Amateur Photographer verdict
For videographers in need of a lightweight travel tripod, the Vanguard Alta Pro 3VLT 235AV 12 is a good choice. Its levelling bowl and pan-and-tilt head are complemented by a good working height.- Integrated levelling base
- Smooth pan-and-tilt head
- Decent working height
- Head gets ‘sticky’ with heavier loads
I’ve tested any number of lightweight travel tripods in the past, but the Vanguard Alta Pro 3VLT 235AV 12 is a bit different. With a slimline travel-friendly design, integrated levelling base, and a pan-and-tilt head included in the kit, it’s primarily designed for video. You could use the leg-set for photography, but you’d probably want a different head.
Vanguard Alta Pro 3VLT 235AV 12 at a glance:
- $270 / £270
- 5-section aluminium legs
- Pan-and-tilt head
- 148cm maximum height
- 54cm folded length
- 1235g weight
- 5kg rated load
- vanguardworld.com
This tripod uses 5-section twist-lock legs with no centre column, which allows it to fold down to just 6cm in diameter. Despite the lack of a centre column, it achieves a very useful 148cm maximum height, which puts the camera close to eye level for me as a six-footer. That’s equally valuable when shooting using a viewfinder, as it is for recording a presenter talking to camera.
You get three leg angles which enable shooting as low as 19.5cm, set using large buttons at the top of each leg. There’s a rubber grip for carrying the tripod in cold weather, when bare metal can be distinctly uncomfortable to hold. You also get a high-quality padded case which has a particularly well-designed shoulder strap for carrying the tripod vertically.
Vanguard Alta Pro 3VLT 235AV 12 key features:
- Video head: The pan-and-tilt head employs an ‘open bridge’ design for light weight
- Levelling bowl: An integrated levelling base gives 15° adjustment in any direction
- Weight hook: A hook below the head platform allows you to hang your camera bag underneath for extra stability
- Arca-Swiss clamp: The camera clamp is set so the plate runs from front-to-back, which helps with balancing heavy lenses but means you can’t use a camera L-bracket.
One feature you won’t generally see in photo tripods is the integrated bowl, with its own bubble level. This allows you to set the head straight and level when shooting on uneven ground. It locks down firmly using a large lever on the side of the central spider.
Vanguard includes a compact VEO PV-12 video head in the kit. This has separately locking pan and tilt movements and is counterbalanced so that when you tilt the camera up or down, it will try to return to level. Its pan handle folds down neatly for transport. Note, though, that you can’t flip the camera up for recording vertical videos.
I’ve tested the tripod using cameras of various sizes, and unsurprisingly, it’s happiest with relatively lightweight setups up to about 1.3kg, giving nice smooth panning. For example, it worked quite well with the Panasonic Lumix S1R II and 20-60mm zoom. But the head gets progressively ‘stickier’ with heavier kit.
What it really doesn’t like is even a moderately large lens sticking out the front, such as a 24-70mm f/2.8 or 24-105mm f/4. But you can mitigate this to an extent by using a long plate to balance the weight of the camera and lens over the top of the head. It’s not a problem at all if you’re leaving the camera static.
Vanguard actually offers four versions of this tripod. You can get either aluminium or carbon-fibre legs, with the latter 235CV versions weighing 80g less but costing £80 more. There’s also a choice of open-bridge or closed-bridge heads; the price is the same, but the closed-bridge option is 35g heavier.
Vanguard Alta Pro 3VLT 235AV 12: Our Verdict
If you primarily shoot video and would like a lightweight tripod with a suitable head, then the Vanguard Alta Pro 3VLT 235AV 12 is definitely worth considering. Just be aware of its limitations when using heavier kit.
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