A couple years ago when Manfrotto announced the Befree line of Travel Tripods I bought one right away. I believe it to be the model Befree Aluminum Travel Tripod with Ball Head, Black MKBFRA4-BH. It’s a great little tripod, light, very compact, stable and comes with a decent PL-200 compatible ball head. It’s also the bipod I occasionally loan to friends. Since that time Manfrotto has been refining the product line with carbon fiber construction, M-Lock twist lock legs and the Manfrotto GT Carbon Fiber Tripod is the latest, lightest and the best model to date. Visit Manfrotto
The Manfrotto Befree GT Carbon Travel Tripod and ball head kit is the ideal solution for professional photographers who need superior performance in the most lightweight format. Befree GT is the most professionally advanced solution in Manfrotto’s wide range of Travel Tripods. It is the perfect combination of portability – only 43cm/16.93in when folded – and impressive stability, ensuring flawless and effortless operation even with a 10kg/22.03lbs equipment load. Its ergonomic design makes operating the Manfrotto Befree GT comfortable, fast and secure, enabling even the most demanding photographers to set their equipment up quickly and easily so their focus stays on catching the perfect shot. Befree GT features a new solid spider developed to ensure maximum stability on all types of terrain, including the most uneven ones, always keeping the camera completely steady and ready to capture the sharpest images.
It features the M-lock, the new twist lock developed by Manfrotto to satisfy anyone looking for a fast, easy to use, compact solution. Moreover, the M-Lock has no protruding parts and its mechanism closes perfectly around the head, enabling the Befree GT to slip into and out of its storage pocket effortlessly.
Its ergonomic leg-angle selector is designed to be used smoothly by both right and left-handed photographers, enabling everyone to change shooting perspectives intuitively and to find the right tripod setting without losing focus on the shot they want.
The Befree GT can easily be set to three independent leg angle positions, guaranteeing full shooting versatility for all the creative ideas that can emerge outdoors. The spider featured on this innovative model also has an Easy Link, just like Manfrotto’s professional 190 & 055 tripods, allowing photographers to enhance their creativity by adding accessories that make their images unique and unforgettable. If you like, adding lights or reflectors, you can now capture amazing outdoor shots that were previously only achievable with heavy accessorised tripods.
This tripod is kitted out with Manfrotto’s advanced 496 aluminium Centre ball head (MH496-BH) , a portable yet powerful and intuitive head that allows smooth and precise camera movement. This advanced ball head combines practicality with high performance and features three independent controls that give it the versatility to suit any environment. A main ergonomic knob manages the sphere lock, an integrated friction control knob adjusts the ball tension so that equipment weight is always perfectly balanced and shots framed effortlessly; an independent panoramic knob keeps the horizon flat and moves the camera horizontally, enabling astonishing landscape shots. Framing on the 496 is easier and opens limitless options, so you can pursue any angle you can think of.
The head mounts a unique plate that makes it fully compatible with the world’s most widespread standard head attachments: Manfrotto RC2 and Arca-swiss style. With this aluminium plate fixed to the camera, all Manfrotto heads and almost all tripod heads on the market featuring Arca-swiss style attachments can be set up rapidly and effortlessly, with no need for disassembly components.
Befree GT is the best professional travel tripod for all photographers who want maximum performance, even when they’re travelling. This sturdy yet lightweight travel tripod is the optimal combination of solidity, portability, easy set up and operation. It is built to allow photographers to express their individuality and achieve the most daring and exceptional shots using their camera with the confidence of being supported by a professional solution that will never let them down.
- Weight: 54.67 oz
- Collection/Series: Befree Advanced
- Material: Carbon Fiber
- Safety Payload Weight: 22.05 lbs
- Min Height: 16.93 in
- Maximum Height: 63.78 in
- Maximum Height (with Center Column Down): 54.33 in
- Closed Length: 16.93 in
- Head Type: Ball Head
- Legs Tube Diameter: 0.58- 0.72- 0.85- 1 in
- Leg Sections: 4
- Base Diameter: 1.57 in
- Leg Angles: 22°, 54°, 89°
- Top Attachment: 3/8″ screw
- Base Type: 1.57 in
- Ball Locking: Yes
- Carrying Bag Included: Yes
- Center Column: Rapid
- Color: black/silver
- Easy Link: Yes
- Friction Control: Yes
- Independent Pan Lock: Yes
- Leg Type: Single
- Leg Lock Type: Twist Lock
- Maximum Working Temperature: 158 F
- Minimum Working Temperature: -22 F
- Pan Drag: None
- Panoramic Rotation: 360
- Plate Type: 200PL PRO
- Quick Release: Yes
- Tilt Drag: None
- Upper Disc Diameter: 1.57 in
Befree Aluminum Travel Tripod with Ball Head
Summary
The Manfrotto Befree GT Carbon Travel Tripod and ball head kit is the ideal solution for professional photographers who need superior performance in the most lightweight format. Befree GT is the most professionally advanced solution in Manfrotto’s wide range of Travel Tripods. It is the perfect combination of portability – only 43cm/16.93in when folded – and impressive stability, ensuring flawless and effortless operation even with a 10kg/22.03lbs equipment load. Its ergonomic design makes operating the Manfrotto Befree GT comfortable, fast and secure, enabling even the most demanding photographers to set their equipment up quickly and easily so their focus stays on catching the perfect shot. Befree GT features a new solid spider developed to ensure maximum stability on all types of terrain, including the most uneven ones, always keeping the camera completely steady and ready to capture the sharpest images.