Ultimate Really Right Stuff Tripod Guide – 2024

There comes a time in every photographer’s life when they need to buy a tripod. Sadly, many people screw this up and buy the cheapest one they can find, only to have it break within a year or two, having done more harm than good to their photography. About 20 years ago, I made this mistake by buying one of those cheap SLIK tripods.

After that comes another time in a photographer’s life when they decide to buy a “proper” tripod that will last them for the rest of their life, and it’s during this second search that many people come across the made-in-the-USA tripods from Really Right Stuff. In this guide, I will share over a decade’s experience using a wide range of Really Right Stuff tripods. All your questions will be answered if you’re considering buying one.

Introduction

I have been using RRS tripods for over a decade now, and in that time I have used all manner of different sizes and capacities. As my work and photographic interests have changed, so have my camera support requirements, but the constant throughout that change has always been an RRS tripod under my camera. Their logical and wide range of different tripods has always offered up the perfect solution.

RRS are known for their beautiful designs and faultless machining. Everything that comes out of the factory looks like a work of art, as much as that is possible with a tripod at least. But RRS products don’t just have a pretty face, they offer performance to back that up. Some people will baulk at the price of these tripods, but I can tell you that once you use one, you understand immediately that they are expensive for a reason.

I have tried many tripods over the years, and while some of them might get the job done from a stability point of view, I have never found another brand that makes a tripod that just gets everything so right. Every joint is buttery smooth, every leg lock is silky smooth and every piece of machining is always perfectly formed and anodized. It’s the old supercar analogy: A Porsche and a Ford are both cars that can drive you to the supermarket, but one of them is simply going to feel better and do it in more style.

In short, I believe, as do many others, that they are the best tripods on the market. But you will pay for the privilege of owning and using one.

A Guide Is Needed

As with anything expensive that has so many options, the decision over which RRS tripod to choose can be an agonizing one. Over the years I have owned RRS 1-series, 2-series and 3-series tripods, carbon ones, aluminium ones, ones with centre columns and ones without, ones with removable apexes and ones with fixed apexes, Mk1 and Mk2 versions, even ones classed as “Short” versions and ones classed as “Long” versions. With those tripods I have paired them with just about every RRS tripod head they have ever made, from the BH-25 up to the BH-55 and various versions of their gimbals.

Some, like my partner Kait, might call this “a problem”. But I’m just going to call it research, and now you can all benefit from a decade of in-field testing.

Disclaimer: All of my RRS tripods were purchased at full price just like a regular customer. I am a contributor to Really Right Stuff’s seasonal magazine, Light and Shadow, and in the past, I have been a pre-production product tester, but I’m under no obligation to gush nice things about all of their products. In fact, they don’t even know I’m writing this guide. My priority here is to help you make the best decision.

Really Right Stuff Tripod Nomenclature

Field testing the BPC-16 on a TFC-14 tripod

RRS has a simple alphanumerical system to construct the product names for their wide range of tripods. Once you see it explained below, you’ll be able to understand the spec sheets and details in this guide much better.

Example tripod name (seen in the photo above): Really Right Stuff TFC-14

  • First letter – T for tripod
  • Second letter – V for Versa series tripod with interchangeable apex, F for tripods with a fixed apex or Q for tripods with a built-in quick-column. (Apex versions explained in greater detail later)
  • Third letter – C for carbon fibre or A for aluminum
  • Hyphen – Just because
  • First number – Indicates tripod series – 1, 2, 3 or 4. This has some correlation with capacity, but also as a way to differentiate top leg diameter, and a way to describe accessories. eg. A 3-Series leveling base is obviously designed to be used on 3-Series tripods.
  • Second number – The number of leg sections – 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.
  • Final letter (optional) – S for Short, L for Long, G for Ground or i for Inverted. These difference will become obvious as we discuss the tripods and you see the specifications in the table below.
  • Ascend-14 Series – BH indicates a model that includes a built-in ball head. PL indicates a model that just has a ball head platform.
  • Example 1: TVC-23

This is a 2-series Carbon tripod with a Versa apex and 3 leg sections.

  • Example 2: TVC-32G

This is a 3-series carbon tripod with a Versa apex and 2 leg sections. It is a Ground pod, designed for low-level usage.

  • Example 3: TFC-24L

This is a 2-series carbon tripod with a fixed apex and 4 leg sections. The L designation means it’s the Long variation, so all of the leg sections are slightly longer than the regular version of the TFC-24, thus making it taller when extended to maximum height.

  • Example 4 – TFA-32G

This is a 3-series aluminium tripod with a fixed apex and 2 leg sections. It’s also a Ground pod, designed for low-level usage.

  • Example 5 – Ascend-14 L BH

This is a 1-series tripod with 4 leg sections. It’s part of the Ascend series, in the long variation, and it also has a built-in ball head.


Really Right Stuff Tripod Specifications

Now that you understand the tripod’s naming scheme, this table compares the essential specifications of maximum and minimum height, folded length and diameter, and capacity and price. You’ll notice a few correlations between the tripod designs and the resulting specifications as you study the specs.

For example, fixed apex versions of a tripod are slightly lighter, and their folded diameter is smaller. More leg sections decrease the folded length of a tripod to make it more packable, but it also slightly reduces the maximum capacity and increases the price. Long and Short variations of tripods have different folded lengths and somewhat different maximum capacities.

Note on pricing: I used to include the current price in the second column of this table, but prices fluctuated so much in recent years that I have given up constantly tweaking them. Please click the link to check the current pricing.

