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The Colorado Tripod Company has introduced what it claims is the world’s first titanium tripod system, with a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Not only does the use of titanium make the ball heads lightweight and strong, but the design of the heads also allows the camera to drop to the side below the usual 90 degrees seen in other heads.
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The Highline ballhead will be available in either titanium or aluminum. The titanium model will feature a hollow ball to reduce weight. Both versions will have a locking force of 54lb and will offer left-handed controls that allow users to hold the camera and shoot with the right hand. The titanium model will weigh less than 340g (12oz), while in aluminium the same unit weighs 510g (18oz).
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To accompany these heads a new line of titanium and carbon fibre legs have also been introduced. The company says that by CNC machining from a solid block of titanium it can make its metal parts stronger than manufacturers that use metal casting. Milling also means the company can make its parts more precisely, and it says it can cut the amount of material used to help reduce weight. The carbon fibre used in the Centennial legs is ten-layered, and comes from Japan.
An additional ball head called the Aspen comes only in aluminium but offers a much wider range of camera positions, as it has no housing around the ball. This allows the camera to drop well below 90 degrees, while making the head quite lightweight at only 454g (16oz).
The Highline ball head in aluminium starts at $ 79 on Kickstarter, while the titanium version can be had for $ 399. The Aspen head costs $ 179 and the Centennial tripod is $ 249 in aluminium and $ 399 in titanium. Various kits combing these products are also available. Shipping is planned to start in March.
For more information see the Colorado Tripod Company’s Kickstarter campaign page.
Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)