Manfrotto MKELMII4BK-BH

I purchased the 'Manfrotto Big Element Traveller Tripod with Ball Head - Carbon Fibre' - specifically for a trip to Iceland in Nov/Dec 2018 to photograph the Northern Lights - so weight and being compactable were key requirements. (as I also travel regularly, keeping as light weight as possible is important for me)I use a Canon 5D Mk IV and an assortment of lenses, so the 8 kg carry capability again is perfect.In the case of photographing the Northern Lights, I was using an f2.8 14mm Samyang Lense.Out in the field (and the dark) I utilised the bag hook underneath to further weight stabilise the tripod, as there was a light wind blowing. This worked perfectly, though it was a little fiddly pulling down the hook whilst wearing gloves.To avoid hunching over (not easily done wearing multiple layers and jackets)- I ended up fully extending all the tripod leg sections, due to the high tilt angle towards the sky and again, this proved fine and worked perfectly.The only negative (which was entirely my responsibility) was that I failed to check that the rubber feet were screwed in tightly (as they are interchangeable with supplied stainless spikes) ... and consequently I lost one of the rubber feet that fell off in the dark.A replacement part has been ordered (£13.18 after p&p and 20% tax added) so a very expensive small piece of rubber and metal screw thread) ... so, I would advise to regularly check the tightness of the rubber feet, to avoid expensive replacement parts, but at least the replacement parts are readily available, which is worth something in itself !I did find I have to be a little more diligent with ensuring the twist-lock was fully 'locked' on the legs, unlike the clip system of my previous tripod, but again, this isn't a problem for me, rather an observation for anyone considering purchasing this tripod.The lightly padded carry bag with a drawstring was perfect whilst out and about and I was still able to carry across my body whilst also carrying a sling backpack.This also ensures that it takes up minimum space when packing in your hold luggage suitcase.All in all, I am delighted with this tripod and I am looking forward to many years of use and at this stage, don't see the need for anything heavier or larger.I hope this review has been helpful for those considering purchasing this tripod?

Nice tripod and ball head - no complaints about quality of construction. However...........I am mystified as to why Manfrotto have changed from their own quick release fitting to the so-called universal one. It may claim to be universal - but it is nowhere as good !It is nowhere as quick to put in place or remove - the security of your camera depends on how tightly you do up the thumb screw - and all screws will eventually come loose ! The "old" Manfrotto plate clicked securely into place and require two distinct actions to "unclick" it - VERY secure. This ball head has a protruding screw in the centre which fouls my Black Rapid adapter plate (I had to buy a new one anyway !!) so that the plate does not fit completely inside the universal fitting. If you use a Black Rapid style of strap would suggest you have a good look at this tripod to see if you would be happy with the security of your camera on top of it. I would be very wary of trusting my £5K Nikon or Canon (which I don't have) to this "quick release" mechanism.I am considering some way of fitting a "belt and braces" lanyard to the camera and tripod when it is in use to prevent a very expensive noise when the camera falls off the tripod.Summary: good tripod, good head - poor choice of quick release plate !!!

