Snap verdict
Vanguards new Veo 2 Pro tripods are a fantastic addition to the market. They’re stylish, well built, and this particular model has a nifty trick up its sleeve!
The carbon fibre legs offer great strength and stability with a maximum load of 5kg , whilst only weighing in at 1.63kg.
It offers fantastic features such as a low angle adapter and the customizable 3 way head allows for far greater control versus a standard 3 way head.
For a price of £229, this may look steep, however, considering the versatility and its overall build quality, I think its fair to say that it is very reasonably priced and definitely one to look at if you’re in this market.
Intro
If you were to ask a photographer to write out a list of essential accessories, I guarantee they would write tripod somewhere in that list. Of course, tripods aren’t one of those items that essential for everyday shooting – depending on what is you shoot. But there will be times when a tripod is needed, so it is key to finding one that suits your style.
The word ‘perfect’ doesn’t seem to be very common in the photography world, it seems everything has a compromise.
I own 2 tripods myself – the gargantuan Leofoto LN-404C, very tall and extremely sturdy but weighs around 4kg with the ball head! And a much smaller MeFoto Globetrotter classic, compact and far easier to travel with versus the Leofoto, but doesn’t have the height I often require and it is quite heavy being the cheaper aluminium model. Using this Veo 2 Pro was like a breath of fresh air, it is so light you can barely feel it when strapped to your bag!
It offers a decent height, good stability and seems to be well put together. I hope it lives up to my high expectations and rigorous testing!
Features
Where to start, there seems to be a lot on offer here! It comes with a padded carry case and spikes for the feet. If you shoot from low angles frequently, you’ll be pleased to know that it comes with an adapter to shorten the centre column, something that some other brands offer as an additional purchase.
The legs have a twist lock mechanism and they can be angled to 20°, 45° and 80°, great for uneven ground. It has a maximum height of 146cm and the 3 way pan/tilt head uses arca swiss plates and it features a button to swivel the top handle in 90° increments for more control which is also great for video work!
Build and handling
When I removed it from the box and set it up, I was amazed at how light it was, yet, for something this small it feels so sturdy! Twist locks are my preferred locking mechanism on a tripod and these felt great in use, I really liked the texture of the rubber which gives plenty of grip.
Extending the tripod legs is quick and easy to do so, as is extending the centre column, unlike some tripods I have come to use in the past. The operating handles of the head feel plastic and hollow to keep it as light as possible, but I can’t help thinking they could easily break if knocked too hard or if the tripod takes a nasty fall. It would have been nice to some rubber added to these, but I can understand their reasoning not to!
Performance
To be honest, I got on with the tripod far better than I was expecting. I can’t stop saying this, it is so light AND sturdy! Usually its one or the other but not here! As a user of ball heads for the past 7 years, it has been somewhat tricky to get to terms with a 3 way pan/tilt head, but I got used to it and the swivel lock feature came in handy on just about every single shoot I went on! So, we know it’s a light tripod, but this isn’t always a good thing.
I often shoot in stormy weather on the coast, hence why I have a huge beastly tripod myself and the Veo took a beating from some pretty strong waves! Luckily, it offers a hook to hang something heavy, like a camera bag. By doing this I got rock steady 30 second exposures.
Verdict
Well, there really isn’t much to dislike about the Veo 2 – light, sturdy, fairly versatile and reasonably priced. For the travelling photographer, this could seriously be the only tripod you’ll need.