After the digicam and lens, the following most important software for photographers is the tripod. Though I usually dislike tripods as a result of they take up a lot house in my bag, the soundness they supply is unmatched. Just lately, I had the chance to check the Heipi K32 with the KB60 ballhead, a mixture particularly designed for wildlife pictures. How did it carry out?
K32 Tripod Legs
The Heipi K32 is four-section carbon fiber tripod, with a folded size of 51 cm (20.1″) and a most top of 140 cm (55.1″). It has no middle column, however there’s a specialised leveling base that may make changes as much as 15º. It weighs about 1.5 kg (3.4 lbs).
The legs themselves have massive twist locks, which I a lot favor over flip locks. Those on the Heipi are very snug with a big and delicate textured floor. It’s exhausting to explain, however the easy locking and unlocking of the legs one way or the other feels very satisfying.
The Heipi K32’s thick legs had been fairly secure, even when prolonged. I’ve an older Manfrotto Aluminum 190X tripod and it’s fairly first rate, however I feel the Heipi is a little more secure despite the fact that it’s received 4 leg sections as an alternative of three. The legs themselves have reversable rubber ft. When reversed, they’ve spikes that can be utilized for icy surfaces or self-defense.
I already talked about the leveling base that may tilt as much as 15º in any course, which is a function I actually love. With it, you may stage the tripod base with out worrying about extending the legs exactly. I discover it useful for taking panoramas, panning with a video head, or utilizing a geared tripod head.
The leveling base additionally has a small embedded screw that may be tightened to lock in opposition to no matter tripod head you connect. That’s good as a result of many tripod heads will loosen over time, particularly when you use the panning base for capturing one thing like panoramas.
There is just one factor I’d enhance on the tripod legs: the mechanism to alter leg angles. To allow it, you simply want to shut the leg slightly and press a lever on the high to disengage the angle lock. It isn’t horrible, however I discovered that it was doable to press it by accident.
Fortunately, on this tripod, the legs transfer pretty stiffly, and I made their motion much more stiff by tightening them. However nonetheless, I feel a spring-loaded slide mechanism (such because the one on the Peak Design Journey Tripod) or a lever accessed from the opposite facet of the leg (like that of Actually Proper Stuff’s tripods) can be higher.
The KB60 Ballhead
The 850 g (1.87 lbs) KB60 ballhead is attention-grabbing as a result of it will possibly function in both ballhead mode or pan-and-tilt mode, the place the motion is restricted to 2 axes. When in pan-and-tilt mode, the lean axis is counterbalanced in order that lengthy lenses received’t tip over. The resistance of the counterbalance can be adjustable with a easy screw, so it may be used with gentle in addition to heavy lenses. Its acknowledged vary is 1kg to 4.5kg (2.2lbs to 9.9lbs), which is sufficient to accommodate virtually any supertelephoto.
One other good function is that the motion of the panoramic base is dampened. Not solely that, however its dampening has three resistance settings. I didn’t count on an excessive amount of from this function, but it surely stunned me after I received fairly good video pans even at a 600mm focal size. It’s additionally made fairly sensible by the 15º adjustment doable with the leveling base, with out which pans can be fairly cumbersome.
That is nice as a result of then you definately don’t have to make use of a devoted video head for panning. I assumed the pan high quality with the included pan arm was just about nearly as good as my Manfrotto Nitrotech 608, which is a devoted mid-tier video fluid head. The KB60 can’t absolutely change a devoted video head for 2 causes, although. The primary is that the lean is just not dampened, so you may’t actually tilt in video photographs, simply pan. And the second is that the drag isn’t repeatedly adjustable, so that you’re caught with a slower velocity. However having the ability to get a pan or two when you really want it’s fairly good.
The KB60 additionally has few different levers: one to tighten the ball itself, one to tighten the panoramic base, and two to function the Arca-Swiss locking mechanism.
So total, the top is flexible, and I’d say it’s fairly sturdy as nicely. As soon as the ball is locked down, it’s actually locked. And it’s fairly straightforward to function in both ballhead or pan-and-tilt mode, feeling fairly secure with heavier lenses.
