You failed to mention the actual pricing difference between the two. The aluminum Mefoto tripod goes for $160, while the carbon fiber Peak Design unit comes in at a whopping $600. I don't think too many people are going to be doing an either-or decision due to the enormous difference in price.
It's more about visualising a potential upgrade path than a binary choice. Plus once the retail (canadian) price was announced I added the note that I can no longer recommend the PD tripod for anyone other than those with money to burn, it is massively overpriced to the competitors. But at the Kickstarter price it was justifiable.
Great video! Here are my thoughts if you care to read :) Honestly, the Peak Design is great, very well built tripod, very sturdy and compact. but IMO it's a bit over designed with space savings in mind which result in loss of functionality, not to mention it's over priced. Too much time and money was spent on trying to make this thing uber compact and "sleek" looking. To me it looks more like they tried to design a tripod with fashion in mind more so than functionality. That head, although great it's quite cumbersome and does not have the same range of motion and positioning as a standard ball head, not by a whole lot. but it's there and noticeable. sure, it's smaller but the ball head is one thing i'd never sacrifice just to shave off an inch or two. The quick release mechanism is far from great, you're bound to one day forget to lock the head and accidentally hit the button and drop your camera. A much better solution would just be to go with what's already been designed well time and time again. The quick releases you see on Vanguard or Manfrotto tripods are far better and more secure as they double lock as soon as you slide the plate in. Especially the quick release plates on these Benro's where you're screwing the plate in, there's no where for it to go at that point. Lastly, i'm just gonna say it. Having hex keys to screw in a plate is just stupid. They tried so hard to have this tripod that deploys easily, packs small and is sturdy and then do a complete 180 and have a hex key mounted plate.... what happens when you lose that hex key? it's not in the greatest position either on the tripod, stowed away in the center column or anything like that. Nearly every manufacturer knows this, Whether it be Manfrotto, Benro, Vanguard etc. D Ring + Philips/Coin slot is THE best solution. It offers versatility and you never have to worry about losing hex keys. I feel like they could have kept a lot of the things many of us appreciate in a tripod (even something as simple as a D-Ring to tighten the plate) and this tripod might have actually been worth the money. Anyways, Just wondering... If the Benro getting caught on branches is an issue, why not just slide it into the supplied protective sleeve before attaching it to the side of your bag? (i'm assuming you're putting it in a water bottle pouch, then buckling it in with side straps) that would solve most of your issues right there. Although i appreciate and do use compact travel gear myself, i think we've gotten a bit too caught up in trying to make things as light and as small as possible to the point where we lose features and sometimes durability for the sake of being "ultralight". I see this time and time again with Camping gear, you end up buying this frail and thin $700 tent that rips and leaks easier than a $40 Walmart tent. If shaving off a matter of 4-5 lbs from gear is a make it or break it point for many people when it comes to comfort... The obvious solution is to increase your own strength and endurance instead of relying on the gear being lighter. But, that's just me.
Amazing summary and after spending another year with it I'm inclined to agree with almost all of your points. I still find myself more likely to bring along the PD tripod on excursions because I've realized the biggest factors for me personally are convenience to deploy and weight. It's far from perfect and definitely poor value but I can't imagine replacing it. Also to answer your question about the branch issue, my pack's side pockets are only wide enough to fit in 2 legs so having a "normal" tripod in a case/pouch wasn't possible unfortunately.
@@curtis.strange For sure! I can 100% agree on that as well. As far as the overall amount of real estate taken up by the PD tripod, nothing in it's class can come even close. If you can get over the gripes (if they're even a gripe, for some people the stuff i mentioned is a non issue but for others like myself it is) it's fantastic and cant be beat. It really boils down to whether or not you're willing to pay the premium purely for the size and weight savings because when it comes to everything else, it really doesn't do it any better or worse than other tripods in this segment. Ahh i see, that makes total sense as to why you couldn't use the sleeve. Maybe if you had a backpack with a stretchy side pocket it would have worked.
