but I should mention the best angle of view is rarely exactly where my face is when stood upright. I actually get low down quite a lot when photographing “the outside”. Around rocks on shore lines I also make great use of the three leg lock positions straddling around the rocks of coastal terrain or river beds in order i don't compromise my own perceived best angle. Again the three leg positions built into tripod get a big thumbs up. Every question asked of this tripod is answered with a resounding yes. If you are in the market for a lightweight travel tripod, dont make it an afterthought, don't buy one which will be a sorry excuse for your "main" tripod (which is rarely taken out). Invest in the joy of a supremely engineered Benro Travel Angel. Impossible to regret.
The setup
Note most of the images will click out into a lightbox