The Leofoto LS-254CL - A travel tripod for photographer's who want a real tripod

[@kunalravindra]

Thank you for this, appreciate your efforts..

[@emilvonmaltitz]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching

[@FieldingSmith]

Any chance we’ll see long versions of the Ranger CEX soon?

[@emilvonmaltitz]

Unlikely. The CL versions as are all the same length as the CEX tripods. It’s not impossible though. If a distributor gets enough interest they can order ‘bespoke’ tripods. That’s how South Africa got the Agulhas which as far as I know is the only Poseidon CEX tripod.

[@steelshaper]

Would this tripod and the Leofoto bv-10 work well with the sony 200-600? If not what would be your tripod recommendation?

[@emilvonmaltitz]

For a lens that big I’d personally go up a size to the 284 at a minimum. Although for long lens and video head usage a 32 series is probably where you should be looking I think. The LS-254cl is an awesome travel tripod alternative whereas lenses bigger than 200mm should probably be used on a bigger, heavier set of legs.

[@steelshaper]

@@emilvonmaltitz Thank you! I'll definitely check out the 284 model. Would it be overkill going to a 3xx model for a lens of this size?

[@emilvonmaltitz]

@@steelshaper Definitely not overkill. my principle tripod for several years has been the LS-324CEX (recently supplanted by the new LP-364CEX). If you are planning on hiking a lot, then the 284 is a better bet as it is lighter (I still think of the 28 series as the Goldilocks size as it'll do for stability AND travel...but if serous support then 32 and up). If you need solid stability and don't need to actually carry it a lot, then go to the 3xx series.

[@NickPage]

while leofoto does make some decent tripods at the price point.. it is the business model that I cant and wont support. I hate it when tripod companies blatantly copy other designs, and cut corners to deliver it at a lower price point than the original. This particular model is a Really Right Stuff clone.. the head a bh 40 and the legs and versa 24. I would much rather give the company that developed the original my money, and support their R & D than give the company just cloning the hard work of others my money. Not only from an ethical standpoint, but from a quality of product and quality of customer service standpoint as well. Buy nice or buy twice.

[@emilvonmaltitz]

Howzit Nick. Fair enough, although I think it's more than a cut and dried clone. There are enough differences between the tripods to indicate separate company input as well. All tripod companies take side-long looks at each other and get inspiration from their competitors (although Leofoto clearly draws most of their inspiration from RRS). Where I live (South Africa - but this applies to a vast number of countries), RRS isn't even available, and if I were to go the route of importing I would be completely without support for spares such as shims and such. The distributors here are fantastic and deal with warranty issues and spares with a speed that puts every other company that I've worked with to shame, and I have heard similar reports from photographers in other parts of the world). And on importing: our measly currency puts the likes of RRS way beyond what is affordable except to the ultra wealthy. Here, Leofoto is still considered an expensive tripod despite it being significantly lower priced than something like RRS. I also fully agree with the concept of buy nice or buy twice, but certainly where I live, that applies to the Leofotos as well (I've had the privilege to use a large range of tripods over the years and Leofoto is up there at the top in terms of features, usability and durability - more so than a number of longer established brands). Cheers, and thanks watching and commenting.

[@NickPage]

@emotionair1882 some more blatantly than others…. There are plenty of decent options in that price range out there and I for one am not going to support the intentional rip off when there’s lots of other companies that are at least implementing some of their own ideas.