Is The Peak Design Travel Tripod Worth $600?

Written by Shawn Koh (Tech360.tv Community Creator)

Another year and another release from Peak Design. Together with a range of new backpacks, Peak Design also surprised us with a release of their first-ever tripod.

Being the company that it is, they only wanted to release the best product they could. It had to be innovative and fresh, something no one else has done. It had to be able to integrate with existing Peak Design systems. Most of all, it had to intrigue and capture the audience fast.

We took this Peak Design Travel Tripod out for a day of photography and learnt what makes Peak Design such a well-loved company by photographers. The tripod was futuristic and it set a new standard for how a tripod should look. You could see the intricate care in the details; every bolt, nut, knob and screw were calculated, every leg optimised to be compact but strong.

The Aesthetics

The Carbon Fibre edition is the top of the range in this line of tripods, the other alternative would be their aluminium version which weighs a bit more and costs less. The immediate skin of the tripod stood out as a premium product, having carbon fibre patterns along the length of the legs and matte black plastic along the joints, and made this tripod stand out amongst the crowd.

Functionality

Peak Design has spent a lot of time and resources on developing a compact system whilst retaining basic tripod functions. Being able to slot the ball head into the body of the tripod saves valuable inches of space and keeps the entire package compact and tight. Even the knob to release the centre column was able to be pulled out and tucked back in after use.

The ball head is the largest circumference of the entire tripod, everything else fits snug within that footprint. However, this ball head had only one release ring which unlocks all axis. That means you can’t use it to take panoramic photos or panning shots in video mode.

Price

At almost US$600, this places the tripod well outside an average consumer’s budget, let alone a traveller who might prioritise travel expenses over an expensive tripod. Which begs the question of who PD’s target audience actually is?

Perhaps it’s the segment of prosumer photographers who absolutely need a tripod, and are willing to pay extra for something that doesn’t weigh down their backpacks.

Conclusion

Boasting an extremely revolutionary design with all the basic functions, you can’t go wrong using this tripod. The price is steep but with Peak Design’s lifetime warranty, this may well be a good long term investment.

More information about the Peak Design Travel Tripod can be found on Peak Design’s website.