Review (ENG): Fotopro SHERPA MAX tripod
The new tripod of FOTOPRO
light and strong!
The SHERPA MAX is the largest tripod of the homonymous series produced by FOTOPRO. It differs from the two younger brothers for its larger size and bearable. As I already experienced for the X-AIRCROSS 2 test, I found the tripod wrapped in a nice and soft bag marked FOTOPRO, inside which there is, in addition of course the tripod, also a small pouch with a set of three Allen keys and the instructions for use / maintenance. The first sensations are good: the carbon is woven into three layers of excellent quality, the shaped parts in aluminum are excellently made, and the construction details the idea of a serious, solid and professional product. To all this must be added two fundamental qualities for a landscape photographer:
– the small size;
– robustness;
– low weight.
Dimensions, weight, and…..
The SHERPA MAX is equipped with an attractive design, has a removable central column and is sold in kit form the fantastic 62QS ball head which we will discuss later in the review.
When closed it has a length of 51 cm, such as to make it fit comfortably both in the suitcase and on the side of the photographic backpack. Thanks to the integral carbon construction, it weighs only 1,073 grams, 1,715 with the ball head mounted, characteristics that make it one of the lightest professional tripods on the market! With the SHERPAMAX, you can shoot at different heights.
Removing the central column, the minimum shooting height is about 20cm from the ground, 145cm with the legs at maximum extension, and 175cm when raising the central column.
As with most tripods on the market, the SHERPA MAX also has four different opening angles for the legs: high angle, middle angle, low angle and reverse. The tripod is equipped with 4-section braided carbon legs whose diameter varies from 28 to 16 mm.
The opening of the various sections is carried out in a classic way, by acting on the rubber knobs placed on each section. Furthermore, one of the legs is partially covered by a decorated silicone sleeve, in order to improve its grip and can also be used as a monopod, unscrewing it from the rest of the tripod. The three feet are covered with a removable soft rubber cap, which hides a classic steel spike designed to improve grip on ice.
These characteristics, and the construction materials, allow a load up to 12 kg, with very limited vibrations.
Details and accessories
The central column is equipped with a compartment inside which there is a very convenient multi-tools equipped with hex keys for managing all the pins on the stand and a cell phone holder clip to be connected to the threads arranged on the fulcrum of the stand.
As in other Fotopro models, there are two threads present, specifically designed to accommodate intelligent accessories such as the Multi-direction adjusting gripper, a multidirectional arm for supporting action-cams, mobile phones, spot lights or more.
The central column is equipped with a hook for sandbags or backpacks, useful for limiting vibrations or for fixing the tripod more in case of strong wind.
The Head ball
The SHERPA MAX is sold in kit with the head mod. 62QS. Like most similar products on the market, it has a ring nut for rotation on the horizontal axis appropriately graduated, a lever for opening and closing the rotation of the sphere, and a plate equipped with a “bubble” with Arca-Swiss connection. The peculiarity of this ball-head lies, in addition to a techno-design and absolute lightness, in the further possibility of 360 ° rotation of the plate. This allows you to create panoramas by working with the uneven tripod, thus only going to act only on the leveling of the turntable, with a considerable saving of time to devote to the composition of our photograph.
FIELD TESTING
I had the opportunity to try the SHERPA MAX in the field in many photographic exits, between the cliffs of my house in Portovenere in the province of La Spezia and the Swiss Alps in Zermatt.
The SHERPA MAX performed well, demonstrating the excellent stability of the legs on the roughness of the cliffs and in the presence of strong wind during a couple of outings with thunderstorms.
I took long exposures for over 4 minutes without experiencing shake, a sign that there were no vibrations and movements due to wind stress. I also made a panoramic shot, thus testing the rotation of the plate. Leveling the camera was very simple. The rotation appears smooth and the locking system very secure.
FINAL TOUGHTS
Given the characteristics described, I strongly recommend the purchase to photographer friends looking for a new tripod. The technical characteristics for weight and size in fact, make it an ideal tripod for landscape photography and taking long exposures. Even preparing the suitcase to load on the plane, or the backpack for a mountain trekking will not be a big thought thanks to the limited weight and size of the SHERPA MAX.
For further information and to buy it online use the following link: FOTO PRO SHERPA MAX