Travel Tripod Review - the K&F S210
/Everyone needs at least one travel tripod.
I am a tripod snob. The beautiful design and precision engineering of a high-end tripod makes it something of a status symbol in the photography world. These are the tripods that last a lifetime, and cost a small fortune. The K&F S210 compact, lightweight, travel tripod is not one of the those tripods.
S210 travel tripod from K&F
The K&F S210 is either an inexpensive, entry level, lightweight, general use tripod, or an inexpensive, lightweight, travel tripod. So whether you are looking for your very first tripod or are trying to find a compact backpack-tripod to take on your weekly hike (so that you can leave your Gitzo at the house!), this article may be helpful to you.
The K&F S210 is a light aluminum tripod that weighs only three and a quarter pounds. It packs down to a mere 18 inches, fitting neatly into the provided padded case. Fully extended it is 78-inches tall, but by splaying the adjustable legs you can use it all the way down to 18-inches. You can also reverse the center post and, with some impressive gymnastics, take pictures at ground level (if you can figure out how to shoot with an upside-down camera).
Starting at the bottom, the feet feature retractable rubber pads which screw upwards to reveal substantial metal spikes. A cool feature on any tripod. The legs consist of 4 sections, locked in place with plastic lever locks.
I prefer lever locks on all but the very best tripods. In my experience, twist locks seem to be less reliable lever locks on lower priced tripods. The locks a small, plastic, don’t adjust, and feel a little flimsy to me. However, they lock firmly and hold the leg extension very securely, even with a heavy load.
Talking about heavy loads, the tripod is supposedly capable of being used at full extension with loads up the 22-pounds. I took their word for this, knowing full well that I would not be balancing 22-pounds of my camera gear, 78-inches from the ground. Just because a tripod can remain intact with that amount of weight, at that height, does not mean that you should actually do so. More on that in a moment.
The legs can be positioned at 35, 55, and 75-degrees and the locking mechanism consists of a standard spring loaded catch. I found the catch to be very light and easy to accidentally move while working with the tripod. This led to me unlocking one of the legs without realizing it. We can put this down to user-error, but I’d still like to see a more assertive spring in the locking mechanism. The legs can be tightened with the provided Allen key (or Allan key, if you prefer).
The bottom sections of the legs are very thin and feel quite insubstantial. Aluminum is a good choice of materials for a light travel tripod, as carbon fiber of this diameter would be very flexible. But there is a limit to how slight these last sections can be without introducing instability, and these ones made me a tad uncomfortable. But let me hasten to add that after two full days of shooting in all kinds of conditions with this tripod, with the bottom sections extended, I didn’t have any issues with stability. The same cannot be said for the other end of the tripod - the two-section center post. While these center posts are of decent diameter and lock firmly with two twist locks, using them to support heavy camera and lens is not something I would recommend.
I discourage my students from using center post extensions on their tripods, except when unavoidable, because it is an inherently unstable platform to shoot from. This is especially true with heavier cameras. You could certainly get away with using a phone or GoPro on full center post extension, but my D850 and 24-70mm f/2.8 were visibly vibrating when I tried to mount them at 78-inches.
By the way, the whole device can be further stabilized, especially when fully extended, by using the center post hook to hang a weight, like your camera bag. It made a big difference when I was shooting in the wind. The hook can also be removed, in case you want to invert the center post.
While we are on the legs, one of them comes off. They could probably all come off, but one of them is designed to come - becoming a handy monopod. You can even remove the center post and add it to the top of your monopod - which could make for a really interesting way to get super-high angle shots with something like a GoPro.
So far, so good. So, let’s talk about the ball head. It attaches to the center post with a 1/4” threaded post, that passes though the center of an orange colored baseplate. This is a problematic design, as it is easy to inadvertently leave too much of the post extending from the baseplate, which will impinge on the ball when you attach the ball head. This is a very quick way to destroy a ball head. There are no markings to suggest how far the post should extend from the base, but between 1/2” and 3/4” will prevent this issue.
Immediately above the baseplate is a 360-degree panning platform. It feels great, rotating smoothly, with just the right amount of resistance. The problem with my copy of this tripod is that it won’t stop rotating! The locking knob, seen above, does not turn clockwise and the pan cannot be arrested. Turning the locking knob in the other direction just unscrews the knob from the tripod.
