Benro has announced a new tripod. It’s called the CyanBird (buy here), and it takes some noticeable inspiration from the Peak Design Travel Tripod (buy here). It does so, however, at a significantly lower price point.
It’s targeted towards creators. Specifically, it targets those like vloggers who are regularly on the go while shooting. It’s still a travel tripod, though, so it’s tailored to suit travel photography and just helping you with holiday snaps.
Benro CyanBird – Built for travel and style
The CyanBird tripod sports ocean blue anodised aluminium components with satin aluminium leg lock levers. The legs have that arched shape reminiscent of the Peak Design Travel Tripod. This allows them to fold up to a diameter of only 6cm.
The Benro N00P double-action ball head on top of the tripod accepts the standard Arca Swiss-compatible tripod plates. The supplied Arca Swiss plate is also anodised blue to match the rest of the aluminium components on the tripod and provide a consistent look between the head and legs.
It’s a grower, not a shower
When closed, the tripod is around 46 centimetres (~17″) long. With only a 6cm diameter, this makes for a pretty compact package to slip into the tripod pouch on your camera bag. It weighs only 1.02kg (~2.25lb), meaning it should have very little impact on the weight you’re carrying, too.
Opened up, the minimum working height is a mere 18cm (~7.9″). But fully extending the legs with a raised centre column brings this up to 155cm (60″) or around 5 feet. This isn’t the tallest of tripods, but it should suffice for most travel needs.
Price vs performance
The comparisons between this and Peak Design’s Travel Tripod are obvious. But while there are a number of obvious differences, too, the biggest one is by far the cost. Peak Design’s carbon fibre travel tripod costs around $650, while the aluminium version is around $380. With the included ball head, Benro’s carbon fibre CyanBird costs only $189.95.
Yes, that lower price does come with a drop in performance. The Peak Design Travel Tripod has a load capacity of up to 9.07kg (~22lbs). The Benro CyanBird offers less than half of that, at an even 4kg (8.8lb). Sure, this is a big drop, but for travel and vlogging, how many of us are really using 4kg camera rigs?
Overall, it looks like a decent option for low-weight travel tripods. And a carbon fibre tripod at this price is pretty good value.
Price and Availability
The Benro CyanBird carbon fibre with the double-action Benro N00P ball head is available to pre-order now for $189.95. It’s also available with the Benro FS20PRO 2-in-1 Pan Head for $279.95 in carbon fibre or $199.95 in aluminium.
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