Full disclosure: I'm a Leofoto ambassador (since December 2024), and Leofoto supplied me with both this tripod and the G20 head, so I didn't pay for either. This post is a long-term test of how they've held up, and I've told it straight, scratches and all. For what it's worth, I was a customer first. I bought my first Leofoto geared head, the G2, with my own money at The Photography Show in March 2024, and it became my go-to bit of kit long before any ambassador deal. You can read the whole story in my original review.
If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you'll know I'm always posting what my camera can see, and my tripod is usually in the shot. What you don't get to see is the state it's in. It's been nearly two years since I got it, so I thought I'd give you a proper run-through of how it's held up.
Where it's been and how it’s been treated
I got this tripod about three or four weeks before I became a Leofoto ambassador, and since then it's been all over the UK: Devon, Wales, Scotland, Kent, Norfolk, and a lot of time on the coast. I've balanced it precariously on rocks, fully submerged it in the sea and rivers, and landed on it during the occasional fall. It's been rained on more times than I can count.
But worst of all is the aftercare I've given it. Whether I'm away on a trip or shooting locally, my attention is on the people I'm out with. When we've walked back to the van in the dark after sunset, or made a sharp exit off a hillside in wind, rain and hail, I'm checking how everyone is doing. The tripod getting a bit of TLC is usually the last thing on my mind.
Even after a pleasant day of photography with friends and nice fluffy clouds, it tends to go straight back in the van. This thing has lasted, and it looks like it has many years left in it. I will give it a bit of TLC soon. Honest.
I know I haven’t exactly sold the glamour of my trips away, but this is the reality: if you want dramatic-looking skies with big storm clouds, you have to be out in it to get it.
If you fancy shooting places like these with me, take a look at my residential photography trips or one-day photography workshops.
What's gone wrong
Honestly, not much. The worst thing that's happened is the Leofoto sticker came off, about two or three months ago. It has scratches, little chunks out of the metal, and a few gouges in the carbon fibre where it's been smashed against rocks. It's also been blown over in an 80mph wind on the north-west coast of Scotland, luckily with no camera on it. It has taken every tumble and carried on working.
There are two faults if you are very picky 😂 One of the spikes on the feet came unscrewed while I was walking back across marshland full of sea heather, and I never found it again, kind of my fault. And one of the feet has seized up a bit, and that's also down to me; I've never cleaned it. It gets wet, goes back in the van still wet, dries out on its own, and I carry on using it.
But anyhow, I'll let the pictures below do most of the talking. I've tried to show the damage at its worst and given the photos a little edit to bring out the detail.
The head
Every dial and knob on the G20 geared head still works exactly as it should. There are no hairline cracks. The precision when you're on zero, and it clicks into place, is as smooth as the day I got it, and I can't feel any sand or grit in there. I've never kept the head covered, and I should, and I probably will from now on. Up in Scotland, we had a beach with such strong wind it felt like being sandblasted, and the head just kept working.
The legs
The legs still extend and collapse smoothly, and the locks grip really well. I've also used the tripod more than a few times to test boggy ground in Scotland, wellies on, when we weren't sure how deep it was. I've lost count of how often it's ended up 3 feet deep in boggy water.
So, would I still buy it?
Yes. It's big, but it keeps my camera nice and stable when I need it, and it delivers. I'm still really happy to be using it, and I would replace it in an instant if I lost it.
Join Me on a Photography Adventure
Seeing how the kit copes in the field is the best test, so come and see for yourself. I run photography workshops across Norfolk, Suffolk and beyond, from relaxed days out with like-minded people to properly structured photography weeks, and all levels are welcome. Any bit of kit I use, you are always welcome to borrow on one of my sessions, so feel free to just ask.
See what's coming up, or if you fancy a few days away, take a look at the residential trips.