Travel tripod comparison: Manfrotto BeFree, Benro Travel Angel II and Gitzo Series 1

In this review I'll compare three travel tripods I've used.

Manfrotto BeFree (MKBFRA4-BH)
Benro Travel Angel II (C1682TB0)
Gitzo SER. 1 6X Traveler Kit (GK1580TQR4)

All three are kits, i.e., tripod and head.

Although they are in different price categories, it doesn't always mean that expensive is better. I'll share my experience using these tripods.

From left: Manfrotto, Benro and Gitzo

Details

Circumference is not always mentioned parameter, that's when tripod is folded.
Manfrotto and Gitzo both were 26cm and Benro 30cm.


Material
Manfrotto tripod is made of alloy. While Benro Carbon X8 and Gitzo Carbon X6.


Ball-Head
Manfrotto - Compact Ball Head. Has single knob to control ball rotation and panning.
Benro - V0 Ball Head has separate panning lock and two knobs for ball rotation. It has leveler as well.
Gitzo - Like Manfrotto it has single knob to control both ball rotation and panning

I've noticed that both Manfrotto and Benro ball-head shifts a camera a little bit after it's locked, losing perfectly framed composition.


Unfolding/folding
I won't provide exact times, but slowest to unfold/fold definitely was Manfrotto while Benro and Gitzo were quite similar, maybe Gitzo was slightly faster.
Minor feature from Benro after loosen all the twist locks the legs just slide down on their own weight. Manfrotto and Gitzo legs have to be pulled down.


Leg angle locking
Manfrotto has so called Side-swivel angle selector with three leg positions.
Benro has buttons and when they're pulled and pushed they unlock and lock the legs respectively.
When unfolding the Gitzo tripod legs are automatically locked, very practical in my opinion.


Leg lock type
Manfrotto has leveler lock.
Benro has twist lock which they had revised.
Gitzo has twist lock as well and it's called G-lock system.

Some might prefer leveler lock, but others twist lock. For me leveler lock feels a little bit more secured while twist lock faster. Though I never had any issue with twist lock.

I liked G-Lock system provided by Gitzo most, feels very secured.


Hook
In my opinion must have feature. Not only you can hook the bag instead of placing it in the dirt, but it adds weight and makes the tripod sturdier. Manfrotto doesn't have it, both Benro and Gitzo do have.


Carrying Case
Carrying case is included for Manfrotto and Benro tripods, but not for Gitzo tripod.


Additional Features
Monopod & Hiking Pole
Benro tripod can be transformed to monopod or even as hiking pole. Personally I haven't tried it in the field, but some may find this feature useful. Though I wouldn't use such expensive thing as hiking pole and the compass they provide unfortunately is rubbish.


Price

Manfrotto 134,99€ (28.08.2014) 134,99€ (02.10.2014)	Benro 329,22€ (28.08.2014) 324,99€ (02.10.2014)	Gitzo 807,90€ (28.08.2014) 807,90€ (02.10.2014)

All prices provided here are in Germany including tax, without shipping costs.


Verdict
Manfrotto BeFree (MKBFRA4-BH). For the price in my opinion it's good enough what it offers. It's compact enough, weights little and is well built. But it's suitable for gear that doesn't weight more than 4kg. In reality I wouldn't put anything heavier than DSLR with 17-40 or 24-105 lenses. I'd say it's more suitable for DSLR+kit lens. Probably many won't like quite small tripod maximum height. If you're alright with limitations then Manfrotto recently released carbon version weighting just 1.1kg.
Recommendation: Top Price

Benro Travel Angel II (C1682TB0). Best value for money. You'll get carbon fiber tripod that also weights little, is quite sturdy, well built. As bonus it can be used as monopod or hiking pole.
Recommendation: Best Price / Features combo

Gitzo SER. 1 6X Traveler Kit (GK1580TQR4). If you try it once you'll refuse to use something else. That's exactly how I felt when tried it. The biggest barrier is the price. If you want probably one of the best travel tripod out there and you're alright to pay more than twice the price you'll get minor but nice improvements over Benro. Excellent build quality, it weights even less, folds to just 41cm. What I don't like is that the ball-head has no separated knob for panning, but on my wish list I have Ball-heads from Markin, Arca-Swiss or Kirk. And because of low tripod maximal height it might not be good for tall people unless you're alright to bend over when taking photos.
Recommendation: Best Features


English is not my main language I'd appreciate you let me know spelling or grammar errors.