ModelPriceLeg SectionsMax HeightMin HeightFolded LengthFolded DiameterWeightCapacity
Ascend-14 BHCheck Price461.3″ (156cm)5.1″ (13cm)18.63″ (47cm)3.4″ (8.6cm)3.19lbs (1450g)30lbs (13.61kg)
Ascend-14 PFCheck Price458.2″ (148cm)3.7″ (9cm)17.1″ (43cm)3.4″ (8.6cm)3lbs (1360g)30lbs (13.61kg)
Ascend-14L BHCheck Price468.9″ (175 cm)5.1″ (13 cm)21.1″ (54 cm)3.4″ (8.6cm)3.38 lb (1534 g)30lbs (13.61kg)
Ascend-14L PFCheck Price466.6″ (169 cm)3.7″ (9 cm)19.6″ (50 cm)3.4″ (8.6cm)3.19lbs (1450g)30lbs (13.61kg)
TFC-14 Mk2Check Price447.1″ (120cm)2.7″ (6.8cm)17.8″ (45cm)3.4″ (8.7cm)2.46lbs (1116g)50lbs (22.7kg)
TQC-14 Mk2Check Price458.1″ (148cm)3.4″ (9cm)18.3″ (46cm)3.9″ (10cm)2.78lb (1261g)50lb (22.7kg)
TVC-23 MK2Check Price352.4″ (133cm)4.1″ (10.4cm)23.9″ (61cm)4.7″ (11.9cm)3.42lbs (1551g)80lbs (36.3kg)
TFC-23 MK2Check Price351.4″ (131cm)4.0″ (10cm)23.8″ (60cm)3.7″ (9.4cm)3.22lbs (1461g)80lbs (36.3kg)
TVC-24 MK2Check Price449.5″ (126cm)3.6″ (9.3cm)19.4″ (49cm)4.7″ (12cm)3.43lbs (1556g)85lbs (38.6kg)
TFC-24 MK2Check Price449.4″ (125cm)3.5″ (9.0cm)19.3″ (49cm)3.8″ (9.7cm)3.4lbs (1542g)85lbs (38.6kg)
TVC-24L MK2Check Price466.4″ (169cm)4.1″ (10cm)23.3″ (59cm)4.7″ (12 cm)3.84lbs (1741g)70lbs (32kg)
TFC-24L MK2Check Price466.3″ (168cm)3.9″ (10cm)23.2″ (59 cm)3.8″ (10cm)3.69lbs (1674g)70lbs (32kg)
TVC-33S MK2Check Price350.4″ (128cm)4.1″ (10cm)22.8″ (58cm)5.7″ (14cm)3.83lbs (1737g)90lbs (41kg)
TFC-33S MK2Check Price350.4″ (128cm)4.0″ (10cm)22.5″ (57 cm)4.1″ (10cm)3.45lbs (1565g)90lbs (41kg)
TVC-33 MK2Check Price358.2″ (148cm)4.4″ (11cm)25.4″ (64cm)5.7″ (14cm)4.10 lbs (1860g)85lbs (39kg)
TFC-33 MK2Check Price358.2″ (148cm)4.3″ (11cm)25.4″ (64cm )4.1″ (10cm)3.72lbs (1687g)85lbs (39kg)
TVC-34 MK2Check Price458.2″ (148cm)3.7″ (9cm)20.9″ (53cm)5.7″ (14cm)4.25lbs (1928g)85lbs (39kg)
TFC-34 MK2Check Price458.2″ (148cm)3.7″ (9cm)20.9″ (53cm)4.1″ (10cm)3.85lbs (1746g)85lbs (39kg)
TVC-34L MK2Check Price468.4″ (174cm)4.0″ (10cm)23.9″ (61cm)5.7″ (14cm)4.55lbs (2063g)80lbs (36kg)
TFC-34L MK2Check Price468.4″ (174cm)4.0″ (10cm)23.9″ (61cm)4.1″ (10cm)4.56lbs (2068g)80lbs (36kg)
TVC-43 MK2Check Price363.6″ (161cm)7.6″ (19cm)27.6″ (70cm)6.9″ (17cm)5.99lbs (2716g)100lbs (45kg)
TVC-44 MK2Check Price475.3″ (191cm)7.2″ (18cm)26.0″ (66cm)6.9″ (17cm)6.36lbs (2.89kg)90lbs (41kg)
TVC-45 MK2Check Price585.4″ (217cm)6.8″ (17cm)25.0″ (63cm)6.9″ (18cm)6.88lbs (3.12kg)80lbs (36kg)
TVC-32G MK2Check Price214.0″ (36cm)2.9″ (7cm)10.2″ (26cm)5.6″ (14cm)3.15lbs (1.43kg)200lbs (91kg)
TVC-42G MK2Check Price216.4″ (42cm)4.3″ (11cm)11.8″ (30cm)6.7″ (17cm)5.18lbs (2.35kg)250lbs (113kg)
TFA-32GCheck Price217.7″ (450mm)1.62″ (41mm)12.4″ (315mm)2.9″ (73mm)2.17lbs (985g)50lbs (23kg)
TFA-01 BasicCheck Price15.8″ (14.7cm)1.5″ (37mm)5.8″ (14.7cm)1.3″ (34mm)4.7oz (132g)50 lbs (22.7kg)
TFA-01 UltraCheck Price14.7″ (119mm)1.5″ (37mm)5.9″ (150mm)1.3″ (34mm)4.8oz (135g)15 lbs (6.8kg)

RRS Out of Stock – What Are The Alternatives?

ProMediaGear tripods are the best alternative if you cant’ find RRS stock.

Over the last few years, it has become tough to get an RRS tripod as they are almost perpetually out of stock. These are the currently in-stock RRS tripods at B&H. If you find one in stock, don’t consider it too long! If you miss it, you could wait many months (or more) for it to become available again.

Sadly, I have to say that if you need a tripod ASAP for an upcoming trip and you can’t find the RRS one you want in stock right now, you should probably look elsewhere. If that happens, I recommend looking to another made-in-the-USA tripod company, ProMediaGear.

In search of a heavy-duty 4-series tripod and unable to get the RRS one I wanted, I recently had to make this decision myself. I can now say that PMG’s tripods are equally good as RRS tripods, and there are no supply issues. While I would have liked to add to my RRS tripod collection, I have been mightily impressed with the ProMediaGear TR424L tripod, just as I have been in the past with their tripod heads.


The Five Factors In Choosing an RRS Tripod

Choices, choices!

If you have studied the tripod specifications and the RRS tripod naming scheme you might have picked up on five different factors that define the features, and therefore the suitable purpose of RRS tripods. Some of these make a big difference and some of them make a smaller difference, but they are all worth discussing. They are as follows:

  • Mk1 or Mk2 tripod
  • TVC or TFC version of tripod
  • Tripod series: 1, 2, 3 or 4
  • Height variation: S, L or G
  • Number of leg sections

In the next part of this guide, I will discuss each of these factors in turn, and compare the variations where appropriate.


Mk1 Vs. Mk2 RRS Tripods

In 2019 RRS updated all carbon tripods to Mk2 versions and now you will only find the Mk2 variants for sale online. However, I’m going to briefly discuss the differences between the two versions because there are quite a large number of the Mk1 tripods for sale on the second-hand market, and there are probably Mk1 owners who are wondering if they should upgrade to Mk2 versions. If you plan to buy something new you can skip over this part if you’re in a hurry, although personally, I would also appreciate knowing how these tripods have recently been improved.

MK2 tripod (left) Vs Mk1 tripod (right). The main differences are the leg locks.

The main improvement on the Mk2 version is the leg locks. In fact, a slightly different look to the new leg locks is the only visual clue that a tripod is part of the new Mk2 lineup. In the words of RRS themselves:

The new sealed twist-lock minimizes the number of contaminants, such as sand and grit, that gets caught inside the twist locks. In addition to improving the feel and operation of the twist locks, the seals extend their life. This new feature is also important in sub-freezing environments, preventing moisture from entering the assembly and freezing, which inhibits the user from either extending or collapsing the legs.

Mark 2 tripods use a 360-degree collet and wiper shield that can be easily removed from the twist locks for cleaning. If you do need to clean out the twist-locks in the field, the process just got a lot easier. Gone are the days of difficult to remove and reinstall split gibs, maintenance is now a breeze!

We designed a discrete air vent to port air out just under our pull-tabs towards the centre of the tripod. These air vents prevent pressure gradients from building up, allowing smoother leg extraction and collapse. The inward-facing vents also ensure airflow is directed towards the center of the tripod and away from mounted lens elements. Positioned at the top and inside of each leg, the air vents are also less likely to allow water or other debris enter the leg assembly.

And that’s really all there is to the update. Although these are welcome improvements, I would say that there is no need for anyone to upgrade their Mk1 tripod to an Mk2 tripod just to get these new leg locks. I would also say that if you find a good deal on a second-hand Mk1 tripod, go right ahead and buy with confidence! It’s still a great tripod. I have owned both types of tripods and really don’t notice a huge difference, aside from a slight improvement in the smoothness of the leg lock motion on the Mk2, and legs that slide in and out with a little less effort due to the vented clevis.


TFC Vs TVC Tripods – How To Choose

Every 2-Series and 3-Series tripod, with two exceptions, comes in two variations: TFC and TVC. The two exceptions are the Ground Pods. The TVC-32G doesn’t have a TFC version, and the TFA-32G doesn’t have a TVC version. As they are both 3-Series Ground Pods, albeit, with slightly different designs, they are themselves considered to be the TV/TF pair that you would choose from.

4-Series tripods are only available as TVC versions. 1-Series tripods are available in either a TFC or a TQC version. Since that is unique to the 1-Series, I will discuss that particular difference in the section below that specifically discusses the 1-Series tripods.

TCV-24L (left) Vs TFC-24L (right)

To understand the difference between these two versions (TVC/TFC) you need to know that in the Really Right Stuff tripod language, the apex of a tripod is the part of the tripod where all three legs meet at the top. Some might call this the top plate, but RRS refer to it as the apex.

TFC

The apex of a tripod is the part at the top where all the legs converge. This is a TFC tripod – one with a fixed apex.

