Manfrotto 190 Aluminium 4 Section Tripod

I am a reasonably serious amateur photographer and bought this to replace a 45 year old (really) Vivitar tripod that finally wore out. I was 16 then and am 61 now and so wanted a tripod that would last another 45 years. The Manfrotto 190 is a superb, mid-weight tripod. Coupled with a stout ball head or gimbal head, this tripod is steady even in a moderate wind. The clamp-style legs are smooth and easy to adjust. The center column is stiff and will extend out 90 degrees if you need that. I managed to drag the tripod through sand and surf on one outing, and with an Allen wrench and 8 mm socket I was able to disassemble and clean it easily. At 4.5 pounds and 23" folded it is not a travel tripod. But it will handle my Canon with a 400mm lens and extender without complaint. If you really need a heavy tripod (for a super telephoto or for semi-pro video) you'll be happier with the Manfrotto 055 series or an appropriate Gitzo or Induro tripod. This 190 series tripod is what I need for a mid-weight. I'll let you know in 45 years how it lasted. Recommended.

My wife and I received the money to purchase this as a gift. We did our research across a wide variety of tripods in this price range and found the reviews on the MT190CXPRO4 to be best suited for what we wanted out of a tripod. I have a 3 section Manfrotto steel tripod and was very pleasantly surprised with the lighter weight provided by the carbon fiber. My wife and I are both 5' 10" or so and one of the best things about this tripod is the extra height provided by the 4th section. We are able to set up the tripod fully extended without having to use the telescoping arm to look through the viewfinder without bending over. What a relief that is. Manfrotto did an excellent job with the overall design of this tripod. While there are certainly more expensive models out there with different bells and whistles, I'm not sure there are any in this price range that fit our needs as well as this model. We do a variety of shooting and have now taken this tripod with us on several trips out of town and country as well as all over the area for outdoor and indoor shoots. Zero issues whatsoever. This tripod is a beast and will hold up to just about any use and abuse that I could conceivably put it through!

This tripod is exceptional. While in the market for a carbon fiber tripod to replace my aluminum tripod I was considering originally were, the meFoto backpacker, Manfrotto beFree carbon fiber, and the Manfrotto MT055CXPRO3 Carbon Fiber tripods. The criteria I looked at was weighted to maximum height, weight, stability, cost, and folded length. Right off the bat, the meFoto and beFree were at a serious disadvantage due to their maximum height, however their weight, cost and compactness kept them in the running. The MT055CXPRO3 was right up my alley in terms of maximum height, however I was a little concerned about the cost and the compactness, and a little with the weight being almost three pounds heavier than the meFoto and beFree. I had rented the meFoto and beFree from a local camera shop, and I found they were good but their stability seriously lacked. Unfortunately I couldn't find anyone that rented the 055CXPRO3. Lucky for me my neighbor had purchased a Manfrotto MT190XCPRO4 so I asked him if I could rent it off him for a few trips as he only used it to take pictures in his garden. After borrowing this tripod for a few excursions into London and Thetford forest, I finally broke down and purchased one for myself as I felt it best met my criteria and represented a perfect balance between height, weight, cost and stability. It's heavier than the backpack tripods, but not by much (1.2lb over the meFoto backpacker and manfrotto beFree), which is an easy sacrifice when you need a taller tripod that is stable enough to handle a heavier kit. At the same time it was a little over 1 pound lighter than the CXPRO3. While it was $200 more than the meFoto, it was $100 less than the CXPRO3 so it was also a good middle ground on cost, and the stability on busy city streets, uneven ground in the forest, and windy nights is second to none. Most importantly for me, I cannot over emphasize the height. I'm 6'3" and with all three legs fully extended and in the third position down, I don't even need the center column extended after I add on the ball head and the battery grip for my 5DIII. Is the 1.2lb difference between this and the travel designed tripods going to make much of a difference over time? Probably not a significant one, and if you carry your gear enough you'll build up the strength and endurance anyways. I carried this around the London Super Comic Con for two days and it was really no different than not having it, or having my monopod on there. Recommendation: If you're looking for a tall tripod and can compromise 1.2 pounds on weight and a little compactness, I recommend this over the meFoto and beFree. If you're considering the 055CXPRO3 and are considering using it for hiking or walking around town, I recommend this as well. All in all, I think it is the perfect middle ground between a full size and travel specific tripod.

Good price, sturdy. Only negative was the instruction booklet - short on details.

This thing is one well refined and solid device. I agree with the first poster about the arrow of the center column needing paint, other than that, it's a mean sleek machine. Pulling out the legs is a smooth and simple motion of itself. There are a few 'stops' that a leg can hit, the silver button lets the user go past those...for general use though, it isn't necessary to even interact with the leg buttons. Each leg brace is metal! I love that. The thumb grips are plastic with a slick metal slot interlocked through at the factory that pulls the (metal brace) tight to the perfect tension. Great tripod, can't wait to try it out. A bit more than the 055 but I am glad the 190 now been redesigned this way. It is a pound less than the 055 but only 2" shorter column down. Put a head of your choice on and good to go! The rubber leg cozies are high quality with a great look to top it all off!

I just received this tripod in the mail today, and I already love it! I got this as an upgrade to use with my Manfrotto 410 Junior geared tripod head. This tripod base is lightweight, sturdy and well made - so far, obviously I haven't had this out in the field yet - but all aspects of the build seem super high quality so far! I do love that there is the option to shoot overhead, that is such a great feature for flat-lays, but I have had issues with wear on that part in the past with previous tripod bases by Manfrotto- as long as you take care and not force the parts, it works well! Overall, I am very happy with this purchase- I'll update later down the road if I experience any problems!

Perfect

I have not actually used it yet, but it looks to be exactly what I want to shoot in extremely cold weather.

Best item bought! A joy to work with from the start. - A Quality which in the long run is the best value for money.

Vengo de un Manfrotto 055 XPROB que es bastante robusto.Este tripod Manfrotto MT190XPRO4 que acabo de comprarlo es fantasicamente robusto aun que la 4 pata es lijeramente mas fina ,pero he hecho una prueba y una comparacion entre el Manfrotto 055 y el Manfrotto 190 de la misma marca , la diferencia es minima en robustez .La altura de las patas en alturas maximas son iguales.Hay algunos comentarios que sobra en decir que lo devolvio por la culpa de 4 seccion por que es bastante fina y delicada. Segun se ve en las foto hay algo de diferencia en la ultima seccion de abajo enter los 2 tripodes .En la parte isquerda de las fotos el Manfrotto 190 y la derecha el Manfrotto 005.Tamien se aprecia la diferencia cuando estan cerrados .Merece la pena comprarlo sin dudas,vendo el Manfrotto 005 XPROB por el tema del peso ,es una buena inversion.

Nice quality.