After a couple years of using my Really Right Stuff TVC 24l while photographing architecture, I think I am ready to say how this tripod has changed my life for the better or worse.
First, for the uninitiated that don’t know anything about RRS tripods, the names of the tripods describe the features. So for 24l, the 2 is for the series, the 4 is for how many sections and l is for long, which means it is extra tall. My tripod, the series 2, is on the smaller and lighter side of RSS’s offerings. There are 4 series in all, 1 being the lightest and 4 being the heaviest. 4 sections, simply means that there are 4 extendable leg sections. Then the TVC stands for the Versa (versatile) collar, which is slightly larger than the q designation and allows the use of a center column if you choose.
Like many architectural photographers, I came from the school of, “the heavier the tripod the better”. There are lots of reasons to have a heavy tripod, after all, a heavy tripod stays still, it is solid, holds plenty of weight and doesn’t budge in windy conditions. With a smaller tripod I can always bring along a sandbag, but with a nice sturdy tripod I am going to have a rock solid platform no matter what. But the extra weight is getting old, especially when I am doing a lot of moving around in a larger building. The weight focuses in my shoulder and the small of my back and I feel it for the next couple of days after a big shoot.
Super solid, uncompromising quality in all of the fittings.
Considering its size and my aching back I have been looking at my Manfrotto 057 with geared column in a different light. I love the 057 and when weight isn’t an issue it is still a wonderful tripod. But that is slowly changing. I have found that the circumstances that necessitate a heavy tripod don’t really come up as often as I thought. Plus, every time I lift up my RRS I am pleasantly surprised by how light the whole rig is.
It has taken a little while to get used to the collar style leg locks, rather than the levers that the Manfrotto uses. I find the levers to be super easy to use, I can’t even imagine how to misuse them, flip it open move the leg and flip it closed to lock it in place. In the RSS I find that I will turn to lock the leg in place and realize that I am loosening the leg. It only takes a second to correct the problem, but I seem to do it a lot. I don’t miss the geared column on my Manfrotto quite as much as I thought I would as well. In shooting architecture, the fine control of a geared column is wasted, probably a much different story for macro work though.
The fit and finish of the RRS are exceptional, all of the metal parts are very well machined, the tripod is nice and tight. The fit of the pieces is great, movements are smooth. It absolutely feels better constructed than cheaper tripods, including my beloved Manfrotto.
Leg collars, convenient but slightly confusing from time to time.
The obvious question is, is it worth the extra cost. After all, RSS is among the pricier tripod manufacturers out there. Since it is literally possible to buy 3 or 4 tripods rather than one RRS, why would someone spend so much? Well, I think makes sense In a professional environment, where it is essential that the gear has to be absolutely reliable. While a cheap tripod might work in most situations, there is the slight chance that it will break on an important job and then you will wish you had spent a bit more.
Another consideration is that a higher-end tripod like an RSS will always have plenty of interest in the used market. If you buy a brand that you don’t recognize, you run the risk that the item has no value whatsoever in resale. RSS is a respected brand with waiting lists for many of its products. If you purchase a tripod and have second thoughts even years later the tripod will have close to it’s original value. Let say you buy a tripod, keep it for 3 years and sell it at a $100. loss. You paid $30. a year for an excellent tripod. If you pay $300. for a lesser tripod that breaks in 6 years, you paid $50. a year for a tripod that was a pain to use. I know there is some funky math here, but you get the point.
Top of center column comes off and attaches tightly to the tripod head, can be a nightmare to remove.
So, whats the verdict? The TVC 24L has been an absolute pleasure to use. Dropping a few pounds from my rig makes all the difference. It is much smaller and easier to carry. The height is good, with my camera mounted it is over my head. When fully extended the tripod starts to feel a little flimsy. The 24L is so light that a little tap can move the tripod. Any movement at all can be a pain when working with compositing, but is the tradeoff expected from a smaller lighter tripod. My Manfrotto was a little more forgiving of bumps and stayed solid even fully extended, but was also killing my back. I have had the 24L for a couple of months and so far it has been on every shoot and I haven’t run into anything it hasn’t done well.