Built with the goal of providing a professional, sturdy solution for photographers and videographers on the go, the Manfrotto Befree Advanced collection is designed for mirrorless and DSLR cameras.
Forget the way you used to travel before. Don’t bother with rules, guidelines or styles. Change your perspectives and broaden your horizons with the only travel companion that truly enhances your experiences. That’s what the marketing department at Manfrotto wrote about the new tripods, and while one has to take the suggestion with a grain of salt, there is some truth to it: the new tripods can enhance your experience of the places you travel through, only because they are sturdy, portable and easy to set-up and use.
If you believe a tripod is just a tripod, looking at the evolution of tripods throughout the last decades will probably surprise you: those three-legged friends have changed, becoming sturdier as they get smaller and lighter. The Befree Advanced collection shows how the attention to detail makes a tripod change from its initial presentation to what the tripods now available in the collection offer users.
The new Befree Advanced collection has been designed with what Manfrotto calls “exciting features” and includes two new models which feature the M-lock (twist lock) and the QPL Travel (lever lock). These new locking systems aim to make it easier to lock the legs in place. According to Manfrotto, the new Befree Advanced M-lock (twist lock) is the brand-new tripod locking system built to provide a fast, easy to use and compact solution. On the other hand, the Befree Advanced QPL Travel lever lock, while also brand-new, is a lighter version of the locks used by the 190 & 055 collections. These new leg locks make set-up and adjustment easy and secure, providing full stability in all configurations.
Whether you’re left or right-handed, you’ll feel comfortable using the new Befree Advanced tripods, as they feature new ergonomic leg-angle selectors that are smartly positioned to be easily adjusted whichever hand you use, so you can change shooting perspectives intuitively. The new spider, which is the core of the tripod’s stability, has been completely redesigned to ensure maximum sturdiness and stability on all types of terrain whilst ensuring that the tripod is compact enough to fit perfectly into any travel luggage.
The 494 Ball Head suggested for the tripod also plays a key role when it comes to intuitive control for fast and precise adjustment. The tripod itself has also received the Easy Link connection present in larger tripods from the Manfrotto line, which provides support to add any accessory, as LED lighting mounted on an extension arm, for example, while the integrated hook allows you to hang extra weight on the tripod, a quick solution to make it steadier.
The main knob on the ball head manages the sphere lock, the independent panoramic knob is ideal for shooting landscape shots and a new integrated friction knob works on the ball tension to perfectly balance the equipment. Additionally, the head mounts the 200PL-PRO – a unique aluminium plate – for full compatibility with the most widespread head attachments: Manfrotto RC2 and Arca-Swiss.
The Befree Advanced aluminum tripods come complete with a ball head and a protective padded bag, with a price of $189.99. For videographers there is a specific solution, if a different head, designed for video, is needed. The Befree Live aluminium tripod with the new M-lock, sold with a Befree Live Fluid Head for $239.99.