While preparing for an overseas photography workshop in which I was planning to take a Fujifilm mirrorless kit, I wanted to get a travel tripod that would perform well but not have a high price tag. The main objective was to have a carbon fiber tripod that weighed around 2.5 pounds, would fit in carry-on luggage, and would have reasonably high build quality and stability. In researching, I came across the Leofoto LS-284C travel tripod. The specifications matched what I was looking for and the price was very competitive.
Travel tripods come in a range of size, weight, and price. These three parameters are typically the first items that people look into when researching different tripods. An optimal combination for a travel tripod is small when folded, lightweight, reasonably priced, and stable. It must also support the weight of the head and camera equipment that the photographer intends to place on it.
While travel tripods are small and light, those properties compromise stability to some extent. A lightweight tripod will simply vibrate more than a heavier tripod with larger diameter legs. Other considerations that affect stability include leg material, leg spread, and product quality. Most travel tripod legs are made from either carbon fiber or aluminum. Aluminum tends to be less expensive, but carbon fiber is a better material for damping vibrations.
Build quality between tripods can vary significantly. Generally, the better the quality, the higher the cost, although there are exceptions. Tripods that are built well and constructed from quality materials and parts are easier to use and more stable than low-quality products. The Leofoto LS-284C tripod tends toward the higher end of the intermediate-quality range and has an affordable price.
Leofoto LS-284C Specifications
Leofoto is a relatively new company that manufactures tripods, ball heads, and other photographic accessories. Specifications for the Leofoto LS-284C indicated that this tripod met the parameters that I was looking for in a travel tripod. Because their other products received overall positive reviews, I decided to give this travel model a try.
Basic manufacturer’s specifications for the Leofoto LS-284C are:
Max height with center column is 60″ (1525mm)
Max height without center column is 47.2″ (1200mm)
Min height without center column is 2.7″ (68mm)
Max Load is 26.5lb (12kg)
Folded length is 17.5″ (444mm)
Weight is 2.4 lbs (1120g)
The legs are manufactured using 10 layers of TORAYCA carbon fiber. TORAYCA is a high-end Japanese carbon fiber product. Aluminum components of the tripod are CNC precision machined. Tripod comes with a carbon fiber center column, spikes, carry bag, clip for hanging weight, and a tool kit. Leofoto provides a 5-year warranty on the tripod as well.
Quality and Design
The tripod is solidly built and exceeded my expectations, especially for the price. Each leg has four sections, which helps to keep the folded length minimized. Legs move smoothly and the twist leg locks turn well and are secure. There are three leg angle adjustments. The narrowest, giving the highest level on the tripod, results in a leg spread that is a little narrower than I would like. In use though, I did not experience stability problems with the tripod set to its highest level. A wider leg angle increases stability, but shortens the height. Leofoto opted to keep the tripod a little higher, and this choice is fairly common for travel tripods.
The carrying bag is quite nice and large enough to hold the tripod, center column, and attached ball head. A zippered pocket inside the bag that can hold the spikes, clip, and toolkit. The bag has a shoulder strap and is very comfortable to wear sling style while walking around.
An unusual element of the design was to have a center column that screws onto the top of the base plate, rather than being permanently mounted. Personally, I like this design for a couple of reasons. If one does not want to use the center column, then it can remain off of the tripod. Mounting the center column just takes a few seconds and the screw-on mounting system is quite stable. The center column mounts from the top of the base plate and extends upwards. Because the center column does not extend below the base plate it does not limit the minimum tripod height. Thus, this tripod can get very low to the ground, which is a terrific benefit for people who shoot at low levels.
Performance
On my trip, I used a Fuji X-T2 camera with a Fuji 16-55mm f/2.8 lens mounted on the tripod. Shots were taken with shutter speeds of 5 to 6 seconds. Images came out sharp and I was pleased with the tripod performance. This image of a cosplayer was shot with a 5-second shutter speed and camera mounted on the Leofoto LS-284C tripod.
Review Summary
To summarize, the Leofoto LS-284C travel tripod is a good candidate for anyone considering the purchase of a tripod in the travel category. It performs quite well and has a low weight and small size. Build quality is quite good and the price is excellent. At under $200, it is a real bargain. The only con is that the leg spread at maximum height is a little narrow, which could reduce stability in some situations. I did not experience any problems, but it is something that people should be aware of. This tripod is worth considering for people who travel with their photography gear on planes or other size-constraining transportation and for people who hike with their cameras.
Where to Buy
Leofoto products are available on Amazon and eBay. Please consider using the affiliate links below if you are interested in purchasing the Leofoto LS-284C tripod or other Leofoto products.
