As usual, something else presented itself: a swarm of orange butterflies in a field of purple flowers. When you add a K10/K5IIS with battery grip and L-bracket on top of all that the viewfinder is nearly at my eye level. And once again while the Canon 550D / T2i isn’t a heavy body, it is representative of the DSLRs in most common use. Each of the four tripods is designed for different requirements and budgets, and as such there’s no stand-out winner. All you need to do is extend when you’re ready to go, and slot right back into the tripod’s top casting when you’re done.

The new vertical-horizontal column mechanism is hidden inside the tripod’s top casting until it’s needed. In addition, each of the legs can be set to different angle for more flexible, versatile positioning and allows you to balance the tripod on an uneven surface.

But again, each review is presented from the viewpoint of one particular model, and on this page, it’s the turn of the 190XPROB – one of the most affordable models in the X range.

If you’re looking for something taller and with greater load-handling, check out our Manfrotto 055XPROB review and Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 review. Raising the centre column unsurprisingly compromises stability, but probably by a lot more than you originally feared. By extending the column to its highest vertical position, it can be swung over to horizontal like a boom without removing the head or disassembling the column itself. An added benefit to using a tripod when working with others is that they can see the shot and provide immediate feedback.It has a unique column clamp design which means that if you release the column and pull it up to its full height, then press in a sprung catch in the base, you can rotate it through 90 degrees and use it as a horizontal boom. But beyond verifying these facts, it’s the caveats and qualifications which are particularly interesting. That said, if you’re mostly carrying your tripod by foot or bike, there’s no doubt the lighter carbon fiber models are preferred.