Manfrotto ONE Tripod Introduced – Fusing Peak Design Travel Tripod & Sachtler Flowtech

The Manfrotto ONE is a hybrid tripod that combines still and motion capture needs into one product. It is a small-medium tripod, relatively lightweight compared to most video tripods, with a single-lever leg length adjustment, a quick levelling base, and a new X-Change quick-release system for the tripod head. The included 500X fluid head has an on/off switch for its counterbalance mechanism, a quick vertical orientation switch, and built-in quick release compatibility with the new system. It also features a 90° rotatable centre column from Manfrotto’s still tripod. The Carbon version weighs 3.15 kilograms and the Aluminium version weighs 3.55 kilograms, both with a folded length of 70cm..

At first glance, the Manfrotto ONE hybrid tripod seems like an elegant mix between the Sachtler FlowTech and Peak Design Travel Tripod. Quite compact for a video tripod and quite large for stills, it strikes an interesting balance. I can see this tripod supporting various use cases, be it professional still shooting, inside and outside the studio, documentary filmmaking, ENG, television, or hybrid content creation. The Manfrotto ONE seems to have an answer for most, but above its impressive feature set, the way that it manages to merge them all into a working product is the basis of its appeal.

It’s not the innovative features – it’s the innovative implementation

Dissected to its core features, the Manfrotto ONE may seem to offer nothing new. We’ve seen head quick-release systems before, and the same goes for compact leveling, single-lever leg adjustment, and more. But to me, it seems that after years of pioneering such features, as well as learning from the ever-growing competition, Manfrotto managed to incorporate many meaningful features into one unified system. The Manfrotto ONE seems to put the user experience above all.

Main features and specifications

These are the Manfrotto ONE’s main features:

• One-touch leveling with a locking lever
• Single lever leg adjustment
• Quick, self-locking X-Change mechanism
• 3.15 / 3.55 Kg (Carbon / Aluninum Versions)
• 70cm folded length, not including the head
• 170cm Max height (with center column up), 19cm Min Height
• 90° canter column
• 15 Kg max load, 7 Kg max load with 90° center column

Manfrotto has done a lot to broaden the usability of the ONE. However, there are some notable alternative tripods that may serve you well if your projects lean towards a more video-centric territory, require the absolute lightest gear available, or the fastest deployment. Here are some of them:

Alternatives

In my eyes, the Manfrotto ONE engulfs the most use cases. It offers extensive ability to meet both still and video needs, and is a true hybrid tripod. But in reality, some of us don’t need more than one tripod head, have the time to set things slowly, or value compactness over speed. Each of these other tripods strikes a different balance of portability and support capability. While rather different from the rest of the pack, the Peak Design Travel Tripod is by far the lightest and most compact, weighing only 1.27 kg (Carbon version) and folding down to just 40 cm – about the size of a water bottle – yet it can handle a 9 kg load. This makes it ultra‑packable for travel, though it lacks fundamental video features, say, a fluid, counter-balanced head. Peak Design has recently teased a newer “Pro” version coming soon, so stay tuned. Several new manufacturers have joined the fray in recent years, offering interesting new, fast, lightweight video tripods, such as the YC Onion Pineta Peak.

The Sachtler Flowtech 75 lacks still-oriented features, an X-Change head quick release alternative, and is much more conservative in design. Its carbon fibre legs weigh 2.9 kg and support up to 20 kg, offering an excellent strength‑to‑weight ratio for professional video use. The Flowtech’s traditional design and lack of a tiltable centre column mar its flexibility, with a 150cm maximum height and a 29cm minimum working height. The Flowtech 75 is also considerably pricier, at $1700 without a head.

The SmallRig × Potato Jet TRIBEX embraces a similar philosophy of robust agility, though via a different design path. At 2.59 kg weight (not including a head) and a 66 cm folded length, it’s similar in size, but its novel X‑Clutch lets you drop all three legs to position in one motion, compared with Manfrotto’s single-lever mechanism for each leg. It boasts by far the highest payload rating of 24.99 kg with a decent 155 cm height. The TRIBEX lacks the rotating centre column of the Manfrotto one.

As mentioned, while all these alternatives are excellent, Manfrotto has managed to produce something very unique—a tripod that ties most, if not all, loose ends of both video and stills, all in one compact, well-built product.

Who is it for?

Well, who is it not for? Manfrotto has put considerable time and effort into creating what is possibly the most hybrid tripod yet. Not only does the ONE offer various hybrid features, it manages to combine all of them without any stills-oriented ability getting in the way of filmmaking workflow, and vice versa. I can easily see myself using such a tripod for stills-only or for video-only, with no significant compromise. That’s truly an impressive achievement, based on decades of innovation and field experience.

Price and availability

The Manfrotto ONE is available for preorder as a legs-only option or in a kit, including the new 500X fluid head. Aluminum legs will cost $500, and a kit will set you back $680. Carbon legs will cost $720, with the kit going for $880. One can also purchase various X-Change parts to be fitted with existing tripods, heads, sliders, gimbals, etc.

Does a hybrid tripod like the Manfrotto ONE work for you, or will you opt for a more dedicated solution? Let us know in the comments.