Perfect Tripods for Landscape/Wildlife Photographers
The Alta Pro 3X Tripod Series and the Alta Pro 3 Tripod Series are the culmination of four decades of designing and manufacturing award winning tripods, alongside an investment into Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology.
The head of Alta Pro 3X 304CLBPS is designed to attach directly to the canopy of the 30mm carbon fibre tripod legs to deliver the optimal blend of stability and portability, with a separate central column that can be attached when extra height is required.
The Alta Pro 3 263CLBPS and Alta Pro 3 303CLBPS are a traditional tripod design, with a central column that moves vertically on top of either 26mm or 30mm carbon fibre legs. This allows easier control of the height, with a low angle adaptor incorporated into the central column.
Both series come fitted with the new LBP-S Series of professional low profile, Arca compatible, dual axis ball heads which feature an oversized ball for maximum grip and a friction control lock for maximum control, especially for longer lenses.
These stylish and sleek heads use CNC technology to remove excess weight and deliver mirror finishes which ensures that the panning movement is super-smooth, while the dual axis allows you to level your camera in seconds on any terrain, and pan/reframe your shot using the top axis.
The Alta Pro 3X 304CLBPS is constructed with 4 section carbon fibre legs that allow the tripod to fold down to 61cm, and as there is no central column the legs can fold in tight to a diameter of just 8.5cm that makes them easy to carry in one hand, or pack onto your camera bag. In addition, it reduces the weight, making this solid tripod just 1685g including the detached carbon fibre central column.
The Alta Pro 3 263CLBPS and Alta Pro 3 303CLBPS are constructed with 3 section carbon fibre legs that offer a little more stability at the expense of portability, but still folding to 69.5cm and 72.5cm respectively. While there is an aluminium central column, it’s hexagonal design allows the legs to fold in to a diameter of under 10cm, so it’s still easy to carry in one hand or pack onto your camera bag, and still weighs just 1655g and 2005g.
Both series incorporate Vanguard’s silent, easy clean twist locks that make the tripod easy to deploy and maintain, maximising the life of the tripod. To support this, the tripods come with a 2-year warranty as standard, extending to 10-years if registered on our website. That said, the team at Vanguard are committed to customer care and will always try to find a solution, as can be seen by in our Trustpilot reviews.
Despite the portability in both series, these are incredible capable tripods with a maximum load capacity of up to 25kg, and both 30mm tripods extend to 150cm with the central column down (up to 182cm with the central column deployed).
Both series can also go down low with ease. As the Alta Pro 3X 304CLBPS does not use a central column this can go down to 17.5cm. The Alta Pro 3 263CLBPS and Alta Pro 3 303CLBPS do include a central column, but this can be split to go down low with ease to 24cm and 25.5cm respectively.
IN SUMMARY
If you’re a wildlife photographer needing to control a large lens, or a landscape photographer looking for maximum stability for that low light or long exposure shot, and need to cover longer distance across rugged terrain, then the Alta Pro 3X Tripod Series and the Alta Pro 3 Tripod Series should be on your shortlist.