Let me digress to share my thoughts on this knob problem. I can be surprisingly sanguine when I discover a defect in something I just bought. Stuff happens - it doesn’t necessarily mean there is an issue with the design I could just have the one defective tripod. As long as the vendor quickly replaces the defective part, doesn’t charge me for the shipping, and it works when I get it, I wouldn’t mention it again. I have not called the vendor yet. It is Chinese New Year, and the company is taking a well deserved break to celebrate and recharge their batteries. But I will call them after the holiday and see what they say. But the whole matter does beg the question… why would you send a defective product to a photographer who is going to examine every detail of the device and write a comprehensive review? I would think that they would would double check before sending the product to a reviewer.
The ball head is otherwise very good. With a 28mm ball and a well designed nylon socket, the ball head lock securely. There is no fine adjustment, something you will usually find on slightly more expensive tripod heads, but it doesn't pose a problem. The head would easily lock my heaviest load in any shooting position, without any drift or sag.
Atop the tripod is a quick release locking assembly, to firmly hold the camera with the provided QR plate. It is a simply Arca-Swiss type mount that is secured with a thumb screw. There is even a small spirit level on the other side of the base. The tripod comes with a nice, matching QR plate, with a thumbscrew for attaching plate to camera. The more observant reader will notice the blue QR plate that is usually seen holding my Nikon to a focusing rail. I had to use this plate because the one that was provided with the tripod had a locking screw that was about 2-3mm longer than the corresponding receptacle on my Nikon DSLRs. Seems like a strange oversight.
We should talk about the price - the K&F Concept S210 tripod can be purchased through Amazon for $89.99. You can also buy it directly from K&F for a bit less, $83.99. It has an MSRP of $109.99.
K&F has agreed to a further discount for my readers and for my YouTube viewers. If you are interested in getting one of these handy travel tripods, use one of these links to get the discount. (Please note that some of the links on this page may be paid links, meaning that I receive a small commission from qualified purchases made using these links)
Use the code KF10US for an additional 10% discount when you buy the tripod direct from K&F using this link: http://bit.ly/3jvr3BH
You can also pick one up from Amazon, if you prefer. You can also use the code KF090087 for an additional discount from Amazon. That link is right here:
$90 seems like a reasonable, competitive price for a tripod with these features. There are plenty of tripods costing quite a lot more that are not as nice as this tripod.
We should get back to the review!
The tripod is easy to set up, easy to break down, easy to carry, and easy to use. That is all good and well, but if it doesn’t also provide a rock-solid platform to shoot from, it’s just getting in the way. So to test the tripod I went out and took pictures with it. I used it in the calm and in the wind, on concrete and on sand, and I used it in every configuration available. I used a couple of different DSLRs, a GoPro, and a cell phone. The most critical tests involved using a DSLR with a telephoto lens with my favorite Haida Pro-II 6-stop ND filter attached. With ISO set to 64, and an narrow aperture of f/16, I was able to shoot at shutter speeds as slow as 2-3 seconds. This is the ultimate challenge for any tripod.
By the way, this Haida filter is a wonderful ND - very clean, truly neutral, and half the price of the comparable 77mm Lee. I know that this is a bit off-topic, but I swear by Haida ND filters. Absolutely love them.
long exposure with tripod fully extended
Despite my concerns about the stability of the lower leg sections, the tripod performed very well. There were no visible motion-related issues in any of my test images, including all those with the tripod legs fully extended. However, motion blur from vibration was clearly visible in long exposures where the tripod was fully extended and the two center posts deployed.
All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the K&F Concept, S210 travel tripod performed in most testing conditions. I cannot recommend using this tripod with a heavy camera and both center posts fully extended, but bear in mind that I would make the same recommendation for virtually every other sub-$600 tripod I have ever used. I was disappointed about the panning problem, mostly because it got past quality control, but I will write that off to bad luck. The ball head is quite solid, and functions well, but with a lot of plastic in the construction of it and the tripod legs, I would have some question about its long term durability.
In summary, the K&F Concept S210 Travel and Vlogging Tripod is a perfectly capable, easy to use, lightweight travel tripod. It has many cool features and a heavy maximum load that make it a very competitive travel tripod for the money. If you are looking for a go-anywhere, general purpose, light duty tripod, you should consider your own copy of the K&F Concept S210.
PS… As was drinking my coffee this morning, and thinking about tripods, I found myself looking at the soon to be released “Ascend 14 Adventure Tripod” from Really Right Stuff. This new tripod has almost precisely the same dimensions as the tripod that I just reviewed. Priced at $1,450, it looks like it will be worth every last penny. I can say exactly the thing about the K&F Concept tripod - at $90, it is well worth every last penny.
For those of you who prefer to watch a review rather than read it, check out this video from my YouTube channel. You get a bit more detailed information, plus my witty banter - and all for free! Thanks for watching!