Tripod legs - snaps or twist ?

Is there a difference in functionality?

I prefer snaps over twists. The snaps can be tightened later if need be and I would say are more secure. But I have a snap tripod leg so I am biased.

I prefer twist locks.
Specially if the tripod has an anti leg rotate feature.

It mostly is a matter of taste...

Functionality? Not really, they both hold the legs in place after the leg is extended, however IMO the Gitzo twist locks combined with their anti leg rotation feature in particular are way more secure and way faster to extend and lock down than any of the other tripod legs I have worked with before.

Gitzo twist locks

Functionally there should be no difference between the two. Both flip and twist locks should lock the leg section in place. However, they are two different methods to accomplish the task. Some users prefer the flip locks while others prefer twist locks. There is a difference in twist locks. The newer Gitzos have ALR and g-lock features in the design that allow for easy setup and more stability. The older Gitzos and the current Feisols don't use ALR or g-locks. In these cases, it requires a bit more manipulation and control to set up the legset.

i have manfrotto with snap. but im planning to buy benro twist.

I used to strongly prefer Manfrotto flip locks over Gitzo twist locks. Then Gitzo came out with the G Lock and ALR, and then the two were tied in speed. I much prefer the weight of the Gitzo carbon over my older Manfrotto metal leg sets, so I sold the Manfrotto and bought Gitzo.

Outside of user preference, here are the two major differences I see between twist and snap:
Snap locks make noise when operating, makes a difference in some situations.
Twist locks do not provide easy visual confirmation regarding their locked/unlocked status.

I have both, snaps are by FAR the better option.

My Benbo twists creep, pull the skin off my fingers when tightening and take an age to do and undo. My Manfrotto snaps snap on and snap off, easy.

Snaps, because I can never get the twists locked properly on the first (or second) try. Plus, I can extend the snap legs faster than I can the twist legs, because of the way I unlock them.

That said, my current tripod is twist-lock.

Keep in mind that, for any particular design, there is a RANGE of performance. So there are slow twist locks and rapid twist locks. There are bad flip locks and good flip locks. There are bad leg designs and good legs designs. The Manfrotto example of flip locks are great, the current Gitzo example of twist locks are great...they can equal each other in speed of set up and take down! The Gitzos are more expensive...'You get what you pay for' in action!

Anke wrote in post #6233975
My Benbo twists creep, pull the skin off my fingers when tightening and take an age to do and undo. My Manfrotto snaps snap on and snap off, easy.

Guess you get something when you pay extra for Gitzo.

I had a Bogen/Manfrotto snap and it was a good system and worked well, but they're more prone to creep and loosening of the locks which require you to tighten them. Not a huge chore but something to keep in mind and make sure you have a tool handy for.

The Gitzos are fairly quick to work with, lock rock solid and don't require readjusting the same way the Bogens do as they age (some parts still fatigue and need adjusting but the tripod still won't sag on you). Sand/grit getting in to the Gitzo locks is a nuisance though but I've had no problem with it yet.

Two years ago I replaced my aluminum Bogen with a CF Gitzo and picked up a Markins ball head. I haven't looked back.

I'm a twist-lock man myself....

2 main reasons I went with twists over snaps are:

1) If you shot outdoors in windy conditions, snaps can create more wind turbulance over the tripod legs which in turn creates more vibration.
2)Snaps have a way of getting caught on things when you are trying to store them and that just bugs me.