It does have two small weaknesses, although. The primary is only a small gripe: the locking knob of the panning base. It’s not too exhausting to lock, but it surely’s not as properly textured as some knobs and it’s a bit exhausting to actually firmly lock down, particularly in colder climate. It’s not noticeable with smaller digicam/lens combos, however with a bigger lens I did discover I needed to flip it extra firmly earlier than it was sufficiently locked.
The second weak spot is the is the Arca-Swiss locking mechanism. It’s a bit advanced as a result of there are literally two methods to lock it down.
You may lock it with the knob as with many conventional ballheads. However there’s additionally a lever locking mechanism that works if the knob is tightened good. It’s function on paper, however I didn’t prefer it a lot in follow. If the locking knob is a bit free, the opposite lever lock received’t be ample to lock the digicam in place. There’s a locking nut on the knob to verify it doesn’t get free, however which means you continue to should tighten it good to make the lever lock work.
It does work, but it surely’s not as easy because it could possibly be. I just like the mechanism higher on the Manfrotto 608 Nitrotech head. The 608 solely has a lever, and you’ll pop the lens out and in with ease, and it’s engineered so finely you simply know the lens and digicam are completely secure when you lock that swap.
To the credit score of the KB60, the tripod plate does have security screws that forestall the plate from sliding out. Nevertheless, it’s not as strong as the security mechanism with the Nitrotech 608, as a result of if the locking mechanism is free sufficient on the KB60, you may nonetheless pop the digicam out, whereas that’s merely not doable on the Nitrotech 608 except you press a security lever.
This isn’t to say that the KB60 is insecure. So long as you all the time keep in mind to verify the locking knob is tight, it’s secure. However in my view, this defeats the aim of getting a secondary, lever-based locking mechanism. As an alternative, I’d have most well-liked a lever-only resolution or a knob-only resolution.
Ideas for Wildlife
The Heipi K32 with the KB60 was designed for wildlife pictures in thoughts. Actually, the founder James Ban is himself a wildlife pictures fanatic, which I assumed was fairly cool. So the query is, how does it work for capturing wildlife?
Nicely, a number of consideration was paid to creating this tripod work nicely with lengthy lenses. The KB60 is a sufficiently big tripod head that it received’t be dwarfed by supertelephoto glass, and the tripod itself is sturdy sufficient for the kind of wildlife the place you actually have to attend round for some time and lengthy shutter speeds are completely essential.
For instance, I used to be out after sundown and simply freezing and ready for deer to look to take ghostly lengthy shutter-speed photographs of them, and this tripod was excellent for that. And I feel the K32 tripod and KB60 head can be fairly good for somebody who usually makes use of heavier tripods with longer lenses.
This tripod works greatest when stabilty, fairly than portability, is the precedence. Certainly, the load of 1.5 kg for the legs alone, 2.3 kg for the legs and head, and a 51 cm folded size imply that it will possibly’t simply be carried in a smaller backpack. So for longer hikes, I feel it’s nonetheless higher to take alongside a journey tripod, even for lengthy lenses.
Lastly, it’s not essential to pair the KB60 head with the K32 legs. For instance, the K32 legs additionally makes a pleasant video tripod with the Manfrotto head that I discussed. When you have an current tripod head that you simply like loads, the K32 legs may be value contemplating particularly because it has that good leveling base.
Conclusion
The K32 tripod with the KB60 head is an efficient contender for the sorts of pictures the place you really want secure tripod, and it helped me get photographs with very lengthy shutter speeds that will be not possible to hand-hold. The legs themselves are sturdy and nicely constructed, and I like the built-in leveling base. The pinnacle has a number of options with just a few weaknesses.
After testing this tripod, I can’t say it should all the time take the place of my turkey sandwich in my backpack. However after I do want a heavier tripod, I’ll be taking out the K32.
When you’re fascinated with shopping for this tripod, you will discover it on the official Heipi web site:
This tripod isn’t bought at B&H or elsewhere, so the hyperlinks above are usually not affiliate hyperlinks. Images Life has no affiliation with Heipi.
Let me know within the feedback when you’ve got any questions or ideas about this tripod.