das Stativ ist was Bedienung und Stabilität angeht völlig OK, aber irgendwie nicht zuende entwickelt, oder gewollt nicht voll funktionstüchtig.Ich bin mir nicht sicher, wie ich die Unzulänglichkeiten bei dem Stativ werten soll. Entweder es ist wirklich nicht komplett durchdacht oder man soll teuer einen anderen Kopf zu dem sonst guten und leichten Stativ nachkaufen.Folgende Punkte sind hier zu nennen, die die Nutzung stark einschränken und für mich ein Ärgernis darstellen:1) Die Aufnahme der Schnellwechselplatte ist nicht Arca Swiss komptibel. Die zentrale Schraube, die Aufnahme und Kugel verbindet, steht so weit raus, dass sie den Einsatz einiger anderer Wechselplatten und in meinem Fall vor allem des Tamron 150-600 G2 Objektives verhindert. Ich wollte gerade auch hierfür die Einbein-Umbaumöglichkeit im Urlaub nutzen um nicht Ein- und Dreibein separat mitnehmen zu müssen.2) Die Schnellwechselplatte hat schon die Löcher für Stifte/Schrauben, die die Sicherung gegen Rausrutschen wie bei ArcaSwiss erlauben würden, statt der in diesem Fall herausstehenden Schraube an der Aufnahme.3) Die Gummipuffer an der Schnellwechselplatte sind ein schlechter Witz, bei allen möglichen anderen Platten (auch billig-China), die ich habe, steht das Gummi 0.5 bis 1 mm heraus und verrichten seinen Dienst, in dieser sind sie plan mit dem Metall, nur die Spitzen stehen minimal raus und versagen daher den angedachten Dienst, sehr ärgerlich.4) Die Möglichkeit der Arretierung des Kopfes gegen Verdrehen mit einer Inbusschraube in der darunterliegenden Platte ist auch leider nicht sinnvoll gelöst. Zieht man diese an, kann sogar ein Spalt entstehen und der Kopf zur Platte schief stehen. Gegen das Verdrehen wäre einfach nur eine Nut oder eine Bohrung im Kopf an entsprechender Stelle erforderlich. Die Gewindelänge und die feste Verschraubung ist dann immer noch gewährleistet, die Position ist egal, da das Gewinde im Doppelbolzen nach oben und unten ausreichend lang ist.Ich werde das Stativ behalten und erstmal einen anderen Kopf mitnehmen. Später werde ich die zentrale Schraube tauschen oder abschleifen und eine andere Wechselplatte nutzen.Schade, ich bin sonst andere Qualität bei Manfrotto gewöhnt, dies ist mittlerweile mein viertes Stativ dieses Herstellers.

The design has a protruding (by approx. 2mm) screw head in the bottom (tripod) side meaning you cannot slide on camera as is normal – you have to open up clamp and drop it in vertically. In fact many Arca / Swiss camera mounts will not fit at all as they have a “solid” bottom e.g. my Fuji X Pro2 original grip. All my other Arca / Swiss mounts use a flush fitting counter sunk screw – not a cap screw. This was pointed out to Manfrotto and their response was both confusing and disappointing – on one hand they say that it will fit “genuine” Arca swiss heads and then say that there is no standard – can’t have it both ways? So down from original three stars to two.If I was not moving house I would have returned the item – my solution was to get a friend with a lathe to machine down screw so it was flush.

I bought this tripod to replace my smaller BeFree one travel tripod. This tripod reaches a lot higher, has a better head and is nearly as easy to transport as the BeFree one.Immediately upon using the Tripod, You can feel a build quality difference though, With the Element Carbon feeling not as nice to use. You can tell the build quality is lower than the Italy built BeFree.However the tripod is much studier with its higher load limit, so despite the lower quality feeling in operation, I will still class this tripod as a upgrade.The big issue with this tripod is one that can be corrected. The tripod comes with a 'Arca-Swiss' compatible head. However the bolt mounting the head protrudes into the mount area. The provided plate is designed for this, in fact it provides a extra level of security to hold your camera or lens in if the plate is not fully tightened down.However most Arca Swiss mounts such as a Small Rig or lens collars with Arca Swiss compatible plates will not fit.(fortunately my Peak Design Manfrotto / Arca Swiss plate fitted perfectly, but my Tamron 100-400mm Mount did not.)The cure for this is to replace the bolt holding the plate to the ball head. I replaced mine with a M6 20mm countersunk bolt. The bolt is now nearly flush with the plate, allowing Arca Swiss devices to mount without issues.To replace the bolt you will need a long allen key or some way to leverage the bolt as it is in there tight. Some thread locker would also be recommended as you do not want this bolt coming loose with your camera attached.I used a impact wrench to easily remove and replace the bolt.So overall this is a good tripod. I wish the build quality was on the level of my previous tripod, but it is a sturdy and lightweight platform for a good price.