I’ve had my eye on a 3LT tripod for some time now. I was getting frustrated with my current tripod which isn’t very user-friendly. Spending a day with it is a real strain just from the size and weight.
With this experience in mind, I really would have preferred to have seen and felt “Adrian” before purchasing it. Unfortunately I couldn’t find anywhere nearby that I could check it out. Then I saw that 3LT were selling refurbished models for a limited period and I decided it was worth the risk.
Putting the two tripods side by side for the first time with the legs fully extended and locked in the default position they both pretty much reach to the same height. With the centre columns extended, out of the two, Adrian felt much more solid.
It is only when they are in their closed positions that you see the difference. Adrian is not much longer than a 15-inch Apple Macbook Pro. When you consider how much kit is taken for a shoot, any saving in space is always welcome.
Having spent a few hours with it now, the only issue I have is the brass coloured spring stop in the AirHed that I can’t find a release for. This isn’t a problem with the supplied plate. The problem comes when using the L bracket I now have on the Nikon D3. In the horizontal position, for whatever reason, it gets stuck on this stop and the only way to release the camera is by poking the stop with a small screwdriver. In the vertical position the L bracket doesn’t snag in the same way. A longer term solution could be to get another base plate to attach to the L bracket.
It is still early days with this well-made British piece of equipment. What I have seen so far I like. It was the right decision to spend the money on Adrian.