A TFC tripod has a fixed apex. All legs are joined to a machined aluminium section that has a stud on it for attaching your tripod head. On TFC tripods, the stud is reversible and removable. That means you can have either a 1/4″20 stud or a 3/8″16 stud on the top of the tripod. You can also remove it entirely to leave a 1/4″20 threaded hole which can be used with the BC-18 Microball or the BPC-16 Panning Microball.

All TFC tripods also have a hand strap that hangs down beneath the apex. This can be used to apply downward pressure while shooting, to increase tripod stability in windy conditions.

TVC

A TVC tripod has what RRS call a Versa apex. I like to think of it as being short for Versatile, although I don’t know if that was RRS’ original intention. With Versa tripods, a hex key can loosen the top plate of the tripod and remove it, leaving you the ability to switch in different Versa accessories.

2-Series Versa Accessories

3-Series Versa Accessories

4-Series Versa Accessories

Which one is right for you?

TVC-24L (left) and TFC-24L (right). Folded diameter difference is very clear.

To accommodate the Versa accessories, the apex of a TVC tripod is wider and therefore heavier than the apex of an equivalent TFC tripod. As you can see in the comparison photos, this has a considerable effect on the folded diameter of the tripod. Consulting the table of specifications, you’ll also notice that it affects the tripod weight, with TFC tripods being lighter than their TVC counterparts.

If you are sure that you do not need to use any of the Versa accessories, there is really no point in buying the TVC version of the tripod. You might as well go for the TFC version and save a little weight and space. As far as I’m concerned, the decision doesn’t have to be any harder than that.

TVC-24L (top) and TFC-24L (bottom). The TFC is a more compact package with no wasted space.

One thing that is worth knowing, and might ease your buyer’s anxiety, is that RRS will sell you the parts to convert one type of tripod to the other if you realize you either bought the wrong type or happen to own a TVC tripod from the days when TFC tripods did not yet exist (TFC was only introduced in about 2019). The legs are all the same, so the conversion kits simply consist of a new apex and the required bushings and screws to attach your existing legs. There is also a conversion kit to change a 1-Series TFC-14 into a TQC-14 with a Quick Column.

The following video is from the RRS Youtube channel. If you feel like my photo comparisons between TFC and TVC weren’t quite enough for you to get this straight, the video will certainly clear things up.


Size Variations

As we know from the nomenclature section, some of the RRS tripods have size variations labelled L, S or G for Long, Short or Ground.

Let’s start with Ground Pods. These are extremely short, designed for specialized situations where you want your camera to be just a few inches off the ground. You would not purchase a ground pod such as the TVC-32G as your only tripod, but they are a useful addition to your kit if you often find yourself low to the ground for wildlife photography or macro work. The TVC-32G and TFA-32G are most suitable for stills photography work, while the 4-Series TVC-42G is more suited to low-level cinematography where a 100mm video bowl is needed to level a fluid cinema head.

Note that for low-level photography in sandy and muddy places, the TFA-32G is a clear choice. It is designed to be easy to dismantle and clean under running water by simply using aluminium friction locks on the legs. The TFC-32G on the other hand uses the regular greased, rotating leg locks that should be kept away (as much as possible) from sand, mud and grit.

Sad News Note – May 2020: RRS have confirmed that they are discontinuing the TFA-32G because material costs have made it too hard to keep the necessary margins on this product. This is a HUGE shame, but B&H Photo does still have some stock of the tripod at the time I’m adding this note. If you think you might want this tripod now, or in the future, you’d better buy one now before they are gone forever. Check HERE to see if they still have some in stock.

I’m very surprised by this because it has only been two months since they updated the design of this tripod, and my understanding then was that the update was done to streamline production and keep the costs down. I guess it wasn’t enough 🙁

Additional note: Some people have asked me where I got this information from. I can tell you that it was published in a post on the RRS Facebook page, directly by RRS themselves. I’m aware that they do still show stock of this tripod, but who knows how long that will last?

L and S versions of the tripods are fairly self-explanatory. They are simply smaller and larger versions of a particular series’ base model, delivering either a taller or shorter maximum extended height. For example, the TVC-33S is in every way the same as the TVC-33, apart from the fact that each leg is a little shorter. The result is that the folded length is slightly shorter, as is the maximum height. But things like the size of the apex and thickness of the leg sections are identical.

The same goes for the TVC-24 and the TVC-24L. Identical in all ways, apart from the length of their leg sections. With the TVC-24L model having a larger maximum height, at the expense of a slightly longer collapsed length.

How Tall Should Your Tripod Be?

So now you know that G versions of tripods are specialist pieces of kit that might be purchased as a second tripod for some situations. But when looking to buy your main tripod, once you have determined the capacity you need, you also need to decide between the regular version, the S version and the L version.

When I first made this choice ten years ago, I got it wrong. My first RRS tripod was the TVC-33S. I thought I needed the capacity of a 3-Series tripod, but I wanted to save a little weight so I went with the Short S version to do that. After a while, I regretted that decision because my camera was always too low, and constantly bending down in the field was frustrating. For reference, I’m 5ft 9, so I’m not that tall, but I still found the 33S to be too short and I ended up selling it.

A TVC-24L with front leg fully extended.

The key thing is that at maximum extension, you need your camera to be at eye level at the absolute minimum. But what many people don’t consider is the huge effect that working on a slope will have on the height of your tripod.

To demonstrate this, take a look at the photo above. Looking closely you will see that the front downhill leg has one more entire leg section extended than the rear two legs to get it level. Working on even a moderate slope will lose you a huge amount of your tripod’s maximum height, and the result is that if you bought a tripod whose maximum height theoretically puts your camera at eye level, much of the time in the field you will find that it’s still too low if you’re on uneven ground.

If you work mainly in a studio or buildings for architectural photography, this probably isn’t a problem for you. Working on flat ground you can safely buy a tripod that simply puts the camera at eye level when all legs are extended. But if you are a landscape or wildlife photographer often working on uneven ground, I’d urge you to consider buying a tripod that will, according to the max height dimensions, put your camera at least 6-8 inches above your eye level. That way when you are in the field and have to extend a downhill leg as I did in the above photo, you’ll still be able to get that camera back to your eye level.

The result of this is that personally, I prefer the L models of the tripods for nature and wildlife photography, even though I am average in height for a man.


Number of Leg Sections

RRS tripods have either 1 (tabletop tripods only), 2, 3, 4 or 5 leg sections. Increasing the number of leg sections allows you to shorten the collapsed length of the tripod whilst still maintaining a roughly similar maximum height. However, it does come at the expense of some stability because the more leg sections you have, the smaller the diameter of the lowest leg section will be.

Take the TVC-23 and TVC-24 as an example. The latter has 4 leg sections so its collapsed length is shorter (49cm vs 61cm) which makes it a little easier to travel with. However, it’s also a little shorter in its maximum height, and there’s more chance that strong winds or heavy loads could cause some instability due to the thinner lower leg.

Choosing a tripod is about balancing a whole bunch of different compromises, which is why there are so many variations in the RRS lineup. It’s a bit of a headache to make a choice, but I promise that the right choice for you is in there once you figure out your own priorities.

Inverted Tripod Type For SOAR

TVC-22i – The Inverted Tripod

As part of Really Right Stuff’s SOAR lineup (Sport Optics and Rifles), they also introduced their first inverted tripod, called the TVC-22i. This is a 2-series tripod with two leg sections constructed in an inverted manner. What this means is that the lower leg section is actually thicker than the upper leg section. With a regular tripod, the lowest leg section is the thinnest.

The main benefits of this tripod are for competition rifle sports, which is why you won’t even find this tripod listed on the RRS photography website. It only has a single leg lock on each leg, and the inverted design means the locks are up at the top when closed, which makes it fast and easy to grab when you need to deploy the legs at speed during rifle competitions. The other benefit is that when the legs are extended, the single-leg lock is in the middle of the legs, meaning there is never a leg lock down low in the mud. The simpler design, with fewer leg locks and fewer leg pieces, also means it’s one of the cheapest RRS carbon tripods. That said, it has significant disadvantages for photographers. It doesn’t collapse very much at all, so it would be a huge pain to carry around. Also if you are trying to get a low angle, the huge legs would often be in the shot when using wide-angle lenses.

