Product Review: Vanguard Alta Pro 263T Tripod

One thing I have learnt being a photographer is having good quality equipment is vital.  Although I often shoot free hand, having a strong, sturdy and versatile tripod has really made things easier.

The first tripod I used was one from the 1970's ... it was my dad's from when he used to do black and white still photography.  I am sure this tripod will be around forever, as its made of steel and the leg extensions were held with large steel screws.  Once it was set up, it was awesome, it could hold any amount of weight and would never fall over, but this came at a price.  It was so heavy, and setting up was painful as the screws were very tight and I often scrapped the skin off my fingers when adjusting the legs.  As a starter tripod it suited my needs, but now I really needed something a bit more versatile.

When I first became an ambassador for Photon & Vanguard, I spoke to the team at Fotacs to see which tripod would be the best for me.  Firstly I needed light weight, something that can travel with me at all times as you never know when you need a tripod.  I needed a quick release for the camera, as things move fast at times and I tend to not leave the camera on the tripod while setting up the the shot.  I also wanted easy to set and versatile legs that can move at all different settings as I like different angles and prefer to keep the skin on my hands while setting it up.   An easy to adjust but secure easy head that could pan and tilt and that most importantly had spirit levels (as I tend to shoot skew!) was definitely on my must have list.

After a few trials with different tripods, I settled on the Alta Pro 236T with the photo pan head.  This is the most versatile and flexible tripod I have ever worked with and have never worried about the safety of my camera (or fingers) with it.

Some of you will remember a few years ago I was precariously perched on a ladder at the Photo & Film Expo shooting the milk bath?  Well the truth is, I am terrified of heights, and I was shaking so much from both my fear and nerves of being on stage, that I could have never gotten the shot without my trusted Vanguard Alta Pro 236T tripod holding the camera in place.

These are two cellphone "behind the scenes" photos to show the setup we did on stage ant the 2015 Photo & Film Expo.

Final result of the Milk bath shoot on the Vanguard Stage at the Photo & Film Expo 2015

Its thankfully not often that I use the Alta Pro to hang over models in mid air, the more common uses I have for it is group photos at schools and product photography. 

There are a few key features of this amazing tripod that I just love:

• The Tripod can go up to 178cm, or right down to eye level of sitting children.
• It can hold up to 5kg, suitable for my D800 with the 70-200mm lens
• The 3-way pan head, that makes setting up and capturing the best composition a breeze
• Quick release with a large camera mount makes me comfortable to safely leave my camera on the tripod, or quickly take it off and put it back on.
  
• The Multi-Angle Central Column that allows for the most amazing angles.  It allows me to move the central column from 0 to 180 degrees easily for product photography
  
• 4 spirit levels that help to ensure I shoot straight

So for those looking for an easy to use and setup, lightweight and versatile tripod this is definitely one to look at!