Leofoto products can be purchased from Amazon here: Buy on Amazon
Leofoto US website: Buy on Leofoto USA
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10 Comments
Excellent review Adele. There is very little published about this tripod brand. This review should put it on the consideration list for many. The fact that Amazon sells it is definitely a plus.
Thanks, Michele. The more that I use this tripod, the more that I like it. And having it available through Amazon is a big plus. In fact, on one of the photo forums that I am on, there have been people who bought the tripod with the option to return it if they did not like it, but ended up keeping it because they did like it.
In addition, there is a guy who tests tripod stability at home. He obviously cannot test every tripod made, but did include the Leofoto LS-284C in the group of travel tripods that he tested. It ended up performing very well. Of the tripods tested at the time that I write this, the Leofoto stability ranked higher than any tripods except for Really Right Stuff TFC-14 (probably the best travel tripod made), Really Right Stuff TQC-14, and Gitzo GT1545T Traveler. The link to his results are here: https://thecentercolumn.com/rankings/travel-tripod-rankings/
Hi Adele. Very nice review of this Leofoto tripod! From what I’ve read thus far, this brand sounds pretty nice! I was just wondering if you went with a Leofoto ball head, or some other brand. Thank you very much. Regards, Steve
Hi Steve. I ended up getting an Acratech GP-S ball head. The ball head that I purchased had a specific capability that I wanted for hiking/travel and that is that it can be inverted and used as a panorama head. It is a relatively lightweight head and so far, I am very pleased with it. Here is a link to the ball head that I purchased:
The reviews that I have seen for other Leofoto products have been good, but I have not personally had any experience with their ball heads.
Kind Regards,
Adele
HI Adele. Yes, I do understand that Acratech makes very good products, as I have their 60mm Leveling Base that I’ve used on various tripods, which worked flawlessly. However, when I found a review of the Leofoto LN-254CT with NB-34 Panoramic Ball Head, I decided to order it to test with my Fujifilm X-System gear. The beauty of the Leotfoto NB-34 head is that it comes with a Panoramic head already, which I thought added value to the purchase. Now the only “unknown” (for me, at least) is the Build Quality of the kit, which I truly hope is up to my quite high standards, since I take pride in the sharpness and detail of my images! That said, I’d love to test the Acratech GP-S ball head some time as well! Best Regards, Steve
HI Adele, Well, I tested the Leofoto LN-254CT Tripod with my Fuji X-Pro2 and a few Fujinon XF lenses, and it performed as you suggested…impressively! it includes a fantastic ball head with one feature that I’ve not found INCLUDED on any other ball head…namely, a panoramic head! This allows the single ball head to function as a pano head, plus, if you swing it into the notch, turns the pano head into a “poor man’s ” gimbal head! (Max payload = 22 lbs.) Also, another design “feature” of this tripod/head combo, is that the knobs/controls on the ball head each have a different shape and texture (ALL metal, CNC aluminum)! Simply ingenious design, because it eliminates the possibility of inadvertently loosening the wrong knob!! Why ALL ball head manufacturers don’t do this is beyond me…actually, probably because of design and manufacture costs! In any case, this Leofoto LN-254CT Tripod is awesome…10X carbon fiber legs, included quality metal spikes (with rubber gaskets), included handy carabiner allen tool, and a very nice carrying case. If you happen to know where I can obtain replacement parts (i.e., twist locks), please do let me know. Thanks Adele! Regards, Steve
Hi Steve – Thanks for getting posting your review of the LN-254CT and ball head. It sounds like a terrific performer and I am very glad that you are both so happy with it and took the time to post your thoughts on it here. The ball head sounds impressive in both quality and design. The ball head is the Leofoto NB-34R, correct? I love the idea of the built in pano head too, as well as the “poor man’s” gimbal.
As for parts, you might try contacting OEC Camera. They are the US distributor for Leofoto. The web site is: http://www.oeccamera.com/
Kind Regards,
Adele
Hi Adele! While I still love the Leofoto LN-254CT Tripod, I did notice that one of the middle section twist locks is not quite as “straight” on the leg as all the other twist locks. It seems just a cosmetic rather than functional issue. If I wanted to replace the Twist lock in the future, do you know a source of this part in the US? Thanks again!
Hi Steve – Hmmm, hopefully this really is just a cosmetic and minor issue. If I were you, I would contact OEC Camera. Their website is: http://www.oeccamera.com/ If you click on the Contact Us button it will bring up the email address. I would email them directly and ask. This is the US distributor for Leofoto and would be the first place that I would inquire for parts.
Hope this helps.