Peak Design - foray into the tripod and Kickstarter

Messages
1,024
Name
Jamesev
Edit My Images
No
Firstly has anyone looked into Peak Designs excursion from bags and plates now into their redesign of the travel specific tripod. They’ve launched the specs of a single AL and a single CF and the numbers closed length, max height, weight, load capacity do seem to stack up against others manufacturers in the same arena. Obvious pros and cons, pro being I assume the tripod fits like a glove into their existing bag and existing plate / accessories range. The con seems to be the way they’re launching it - via Kickstarter....
Pledge US$ 479 or more
Carbon Travel Tripod

Get the Carbon Travel Tripod for $121 off the retail price ($599.95). Includes legs, ball head, quick-release plate, mobile mount, load hook, hex key, and protective case.

For something you won’t see until December it’s does seem a lot especially now they are a fairly established photo market company putting the risk onto pledgees
 
Especially when you can get a Benro Slim CF travel tripod for £89 on Amazon.

For my Oly I don't need a tripod to carry a lot of weight.

Think I'll buy the Benro.
 
Sure the Travel Angel is a more direct comparison, but even then that's a lot cheaper.
Especially when you can get a Benro Slim CF travel tripod for £89 on Amazon.

For my Oly I don't need a tripod to carry a lot of weight.

Think I'll buy the Benro.
 
Nope. This peak design is the same price as a gitzo

The Gitzo GK1545T is £582, the Peak Design Travel Tripod is £373 (at current exchange rates, although will go up to £466 after the campaign ends).

From what I've seen my current assumption is the Peak Design is for someone who wants form over function and that packs away neatly, if that's the case then it's probably the right tripod for the task...
 
The Gitzo GK1545T is £582, the Peak Design Travel Tripod is £373 (at current exchange rates, although will go up to £466 after the campaign ends).

From what I've seen my current assumption is the Peak Design is for someone who wants form over function and that packs away neatly, if that's the case then it's probably the right tripod for the task...
With the head it's nearly the same
 
Can't say anything from Peak Design has appealed to me and this joins that list.

One strange claim is "works with L Plates" don't most Arca compatible clamps then?
Those bottom legs look rather spindly to me, If Carlsberg made tripods it wouldn't be this one
 
Last edited:
The Gitzo GK1545T is £582, the Peak Design Travel Tripod is £373 (at current exchange rates, although will go up to £466 after the campaign ends).

From what I've seen my current assumption is the Peak Design is for someone who wants form over function and that packs away neatly, if that's the case then it's probably the right tripod for the task...
Agreed the 1545t is £582 but the GT1555T is more towards the £720 mark
 
I received an email and I wasn’t exactly sure what it’s aimed at. It’s as if it’s a product trying to find a problem to solve. The overall tripod design hasn’t really changed over the years.

I’ve tried a couple travel tripods looking for the right one. It’s a relatively niche segment as it’s quite hard to make something small and compact yet sturdy too. I can see their point the PD tripod uses closed space better but the proof will be in it’s use and if it’s stable enough. I’m not sure if I like the compact ball head, it seems like it’s built into the centre column (the centre column does look quite thin). I’m not a big fan of the leg locks either. It would be great to see one in the flesh to really get a feel for it.

In my search for a travel tripod after trying a few Ive ended up biting the bullet and picking up a gitzo gt100t. It’s basically a gt1545t but is a 100yr anniversary model that they sold off the last of the stock cheaper than the gt1545t were at the time. I had looked at various options and seemed to always go back to the gitzo travel tripods for the stability and lightweight.

With the head it's nearly the same
The Peak Design tripod does include a compact ball head. What I can’t see is if it can be removed and another head put in its place like other travel tripod can. I guess that will reduce the compactness of the design.

The Gitzo GK1545T is £582, the Peak Design Travel Tripod is £373 (at current exchange rates, although will go up to £466 after the campaign ends).
The full price after the Kickstarter ends doesn’t make sense to me. $599.95 seems quite a bit for an unknown quality tripod. Even at the Kickstarter price $479 seems quite a bit for a carbon fibre travel tripod. I’m not sure if they are trying to compete with gitzo. I would have thought they would be aiming to compete with the likes of 3 legged thing etc but I guess they think they have a niche product as there aren’t others on the market that have its form.

Agreed the 1545t is £582 but the GT1555T is more towards the £720 mark
Personally I would take the 4 section over the 5 section. The 5 section is smaller closed length at roughly 7.5cm but the 4 section should be more stable. Gitzo prices can be quite a bit but they do vary from place to place so good to shop around if your interested in one. I can see the GT1555T is probably closer to the PD tripod dimensions.
 
Agreed the 1545t is £582 but the GT1555T is more towards the £720 mark

My mistake, the Gitzo naming system makes me want to throw up a little but corrected numbers give:

PD: £373
GK1555T: £608
GT1555T: £516

So even if we compare the Gitzo without a head to the PD with a head there's a £143 price advantage for the PD. I think the PD will lose horribly to the Gitzo but the one area it's OK on is price.
 
My mistake, the Gitzo naming system makes me want to throw up a little but corrected numbers give:

PD: £373
GK1555T: £608
GT1555T: £516

So even if we compare the Gitzo without a head to the PD with a head there's a £143 price advantage for the PD. I think the PD will lose horribly to the Gitzo but the one area it's OK on is price.

It's £466 outside Kickstarter. But even at £373 I don't think it's worth it. I would certainly love to give it a go but I haven't liked what I have seen and read online.
 