Great comparison - All of which are my frustrations with the MeFoto Roadtrip. It's a great starter tripod, but I use it for work everyday and deploying and teardown is time consuming. I'm considering the Aluminum version of the PD, mostly because of the price - it's much more justifiable at $349 vs. $599 for the CF version.
Nice job on the comparison, they both look like quality tripods. I don’t think the Center column height would be an issue for me either, but the head on the peak design looks more fluid. I’d take either because my tripod is from value village😉. You did a really great job with your video, nice camera work, lighting and sound. Very professional! 👍🏻
Thanks so much. Now I just need an excuse to use it! I'm off the next few days so I think it's time to hit up some of the waterfalls you've posted recently
Thank you! I've had the MeFoto for 5 years. I've tried to love it but just don't - for all the reasons you stated. The Peak Design is pricy but seems worth it if it means less bulk, faster deploy time, and a more intuitive ball head design. Super helpful comparison. Thanks again.
Sorry, it seems my notifications stopped working at some point. I still consider the mefoto line great "starter" tripods but it's true there are so many small things that get to be frustrating over time. Thanks for watching!
The MeFoto Road-trip Pro CF at $179 weighs 3.02lbs. I can handle the .2 lbs. difference. Also the all the legs deploy with 1/4 turn making faster than shown on the video very fast like the Peak design. The Peak build quality is excellent at $350. The MeFoto is very good at $178. There are many other models available from Benro MeFoto as well which offer difference specifications for a professionals needs. I am planning on airplane travel to Europe this year so I want something very functional and light. The Peak certainly does it but the MeFoto Pro CF does as well. I am an enthusiast photographer who started with Nikon in 1971. After shooting with the Sony rx100iv I realized how liberating a small camera was for travel and everyday so I now shoot with a Fuji X-S10. Very light with a very nice line up of glass for my use. I ending you cannot go wrong with Peak Design but if you would like to drive more value into your tripos investment the Benro MeFoto CF will save you about $180. that you spend on other gear.
Yep I completely agree. The PD is much more inconspicuous for plane travel but if you have your tripod in luggage the difference would be indistinguishable. I've never liked twist lock because I like knowing with certainty at a glance if it's locked or not
The Benro Roadtrip is a great tripod, but don't expect much customer support! The head assembly is not user-serviceable at all. Mine had play in the panning action even when locked, which worsened to some pitching over a few uses. Benro USA never responded. Benro China said must be a screw loose, return to Amazon! Buying another brand, even though it's a nice tripod BUYER BEWARE!
Hmmm..i think for a starter and travel tripod It's better not to overspend on something you're going to be dragging around the world.. If you're going to be static and are going to be doing more video or something that's work related I would save the money and get the mefoto and use the money you would save getting the mefoto and get a high quality larger tripod that can take a beating if you're going out in the field or if you're going to be working constantly.. as far as I travel tripod I like mefoto for the price.. But some of the stuff on there is unnecessary. I'm a working videographer and photographer and I used a cheap dolica until just recently when I went out to do landscapes because I didn't want to get an expensive tripod salty in the water.. The dolica ended up lasting me 10 years lol Even with the salt
for $500 difference it better win out over the MeFOTO. I would also suggest the aluminum Peak Design at a better price point than the carbon fiber It's almost $300 cheaper than the carbon fiber and only about 1lb difference and the rest of the design is similar to the carbon fiber. ⦿ MeFOTO Aluminum/Titanium: $149 ⦿ Peak Design Aluminum: $379 ⦿ Peak Desing Carbon Fiber $649
Indeed it's pretty wild how much the carbon fibre prices have gone up since the original Kickstarter, many better value alternatives these days for travel or otherwise
You failed to mention the actual pricing difference between the two. The aluminum Mefoto tripod goes for $160, while the carbon fiber Peak Design unit comes in at a whopping $600. I don't think too many people are going to be doing an either-or decision due to the enormous difference in price.
It's more about visualising a potential upgrade path than a binary choice. Plus once the retail (canadian) price was announced I added the note that I can no longer recommend the PD tripod for anyone other than those with money to burn, it is massively overpriced to the competitors. But at the Kickstarter price it was justifiable.
