Today we are reviewing two new entries into the compact tripod market from Slik: the Slik Lite CF-522 Carbon Fiber Tripod and the Slik Lite AL-420M Travel Series Aluminum Tripod, both featuring removable LED flashlights. Good times to be sure, since any excuse to climb around train tracks and scamper over fences at night is as good as any. When I had heard these two tripods had flashlights built into them, I was curious to see what this was all about. But first….some history or similar-ish.
I have had a pretty good amount of tripods over my career, ranging from the gold standard high-end professional models to the little one piece plastic video tripod, the kind that someone gave you thinking it would be great for you, “since you are a photographer and stuff,” – which you threw in the garbage your next trip to the curb.
To me, a tripod is and has always been a key component. I do a lot of multiple exposures, composite shots, and long exposures. And, like I’m sure many of you out there, I develop very intimate relationships with these objects called tripods. In many ways, our tripods are like little sidekicks. They are with us when we’re climbing a mountain, or climbing a fence, skating to spots or just catching a night sky full of stars. We’ve pretty much got this thing with us all the time. Its weight and ease of use directly affects what we get in many cases. And if you shoot mostly at night – and I know you do or want to – it’s a non-discussion. Tripods are important and that’s that. I understand this.
We have two tripods at two different price points: the SLIK LITE-AL-420M for $119.00, and the SLIKLITE CF-522 at $299.00. Both tripods feature flashlights on the center masts. Both have both legs and head. Both legs have the same nice hinge that are well designed and give a satisfying “click” when clicked into place. The heads are different but both are ball heads. Both have center mast flashlights that unscrew allowing for an even lower stance on the tripod. (Which for me is a huge plus actually). As well as the fact that, “Well, now you have a flashlight in your hand, and the sky’s the limit, party people.” (We will discuss the flashlight more later, for now I want to discuss the tripods themselves and what you can expect.) The big difference, however: one has carbon fiber legs and one is not. And both ball heads are quite different in their feel and build quality. Reflecting the price point difference.
I took both of these tripods out for two nights. I brought out a wide lens, a 50 mm EF, and my 70-200mm.Two camera bodies. A canon 5D Mk3 and a 7D. I did mostly 20 – 30 second exposures. I used one camera to take pictures of the other camera as it took pictures a few times thinking that would be illuminating in some way. But it just turned out to be a picture of a camera. I also played with some more open aperture shorter exposures to how that worked out with actually less impressive results. I made a conscious decision to not bring a shutter release cable/intervalometer. Since most people don’t generally use them on a daily basis. (Even if we have it in the bag and even if they are a great help sometimes.) I also mounted and un-mounted the cameras more than I needed to, experimenting by putting different things on different things, and riding around on my bike and climbing through rubble and such. Really just trying to put the tripods through a good bit in basically two short sessions.At the end of the day, I’m a down and dirty shooter and I need my gear to keep up. Just like a lot of you guys!
First up, the Slik Lite AL-420M, or the aluminum tripod with an LED flashlight. For the price point of $119.00 the AL-420M is perfectly fine. And for many uses involving smaller cameras, micro 4/3 systems etc., this could be a really solid lower tiered option if you want something you can throw in your bag and just be on the go. And while you could use this tripod with heavier kits as I did in my testing, (I used a 7D body with a EF 50mm), I wouldn’t say this tripod is necessarily built for a heavy load. My shots were on the soft side, but with some trial and error it can be nailed.
The Good : Super compact and light (not the flashlight, I’m talking about weight ), super easy to unfold, and has a pretty good ball head for very lightweight cameras. For $119.00 I think its a good deal.
The Bad: the shoe on the ball head was not great. The cork padding went sideways and came up a good amount after the two sessions. However even more so than that, it actually pushed up the rubber area around the mount of my 7D. I cannot honestly say if I’m upset about it or not. Or if it is my fault for overloading or over tightening it? But in my 15 plus years of using camera equipment, this was a first. Nonetheless, with a smaller system this will probably be fine, since you wouldn’t need to compensate so much.You can still always use your mirror lock if you got it.
Now let’s talk about the Slik Lite CF-522 Carbon Fiber for $299.
So while this won’t replace your mammoth old faithful tripod in terms of overall stability, this little sucker feels really good and solid! It is ultra light and tight. And with my 5D MarkIII with an L 17-40, or most other UWA lenses especially, it just felt stable and smooth to use. I even tested it out with my 70-200mm . That was a lot of lens for a little bit of tripod, it wasn’t ideal. Probably pushing the limits a bit but still serviceable for sure.
The best part about this tripod is the ball head. This thing has a nice feel for being so darn small and light. And when you tighten the head down, you can feel it just getting nice and tight it turns and tightens gradually. It feels like there’s good engineering stuff in there. As it should be. This, however, is in stark contrast to the “420” ball head which just kind of tightens. The handle on the 522/carbon fiber model also feels nice to the touch and will likely be a pleasure for you to use for extended periods. It has a pretty decent height at 57 inches (center column down ) and actually was pretty solid and stable at this height. But I will say this is not the ideal height here. I did notice a little sharpness drop the higher I raised it. But if you only use the first three extensions, and not the final fourth and skinny one at the bottom, stability is greatly increased. And I tell you, at the end of the day, my shots were crisp when zoomed. So that’s a win. There was also little to no shift between different exposures overlayed in my HDR composites I played with. And if you use this tripod how it is really meant to be used, in lower stances in hard to reach places, you’ll do just fine.
Now we have the flashlight! Or the “Lite” in “Slik-Lite.”
There are basically three types of nighttime photographers or long exposure shooters. You got your urban explorer types, you got your nature explorer types, and you have your fire twirling Brillo burning light painting types. (These guys are all killing on Instagram BTW. Nice job guys!) So even though I have spent time in nature and have a box of Brillo, I am definitely more an urban explorer type. A flashlight is a handy thing to have in general right? Taking night shots of the zombie apocolypse? You will probably need a light at some point. Just pick your spots! And actually, Having the flashlight did inspire me to “light write” on some things. So that was kinda fun, I guess. The real question is, how much of the tripod’s price is for the flashlight ? Like, ok, how much am I paying for something I may or may not want…
What I’m saying is that in both cases, its seems like basically a free flashlight. And even if it was ten bucks. Hey, you might need it someday. And for $ 119.00 you get a solid lightweight ultra-compact legs and ball head with your flashlight! Not bad. It’s pretty well built and relatively solid. If this is right for your lighter kit and small pack, get it. You will be happy and it won’t break your bank.
The Good : Lightweight, does its job, mostly black! Great head!
The Bad: Not much bad. Probably just the price.
So should you buy it?
At the end of the day, the reason I can recommend this tripod is simply because the build quality here is on point. I kind of wish it was $250.00, but I wish everything was cheaper. It would be nice if it also came with an extra plate. Since those small plates have a tendency to wander off and aren’t really the most readily replaceable. But if you take a look at how much some even partway decent ball heads cost out there – plus a pair of carbon fiber legs – it starts to make sense that this isn’t a terrible deal. The head just feels nice and this little guy was a pleasure to carry around in my bag. I was able to fold him up with my camera still on it. I put my little cotton bag I stole from my wife’s expensive shoes right over the camera, and just deposited it into the top of my bag. Easy as pie and off I go! The shots were crisp, The thing weighs next to nothing, it did what I needed it to do and it did it solidly. Call that what you will. But I can feel ok recommending this tripod. We had a good time together. I hope to do it again soon.