In short, this is a specialist item, and there’s a good reason why it’s not even listed on the photo site. Leave this one to the rifles.

Choosing The Right Tripod Series

Now that we have examined the difference between the TFC and TVC tripod, the differences between the Mk1 and Mk2 tripods and the various size differences, it’s time to talk about the different tripod series: 1, 2, 3 and 4.

The difference between the tripod series is the diameter of the uppermost leg section. These differences in diameter create differing capacities, although the capacity is also affected by the height of the tripod so not all tripods from a singular series have the same capacity, although they do all have the same diameter of the top leg.

1-Series tripods are the smallest and lightest tripods with the lowest capacities, up to 50lbs, while 4-Series tripods are the largest and heaviest with the highest capacity. 100lbs in the case of the TVC-45.

As I mentioned, the series doesn’t entirely define the capacity. It’s also affected by the maximum height. Make sure you look at the specifications table to get the complete picture as there is some capacity crossover between the different series.

RRS 1-Series Tripods

The TFC-14 tripod with a PBC-16 Panning Microball head.

The 1-Series tripods are the best compact tripods on the market. They are small and light, yet they are easily able to hold a 50lb load which is more than any camera setup I’ve ever seen. Despite being the smallest in the lineup, I wouldn’t hesitate to use an RRS 1-Series tripod for professional landscape and travel photography with wide-angle lenses and medium zooms such as 24-70mm. Occasional use with a longer lens is acceptable if it isn’t too windy. I regularly got great images using a Canon 100-400 on mine, as long as I used best practices such as cable release and mirror lockup on calm weather days.

The TQC-14 tripod with its built-in centre column.

If I’m hiking, or travelling a lot, this is the tripod that I choose most often, specifically the TFC-14 version. I used to use the TQC-14 version with the centre column, but I found that the instability introduced by extending the column meant that I often didn’t use it. If you don’t think you will use it, you might as well get the TFC-14 version which has the added virtue of a removable 3/8′ 16 stud. Once the stud is removed, you can use the BC-18 Microball, or the BPC-16 as shown in the photo above. In my mind, this combination creates the best weight to capacity ratio of any tripod on the market right now.

I will add that I probably would not own a 1-Series tripod as my only tripod because they are a little shorter than the higher series tripods. I’m lucky enough to have multiple tripods so this isn’t too much of an issue for me. If I was just buying one tripod and I did a lot of hiking and travelling, I would opt for the 2-Series instead. You get a little more height for not much more weight, especially if you opt for the lighter TFC versions.

A 1-Series tripod compared to a 2-Series tripod. Ignore the lengths, look at the tube thickness.
All RRS tripods have multiple 1/4″20 accessory holes that, among other things, can be used to add a BP-18 Microball as a second head. Here we see one on a TFC-14 with a BH-30 head on top.

The Ascend-14 Series

My RRS Ascend-14L

The Ascend-14 Series of tripods is the latest design from Really Right Stuff. Although the folded diameter of the Ascend tripods is the same as the TFC-14 tripod, the Ascend-14 manages to fit a quick column in between the folded legs by using a clever scalloped design. This lever-locked column can be inverted for ground-level shooting, or shortened to save some weight. The Ascend-14 tripod is available in four different versions:

  • Ascend-14 BH
  • Ascend-14 PL
  • Ascend-14L BH
  • Ascend-14L PL

The BH versions of the Ascend-14 come with a built-in head. With its inverted design, this head is very similar to the RRS BPC-16 head. The PL versions of the tripod have a regular platform on them with a 3/8 16″ stud. The platform on the PL versions has the same diameter as the platforms on the other 1-series tripods, so it is sized to perfectly match the RRS BH-30 ball head.

The Ascend-14L versions are a little bit taller than the non-L versions. With the L versions maintaining the same 4-section design, their folded length is a little longer. The regular version has a folded length of 17.1″ (43cm) with no head, while the L version has a folded length of 19.6″ (50 cm). Once the tripods are fully extended with their quick columns raised, the regular version tops out at a maximum height of 58.2″ (148cm) for the no-head PL version. The L version has a maximum version of 66.6″ (169 cm) without the head.

The Quick Column on all Ascend tripods adds 10.1″ (26cm) to the height of the tripod. All of the Max Height measurements in the tripod data table include the column height, so if you want to know how tall the Ascent tripods can go without raising the Quick Column, you’ll have to deduct 10.1″ from the specified max height. What we can see from that, is that the L version of the Ascend-14, with its Quick Column lowered, is only 2 inches shorter than the regular Ascent-14 with its column raised. If you tend to shy away from using tripod centre columns, the L version of the Ascend-14 might be the one for you. This is the one I chose for myself.

What If You Want The Platform and the Built-In Head? (Cheapest Way)

As we established, you can choose to buy the tripod either with a flat platform on top, or the built-in head. But what if you want both? You can purchase either the flat platform or the built-in head separately from RRS. Due to their design, they come with the centre column attached.

This is good and bad news. The good news is that it makes swapping them over, the job of mere seconds. You can keep a ball head on the flat platform, say a BH-30 or BH-40, and they swap that whole thing in to replace the built-in head when you don’t need to travel as light. The downside is that including the centre column makes this optional purchase a rather large one. The column with the flat platform is $230, while the column with the built-in head is a whopping $590!

If you want both, the cheapest way to do it is to buy the tripod with the built-in head. Then purchase the spare centre column with the flat platform (Part # Ascend-14-PFQC) as an additional purchase. For some reason, this works out as $55 cheaper than doing things the other way around. Don’t say I never help you guys!

Ascend-14 Vs TFC-14 / TVC-14

The Ascend-14 tripods are priced much higher than the other 1-Series tripods such as the TFC-14. If you do not need the fancy quick column in the Ascend series, you can save a lot of money by opting for the TFC-14 instead. It should also be noted that the load rating of the TFC-14 is 50lbs, while all the Ascend-14 tripods have a load rating of only 30lbs. The TFC-14 has the same folded diameter as the Ascend-14, and it also weighs about half a pound less when comparing to the Ascend-14 PF that doesn’t have the built-in head. So, yes, the Ascend-14 has a fancy column with a lever release. But does that justify the huge price difference? I can still see many people opting for the TFC-14.

Compared to the Peak Design Travel Tripod

The source of much internet tripod attention: The Peak Design Travel Tripod.

I’m not going to do a huge amount of cross-brand comparisons in this guide, but I know from previous articles that mention the RRS 1-Series tripods, many people seem to be curious about how it compares to the Peak Design Travel Tripod. I guess this isn’t much of a surprise given the huge amount of press that the Peak Design tripod received while it was on its way to raising over $12 million on Kickstarter. Both the PD tripod and the 1-Series RRS tripods are considered to be high-end carbon travel tripods that really prioritize small size, and both can be equipped with a similar style of the inverted ball head.

I was lucky enough to have a pre-production Peak Design Travel Tripod with me for a 3000-mile road trip to the Arctic Ocean the year before it launched for public sale. This gave me plenty of time to evaluate it and compare it to my RRS tripods. I’ll keep this brief: The 1-Series RRS tripods, TFC-14 and TQC-14 are more stable than the Peak Design Travel Tripod. This is primarily because the lowest leg section on the PD tripod is incredibly thin and easily flexes in even moderate wind. In terms of size and packability, it’s pretty much a draw. The RRS tripods are slightly lighter, but the Peak Design tripod is slightly shorter and slightly thinner in packed diameter. In practice, the size difference when attached to the side of your bag is negligible.

Overall I would consider the RRS 1-Series tripods to be superior to the Peak Design Travel Tripod, but when comparing the prices you would certainly hope this to be the case. The carbon version of the PD tripod is $599.95 where the RRS TFC-14 is $835.