Lost my Mefoto. Will order the pro version now. Peek design is out of budget for me.
Great video! Here are my thoughts if you care to read :)
Honestly, the Peak Design is great, very well built tripod, very sturdy and compact. but IMO it's a bit over designed with space savings in mind which result in loss of functionality, not to mention it's over priced. Too much time and money was spent on trying to make this thing uber compact and "sleek" looking. To me it looks more like they tried to design a tripod with fashion in mind more so than functionality. That head, although great it's quite cumbersome and does not have the same range of motion and positioning as a standard ball head, not by a whole lot. but it's there and noticeable. sure, it's smaller but the ball head is one thing i'd never sacrifice just to shave off an inch or two. The quick release mechanism is far from great, you're bound to one day forget to lock the head and accidentally hit the button and drop your camera. A much better solution would just be to go with what's already been designed well time and time again. The quick releases you see on Vanguard or Manfrotto tripods are far better and more secure as they double lock as soon as you slide the plate in. Especially the quick release plates on these Benro's where you're screwing the plate in, there's no where for it to go at that point.
Lastly, i'm just gonna say it. Having hex keys to screw in a plate is just stupid. They tried so hard to have this tripod that deploys easily, packs small and is sturdy and then do a complete 180 and have a hex key mounted plate.... what happens when you lose that hex key? it's not in the greatest position either on the tripod, stowed away in the center column or anything like that. Nearly every manufacturer knows this, Whether it be Manfrotto, Benro, Vanguard etc. D Ring + Philips/Coin slot is THE best solution. It offers versatility and you never have to worry about losing hex keys.
I feel like they could have kept a lot of the things many of us appreciate in a tripod (even something as simple as a D-Ring to tighten the plate) and this tripod might have actually been worth the money.
Anyways, Just wondering... If the Benro getting caught on branches is an issue, why not just slide it into the supplied protective sleeve before attaching it to the side of your bag? (i'm assuming you're putting it in a water bottle pouch, then buckling it in with side straps) that would solve most of your issues right there.
Although i appreciate and do use compact travel gear myself, i think we've gotten a bit too caught up in trying to make things as light and as small as possible to the point where we lose features and sometimes durability for the sake of being "ultralight". I see this time and time again with Camping gear, you end up buying this frail and thin $700 tent that rips and leaks easier than a $40 Walmart tent. If shaving off a matter of 4-5 lbs from gear is a make it or break it point for many people when it comes to comfort... The obvious solution is to increase your own strength and endurance instead of relying on the gear being lighter. But, that's just me.
Amazing summary and after spending another year with it I'm inclined to agree with almost all of your points. I still find myself more likely to bring along the PD tripod on excursions because I've realized the biggest factors for me personally are convenience to deploy and weight. It's far from perfect and definitely poor value but I can't imagine replacing it. Also to answer your question about the branch issue, my pack's side pockets are only wide enough to fit in 2 legs so having a "normal" tripod in a case/pouch wasn't possible unfortunately.
@@curtis.strange For sure! I can 100% agree on that as well. As far as the overall amount of real estate taken up by the PD tripod, nothing in it's class can come even close. If you can get over the gripes (if they're even a gripe, for some people the stuff i mentioned is a non issue but for others like myself it is) it's fantastic and cant be beat. It really boils down to whether or not you're willing to pay the premium purely for the size and weight savings because when it comes to everything else, it really doesn't do it any better or worse than other tripods in this segment.
Ahh i see, that makes total sense as to why you couldn't use the sleeve. Maybe if you had a backpack with a stretchy side pocket it would have worked.
Great comparison - All of which are my frustrations with the MeFoto Roadtrip. It's a great starter tripod, but I use it for work everyday and deploying and teardown is time consuming. I'm considering the Aluminum version of the PD, mostly because of the price - it's much more justifiable at $349 vs. $599 for the CF version.
