3 Legged Factor Punks Brian 2.0: two-minute evaluation
The three Legged Factor Punks Brian 2.0 is a classy and extremely versatile journey tripod with extra tips up its sleeve than a room stuffed with magicians – and one of the spectacular options is the aggressive value it is available in at contemplating what it has to supply.
The Punks Brian 2.0 prices $300 / £250 / AU$633. It is a part of 3 Legged Factor’s colourful punks vary, and to that finish it is obtainable with orange, blue or black accents on the tripod head and the twist lock on the middle column and legs, bucking the arguably uninteresting visible pattern of tripod design that sees most colour schemes dominated by black or gray.
This carbon fiber tripod is a formidable transformer in relation to progress, going from a folded size of 16.5-inches / 42cm to a most top of 73.2 inches / 1.86m with the middle column prolonged. That is taller than many full-size tripods, and much more impressively it is achieved with a weight of simply 3.70lbs / 1.68kg.
So, until you want a heavier tripod for particular taking pictures conditions, the Punks Brian may realistically perform as your primary tripod, regardless of falling inside the journey tripod class.
All three five-section legs are removable, and along with the Vanz ‘footwear’, that are 4.4-inch / 11.2cm stainless-steel legs with rubber ends that may be eliminated to disclose spikes (these can be found individually), they allow the Punks Brian to be remodeled right into a tabletop or extremely low-level tripod. One other function of the detachable legs is that they can be utilized as a monopod with the included AirHed Neo 2.0 ball head hooked up on the high of the leg, or with the middle column hooked up to the highest of the leg for added top as much as 75.1 inches / 191cm.
This stage of versatility is welcome in a journey tripod, as when touring it’s not unusual for photographers to have to cut back their package to the naked minimal. So, having a tripod that can be utilized in three alternative ways – customary, tabletop and monopod – and which gives a beneficiant most top ensures you could cowl all of the bases with one light-weight and compact bundle. As talked about, it’s a must to buy the Vanz footwear for tabletop use individually, and so they’re not low-cost for what they’re however, the general price of the Punks Brian and Vanz stays decrease than many competing journey tripods.
The tripod legs are fabricated from carbon fiber, and whereas they flex somewhat greater than the legs of costlier tripods, stability isn’t a difficulty. In use, I discovered the leg twist-locks to be fast and comfy to make use of due to the rubber grip strips which might be additionally discovered on the two-section heart column. Construct high quality total is superb, and the orange accents of the Punks Brian I reviewed are eye-catching.
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Whereas its aggressive value makes it accessible to fanatics and even newcomers, the Punks Brian is a journey tripod that would simply cater to the wants of working professionals, due to its total construct high quality, options and durable legs with 30lb / 14kg most payload. The latter means you may confidently connect even giant telephoto lenses as a result of the included AirHed Neo 2.0 has a fair better most payload of 40lbs / 18kg, which is spectacular given the compact measurement of the ball head. There isn’t any actual digicam and lens mixture that exceeds the tripod package’s most payload.
The AirHed Neo 2.0 is an easy ball head that’s coloured to match the tripod legs relying on which colour possibility you select. It could be compact, however it’s fabricated from aircraft-grade magnesium alloy and stainless-steel, so it’s as robust as it’s eye-catching.
Operation is clean and dependable, with one knob for adjusting the ball mechanism and one other for the pan mechanism, and whereas the knobs don’t function rubber grips, the machined metallic grips work completely and look fairly sensible, too. There’s additionally an adjunct mounting level and a metallic loop on the backside of the middle column for attaching the included carabiner device, from which you’ll be able to hold a digicam bag to enhance stability when wanted.
The plate used can also be the Arca Swiss design, so it’s appropriate with 3 Legged Factor and third-party L brackets. There’s additionally a notch inside the ball head to permit for portrait-format taking pictures, so an L bracket isn’t important for this, though they’re much higher for portrait-format taking pictures than a ball head by itself.
Discovering a tripod of this high quality for such a aggressive value is a rarity within the tripod world. The Punks Brian can comfortably compete towards tripods which might be twice the value and nonetheless come out as an extremely attractive possibility. So, in the event you’re searching for a journey tripod that appears good and performs properly, with some spectacular options on supply, the Punks Brian is definitely an possibility to think about.
3 Legged Factor Punks Brian 2.0: value
The three Legged Factor Punks Brian 2.0’s present checklist value is $299.99 / £269.99 and it is obtainable in three colorways; black, black / orange, black / blue.
3 Legged Factor Punks Brian 2.0: specs
| Max top | 1.86 m / 73.2in |
| Min top | 10.9 cm / 4.29in |
| Folded size | 42 cm / 16.5in |
| Materials | Carbon fiber |
| Leg sections | 5 |
| Package weight | 1.68 kg / 3.70 lb |
| Load Capability | 14 kg / 30 lb |
Ought to I purchase the three Legged Factor Punks Brian 2.0?
Purchase it if…
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How I examined the three Legged Factor Punks Brian 2.0
I examined the three Legged Factor Punks Brian 2.0 utilizing a number of totally different digicam and lens mixtures, to see how the tripod stood as much as customary use in travel-oriented eventualities. Cameras used included a premium compact, an APS-C mirrorless digicam, and a full-frame mirrorless mannequin. I carried the tripod round with different photographic package in my f-stop backpack to guage efficiency over longer panorama shoots.
I’ve nearly 30 years of photographic expertise, with 15 years working as a images journalist, and I’ve been testing and writing about tripods and different equipment for a few years. As an expert photographer I often use a variety of equipment, and produce my working expertise to opinions, enabling me to gauge how efficient specific equipment are from each an expert and an fanatic standpoint.
First reviewed March 2024