Peak Design Pro Tripod review: stronger, taller, better

Whenever Peak Design releases a new product, whether it’s a backpack, a camera strap, or even a wallet, I’m always looking forward to seeing what kind of genius engineering tweaks the San Francisco-based company came up with. And while there are some clever tricks here, the newly released line of video tripods is more about applying lessons the team learned from its first tripod release over six years ago. The legs are sturdier, there’s an improved center column, a redesigned ball head, and many other improvements worth going through.

First, the basics: there are three variants to choose from: the Pro Lite, Pro, and Pro Tall, all of which share the same core features but differ in max height and weight. The whole lineup of tripods is available on Kickstarter, but they won’t be cheap — the Pro Lite, Pro, and Pro Tall cost $799, $899, and $999, respectively. Discounts for backing them on Kickstarter range from 23 percent off the Pro Lite to 27 percent off the Pro and Pro Tall.

I had a chance to test all of them over a few weeks.

The Pro Lite is the lightest model and weighs 3.7 lbs. You’ll notice the added heft compared to the 2.81 pounds of the carbon fiber Travel Tripod — Peak Design’s first and only tripod until now. A lot of that extra weight is justified and comes from the ball head. We’ll talk about that soon.

The Pro Lite is four inches taller than the original Travel Tripod with a sturdier and longer center column. That extra height is just enough for me to record my to-camera sections at eye level. (For reference, I’m 6 ‘1 or 187cm.)

Then there’s the Pro and Pro Tall. These tripods are heavier, taller and have a larger weight load than the Pro Lite. I mostly kept using the Pro and Pro Tall tripods indoors and have added things like sliders and my heavier cinema cameras rig.

Each tripod is made from carbon fiber; there aren’t aluminum options, and each is light enough to bring anywhere with me. Even the Pro Tall, at 4.5 lbs, gave my back a nice break compared to my usual video tripod — a decade-old 5.5 lb Manfrotto 055 with a 3.7 lb fluid video head. But, out of the three, I found myself using the Pro Lite the most, since I try to keep my gear as light as possible during hikes or long photo walks.The ball head featured on all three tripods has a new quick-release system that feels much more secure than the one found on the Travel Tripod. The camera easily snaps onto the Arca-Swiss compatible plate, and there’s a separate locking mechanism flush against the side of the ball head. This lock, which the Travel Tripod didn’t have, made me more confident I wouldn’t accidentally release it and drop the camera by bumping into a tightening knob.

I’ve been using Peak Design’s first tripod since it launched in 2020. The ball head has deteriorated over time. It still works, but the lock often gets stuck and is hard to release once tightened. This new lock addresses that issue.

I don’t know how this new ball head will perform in a few years, but I expect it to be better. A dedicated lock toggle which wasn’t present in the Travel Tripod means you won’t have to overtighten the previous tightening system. Durability is one of the most important aspects of a tripod, and when you pay a premium price for one, you hope it lasts for years. That Manfrotto that I mentioned earlier, I’ve been using it for nearly a decade.

One of my favorite new features is that it’s much easier to switch to vertical filming. It can easily flip onto its side by unlocking the ball head. The Travel Tripod has that ability, but with limited maneuverability. The new head can move freely in any direction. I love it!

The ball head panning was smooth, but there aren’t friction adjustments. It’s either unlocked or not, but it was able to handle my mirrorless Fujifilm XH2s and even my heavier cameras like the Canon C70 well. However, you’ll need a separate $149 (MSRP) attachment if you want to add tilting capabilities.

I assume most readers looked at the scorecard and saw that I added “tilt module” under both the “good” and “bad” sections. Allow me to explain. On one hand, it’s annoying to pay extra for this accessory and I wish it came with the tripod. On the other hand, I like that you don’t have to pay the added cost if you don’t plan to use it. One possible workaround is to use an L-bracket on your camera, flip the ball head for vertical filming and your built-in pan axis now becomes a tilt one.

The tilt module snaps onto the ball head with its Swiss-Arca base, just like a camera would. The extendable handle magnetically attaches to the back of the tilt mod. It’s super clever. But the tilt accessory wasn’t ideal for everything. As with pan, there’s no way to adjust the friction. That made it harder to keep my tilts smooth and steady with heavier gear, such as my Fujifilm XH2s with a 5o-140mm lens.

There is also another option — you could use an different fluid video head, but you’ll need to get a separate $129 (MSRP) Pro Leveling Base attachment. It replaces the included ball head and has a much shorter center column. You can still quickly and easily level it on uneven surfaces.

There are lots of smaller improvements. They have better leg locks, sturdier concave center columns, a hidden hex tool (you don’t need to attach one to the side, it’s in the center column), and an easier way to disassemble and clean parts. Even the carrying bag is roomier; it’s not a very tight-fitting sock like before.

But are they worth the price? It depends on how you use your video tripods. Over the last few years, with better camera and lens stabilization, my need for video tripods has slowly diminished. During my review period, I ended up using the Pro Lite tripod more often as a photo tripod than a video and it slowly replaced my original Travel Tripod. While the other two in the lineup stayed in my studio for video work. But each of the new tripods addresses every pain point of the original Travel Tripod.