Review: Benro A-269 Tripod

Hey all, I've decided to write a bit of a review of the new tripod I just bought, the Benro A-269. This will be a short, preliminary review to start as I've only just received it and will base it on my initial findings, and update it later on as I put it through its paces.

To start off I would like to say that this is the first tripod I've owned, mainly because they just don't fit my style of shooting, but an opportunity has come up that will give me the chance to do a lot of landscape shooting, so I figured it was time to buy one. My main criteria for choosing the right tripod was price, then performance. Since I was going to be doing a lot of hiking I also needed one that was pretty compact and lightweight. I went through the usual suspects, mainly Manfrotto, and Gitzo and the like and never really saw one that fit all my criteria(and was affordable!), so I then started looking at lesser known brands, such as dynatran and benro. When I first found the A-269 it sounded almost too good to be true(and that may very well turn out to be the case), but i decided I was going to take a chance and try it out.

So, lets start off with the specs.

Benro A-269M8 Travel Angel
B&H Link - http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ravel_Angel_Alu​minum.html
B&H Price - $244.95

Alright, on to the pictures.

Here we have the tripod folded up in the standard way, coming it at around 21" long. Not bad, but not why I bought it.

Here we see my Bronica 6x7 mounted, using the supplied quick release plate. For reference, the bronica weighs probably close to 3kg.

Thanks for posting this.

Do the legs rotate or do they run in tracks when loose?

I use a 67RB primarily on a 3 series Benro carbon fiber. I will be looking forward to how well your Bronica does on this.

Nice, looks just like my C-269!

Squiress -- no the legs do not rotate as there is an anti-rotation mechanism that prevents them from doing so.

Looking forward to more of your thoughts about this tripod since I have been considering purchasing one too. I would love to be able to purchase the C series, but alas, the A series will have to do for now.

Thanks for the write up Kamik. This Benro looks perfect for me. I really like the size, weight and how much it will hold. I am concerned about the multiple leg extensions, does it have much flex when torqued. I guess this worries me with that many leg extensions and no center brace. I also am suprised there is no retractable spikes, I guess they could be added.

I like the compact size, but those legs look like twigs. I'm guessing they'd be fine for fast exposures, but I'm wondering about long exposures.

dan

I took the tripod out today and did some shooting with the 5d and Bronica and am happy to report that the tripod worked beautifully. I was shooting the Bronica at around 1/30sec with my 150mm lens, with the legs fully extended in a grass field with a slight breeze and it held steady. I did some low to the ground stuff and it worked fine. Tryed the 5D with some slower shutter speeds, down to 1/2sec or so and it was steady as a rock.
I have no complaints as of yet, it's done all I've asked so far, so I'm happy. Hopefully it'll keep this up for some time to come.

hammmerhead wrote in post #8081355
I am concerned about the multiple leg extensions, does it have much flex when torqued. I guess this worries me with that many leg extensions and no center brace. I also am suprised there is no retractable spikes, I guess they could be added.

It doesn't seem to have any flex when the legs are fully extended and tightened down that I've seen yet. If it is a concern though, there is the A-268 model, which only has 4 leg sections instead of 5. It's only about an inch or so longer when folded as well, so, not too big of a difference. I kind of wished it had spikes too, but I guess you can't get everything you want.

Ya, the legs are a bit on the small side, they're surprisingly sturdy though. So far it's been alright for exposures of up to 1/2sec outside, I haven't had a chance to go any slower than that yet.

The C3XX series tripods do come with spikes that screw into the leg bottoms instead of the rubber feet. Gitzo makes you buy them extra. The Benro spikes fit my Gitzo 5 series perfectly.

Thanks for the update with pictures of it in use out in the field. When you have time, could you post your opinion of its stability for long exposures, say like a night shot?

Thank you for the great review. Will be seriously contemplating this tripod for my travel needs at the end of year!

Runt808 wrote in post #8097022
Thanks for the update with pictures of it in use out in the field. When you have time, could you post your opinion of its stability for long exposures, say like a night shot?

I haven't tested any outdoor long exposure tests yet, I'll have to get on that one, I'm sure it'll do good though. I have tested it inside with some 10-20 sec long exposures, and it's done great so far. I'll see if I can't take it outside tonight for some longer exposures.

Kamik636 wrote in post #8099609
I haven't tested any outdoor long exposure tests yet, I'll have to get on that one, I'm sure it'll do good though. I have tested it inside with some 10-20 sec long exposures, and it's done great so far. I'll see if I can't take it outside tonight for some longer exposures.

I guess it's a matter of what "great" is. On long exposures my old POS video/camera tripod pinpoint stars would turn into circular streaks when I blew up the picture. OTOH, it works great when the exposures are fast.

So, let us know and thanks for the review.

dan

Well, here's a quick shot I just took inside. It was taken with my 55mm lens with extension tubes on my tripod, with 2 legs extended and the 3rd set partially extended. I also had the center column extended 4-5". Exposure time was 30 sec at F8, ISO 100. This would be what I mean when I say it does great inside. We'll see how it copes outside though.