Good tripods are expensive. At least they were up until the launch of the Robus line. Mind you, these tripods aren’t cheap, but compared with the big names, they offer a great value.
I got my hands on a Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod and I gave it a work out at one of the best places I can think of to test it, Bosque del Apache, National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.
Right out of the box I was impressed.
The Robus comes with a nice carry bag, spikes for outdoors or non-slip pads for indoors, tools, instruction set and even a second base which provides a bowl for video style heads. Its very well built and every detail is attended to
The twist locks on the Robus are well-thought-out and in my tests they were easy to use to extend or close legs. I react liked the small diagram that indicated the direction to lock and unlock found this very useful. I have seen newbies twist tripod legs right out of their socket by turning them the wrong direction.
This tripod has every pro feature you could want. In addition to the various footing solutions, it has a bubble level on the platform. It is designed to work at eye level (or taller) and I really like how quickly it sets up. A hook is provided under the top plate, that will help steady the tripod when you hang something from the hook. You can use a sandbag or even a camera bag or even try tying it down. If the hook is in your way – you can remove it.
The carbon fibre saves on weight but there’s plenty of support. Check out the stats:
Load Capacity: 55 lb
Maximum Height: 70.1″
Minimum Height: 4″
Folded Length: 25.4″
Leg Sections: 4
Weight: 5.6 lb
10x Carbon Fiber Construction
Lock & Safety Pull Latch in Spider
Interchangeable Top Plate & Video Bowl
Modular Rubber, Wide & Spiked Feet
The Robus comes in several heights from 55 to 77 inches tall, and it is STURDY. The Robus Vantage carbon fiber tripod’s APEX is big and it feature corrosion resistant, anodized CNC-machined aluminum construction. The design of the spider is excellent with very robust metal thickness encircling the top plate and transitioning into the leg axles. Triangular shaped metal extends over the top of the leg axles, providing excellent lateral rigidity. Because the apex is so large, the tripod is extra stable.
The legs are also beefy and you can set leg lock positions that give you tons of flexibility without sacrificing stability.
CONCLUSION
If you’re gonna buy a tripod, buy a good one. Usually, in this class, that means spending north of $1000. But the really big news with the Robus is that you’ll spend about half what you’d spend to get the big name-brand tripods, but the cheaper price is the only thing cheap about the Robus. It’s great quality (and value) all the way around. I have evaluated, owned and used dozens of different tripods. At $549 list – this Robus is easily the best value I’ve ever seen.
Highly Recommended…
3 Responses
Sounds like a great tripod, but of course I already have one of the big name brands and can’t see spending the money
HI Scott:
Thanks for your thoughtful review. As always, you have provided a thorough and easy-to-understand look at a reasonable offering for those of us who are looking for a “bang-for-buck” deal on a tripod.
Just got my 5570 today. Like you, I was impressed right out of the box. This thing is awesome! Like many others, I was looking at the other (more expensive) brands, but when I found the robus, I thought, really, can such a less expensive option be as good? This sure seems to be, but time will tell. I love the options for it, as I also ordered a center post. B&H had a discount off the list price so it was really a GREAT bargain!