If it can be a business expense and weight is not much of a concern, I'd say that sounds like a great plan!
thumbs up for the director in the picture
Nice job on the comparison, they both look like quality tripods. I don’t think the Center column height would be an issue for me either, but the head on the peak design looks more fluid. I’d take either because my tripod is from value village😉. You did a really great job with your video, nice camera work, lighting and sound. Very professional! 👍🏻
Thanks so much. Now I just need an excuse to use it! I'm off the next few days so I think it's time to hit up some of the waterfalls you've posted recently
Curtis Watson have fun, looking forward to seeing the result
Thank you! I've had the MeFoto for 5 years. I've tried to love it but just don't - for all the reasons you stated. The Peak Design is pricy but seems worth it if it means less bulk, faster deploy time, and a more intuitive ball head design. Super helpful comparison. Thanks again.
Sorry, it seems my notifications stopped working at some point. I still consider the mefoto line great "starter" tripods but it's true there are so many small things that get to be frustrating over time. Thanks for watching!
The MeFoto Road-trip Pro CF at $179 weighs 3.02lbs. I can handle the .2 lbs. difference. Also the all the legs deploy with 1/4 turn making faster than shown on the video very fast like the Peak design. The Peak build quality is excellent at $350. The MeFoto is very good at $178. There are many other models available from Benro MeFoto as well which offer difference specifications for a professionals needs. I am planning on airplane travel to Europe this year so I want something very functional and light. The Peak certainly does it but the MeFoto Pro CF does as well. I am an enthusiast photographer who started with Nikon in 1971. After shooting with the Sony rx100iv I realized how liberating a small camera was for travel and everyday so I now shoot with a Fuji X-S10. Very light with a very nice line up of glass for my use. I ending you cannot go wrong with Peak Design but if you would like to drive more value into your tripos investment the Benro MeFoto CF will save you about $180. that you spend on other gear.
Yep I completely agree. The PD is much more inconspicuous for plane travel but if you have your tripod in luggage the difference would be indistinguishable. I've never liked twist lock because I like knowing with certainty at a glance if it's locked or not
lol.. you made opening that benro mefoto harder than it needed to be.
Might be, but the sections were never consistent. Tended to get sticky so some needed a quarter turn, some needed much more.
Good Review, I've been in drone photography for quite some time but just picked up my first dslr. Found a used Roadrip on mercari for $50!
Can you shoot straight up with the peak design? For astrophotography for example?
I wasn't sure because it's not something in my usual repertoire, but I tested and confirm that yes, it can
I like the locks. And quite compact. Nice review. Come visit soon
Thanks, will do!
The Benro Roadtrip is a great tripod, but don't expect much customer support! The head assembly is not user-serviceable at all. Mine had play in the panning action even when locked, which worsened to some pitching over a few uses. Benro USA never responded. Benro China said must be a screw loose, return to Amazon! Buying another brand, even though it's a nice tripod
BUYER BEWARE!
Hmmm..i think for a starter and travel tripod It's better not to overspend on something you're going to be dragging around the world.. If you're going to be static and are going to be doing more video or something that's work related I would save the money and get the mefoto and use the money you would save getting the mefoto and get a high quality larger tripod that can take a beating if you're going out in the field or if you're going to be working constantly.. as far as I travel tripod I like mefoto for the price.. But some of the stuff on there is unnecessary. I'm a working videographer and photographer and I used a cheap dolica until just recently when I went out to do landscapes because I didn't want to get an expensive tripod salty in the water.. The dolica ended up lasting me 10 years lol Even with the salt
good video
not sure why you set the tripod so low
It's more flattering for my big nose
for $500 difference it better win out over the MeFOTO. I would also suggest the aluminum Peak Design at a better price point than the carbon fiber It's almost $300 cheaper than the carbon fiber and only about 1lb difference and the rest of the design is similar to the carbon fiber.
⦿ MeFOTO Aluminum/Titanium: $149
⦿ Peak Design Aluminum: $379
⦿ Peak Desing Carbon Fiber $649
Indeed it's pretty wild how much the carbon fibre prices have gone up since the original Kickstarter, many better value alternatives these days for travel or otherwise