Vanguard has been making tripods and photographic accessories since 1986 and I’ve tested a lot of them over the years. I was recently very impressed with the Vanguard Alta Pro 3VRL 303CV 18, a really tall and solid video tripod with a towering maximum operating height and 25kg load rating for its 3-section legs. My only gripes were that it’s still quite tall when folded, and heavy to carry around at 3.26kg. Then there was the Vanguard Alta Pro 3VLT 235CV 10, which I feel went a little too far the other way. It’s small when folded and only weighs 1.19kg complete with video head, but the bottom sections of its 5-section legs are quite spindly and I found it a bit wobbly.
The new Vanguard Alta Pro 3VL 304CT that I’m reviewing here aims to serve up the perfect compromise. It has robust 4-section legs, reaches a tall maximum operating height but folds down pretty small, and is sufficiently lightweight to carry with ease. Many people think that tripods with a leveling base are just for video, but they can be equally useful for many stills shooting scenarios. With that in mind, Vanguard has brought the legs to the market on its own, leaving customers to choose their own head. Hedging its bets, the Vanguard Alta Pro 3VL 304CT aims to be one of the best tripods for photographers as well as one of the best tripods for videographers.
