I’ve used the Ulanzi Coman Zero gravity model for the last couple of years too. Mostly for travel. It’s a great piece but lacks stability with premium 2.8mm lenses etc. Nevertheless it fits in almost every backpack and gear bag I have without issue. It was less expensive than the Peak Designs and the better choice for me at the time. And I’m a big fan of PD stuff. I kick myself every other day at what I’ve spent on just tripods and heads in order to find the ideal combos I like. Unfortunately there’s no other way of learning or coming to an understanding of what works best for you. At one point I just threw up my arms and told myself to get the best I could afford. I ended up with a Schatler Flowtech 75 and its Ace XL mk2 head. Absolutely lovely. Absolutely expensive. It doesn’t leave my home studio much and I feel like it will be a heirloom piece one day as it’s got that German build thing that lasts forever going on. Though I thought it would, it never solved my ‘forever tripod paradigm’. Not until I got my next one; My favorite combo yet is one I put together myself after studying like an idiot for days. It includes a Sirui AM-3204 4-section carbon with a Manfrotto 608 Nitrotech fluid head. For the stuff I do which is non-pro stuff, it’s as bespoke to my needs as I could want. I just love it. And it didn’t break the bank. Though getting to this point overall, has. It may be the best tripod combo I’ve personally seen anywhere. I expect the Treeroot to fall into this category and be my portable standard for field work in the coming years. I’ve looked hard at what I didn’t like about the Coman Zero and came up with a half dozen suitable upgrades. But I ordered the Treeroot in the end. Ulanzi makes some decent stuff, along with some budget friendly stuff. They aren’t per se known as a tripod company like Sirui or Gitzo are. But the few models they have made, well, they got a smart team of designers at HQ. And it is companies like Ulanzi who have changed the approach in the fact that ‘Made in China’ is now a badge of honour. Of quality. Which never used to be the case. Funny thing, I remember as a kid, our family had a Sony tape recorder which had ‘Made in Japan’ stamped on it. People who saw that would often comment that it was junk.
The Schatler Flowtech 75 is out of this world but so is the price for an avarage joe. Totally worth it when running a production company though, amongst a few others too. That Sirui and Manfrotto combo sounds great too!
I've had the tree root for a couple of weeks now. I was very nervous because of how expensive it was, and I've heard that Ulanzi is not very responsive when it comes to customer service. Originally, I was going to get the Peak Design because it's been out longer and therefore has been tried and tested longer. But... I took a chance with this tripod since it was on sale during the holidays. So far it has been great. I can't speak to the durability yet, but the features and design are phenomenol. They really took the time to think about certain limitations and design flaws on other travel tripods and addressed/improved on them. Definitely not a light as other travel options and I think that mostly has to do with the quick release head, but I think the features and usability are worth it. The head is quick and so far secure. I do get worried about the small dial that is used to loosen or tighten the movement of the ball head as it is very small and doesn't feel like it is very secure, but so far it is working well.
this is very reassuring, just bought a tree root as I'm going on holiday to sicily soon, so wanted something much sturdier than my current tripod. hopefully it holds up well, my previous experiences with ulanzi products have always been excellent
Good video! But I'm going to throw a third tripod in the mix that IMO, is probably the best travel VIDEO tripod in terms of not only size, but price, durability and most important, video features. Ifootage Gazelle TC5S. At the end of the day, these 2 tripods (and the Peak Design) are photocentric with some video features. As a videographer who travels a decent amount, having a tripod designed specifically for video is crucial. Of course it works for photos as well. Anyway, I highly recommend it as another option
your video and the knowledge you are providing is great But to make video more appealing just set your video title as " Best Travel Tripod in 2025" just this believe me you will have increase in views. BEST WISHES
I’ve used the Ulanzi Coman Zero gravity model for the last couple of years too. Mostly for travel. It’s a great piece but lacks stability with premium 2.8mm lenses etc. Nevertheless it fits in almost every backpack and gear bag I have without issue. It was less expensive than the Peak Designs and the better choice for me at the time. And I’m a big fan of PD stuff.