If money is less of an object to you, the RRS 1-Series is the better tripod, but the Peak Design tripod is probably the second-best carbon travel tripod on the market, and it’s an awful lot cheaper. Don’t even think about comparing the PD Travel Tripod to any of the 2-Series or 3-Series RRS tripods, though. They simply aren’t in the same league in terms of stability. If you want to know more, you might also like to read my in-depth review of the Peak Design Travel Tripod.

RRS 2-Series Tripods

Two of my 2-Series tripods.

The 2-Series tripods are the true all-rounders of the RRS tripod lineup. They have the capacity to be used with just about any lens and camera you can think of, and there is a full range of size options to suit different requirements for travel or photographer height.

I know RRS recommend the 3-Series tripods for super-telephoto lenses, but I have been using a 2-Series tripod with their PG-02 Mk2 gimbal for my wildlife work for many years, and I appreciate the perfect combination of travel-friendly weight and huge 85lb capacity. If I only did wildlife work then I probably would have opted for the 3-Series, but my work is fairly varied and I wanted a tripod that could cope with both long lens wildlife work, and big multi-day landscape photography hikes.

As I said, the 2-Series is the perfect all-rounder. A tripod you can buy, and be certain that it’ll always work for you, no matter how your photography changes. My preferred tripod out of the 2-Series lineup, in fact out of the entire RRS lineup is the TFC-24L. If I could only own one tripod, that would be the one. You get the huge maximum height, but a compact package by the TFC-style apex.

2-Series tripods are designed to pair perfectly with the BH-40 ball head, although again there are no hard and fast rules here. I use mine with the larger BH-55 because I prefer the larger locking knobs for cold weather work when wearing gloves. You could just as easily pair it with the smaller BH-30 as well if you wanted to save a little weight.

2-Series tripod with an RRS PG-01 Pano head.

RRS 3-Series Tripods

This TVC-33S was my first RRS tripod.

The 3-Series tripods offer the kind of stability that is recommended for long-term usage of super-telephoto lenses, and the damping that is necessary for critical sharpness with high megapixel medium format cameras. If I had something like a Fujifilm GFX-100, I’d be using a 3-Series tripod.

The higher the resolution of your camera, the easier it is for micro-vibrations to show up in your images as a lack of sharpness. While many people fixate on tripod weight capacity, they often forget to factor in the resolution of their cameras. As we again seem to be entering into a megapixel war with the Canon and Sony high megapixel mirrorless cameras, this will become something which people need to pay attention to.

RRS 4-Series Tripods

The gargantuan apex on the top of a TVC-45 tripod.

4-Series Update: For some reason, RRS has discontinued 4-series tripods. Though I’m sure they sold fewer of these than 1, 2 or 3-series tripod, the move still surprises me because these were highly regarded. If you want a tripod with a higher capacity than the 3-Series RRS tripods and options for a 100mm video head, look at the excellent ProMediaGear 4-Series tripods. PMG tripods are every bit as good as RRS tripods, and I now own their TR424L tripod myself when I was unable to acquire an RRS 4-Series.

I have rarely seen 4-Series tripods used by still photographers unless it is in a studio or as an additional tripod kept in their car’s trunk. These big, heavy tripods do not lend themselves to travel or even hand-carrying very far. However, the optional 100mm video bowl does mean that they are excellent choices for cinematography, where a video bowl is a necessity. Though big and heavy for a photography tripod, these would be relatively lightweight for a video tripod.

RRS Tabletop Tripods

The TFA-01 Ultra tabletop tripod.

There are two different RRS tabletop tripods: The TFA-01 Ultra ($120) and the TFA-01 Basic ($80). They look extremely similar, but the TFA-01Ultra has a ratcheting leg stop just like a full-sized tripod. This allows you to lock the legs at three distinct positions and, at these positions, the legs are locked rock solid.

On the other hand, the cheaper TFA-01 Basic doesn’t have the leg position ratchet and instead relies on the stiffness of the leg collar to hold the tripod legs at varying angles. Of course, when the legs are fully splayed, they are locked solid, but in all other positions, you are simply relying on friction to hold the legs at other angles. For point and shoot cameras and very small mirrorless cameras, it’s not a problem. But with larger mirrorless cameras, heavier lenses or DSLRs, you definitely need the TFA-01 Ultra if you want to have varied leg angles. Personally, I would just recommend spending the extra money and getting the Ultra version right off the bat, whatever camera you plan on using it with. It’s a beautifully made tripod and then you know you have a future-proof setup.

These kinds of tripods are particularly useful when visiting “no tripod” tourist areas. Keep this in your pocket and you’ll always have a stable platform that you can balance on a wall.

These days I would definitely pair it with the BC-18 Microball. The photos of the Basic version in the gallery were shot many years ago before the Microball was available. Back then I used the BH-25, but the BC-18 is smaller, lighter, cheaper and in my experience actually holds more weight.

RRS Tripod Accessories

Really Right Stuff makes a range of accessories for their tripods which I will now discuss and demonstrate. If you are going to cough up the money for the very best tripods on the market, you’ll most likely want to equip it with at least one of the bespoke accessories from this section. As with anything from RRS, these are top-in-class accessories.

In this section we will take a close look at the accessory feet options, leveling heads, quick-release carrying strap system, tripod bags, centre columns and video bowls and even a special multi-tool that you can add to your Really Right Stuff tripod.

Interchangeable Tripod Feet

Two different types of accessory tripod feet are available: Spikes and Rock Claws. Reading the customer questions on B&H Photo for these products, it’s clear that one aspect, in particular, is confusing people. They are sold as individual items, so make sure to add three of them to your cart if you decide to purchase them and want a complete set. At $32 each ($96/set), this isn’t an insignificant purchase but they are extremely well made.

Personally, I chose to go with the spikes because they are more suitable for the landscapes I tend to shoot in, which are sandy, snowy or to some extent, muddy. The Rock Claws are definitely a more specialized accessory. As the name suggests, they provide a little more grip on rock but in my experience, I have found that the standard rubber feet actually provide a very good grip on rock anyway.

RRS Tripod Rock Claw TA-3-FRC

Quick Column

Optional centre columns are available for 2-Series and 3-Series tripods. To use one, you need to have a TQC tripod with the removable Apex plate.

A centre column has two purposes: Firstly it allows you to add additional maximum height to a tripod while keeping the folded length smaller than simply buying the taller version of the tripod. Secondly, it allows you to quickly modify the height of your camera without needing to alter all three legs.

In general, I would not recommend buying one of these columns to use it all the time. The aluminium centre column adds weight to your nice carbon tripod, and instability, particularly in windy conditions. Buy the tripod size that you need for your height, and only consider the optional column for certain uses such as indoor product and portrait photography where the speed of height adjustment is useful, and the negatives of a centre column have little impact.

The exceptions to this rule are the TQC-14 and the Ascend-14 that already comes with the centre column. If you are choosing to buy either of those tripods, you are already deciding to sacrifice stability in exchange for size and weight. The whole point of them is to be small, which is why the column comes with it in the first place.

RRS Tripod Bags

Note: Model names are shown on the right of the bags for reference only. This is not actually stitched onto the bag.

Really Right Stuff makes tripod bags in five different sizes to suit their entire range of tripods and monopods: Compact, small, medium, large, extra-large. Prices range from $50 to $95, which is right on par with other similar products from brands such as Manfrotto. NOTE: All of my RRS tripod bags seen in these photos were purchased many years ago and have the old RRS logo on them. All newly purchase bags will have the new RRS logo on them which looks even nicer.

