Manfrotto BeFree Compact Travel Aluminum Alloy Tripod

Manfrotto BeFree Compact Travel Aluminum Alloy Tripod

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B&H Photo Video (381)
90%
187 Reviews

Excellent functionality with low weight

Sep 30, 2016

The Manfrotto Befree Compact Aluminum tripod offers location photographers with benefits of a high end tripod at a relatively lower cost. It is very light to travel with but can withstand over eight lbs of load, making the Befree an excellent option if you are a DSLR or a mirrorless camera user who likes to pack light. It lacks the pan feature so it is not recommended for videographers or photographers who work mostly with panoramas. There are ma... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Mostly Well Designed

Oct 26, 2015

I decided over a year ago to get a new travel tripod because my old one didn't pack quite as small as I wanted and just because I needed another reason. . . the levers squeaked. It was an older version of this same tripod. I really thought I wanted one of those little carbon fiber ones and that although I love the lever locks, I thought I could get used to twist locks. Actually playing with some a local store I decided I couldn't justify saving 3... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Great for me - Not sure about students

Sep 19, 2016

I teach at a University so I bought one to test it for our checkout system. For my own travel use, I think it will be fantastic. It is *almost* as light as those costing twice as much, yet has the excellent manfrotto build quality. For all its designed ingenuity, the effective height is 3 feet. When the smallest legs are extended, it gets kinda wobbly and when the hidden top shaft is extended, it gets even moreso. I am not a tall man, but even fu... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Nice tripod, a few little quirks

Jul 22, 2013

I was looking for a nice travel tripod to replace my Slik Sprint and having the larger 190 and 290 Manfrottos, I thought I would give this a try. At first, there was a few things that I didn't like about this unit: the fact that you have to remove the QR plate when folding it (minor) and the fact that it's not a panoramic head. The QR plate locks in a bit differently than the other Manfrottos too. I ended up also purchasing the MePhoto Road Trip,... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Light and small.....but a few drawbacks

Sep 7, 2018

Pros: this is very small...see image and pretty light at 3lb 3.4 oz with ballhead on. The BeFree initial quality seems good, not as solid as my magfiber but pretty good. Super fast and easy to set up once you get a hang of those twist knobs at the top of the legs. Nice that it comes with a carry case but unlikely I'll use that. Cons: While I love the compact design of the ballhead, Im not sure if I'll use it....it just seems a bit flimsy and no... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Manfrotto Befree Travel Tripod

Feb 24, 2014

When I wanted a lightweight compact tripod to use for iphoneography I looked at the products from a few manufacturers, but settled on this Manfrotto model because of the performance I had received from other products from this company. When the tripod arrived and I checked it's working functions one of the lower leg tubes came out of the leg above it-close inspection of the parts indicated that the leg components were assembled incorrectly. After... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Great, big-little tripod

Mar 22, 2015

I purchased this tripod to take on a trip, and it really lived up to the other reviews I read about it. It is small enough to fit in a back-pack (Manfrotto Veloce V), but extends to be big enough to get the job done. I really enjoyed using the ballhead to quickly change the framing of my compositions. It also feels sturdy enough to hold my camera configuration (Canon 5D Mark II with Canon 2470mm f/2.8). There was a review I read warning of the in... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Best travel tripod so far

May 3, 2017

I've bought a number of travel tripods just to return them or stick them in a dark corner of a closet after one use. The BeFree is the first one I've kept as part of my travel kit, though I did need to make one modification. I use Arca Swiss L-brackets or plates on all my gear. I could have replaced just the QR clamp but I didn't like that the BeFree lacked a separate pan lock. So I replaced the Manfrotto ball head with a Joby Ballhead X from my ... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Compact, Sturdy & Configurable!

Jan 2, 2014

In brief: A tad pricey but beautifully engineered! I own two other Manfrotto products and they've both proven to be well-designed and a joy to use. So, in looking for an ultra-compact travel tripod, Manfrotto was my first stop and the Befree proved an easy choice. I use a Ruggard Triumph55 slingbag and like carrying my tripod conveniently strapped to its side. The Befree fits the bill perfectly! Though not as light as carbonfibre, that little bit... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Love this Tripod

May 14, 2014

I love this compact lightweight tripod and was surprised at how great it was for travel and yet sturdy during use. It fits in nicely outside of my Lowepro Flipside Sport Daypack without seeming too bulky. Gets a little getting used to on a bag like that since my first time out I banged/scratched it a bit along a cave wall while trying to move around. It got a minor scratch on the surface, but what's expected for wear and tear on a product such as... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Great portable tripod

Oct 26, 2015

I have a manfrotto (Bogen label) I bought in 1985 and it is built like a tank---it is about the size of a golf bag when in its bag. I needed a compact tripod to fit my lower backpack so the brand I looked for was Manfrotto. The tripod is made in Italy but the head--which is rock solid--is made in China. This tripod is very compact and easy to operate once you get the hang of it and it is very solid. It fits my Lowepro pro tactic 350 backpack perf... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Excellent product, New Go to tripod

Jan 30, 2015

Wow. What more can I say. I had been in the market for a new light weight travel tripod for about 6 months and this is what I ended up pruchasing. Having come from a manfrotto 055x pro series tripod before I knew I wanted to stick with the brand. I ordered this on b and h and product was received within 4 days. Features I love how light and compact this tripod is. I used to hate lugging my tripod out of the car and onto location do to the weight ... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Badly designed quick-release mechanism

