K&F Concept Carbon Fibre Lightweight Tripod

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K&F Concept Carbon Fibre Lightweight Tripod: Our Verdict

Pros

• Lightweight
• Easy to use

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Cons

• Expensive
• Can be tricky to undo the latches in the cold or with gloves

Technical Details

Main Materials

Carbon Fibre

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Max Load Weight

8kg

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Weight

1.1kg

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Max Height

1.62m

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Length (Folded)

41.5cm

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As I learn more and more photography skills, a tripod has been something on my list for a while. I wanted to get some long exposures, especially as my travel guides show, I love a waterfall. And with plans to potentially return to Iceland or explore Norway and chase the Northern Lights, I knew I had to be prepared. I even made a guide on capturing photos of the Northern Lights after I regretted not bringing one.

Luckily K&F Concept stepped in and offered to send me one of their latest models for me to review. For full disclosure K&F Concept gifted me their Carbon Fibre Lightweight Tripod along with their Nano X Shimmer Diffusion Filter, however that will in no way impact my review. Everything I say in this blog is my own opinion from my experience testing.

Taking it out of the box, I really like the look of the K&F Concept Carbon Fibre Lightweight Tripod. Aesthetically the black and orange looks really cool. And the Carbon Fibre as well as looking and sounding cool is a practical choice as well. 

Aesthetically I really like the look of this tripod. I know functionality is more important but that doesn’t mean it can’t look good too. The grey and orange look great, one of my favourite colour combos. And the Carbon Fibre pattern on the legs looks fantastic.

Having never owned a tripod before I decided to compare the K&F Concept Carbon Fibre Lightweight Tripod against the ones my local studio uses, and there was a massive difference. The studio used Manfrotto travel tripods. Both tripods came to roughly the same height and were able to support my cameras, however the Manfrotto was over 2kg, double the weight of the K&F.

1kg feels like the perfect weight, of course, the lighter it is the less of your luggage allowance it’s going to take up and the easier it’s going to be on your back. Any lighter I would be a tad concerned in windy locations. 

Weight is always going to be down to perspective. For me I am happy with this weight, I’ve been carrying it in my bag for weeks on end and I don’t have an issue. But when travelling I wouldn’t bring it unless necessary. Some people want even lighter but that’s going to seriously impact the height. Others will just leave it in their car boot as they’ll be driving to and from shoots. So bare in mind how you are gonna use it and what you’ll use it for. 

It does come with instructions, naturally, I ignored them. I think a true testament to how easy a product is to use is how intuitive it is. Setting up the K&F Concept Carbon Fibre Lightweight Tripod is really easy, you can unfold the legs in seconds and use it as a small tripod if you want to get shots low to the ground. If you need extra height then the twist and lock system makes it really easy to adjust. I like the indicator at the top making sure your camera is level, it’s a small addition but really beneficial.

Packing it back down is really easy once you have the hang of it. The bright orange clips are a lot easier to use if you fully extend and then fold back. I did have an issue when packing up in the cold. It felt a lot trickier to do with cold hands or gloves. Despite the textured buttons I found it a lot tougher for my fingers to get purchase. 

The camera clips on top easily, and the base plate provided has a little grip on the screw, making it a lot easier to add or remove to your camera. It was quick and easy to attach the base plate making it easier to remove from the tripod for close-ups. When I’m working in a studio I frequently switch between handheld and tripod, so that’s important to me. Even when travelling you never know when an opportunity is going to come so being able to adapt quickly is crucial.

I did have initial concerns due to the ball-head mount holding the camera. I have used a few mini-tripods in the past that have this system and very few have been able to support much weight. But in this case it holds my camera rock steady. It doesn’t matter the size of the lens or the angle, it’s still perfectly stable making it so much easier to focus on creating content instead.

The K&F Concept Carbon Fibre Lightweight Tripod fits easily into most of my bags when travelling. However it could be more compact, as there is a bit of empty space in between the legs. It does take up the entire length of my Db Hugger but is easily pushed to the side.

Because of its shape, it’s very easy to pack stuff around it though and it nestles in my gear pretty well. I do find it easier to pack without it being provided back, but even in the bag, I’m usually able to fit in items around it. I sometimes put a few camera accessories inside this bag like K&F Step up filter rings. 

I really like the K&F Concept Carbon Fibre Lightweight Tripod, it’s made of quality materials that keep it both strong and lightweight, and it’s easy to use without over-complicating. It is a bit on the expensive side, so it’s a personal choice if you want to opt for the carbon fibre version.

If you are a serious user and will get a lot of use out of it, then it’s worth the investment. If you are looking for a tripod for home or studio use, then there are cheaper but heavier options. K&F frequently do sales though so it’s worth keeping an eye on their website so you can grab yourself a bargain.