I usually take a tripod when I travel. While it can be troublesome to carry around, sometimes it’s necessary to get the shot I want. But every tripod is makes trade-offs, so finding the right tripod for travel can be tough.
Today I’m looking at the $650 Peak Design carbon fiber tripod, and the $26 Ulanzi MT-33. By the way, there’s a smaller Ulanzi MT-11 that’s made for phones and compact cameras, but the one I’m using is the MT-33 that can handle smaller DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.
Now, there’s no such thing as the perfect tripod. There are just tripods that might do better than others in certain situations.
For travel, I want something that is:
- Lightweight
- Compact
- Good to use
Weight
First looking at weight. The Peak Design carbon fiber weighs in at 1.3 kilograms. The Ulanzi is just 325 grams. That’s a quarter of the weight of the Peak Design. Holding it for a little while isn’t such a big deal, but after days of travel, that 1 kilogram becomes more significant.
Compactness
The Peak Design is the class leader for traditional tripods. There’s almost no wasted space when you fold it up. It’s just brilliant engineering. But the Ulanzi is even more compact than that. It’s just skinny and easily slips into the side pocket of a backpack.
For actual usage, this is where things get messy because they are just so different.
Load capacity
Peak Design says their tripod can carry up to 9.1 kilograms. That would be a pretty huge camera and lens, so for travel it’ll handle almost anything you’re likely to bring along.
The Ulanzi says it’ll hold 2 kilograms, but I suspect you need to take that with a grain of salt. A mirrorless camera and zoom lens is probably pushing the limits of this tripod. It would probably work better if you’re using a lighter, more compact camera instead.
Height
The Peak Design goes up to a decent height by extending the legs. If you extend the center column, it goes up to 130cm (51 inches).
The Ulanzi is meant as a tabletop tripod, so it doesn’t extend at all. It’s maximum height is only about 30cm (12 inches). To get any height, you need to put it on top of something. But sometimes that may not be possible. You can try to wrap the Ulanzi’s legs around a pole or tree, but just be careful that it doesn’t drop your precious camera.
Stability
No contest here. The Peak Design is much more stable.
With the Ulanzi, you kind of need to fiddle with it to make sure it will hold your camera and not fall over. I like to bend its legs and spread them out for better stability.
Phone clamps
Both tripods come with phone clamps.
The Peak Design has a very clever, minimalist clamp that slides out from the center column when you need it. The Ulanzi head has a built in phone clamp.
Both work well, but the Ulanzi is always ready to use while the Peak Design takes some set up.
As Selfie Sticks
For selfies when you travel, the Ulanzi is great. It’s easy to hold it like a selfie stick.
The Peak Design is hard to hold like that, and just too heavy as is. But you can take out the center column, and then it’s great for selfies. This hook prevents you from removing the center column, so for travel I like to remove the hook and hidden phone clamp, putting them somewhere safe so I don’t lose them. Then removing the center column for selfies is a breeze.
One thing nice for selfies that the Ulanzi has and the Peak Design lacks, is a cold shoe for attaching accessories to the side of the head. This can be useful for things like lights or microphones.
Vertical shooting
The Peak Design’s super compact ballhead can be a bit troublesome to get into just the right position for verticaly shots. If you can’t get it to the angle you want, try flipping it to one of the other sides. It eventually works, but it’s not always easy.
The regular ballhead on the Ulanzi is better for shooting vertical, but because the legs are so short, you need to be careful about how you position it so it doesn’t fall over.
Durability
I’ve had this Peak Design tripod for the past 5 years and literally taken it all over the world. It’s held up very well. And Peak Design gives you a lifetime warranty on their products. I’ve used their warranty a couple times on their bags, and I can tell they stand behind their products. That’s reassuring.
The Ulanzi has a flexible aluminum rod inside of each leg, coated with rubber. After repeated bending, I think it’ll eventually weaken or break. I’ve only had this for a few weeks, and time will tell how long it lasts.
Conclusion
So which one should I take on my next trip?
I think the Peak Design travel tripod is really the better tripod. It’s compact, sturdy, and just very well made.
But if I’m going to be backpacking where I need to keep things to an absolute minimum, I think the Ulanzi is good option if you can work within its limitations.
For my upcoming solo vlogging trips around Japan, I’m planning on taking the Ulanzi, and we’ll see how far it will take me.
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