I kick myself every other day at what I’ve spent on just tripods and heads in order to find the ideal combos I like. Unfortunately there’s no other way of learning or coming to an understanding of what works best for you. At one point I just threw up my arms and told myself to get the best I could afford. I ended up with a Schatler Flowtech 75 and its Ace XL mk2 head. Absolutely lovely. Absolutely expensive. It doesn’t leave my home studio much and I feel like it will be a heirloom piece one day as it’s got that German build thing that lasts forever going on. Though I thought it would, it never solved my ‘forever tripod paradigm’. Not until I got my next one;
My favorite combo yet is one I put together myself after studying like an idiot for days. It includes a Sirui AM-3204 4-section carbon with a Manfrotto 608 Nitrotech fluid head. For the stuff I do which is non-pro stuff, it’s as bespoke to my needs as I could want. I just love it. And it didn’t break the bank. Though getting to this point overall, has. It may be the best tripod combo I’ve personally seen anywhere. I expect the Treeroot to fall into this category and be my portable standard for field work in the coming years. I’ve looked hard at what I didn’t like about the Coman Zero and came up with a half dozen suitable upgrades. But I ordered the Treeroot in the end.
Ulanzi makes some decent stuff, along with some budget friendly stuff. They aren’t per se known as a tripod company like Sirui or Gitzo are. But the few models they have made, well, they got a smart team of designers at HQ. And it is companies like Ulanzi who have changed the approach in the fact that ‘Made in China’ is now a badge of honour. Of quality. Which never used to be the case. Funny thing, I remember as a kid, our family had a Sony tape recorder which had ‘Made in Japan’ stamped on it. People who saw that would often comment that it was junk.
The Schatler Flowtech 75 is out of this world but so is the price for an avarage joe. Totally worth it when running a production company though, amongst a few others too. That Sirui and Manfrotto combo sounds great too!
I've had the tree root for a couple of weeks now. I was very nervous because of how expensive it was, and I've heard that Ulanzi is not very responsive when it comes to customer service. Originally, I was going to get the Peak Design because it's been out longer and therefore has been tried and tested longer. But... I took a chance with this tripod since it was on sale during the holidays. So far it has been great. I can't speak to the durability yet, but the features and design are phenomenol. They really took the time to think about certain limitations and design flaws on other travel tripods and addressed/improved on them. Definitely not a light as other travel options and I think that mostly has to do with the quick release head, but I think the features and usability are worth it. The head is quick and so far secure. I do get worried about the small dial that is used to loosen or tighten the movement of the ball head as it is very small and doesn't feel like it is very secure, but so far it is working well.
this is very reassuring, just bought a tree root as I'm going on holiday to sicily soon, so wanted something much sturdier than my current tripod. hopefully it holds up well, my previous experiences with ulanzi products have always been excellent
I considered the Ulanzi but went with the Heipi and it’s been phenomenal. Highly recommend it
I was looking at them too, just like Falcam’s aesthetics better :)
I have a Treeroot tripod but the head has stopped snap locking my F38 plates. Need to manually pull the lever backwards. Have you experienced this?
Hey, nope! How long have you had it for? Have you talked to their support?
Good video! But I'm going to throw a third tripod in the mix that IMO, is probably the best travel VIDEO tripod in terms of not only size, but price, durability and most important, video features. Ifootage Gazelle TC5S. At the end of the day, these 2 tripods (and the Peak Design) are photocentric with some video features. As a videographer who travels a decent amount, having a tripod designed specifically for video is crucial. Of course it works for photos as well. Anyway, I highly recommend it as another option
Thanks Chris, I’ll check it out!
your video and the knowledge you are providing is great
But to make video more appealing just set your video title as
" Best Travel Tripod in 2025" just this
believe me you will have increase in views.
BEST WISHES