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I’m just not excited about tripods anymore. Of course there are some clever designs every now and then, but they all basically play on the same ideas. But with the X-Aircross F38, this tripod is so cool I was squealing with joy.
The X-Aircross F38 is a travel video tripod collaboration between Ulanzi and PhotoPro, and it doesn’t look that special on the surface. Out of the box, it looks like any other compact carbon fiber tripod I’ve ever used, but that quickly changed.
Design and build quality
First, it’s incredibly light. Usually, carbon fiber tripods of this size are lighter, but not by much when compared to using aluminum. When downsizing the triplet, the weight savings compared to the cost of going from aluminum to carbon fiber offer diminishing returns over time.
Also, tripods carry most of their weight in the head. So no matter how much you reduce the weight of the legs, they will eventually hit the wall. But this time, the tripod felt so light, I thought it should be made of plastic or something else cheap.
But no, it’s all steel or carbon fiber but it’s much lighter because the entire pan-tilt head and associated parts have been reduced to a minimum. They’re so small, I fit my head – with a pan-tilted arm – comfortably in my closed fist. It’s less than baseball.
Somehow, Ulanzi and Fotopro managed to include everything I wanted in a good pan-tilt video tripod head into this small size without sacrificing any functionality. It still has a beautifully smooth pan-tilt movement and there’s still a ball head above the legs which will flatten out on uneven ground.
What’s more, there’s an Allen key hidden in a magnetic slot on the front of the head to ensure the quick-release plate is securely attached to your camera.
In general, the quality of the materials used here is high. Everything is of high quality and made of metal or carbon fiber, except for the smartphone clip, which is a type of molded plastic combined with metal parts. Although this is really high quality.
Yes, there’s also a professional-grade compact quick-release system that keeps it secure when you need it, but lets you easily remove the attached camera in seconds.
If you want to get the tripod closer to the ground, the center column can be loosened and removed, and if you want to hang the camera above your subject, that center column can be flipped out completely. As mentioned, there’s even a nifty smartphone clip in that center shaft so you can instantly use the tripod with your iPhone or Android device.
The only downside I can see to all of these units is that they might not be very easy to handle in the cold. All screws and fittings are very small and made of aluminum, so they are not easy to grip when wearing gloves and can be damaged if you have to turn and unscrew them with bare hands in sub-zero temperatures. Those of you with big hands and fingers will feel this most.
That said, talk about a minor complaint. If I’m out in the wild, I’m more grateful that I can’t lug a giant tripod around with me instead of being frustrated that these small parts can be a little difficult to handle.
Smartly designed feet
The X-Aircross F38 can be as low as 2.5 inches to the ground but as high as 57.28 inches. The video tripod hides another neat feature in that height extension: a locking mechanism for the legs.
Typically, tripod legs are either the clip-on type or the twist-lock type, and both versions have their supporters for different reasons. Ulanzi and Fotopro have gone a different route and while it’s technically a twist-lock switch, it’s done in a way I’ve never seen before.
Instead of having to twist and lock each part of the leg as usual, one leg can be extended and retracted at a time. The bottom of the leg is elastic and easy to hold, and by twisting to the left to open, all the parts are opened together and can be fixed in place by twisting to the right.
I’ve never seen this before and I’m not sure if this is the first tripod to do this, but this is the first time I’ve encountered it. Amazing. Although you can lock and unlock each unit by twisting each unit separately, it’s clearly designed to be deployed and lifted simultaneously. On this, more.
I recognize that the convenience this design offers is not without some drawbacks. First, once it’s fully deployed it can be a little annoying to make a small height adjustment on any leg because you have to reach up so far to do it. I’m also not sure if this design holds up to dust, sand, and dirt as well as traditional locking feet. That said, it doesn’t seem difficult to separate and clean. The legs aren’t interchangeable either, which means if you need spikes on them, you’re out of luck.
Still, I’m willing to make some sacrifices for this small and lightweight tripod, and those Ulanzi and PhotoPro ask me to make are minor compared to the benefits of the full package.
Some real creativity here.
Although I ended up copying brands like Peak Design to create a way to make the entire tripod package more compact, that tripod wasn’t much more usable in other design aspects. In fact, I would argue that a tripod sacrifices usability in exchange for portability.
While the X-Aircross F38 isn’t as small as Peak’s Tripod, it’s surprisingly light at just over two pounds and doesn’t require me to give up any of the leverage I’d expect from a full-size video tripod. This fact alone is amazing. Ulanzi and Fotopro have managed to create a tripod that shows flashes of real innovation in the stabilization area, which is pretty rare these days without adding electronics into the equation.
When I first took this tripod out to test it, I chuckled to myself when I noticed how many neat little touches it had. From the included Allen wrench and hidden smartphone clip to the design of the twist-lock legs and the incredibly practical little pan-tilt head, I’m honestly blown away by how good a buff this little tripod is.
Perhaps even more impressive is the price: just $260. That’s not at all what you get here, and I’m not really sure how it could be that cheap, but this is well made – very well.
Welcome to the PetaPixel Showcase where our staff will bring you hands-on with unique and interesting products from across the photography landscape. The demo format gives manufacturers the opportunity to spend time with their products and our employees, and let them think about what features are worth noting, but the feedback from PetaPixel employees is real. Demos should not be considered an endorsement by PetaPixel.
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