Tripod Bag SizeRecommended Tripods/MonopodsLengthInternal DimensionWeight
CompactTQC-14, TFC-14, TFA-32G, MC-14, MC-25(no head)21″(53.5cm)4.3×19″(11.0x47cm)13.2oz (375g)
SmallTVC-24, TFC-24, MC-34, MC45, MC-25(with head)26.5″(67cm)4.3×25″(11×63.5cm)16.4oz (465g)
MediumTVC-23, TFC-23, TFC-24L, TVC-24L31.5″(80cm)4.7×28″(12x72cm)20.5oz (580g)
LargeAll 3-series tripods35″(89cm)4.7×31.5″(12x80cm)23.3oz (660g)
Extra LargeAll 4-series tripods38.5″(98cm)7.8×35″(20x89cm)32.1oz (910g)

The bags look great and provide more than adequate protection for your expensive investment. I typically use mine to protect my tripod when it’s loose in the trunk of my car, and when I’m packing it into a duffle bag for air travel. The top lid of the bag is reinforced to be harder than the rest of the bag and provide added protection for your tripod head. The rest of the bag is made of padded ballistic nylon, so it’s tough, but also flexible.

Inside the lid, the medium, large and extra-large versions of the bag have a mesh pocket that is designed to hold the accessory feet or any tripod tools that you might want to have to hand. Over many years of use, I have found that this mesh pocket will eventually get damaged by the clamp on top of your ball head. I like the idea of having a pocket there in the lid, but I wish that they would update it to be made from regular ballistic nylon instead of mesh.

On the outside of the bag, you will find another zippered pocket with a flat profile and a slot for a business card or some other form of identification. This zippered pocket doesn’t have a lot of room, but it can hold the accessory foot spikes and a few hex (Allen) wrenches or the very useful RRS MTX multi-tool.

RRS Tripod Strap System (QD)

For a while, RRS has been integrating a quick-release standard into their camera and lens plates called the QD (Quick Detach) system. This system is borrowed from the firearms industry where it turns out people like quickly detaching guns from straps just as much as photographers like detaching straps from cameras. Who knew?! The system is catching on in the photo world.

Kirk Photo has now started adding the QD sockets onto their camera plates too, and BlackRapid has even come out with a QD version of their popular sling strap. I’m sure others will follow suit because it’s a system that works very well and offers excellent strength that can easily handle heavy cameras, or in this case, tripods.

Really Right Stuff doesn’t make their own straps, but they are reselling the straps made by firearms manufacturer, Magpul. You can also find this brand via Amazon and their own online store. There is nothing special about the versions which RRS sell, they are identical to versions sold directly by Magpul.

To use these quick-release straps with an RRS tripod, you have to purchase an RRS Strap Set which consists of a collar that goes around one of the tripod legs, and a small cup that screws to the apex of the tripod. Both the collar and cup feature a QD-compatible connection. With both parts installed you can use any strap that has QD connectors on both ends to create a 2-point tripod harness.

IMPORTANT: The collar size is different depending on which series of tripods you are using. There are also differences in the design of the cup, depending on whether you have an Mk I or Mk II tripod. Cups and collars are usually sold together as a pair. Make sure you order the correct one for your tripod series (1, 2, 3, 4) and Mark (1 or 2). The ones in the photos are on my TFC-24L Mk2. So, of course, I ordered my strap set for a Series-2 Mk2 tripod.

Using the same QD strap with your camera

What’s great about the Magpul straps is that they can be converted from 2-point to single point attachment. This means you can buy one strap to use for your tripod, and use that same strap as a single point attachment on your camera. If I’m carrying my tripod over my shoulder with the strap, my camera is always in a bag and therefore doesn’t need the strap at the same time. Note that the BlackRapid Sport-X QD is great for cameras, but because it’s only a single point sling, you can’t use it with the RRS tripod strap system.

If you have a spare camera strap lying around that you already love, you can also buy a pair of QD swivel adapters from B&H or Amazon and simply put them on your existing strap to convert it for use with the RRS tripod strap set. I’d bet any photographer has at least one spare strap lying around, so this might be a good option for those that cleaned out their bank account buying their dream tripod 🙂

If you then want to use that strap with a camera but find that your camera plate doesn’t have a QD socket on it, you can use the RRS B2-FABN Mirco Clamp. This tiny clamp has a QD socket on it and will clamp to any Acra-Swiss compatible camera bracket that you probably already own. Pretty cool, huh?

RRS MTX Multitool

RRS MTX Tool

I have a couple of these great MTX tripod multi-tools. One is always in my camera bag or tripod bag, and another lives in my travel bag as a backup for when I’m away from home. They are good value at $50 and save you from carrying around a big stack of hex keys for various tripods, L brackets and ball heads.

Leveling Heads

2-Series and 3-Series leveling heads

A leveling head is a tripod accessory that allows you to quickly level the top platform of the tripod without having to make tiny adjustments to each leg. Simply get the legs roughly in the right place, then loosen the leveling head and use the built-in bubble level to create a perfectly level platform. This is necessary when shooting stitched panoramic images so that your horizon remains level, and it’s also necessary for video shooting so that panning motions maintain a level horizon and don’t drift upwards or downwards.

RRS makes leveling heads for 2-Series, 3-Series and 4-Series tripods. The 3 and 4-Series leveling heads are essentially identical, but one is a little large than the other. With these heads, you need a TVC tripod and the head replaces the tripod apex, with a control handle underneath to lock and loosen the motion.

A 3-Series leveling head. You can choose from three different lengths of handle beneath the head.

The 2-Series leveling head is a little different. You can use a TVC 2-Series tripod and remove the apex to fit the leveling head. Alternatively, the base of the leveling head also has a 3/8″ 16 female thread, so the whole thing can be screwed onto the top of any tripod. This head, the TA-2u, is called the Universal Leveling Head for that reason. You can definitely use it on a 2-Series TVC tripod, but you could also use it on any other TVC or TFC Really Right Stuff tripod, or even any other brand of a tripod. To loosen the leveling mechanism, this head has a rotating locking collar.

The Universal TA-2U leveling head can sit on top of any tripod.

Video Bowl

75mm bowl on a TVC-33S tripod.

3-Series and 4-Series tripods have the option to add a video bowl. For the 3-Series, it’s a 75mm bowl, and for the 4-Series, it’s a 100mm bowl. This will be important if you use a fluid video head with a built-in leveling platform. If you want the stability of a 4-Series tripod, but your fluid head only has a 75mm bowl, then you need the TA-4-AA3 adapter. This bowl adapter fits into the Apex of the 4-Series tripods but allows you to use 3-Series accessories such as the 3-Series leveling head or bowl.

4-Series to 3-Series Apex adapter – TA-4-AA3

Note that the 3-Series and 4-Series Leveling Heads come with a video bowl, so if you are already planning to buy a leveling head, you won’t need to purchase the video bowl.

Part 2: RRS Ball Heads and Gimbals

Of course, Really Right Stuff are also known for their incredible range of ball heads, gimbals and other camera leveling devices. In fact, they have been making these for far longer than they have tripods. While it’s not a prerequisite to pair an RRS tripod with an RRS head, it is understandably the way that many people opt to complete their kit. Not just out of brand loyalty, but also because the sizes of various heads are designed to perfectly match the apex diameters of the RRS tripods. To help you with this part of the decision, I have created a separate Really Right Stuff Tripod Head Guide. The photos below give you just a small sample of what you can find in that second guide.

Photo of author
Professional photographer based in Yukon, Canada, and founder of Shutter Muse. His editorial work has been featured in publications all over the world, and his commercial clients include brands such as Nike, Apple, Adobe and Red Bull.

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32 thoughts on “Ultimate Really Right Stuff Tripod Guide – 2024”

  1. Dan,

    Thanks for putting that together. Great source of information for anyone looking to buy or upgrade a tripod. I’ve been using RRS tripods for many years and have one of the original 24L versions. Biggest differentiator for me, besides the quality of the carbon and size of the legs, is the ability to disassemble and clean the entire tripod. I shoot a lot of surfing with slow shutter speeds and getting sand pretty much everywhere is inevitable. Being able to take apart the leg locks and wash out sand, dirt, etc. is critical to longevity.

