Prior to this time, Manfrotto tripods were often sold under the Bogen name in certain regions – for example the 190XPROB and 055XPROB were commonly known as the Bogen 3001BPRO and 3021BPRO respectively in America. Today the same Manfrotto name and model numbers are now used worldwide, although both it and ‘rival’ Gitzo remain part of the same Vitec group. Guide to Manfrotto’s X family The final upgrade concerns the main plate for mounting heads. As before there’s a plastic section underneath the metal plate which elongates to accommodate a useful spirit level, but where this was fixed in position on previous models and could often get in the way of a head or camera at unusual angles, the new version can spin around freely by 360 degrees. It’s a simple but very considerate upgrade that ensures the spirit level never gets in the way. Engineered wood flooring consists of two or more layers of wood adhered together to form a plank. Typically, engineered wood flooring uses a thin layer (lamella) of a more expensive wood bonded to a core constructed from cheaper wood. We’ll be the first to admit it’s not the perfect tripod test, but as you’ll see, it still revealed some interesting and useful results. Manfrotto 190XPROB Vibration results

The target was an indoor flower arrangement at a distance of approximately 15m; with at an equivalent of 3456mm, little more than one flower head was visible in the frame. The location was inside the Queenstown Church we use for our standard low light camera tests; no-one else was in the building at the time and the tiled floor was absolutely steady. We timed the vibration dissipation on-location using the screen, but also recorded the results for presentation here.In 1972, Manfrotto met Gilberto Battocchio, a mechanical engineer who helped him render his ideas and requirements into actual products, and in 1974, the first commercial Manfrotto tripod was launched. Over the next decade and a half the company grew significantly with manufacturing remaining in Italy. In 1989, the entire Lino Manfrotto shareholding was bought by the British Vitec group with Lino and Gilberto remaining in the Management team.

The actual numbers may also have you rethinking your technique, especially if you regularly trigger self-timers by hand and not cable release. While all vibrations with the columns raised or lowered were fully dissipated within a ten second countdown, most configurations were still wobbling well beyond two seconds. As an owner of several earlier 190 and 055 models, I really noticed the increased size of the MT190. It has, in effect, become an 055, but that’s no bad thing. It means the maximum height is tall enough for most photographers to never need to raise the central column, and the maximum load has also increased from 5 to 7kg. The ability to shoot comfortably without extending the centre column is critical for the best performance as raising it on any tripod seriously impacts stability and should only be used as a last resort.In 1992, the Vitec group bought the French high-end tripod company, Gitzo, followed by the American photographic distribution company Bogen a year later. The Bogen Imaging distribution network steadily grew until early 2010 when the name was changed to Manfrotto Distribution throughout all the countries it operated in. Conversely if you want the most compact tripod for easy transportation, the smaller 190 range is preferable, and if weight is an issue, the carbon fiber models of either family are much lighter than their aluminium counterparts. This weight difference isn’t something you’ll need to go on a long hike to appreciate either – it’s obvious before you even step out the door. But carbon fiber doesn’t come cheap, so if budget is an issue, then go for an aluminium model. By now you’ll have a pretty good idea of which model will be best for you, but there are exceptions to consider. The 055 range for example may be designed for taller people and heavier loads, but there’s good reasons for shorter photographers with lighter systems to buy them. As our tests proved, there’s a significant difference in vibration dissipation with the centre columns down, and in this configuration, the height of the 055 range roughly matches the 190 with their columns extended. So if you need the height of the 190 range with the column extended, but want greater stability, the 055 will give you it with the column down. It’s this simple reason which will see the 055 selected by many photographers of average height. The 055 range also obviously has more room for growth – if not in height, then in camera system weight.

Folded, the legs of the 190X Aluminium 3-section Tripod can be released in just one movement so you can get ready to shoot without any delays. The single-handed grip of the QPL levers ensures a comfortable grip, and the intuitive leg angle selectors allow you to customise each leg to a pre-set angle.As noted earlier, on previous generations the 055 series was also comfortably taller than the 190 series, both in terms of maximum height and folded-down length. But with this latest MT series, the MT190 range has grown to virtually match the size of the MT055. Again the MT055 models are heavier to accommodate the extra load, but in terms of maximum height with or without the column raised, or their carrying size when folded-down, there’s little to choose between them. It really is mostly a case of choosing whether you need that extra 2kg of load capacity and if you’re willing to carry around the additional half kilo or extra pound for the more substantial build. For the lens we once again opted for a popular focal length of 70-300mm, although due to availability the model used was the less common Canon EF 70-300mm DO. When fully zoomed-in and mounted on a cropped-frame body like the 550D / T2i, this lens delivered an effective focal length of 480mm. The Movie Crop function then effectively multiplied this by a further 7.2 times, delivering a final focal length equivalent to a massive 3456mm; in binocular or telescopic terms, that’s about 70x ‘normal’ (50mm) magnification. So while the total load itself was a fairly modest 1.25Kg (or just under 2.1Kg including the head), the chance to test each tripod at such a large and demanding effective focal length was one we felt had the overall edge. And once again while the Canon 550D / T2i isn’t a heavy body, it is representative of the DSLRs in most common use. Like most tripods, the 190XPROB’s legs can be set to different angles: in this case there’s four options at 25, 46, 66 and 88 degrees to the central column. Yes, that’s right, the fourth leg angle is virtually perpendicular to the centre column, allowing very low angles with a minimum height of just 8.5cm. Our Oak floors are all carefully selected from Mills which legally harvest mature oak trees, making sure you have a seasoned oak which will last. The wide boards are a great vocal and visual point in any area as these create a vast array of effects from making the area look larger, airy and open with fixed lengths of 1900mm. The advantages of an Unfinished Oak are unlimited from being able to add textures from brushing, to hand scraping, or even distressed boards to make them look aged or worn. Plank Width Introducing our lovely invisible Oak in a well sought-after finish. The warm colours of the smoking process along with the white pigmentation provide a beautiful invisible Oak look helping you achieve that perfect finish. Our floors are specially perfected to cater for all our designers with minimal discrepancies. Plank Width