Oben CTT-1000L
Compact Carbon Fibre Tripod
Oben CTT-1000L Compact Tripod with included ball head and Arca-Swiss-compatible plate (17¾ oz./503g as shown, 11 pounds/5 kg maximum load, 1.8"/46mm to 54″/1,372mm system height range with included extension tube, 15" carry length. $129.95). bigger. I got mine at B&H.
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April 2022 Better Pictures Oben Canon Sony Nikon Fuji LEICA Zeiss Hasselblad All Reviews
CTT-1000 Smaller Mini Tripod version.
Introduction top
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This amazing little tripod is small enough to throw in any daypack or most camera bags and holds any camera I dare to put on it. It's tiny, sturdy, tough and offers all the adjustments and adaptability of a full-size tripod.
It's all metal and carbon fiber with no plastic that I can see.
I got my CTT-1000L (and smaller CTT-1000) at B&H.
It weighs just over a pound (17¾ oz/503g) and rated to hold 11 pounds (5 kg). Not that I'd recommend this for balance or sanity's sake, but it easily holds my 4⅓ pound (69.6 oz. or 1,973g) Canon 1DX Mk III and EF 28-135mm IS USM combo:
Oben CTT-1000L Tripod with Canon 1DX Mk III, strap and EF 28-135mm IS USM. bigger.
New since CTT-1000 intro top
Longer version of the famous CTT-1000.
Now includes a case.
Good intro top
Non-rotating legs make it fast to set up and knock-down (just turn the lock rings, you don't have to hold a leg at the same time).
Spike tips covered by removable rubber tips.
Adapts to all sorts of uses.
Small.
Light.
Inexpensive.
Sturdy.
Well made.
The extension column is separate, so you don't have to carry it if you don't need it, saving size and weight.
Ball head, Arca-style quick-release plate, extension column, tools and case all included:
Includes tripod, ball head, Arca-style quick release plate, extension column, tools and case. bigger.
Bad intro top
The extension column doesn't collapse down through the top section as an integral part of the tripod. Instead it has to be carried separately and simply screws in-between the top of the tripod and the ball head if needed.
Nothing else, other than having been made in China rather than the U.S.A., France, Germany or Switzerland.
Missing intro top
Nothing.
Specifications top
I got my CTT-1000L (and smaller CTT-1000) at B&H.
Load Capacity specifications top
11 pounds (5 kg).
Weights specifications top
Legs, ball head and plate
17.750 oz. (503.3g) actual measured weight as shown at top.
Three-section extension column
2.730 oz. (77.4g) actual measured weight.
Carry Length specifications top
15" with ball head and plate.
Legs specifications top
Non-rotating carbon fibre.
Three section legs.
Three locking angles for each leg.
Extension Column
Inserts between legs and ball head.
Three carbon fibre sections.
Adds 10.4" (265mm) to 25.8" (656mm) to any of the below heights.
⅜″ × 16 TPI bottom thread with ¼″ × 20 TPI adapter.
Middle section doesn't rotate to facilitate locking and unlocking, while top section rotates to ease pointing the camera.
Ball Head
2¾″ (70mm) high.
Arca-Swiss style plate.
Two lock knobs.
⅜″ × 16 TPI bottom thread with ¼″ × 20 TPI adapter.
Heights specifications top
System Height Range
1.8" (46mm) to 54″ (1,372mm) with extension.
Tripod and Ball Head without extension column
14″ (360mm) high with legs collapsed as shown at the top.
28.2" (716mm) maximum with legs extended.
4.4″ (112mm) minimum with legs collapsed and fanned-out:
4.4" (112mm) high. bigger.
4.4" (112mm) high with included ball head and Arca-Swiss compatible plate at minimum height. bigger.
Legs only, no ball head or extension
CTT-1000L 1.8" (46mm) minimum height (shorter CTT-1000 shown for clarity). bigger.
Take off the ball head and there's a standard ¼″ × 20 TPI screw to which you may attach a camera directly.
1.8" (46mm) minimum with legs spread and ball head removed.
Price
$129.95, April 2022.