    TFA-01 with BC18 is my most used and well traveled accessory. Having a small tripod that can be set up anywhere and weighs next to nothing is really a game changer. It allows you to make images that might not otherwise be possible. I’ve used it with medium format digital cameras, Nikon D5 with 70-200 and 200 f2 (not a light package) as well as my iPhone. Don’t leave home without it!

    Well done and folks should appreciate all of your effort putting this kind of information out there.

    Hunker down!
    Bill

    Reply
    • Thanks for the kind words Bill. Much appreciated.

      “TFA-01 with BC18 is my most used and well traveled accessory” Absolutely 100%. Mine is always in my bag as well. It’s amazing how much it can hold.

      Regarding the cleaning… yes indeed. I was actually planning to do a “how to clean your tripod” guide at some point. That’s a good reminder to me that I should do it soon 🙂

      Stay safe, DC.

      Reply
  2. Wow, thank you, Mr. Carr.

    This RRS tripod guide and your other one about the RRS ballheads have been super helpful. Thanks, too, for recently updating both guides.

    Once we’re ready to pull the trigger, we’ll be sure to purchase them through the affiliate links you have provided. You have most definitely “earned your keep,” so to speak!

    Reply
      • Hello again, Dan:

        Hooray: we were finally able to order our RRS tripod gear today! We did so using your affiliate link for B&H.

        Thank you again so much for your invaluable guidance based upon your real-world experience.

        Peace to you,

        Carl + Angela

        Reply
  3. Hi Dan,

    Me again, such a great and comprehensive review of everything RRS, I would love to know if you could share photos of what the TFC 24L (non versa) looks like with the BH40 head on it and if you have it, the new levelling base. I cant find it anywhere even on RRS website, only photos of them separately.

    As usual such a great guide. You have convinced me to spend a lot of money in the coming week hahah. Ill try and use your affiliate links to help you out when i buy from BandH

    Reply
    • Appreciate the use of the affiliate links, that is what keeps this site ticking over 🙂

      I actually don’t have any photos of the TFC version with the BH-40. At the moment I don’t have the BH-40 as it was sold to fund some other purchases. Although I kind of feel like that was a mistake and I have one in my B&H wishlist again. I also haven’t personally tried the new version of the levelling base. I have sold my old 2 series levelling base with an eye on buying the new one soon’ish.

      The BH-40 should be a pretty much perfect match for the top of the TFC-24L. The apex isn’t quite round as you can see, but the head should be a close match for the size. On the other hand, the top of all their levelling bases is batched to the size of the BH-55, so a BH-40 looks a little oversized when placed on one. It doesn’t look as neat, if that is something that matters to you. That said, the bottom of the new universal base is a closer match to the top of a 2 series TFC. Here is a photo of the new levelling head on a TFC 2 series tripod: https://shuttermuse.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ta-2u-lb_2.1-06.png

      Reply
  4. I bought the TVC34L in 2014, from the RRS web site. I made a mistake when purchasing the tripod, so I had to return it to get the right model. It meant that I had to go through customs three times (I live in Canada), meaning I had to pay three times the customs fee. RRS never agreed to ship the good tripod for free. On top of paying a small fortune in customs and shipping fees, RRS sent me a used TVC34L.

    How do I know it was a used unit? Because of the blue stuff that one is instructed to put in the leg joint upon delivery. Mine had dried Vibra-Tite inside the leg joint, so it was obviously not a brand new tripod. This is how RRS take care of their international customers…

    After 6 years using my TVC34L, there is no doubt in my mind that it’s a good tripod, but it’s way overrated as being the ultimate tripod. There are other brands out there as good as RRS (I had the chance to try other brands over the years, like Gitzo, Manfrotto and Sirui), but for half the price and I cannot warn people enough to look at these brands first before they even consider buying a RRS tripod. Buying a RRS tripod was the worst mistake I made when purchasing my photo gear and I don’t understand why people still praise this brand while, again, there are other brands out there as good as RRS, but for a lot less money and a much better after sales service.

    I have not buy and will never, ever again, buy any other gear from RRS.

    From a pissed off customer!!

    Reply
    • Hey Eric. Interesting perspective you have here, and it’s certainly the first time I have heard anyone say such things about RRS gear. Comparing RRS to brands like Manfrotto and Sirui… I have tried these brands as well and let’s just say I disagree on that front.

      Regarding your other issues, I can’t understand how you paid customs three times. Surely you got charged once for your original purchase, and once for the replacement. Since you freely admit that your first purchase was a mistake, I can’t understand why you think RRS should pay for your mistake. I live in Canada too. I know that if I make the choice to buy something from the US then I’m going to incur some cost. It’s not RRS’ responsibility to pay your duties and sales tax. And again, if you made a mistake when ordering your tripod, why should RRS take the hit on the shipping fee as well? I simply don’t understand your logic. Yes it sucks if you made what turned out to be a costly ordering error, but if it’s your error then I just can’t imagine trying to get someone else to pay for that.

      Now if RRS did send you a used tripod when they sent your second tripod, that is not cool. Even if it was lightly used then it should have been refurbished and sold at a discounted price. I agree with you there that this isn’t great. It’s not clear from your story what they did about this, but if they didn’t offer to send you a new un-used one, then I agree that is poor. When you buy a tripod like this, you want to know that you are the first to use it because it definitely takes the shine off that feeling of getting something new.

      Now for anyone else in Canada reading this (it doesn’t sound like Eric is going to buy more RRS gear), you can now buy RRS gear from B&H Photo as I have pointed out in the guide. Canadians will get free shipping and you can pre-pay the taxes and duties at the checkout so there are no surprises. Also, if it’s a concern to you, you will then be dealing with B&H customer service if you have any issues.

      Reply
      • « It’s not clear from your story what they did about this »

        In short, they did nothing about it, refusing to offer any kind of discount or rebate. I can only back you in advising your readers to buy from B&H, because I bought myself many times from this store and never had to deal, not once, with this kind of issues. Their customer service and purchasing experience are the best!

        I had to pay duties when I ship the first tripod back to California. Can’t remember why now, but it’s really three times. Right, RRS had no obligation to pay the second shipping fee, but being aware of the whole situation, if they had been really good businessmen, that’s what they should have done to keep me as a customer. They would have recovered their money in no time, because I would have kept buying from them. They chose instead to lose me as a customer, forever, on top of fooling me with a used tripod at full price. Very cheap…

        Reply
  5. Hi Dan, what a great review. I have a question regarding the tripod you have used on the kayak – its looks like TVC-24 with a leveling base.
    Would you recommend this combination with a 600 F4 as well?
    Thanks a lot.

    Reply
  6. Hi,

    Have you ever tried replacing the lower leg section of your TVC-33S with the three lower leg sections of your T?C-14 to create a five section Frankenpod? Or even just replacing the lower leg section of your TFC-24L with just the two lower sections of your T?C-14 tripod.

    Would be curious the find out if it’s at all possible as it may influence which tripod I buy to complement my TFC-14.

    Regards
    /Cecil

    Reply
    • I have never tried this. I don’t think it would work because leg sections on all the tripods are different widths. There’s no reason (that I know of) to think that the lower leg section of the 33s is a perfect match for the three lower sections of the 14.

      Honestly, I really can’t think why you would need to do this. There are already a crazy number of options in the lineup to suit such a large range of heights, capacities and folded lengths. Is there really something missing?

      Reply
      • Hi,

        Sorry for the long delay in responding but I went ahead and ordered a TFC-34L, because I wanted one, not to prove a point ;).

        What I initially was basing my theory on was the tube dimensions listed on https://thecentercolumn.com and it makes total sense to have standard tube sizing cut to length for the various tripods. Having different tubes for different series tripods would be a serious production economy faux pax.

        So I went ahead and tried it, and yes, the lower leg section of the 34L can be replaced with the three lower sections from the tvc/tfc-14. Mind you, those sections are a lot shorter to start with so the total length of those three sections from collar to foot is roughly 93cm and the lowest leg section of the 34L is 46cm. Still, double the length of that lower section and a 6 section Frankenpod to freak people out with 🙂

        Now it totally defeats one of the main purposes of having a 3 series tripod having such thin legs at the bottom but for the rare occasion when I need that extra length shooting sea cliffs and want to get away from the cliff face it can come in handy.

