Flip-Lock Entry-Level Tripod
Review by Dave Williams
3 Legged Thing, the British tripod company, has a great entry-level tripod in their PUNKS range by the name of Patti. This magnesium-alloy tripod extends to 64″ (1.63m) from a folded length of 18″ (45.5cm). It includes a great AirHed Mini compact ball head right in its own carrying bag, along with a Toolz that not only gives you hex and coin keys in its carabiner-style design, but also a bottle opener. That PUNKS family is certainly living up to its name!
A multi-award winning company, 3 Legged Thing is renowned for its design innovation, and its superb range of tripods makes this clear. The Patti is its everyday, entry-level tripod, and it’s priced perfectly to reflect this. It’s compatible with other accessories, such as footwear and Arca-Swiss conforming L-brackets. The entire package comes in at 3.4 lbs (1.55kg), and the tripod is rated to support 22 lbs (10kg). This load rating is the largest capacity of any tripod within this class! I found the tripod to be sturdy and it functions just great. The legs are adjusted with a flip-lock mechanism with great ergonomics.
The included AirHed Mini has one screw that controls the entire range of motion: tilting and panning. Essentially, this results in a one-handed, simple method of operation that’s a great way for beginner photographers to get to grips with how a tripod correlates with the composition seen on the camera’s preview screen. Overall I have to say that the PUNKS Patti has hit the nail on the head with all that’s needed in an entry-level piece of gear, outperforming others in the same category and resulting in perfectly stable images and simple control.