My mistake, the Gitzo naming system makes me want to throw up a little but corrected numbers give:

PD: £373
GK1555T: £608
GT1555T: £516

So even if we compare the Gitzo without a head to the PD with a head there's a £143 price advantage for the PD. I think the PD will lose horribly to the Gitzo but the one area it's OK on is price.
Initially gitzos naming convention looks quite random but it is actually quite useful once you know what the numbers mean (example below)

902EC88D-3FD7-48FB-9BC8-DDB0BA0734BE.jpeg

Personnally I think PDs tripod at kickerstarter prices its competition for the likes of 3LT etc rather than Gitzo especially at the kickerstarter prices. Once the kickerstarter prices end it comes into competition with the likes of gitzo as £474 isn’t that far away from gitzos prices especially when they run offers like 15% off.
 
Last edited:
The Peak Design tripod does include a compact ball head. What I can’t see is if it can be removed and another head put in its place like other travel tripod can. I guess that will reduce the compactness of the design.

They have a bunch of optional accessories for those situations, looks like you can replace the centre column and ballhead with a more standard plate:

https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/02...-q=50&q=92&s=c7b7d7db0d99661f2187215e0f88893d

The full price after the Kickstarter ends doesn’t make sense to me. $599.95 seems quite a bit for an unknown quality tripod. Even at the Kickstarter price $479 seems quite a bit for a carbon fibre travel tripod. I’m not sure if they are trying to compete with gitzo. I would have thought they would be aiming to compete with the likes of 3 legged thing etc but I guess they think they have a niche product as there aren’t others on the market that have its form.

I've never actually used a Peak Design product before but it feels like they're aiming to get an Apple type niche, offering a product with appears to exude quality and you pay a privilege for that or it might simply be that they want a decent return and knew they'd do well with Kickstarter. Maybe they just want the short term reward and know if it works well the Chinese will have a copy at a third of the price within a year or two.

I might not be giving it a fair due but the design looks too flimsy for it to be realistically compared to something as well made as the GT1555T.

Personally I would take the 4 section over the 5 section. The 5 section is smaller closed length at roughly 7.5cm but the 4 section should be more stable. Gitzo prices can be quite a bit but they do vary from place to place so good to shop around if your interested in one. I can see the GT1555T is probably closer to the PD tripod dimensions.

My fault, my fault. It was a slip that I brought up the GT1545T as I was thinking of the GT1555T (believe it or not but I know the Gitzo numbering system, it works but it hardly rolls off the tongue).
 
Last edited:
Aren't most (all?) of PD's releases Kickstarters? Their bags and clips were.
I've got their sling which I utterly love, and the capture clip is a great invention.

This is going to sound very fan-boy, but I genuinely think they put a lot of thought into their designs, a proper analysis of what could be improved to everyday items.

Looking at that design, yes the lower legs are spindly (aren't most on travel tripods), but it's so compact! And no stickty-outy bits.

I won't however be backing it as I'm in the camp that spending over £100 for a tripod is largely pointless unless your toting heavy glass or a fat wallet.
 
Aren't most (all?) of PD's releases Kickstarters? Their bags and clips were.
I've got their sling which I utterly love, and the capture clip is a great invention.

This is going to sound very fan-boy, but I genuinely think they put a lot of thought into their designs, a proper analysis of what could be improved to everyday items.

Looking at that design, yes the lower legs are spindly (aren't most on travel tripods), but it's so compact! And no stickty-outy bits.

I won't however be backing it as I'm in the camp that spending over £100 for a tripod is largely pointless unless your toting heavy glass or a fat wallet.
I agree, I have a couple of their bags and spent a bit of time in their flag ship SF store talking to the team there. They do seem to focus on getting little details right
 
Looking at that design, yes the lower legs are spindly (aren't most on travel tripods), but it's so compact! And no stickty-outy bits.

I think the spindly little centre column that has to be extended to use the ballhead is going to be the main point of failure but regardless of if that's the case or not I think in the long run (through PD or not) we'll benefit.
 
I just can't get my head around the price for a dinky little tripod like that. None of my 4 Gitzo tripods cost that much and the PD has flippy leg lock too = just no.

Shop carefully and Gitzo are not necessarily that expensive, well mine weren't, and three of them were brand new (all UK sourced).
 
Aren't most (all?) of PD's releases Kickstarters? Their bags and clips were.
I suspect so, however I was under the impression Kickstarter was for new companies to break into a market without having to get loans, the risk a little more on those pledging. PD must be making quite a healthy turn over now being a global brand. Unless being SF based they just are using this new method of raising finances rather than traditional methods.
 
I suspect so, however I was under the impression Kickstarter was for new companies to break into a market without having to get loans, the risk a little more on those pledging. PD must be making quite a healthy turn over now being a global brand. Unless being SF based they just are using this new method of raising finances rather than traditional methods.

Can't agree more. I hear a good thing on the radio about kickstarter last week. And this exemple fall directly into it. It's clever business placement kickstarter, it's getting your market research validated for free without the need of creating the product first.

Originaly kick starter was for business which would just start with a novative idea not for an established business trying to get a new product out.

PS: by the way I like PD and i have two of there sling and a separate plate too.
 
The thing I don’t like about the PD tripod is the clips on the legs, much prefer twist locks.
 
Did anyone order this through Kickstarter and if so have any feedback on what it's like?
 
Pile of poo by all accounts, definitely form over function
 
is that from direct experience? always difficult to judge reviews that could have agenda or the person doesnt suit the product.

Not experience, only from reviews, that's why I said by all accounts
That centre column design leaves a lot to be desired, can tell that from just reading how it operates.
 
I don't like what I've seen from the design of this thing but I thought most of the reports back were positive, at least insofar as it meets its goal of being compact and good enough for its intended uses?
 
Back
Top