$114.95, November 2020.
User's Guide
I got my CTT-1000L (and smaller CTT-1000) at B&H.
Leg Pointing
Point one leg towards your subject.
This helps balance the weight of a camera and larger lens so it is less likely to fall forwards.
Ball Head Lock Lever
To point the lock lever in any of six directions in case it's interfering with anything, pull it straight out, turn, and let it snap back in.
Heads and Columns
Most tripod legs have ⅜″ × 16 TPI threads at the top for attaching tripod heads which also have ⅜″ × 16 TPI threads at their bottoms.
This little tripod instead has ¼″ × 20 TPI thread so you can attach a camera directly:
¼″ × 20 TPI thread and leg locks. bigger.
The included ball head has a standard ⅜″ × 16 TPI thread, so as shipped there is a ¼″ × 20 TPI to ⅜″ × 16 TPI adapter bushing installed.
If you remove the included head, pay attention to the bushing. Put that bushing on the legs to attach another standard tripod head, or leave the bushing inside the included head if you want to mount a camera atop the tripod without the head.
The extension column has a ⅜″ × 16 TPI socket at its bottom to attach to any standard tripod legs and a ¼″ × 20 TPI thread at the top for mounting a camera. Use the second included ¼″ × 20 TPI to ⅜″ × 16 TPI adapter bushing to attach this extension to the included legs, or if you want to use any standard head (including the included ball head) on top of the extension.
This is very clever: this system lets you interchange these parts with any other standard tripod parts and/or mount cameras directly to them.
Leg Angles
Push the leg in a bit and you can pull-out the leg lock and then pull any leg out to two further extension angles.
Here I've lifted two legs to their middle positions and one leg to its top position (CTT-1000 shown):
Oben CTT-1000 mini tabletop tripod. bigger.
Tools & Leg Pivots
The leg pivots arrive perfectly adjusted.
Just as with my world's first Gitzo G1227 carbon fibre tripod I bought in 1995 for $500 (equal to $850 today, and that's just for the legs), we use the included wrenches to tighten the leg pivots as needed over the years.
Spikes or Rubber Tips
Rubber-covered spikes. bigger.
As shipped there are rubber covers over the spike tips.
You might not realize it, but pull off any of these rubber covers to expose the spike within. Try not to lose the rubber covers.
Maximum Height: 54″ (1,372 mm)
Simply put the extension column on top of the tripod, in-between the ball head and the legs:
CTT-1000L reaches 54″/1,372mm (shorter CTT-1000 shown for clarity). bigger.
The tripod is sturdy, but be careful as it's easy to get knocked or blown over.
You can splay-out the legs for more stability, but you may lose as much height as you gained with the extension.
Minimum Height: 1.8″ (46mm)
Unscrew the ball head, keep the adapter bushing in the bottom of the ball head to expose the ¼″ × 20 TPI camera screw on top of the legs, spread the legs out all the way, and it's only 1.8″ (46mm) off the ground, and automatically level to the surface on which it sits:
CTT-1000L 1.8" (46mm) minimum with legs spread and ball head removed (shorter CTT-1000 shown for clarity). bigger.
Recommendations top
I got my CTT-1000L (and smaller CTT-1000) at B&H.
While it's easy to sit at a desk and be lulled into thinking think that big, heavy tripods are best, in the real world the best tripods are the ones we actually have with us when we need them. Monster tripods are useless left back in our trunk.
This CTT-1000L is more than sturdy enough and also small and light enough to take everywhere so we always have it if we need it.
The original CTT-1000 is smaller and great for tabletop use, while this CTT-1000L is better for more general compact tripod use. They are each the same thing except for the length of the tubes.
Its legs are perfect, but for premium users you may prefer a faster to set-up head. I've never been a fan of "quick release plates," which are much slower than a dedicated thumb screw. I love my German-made Novoflex Mini MagicBall head, which works swell with these or any legs but also costs twice as much as the entire CTT-1000L system. That's OK because these last forever; I bought my Mini MagicBall back in the 1990s and still use it today.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. All of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new tripod. I've used many of these stores since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new tripod before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
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