Jul 5, 2016

Bought this travel tripod for a photo tour of Europe. Before leaving I familiarized myself with the operation from bag to ready for action so I wouldn't miss any shots. While I like its size and weight for travel, I never was comfortable with the quick release mechanism the BeFree employs. It's a two-stage operation requiring some dexterity maneuvering two separate levers while loading a DSLR and lens onto the base. While shooting a waterfall in ... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Great Tripod, Great Bag, Great Value

Dec 14, 2015

Tripod: Very nice and sturdy and very compact. I am using this with a Sony A7 series mirrorless with a short wide angle lens (video, though no panning necessary), and the ball head works very nicely with this (lightweight) combination. The rig deploys relatively quickly, though one has to flip all the rotating multi-position leg locks into the same position. Also not sure that the flip locks for leg extension make the most sense for this compact ... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Smaller Than Expected; Not A Bad Thing

Dec 22, 2014

I always thought I was pretty much rock steady in my shooting technique. In my advancing years I see that one of two things has happened. I am either becoming weaker as I age, or, I am noticing my pictures were not as sharp as I once thought they were. At any rate, I became a believer in tripods about 3 years ago and I see quite the improvement in my photos. If I go on a trek with a nearly 5 pound tripod these days I tend to make it a shorter tre... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Small and light travel tripod

Jan 11, 2017

Was looking for a small and light travel tripod from a good manufacturer that was not real expensive, this definitely fits the bill. Unit folds up nicely into a small travel bag with strap which will fit into luggage and go over the shoulder when walking around. I chose this model vs a similar Vanguard model because on this model the camera base plate locks into the holding plate mounted on the ball head. The Vanguard model had a screw to tighten... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Excellent Travel Tripod

May 14, 2014

Bought this tripod for a trip to Seattle. I was looking for something that was compact, light and could travel well. The BeFree tripod fit the bill perfectly. With the supplied case I was able to easily fit the tripod in my carryon bag with no issue. Since my wife and I were only going for a couple of days we also put our clothes in the same bag with no space or weight issue. On location I was able to open and setup the tripod quickly and easily.... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Good travel tripod

Jul 12, 2014

This tripod is a very good compromise between portability and sturdiness. It has excellent Manfrotto build quality, while being fairly lightweight and very compact.I do wish that the ballhead had a separate pan lock knob. You should note this fact - you cannot use it for doing panaramic photography (stitch together multiple shots), or video, because there is no way to pan the camera without unlocking the ball.Related to that complaint, the case f... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Perfect for Travel

Aug 26, 2013

After struggling with another travel tripod for several years, I purchased the Befree before an extended trip to the West coast. My first pleasant surprise was just how small it gets, easily fitting in my luggage. It is very light and I barely noticed it hanging off the side of my camera backpack when hiking on trails. Setup takes less than a minute, and even better, fold up takes a minute, so I don't lose my wife/kids while I put things away. It... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Terrific For All Uses

Nov 3, 2015

I purchased this tripod for travel but find myself using it for nearly all purposes. It is very sturdy for a such a lightweight tripod and the quality is excellent. It folds ups so nicely due to the clever design and indented ball head that allows the legs to be tucked in tight to the head. One small fault I found (this is really nitpicking) is that the case should have a pocket to store the camera base pad. The base pad cannot stay on the tripod... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Perfect Travel Tripod

Oct 31, 2013

This tripod exceeded my expectations. I received it just in time to test on a trip to Cambodia. It is the smallest (and best reviewed) tripod I could find. Being 15, it barely fit in my travel backpack. Any other tripod would stick out the top. The weight was barely noticeable. Now, don't expect a rock steady tripod. This wasn't, and shouldn't, be built for that. I bet a good gust of wind would knock it over. To make it that stable takes more wei... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Another winner by Manfrotto

May 21, 2016

First, I have used only Manfrotto (Bogen) tripods for 20 years. Though I have tried another brand I chose to sell it and go back to Manfrotto. It just wasnt sturdy enough. I had high hopes for the BeFree because I needed a sturdy and lightweight tripod for my new A7II with a battery grip. Coming out of the box however, I thought it would not fit the bill. But it did and then some. It is sturdy, durable, compact and light. It holds my Sony flawles... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

Easy, Light, Travel Tripod

Jul 23, 2013

I purchased the BeFree to replace a heavy, clunky Vivitar tripod that I've had ever since I can remember. The best part about the Befree? It's definitely not heavy, nor is it clunky! This is the most compact tripod I've ever used, and I was surprised to see how much it telescopes. I am 6'0 and find that when the legs are fully extended I still have to lean over a little to access the eyepiece. That being said, I don't really mind it because it's ... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

My favorite tripod - with a few quirks

Nov 7, 2016

First, let me state that I love this little tripod. It's what I take with me whenever I leave home. I've replaced the tripod head with a BeFree Live fluid head, as I primarily shoot video and typically use that quick release plate so I can swap between the tripod and the mount on my glidecam, but the default head is very nice. As long as you know what you're doing with it, this product is excellent. Very durable, very lightweight, and very portab... Show More

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video

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Manfrotto BeFree Compact Travel Aluminum Alloy Tripod
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Manfrotto BeFree Compact Travel Aluminum Alloy Tripod (Black) with Large Active Messenger Bag (Gray)
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