Manfrotto 190CX3 or CXPro3? (1 Viewer)

Hi all,

I need a new tripod and have tried out the 055 and the 190 ranges. The 055 is too tall for me and I can use the 190 comfortably with the centre column raised only a little.

There's only 20 quid difference in the two Manfrotto carbon 190s, but since I will mainly use it for a scope I'm not sure it's worth paying the extra for the Pro version. The Pro is a cm or so higher, and has the ability to use the centre column horizontally. Also the centre column is carbon fibre whereas on the other one it's not.

Is there anything else worth considering before making the decision?

Thanks
Sean

seanofford said:

Hi all,

I need a new tripod and have tried out the 055 and the 190 ranges. The 055 is too tall for me and I can use the 190 comfortably with the centre column raised only a little.

There's only 20 quid difference in the two Manfrotto carbon 190s, but since I will mainly use it for a scope I'm not sure it's worth paying the extra for the Pro version. The Pro is a cm or so higher, and has the ability to use the centre column horizontally. Also the centre column is carbon fibre whereas on the other one it's not.

Is there anything else worth considering before making the decision?

Thanks
Sean

Click to expand...

I'm not up to date with the specs of the latest incarnations of those models so I can't comment on other differences, but I really like having the ability to turn the center column horizontally on my Manfrotto. For birding and scope use it is rare that I use that feature, so maybe you don't need it. I use my tripod and the horizontal post feature a lot for general photography. The horizontal column makes it much easier to point straight down (as when using tripod as copy stand), straight up (as when taking astronomy pics), and it allows me to splay the legs to ground level (as I often do for macro work and to get to eye level of small animals) without having to detach/attach the head to a special short column for such work.

--AP

Thanks for that Alexis. I did end up buying the Pro version as I found it at a very good price in the UK (at CameraKing). Ordered it yesterday and it arrived to day. Very pleased with it.
Sean