        This would obviously be much better using the two lower leg sections from a 24L as they are longer to start with and you’d end up with a 5 section Frankenpod.

        Anyway, the 34L is back to its normal configuration and the tfc-14 has regained its limbs, but it was a fun exercise.

        I wonder if RRS will sell me three sets of the two lower leg sections for the 24L….

        /Cecil

        Reply
        • Haha! Wow. Great experiment. Thanks for following up and letting everyone know that it worked. Kudos to you and your experimentation!

          Reply
          • Adding on to this: a tripod like this is exactly what I’m looking for.

            I’m after a travel tripod with no center column, packed length of max 50cm, and fully expanded height of at least 150cm.
            Leofoto make the LS-365C, which is a 5-section tripod with 36mm outer tubes. The LS-365C ticks all those boxes, and since it uses 36mm outer tubes, the inner/lowest sections are a reasonable 22mm, presumably providing good rigidity at full height.

            I really wish RRS made a series 2 tripod to compete. RRS’s build quality and ergonomics, with dimensions like those of the LS-365C would be brilliant. A proper travel-sized tripod that stands 1.5m tall with no center column. A 5th leg section is far preferable to me than a center column (Ascend).

            PS: this and your RRS Ballhead guide are phenomenal, Dan! Thank you.

            Reply
            • Hey James, firstly, thanks for the kind words.

              Regarding your perfect scenario, what about the Ascend-14L? If you don’t raise the centre column, it comes in at 1.42m. You could always just leave the removable lower section of the centre column at home, and that gives you a mini (stable) 3″ centre column which basically takes you to your 1.5m height. Yes, it’s a little longer in folded length, but it’ll be more stable than a tripod with 5 sections.

              I find it hard to recommend and support Leofoto since they have so blatantly stone so many product designs from other companies.

              Reply
  7. Dan, fabulous information. Thanks for compiling it all. One thing I’ve found very difficult to determine is the leg diameters for the various sections on their tripods. This would go a long way to comparing to the competition.

    Reply
    • Hey Mark, thanks for the kind words.

      I guess the leg diameters might be handy. I only have a couple of these tripods myself now, so it’s not info I can gather on my own. Perhaps I’ll send their engineer a message and see if I can get that info.

      One thing I would say though, is that even with that information, you can’t really compare it directly to other brands because you don’t know the carbon thickness of the leg sections for each brand. Nor would you know how the differing brands do the carbon layup process. The weave and glue types etc. all make a difference here.

      It’s entirely possible one brand could have sturdier legs but have a thinner leg diameter…

      I’ll certainly have a think about this though…

      Reply
  8. I just wanted to thank you for providing these articles to the public. Thank you!

    I’d been mulling over a new tripod purchase for well over a year. Mostly because I wanted good gear and I wasn’t willing to settle for less. I was also trying to find a set up with the most versatility, as I’m an amateur photographer and already own a couple of “lesser/heavier” tripods. I had narrowed it down to RSS (after a lot of research), because I also wanted to support an American Made company.

    I was surprised and happy to find this article … even as I had my choice in the shopping cart. It helped me confirm my choices and I made a small change to a TFC-24L type, instead of TVC-24L type to save a little weight, with a BH-40 ball head after reading.

    I also got a new RSS monopod head for my CF Manfrotto monopod. Looking forward to that … I hate the Manfrotto monopod head. I did go with the compact lever plate design on MH-01 because its smaller/lighter and I use a small ThinkTank Photocross 13 (the side pocket is small) a lot. The compact head will be a better fit for me I think. The plate can be changed later if I decide I need a screw type plate correct?

    I had planned to purchase a spike foot set for my tripod … but you made me realize the price was “per piece”. Wow, that’s on hold. 😉

    Anyway, I appreciated finding your article and have bookmarked your website. Ton’s of great information and analysis. I’ll be back. Thank you again!

    Reply
    • You have made a wise decision, John. I’m glad this helped. Indeed, you can change to a screw-lock later on the monopod head if you’d like.

      Regarding the spikes, although I do have them, I use them very rarely as they are also heavy. You won’t be missing much.

      Look forward to having you back again, and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and praise. Cheers, Dan.

      Reply
  9. Dan, this is amazing work!

    Irrespective of whether I buy an RRS tripod or not, (I am about to succumb to a TFC 24 L with a BH 30 head to support my Fuji X Pro 3) this is one of the most thoroughly researched, well thought-out, well-written and just damn informative reviews that I have ever seen on the internet (or elsewhere).

    Not only does it cover all the RRS bases, it even looks at and compares the highly touted rival sticks from Peak Design. As an exhaustive guide it has no peers.

    Congratulations Dan Carr on a truly professional effort.

    Reply
  10. Thank you for explaining this really great system which is mind-bogglingly confusing. A few months ago when I was ready to buy, I ended up calling RRS to discuss my needs. They then assembled a pretty nice system for me. I really like the build quality -something which has been absent from Gitzo since they were taken over by Manfrotto. I have such a giant junkyard of faulty Gitzo pieces lying around -most of which Gitzo (aka Manfrotto) refuses to repair due to their usual explanation with each new malfunction “we don’t repair models which have been discontinued. They’ve said this about items barely two year old. Anyway, I digress, it was easy to justify spending an appropriate amount of money for the solid RRS tripod and set of components which I’m confident will hold up over time.
    If you ever decide to do a part two for RRS, it would be great for you to go in to detail about the clamps, plates and some of the seemingly eclectic attachments, all of which kind of make my head spin.

    Reply
  11. I love this guide and I used it to make my decision to buy a RRS tripod and one of their Ball Heads. I planned on adding the PG02 this past Spring 2021, as it seems like the best option for what I need. However, in Feb when I went to order it, it was “backordered”, then it became “part is being redesigned”. I contacted them and they estimated mid-summer release. I asked them why they discontinued the previous one – was there some defect? No, just making it better. Okay, I’ll wait. Now, their customer services says, “maybe late fall?” and can only say “I’m not sure” or “I don’t know” when asked questions such as why would you discontinue a product before you had its replacement ready to go? Again, was there a defect in the previous one that none of the reviews (which were all raving about it) detected? I don’t know. I’m not sure. Everything I read seems to indicate that this Pano-Gimbal is just in a class of its own, so don’t want to waste a few hundred on a competitor if RRS is really going to release their product, but this seems like a strange way to run a business. Do you have any insights?

    Reply
  12. Hi Dan,

    Thank you so much for writing this article, it really cleared things up for me!

    I have the TFC-33 mk2 and had no idea that RRS sold conversion kits to turn it into a versa. I do architectural and interior photography so I had planned on buying the quick column to be able to make small height adjustments more efficiently.

    I had a question for you! I’m having a really hard time finding a conversion kit & tripod platform/hook in stock anywhere, so if I have a friend who owns a TVC-33 mk2, do you know if it’s possible to basically swap out just the apex from his tripod on to mine?

    Thanks so much!
    Rob

    Reply
  13. Thank you for the detailed Analysis. I am looking for the following tripod (new or used) but can’t find it in stock anywhere online. Do you know anybody selling a used one?

    TFCT MK2 Tripod 33 w/ Anvil-30 ARC Head

    Reply
  14. I have not been able to purchase a RRS tripod since I started trying June 2021.
    I cancelled my order with B&H after 5 months of waiting.
    The vendors I deal with don’t have any recent records of RRS tripod sales.
    When I have contacted RRS directly they tell me 10 1/2 weeks.
    10 1/2 weeks later when I still have no tripod I call RRS and am told it will be another 10 1/2 weeks and that they can’t get anodising done. Really Rigght Stuff makes great tripods but they are very cagey in response to explaining the shortage. I noticed there has been no reponse to Mr. Elsayed’s post.

    Reply

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