e
Brand

A Tale Of Two Tripods, Manfrotto 055

History lesson

I am a sentimental old chap. So when a quarter of a century ago the staff of the local evening newspaper clubbed together and bought me a Manfrotto 055C tripod as a leaving present, it meant a lot to me. Not just the present, but the thought behind it.

I had already been freelancing for the national press for several years on my days off and during my holidays. It was a great way to edge in to national photojournalism without taking too many risks- but with a young family, not a great way to spend my time off by always being ‘at work’. So finally, I took the plunge and gave up the staff job to go full time freelance. I already had the cameras and lenses, etc- but a tripod was a ‘luxury’.

The original 055

As a staff photographer on a regional evening newspaper I was well used to Manfrotto gear. That is why for me there was no other choice to be considered. Back then, the same as today, Manfrotto had a reputation for innovative design at sensible and affordable prices.
Of course we had other gear to use, from other manufacturers. Often in the roughty-toughty world of a press photographer, it let you down or failed in a spectacular fashion. Not so with the Manfrotto gear which just carried on performing its duties in a quiet and understated way- much like myself!

Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev

The other makes were never very solid. They wobbled around. Bits fell off occasionally. And they were a pig to use-unpleasant in fact. Which is why when I was asked what I would like for a leaving present I mentioned the Manfrotto 055C tripod.
I just meant a humble contribution towards one- but they bought the whole thing!
Suddenly I realised I was more popular than I thought!

Trusty service

That original 055 has done sterling service- and it is in fact still in daily use. Those twenty five years have meant very little to it. The leg locks are a bit stiff- nothing a bit of WD40 wouldn’t sort out. It’s never received a tripod service if there is such a thing.
It has always been there for me, and never let me down-EVER!

The things we have seen together. One of 055’s first assignments was a Daily Telegraph job in Trawsfynnd, Wales. A job photographing the nuclear power station which was being decommissioned. I carried 055 all around the landscape surrounding that power station- at times in a blizzard of fresh December snow.
055 was supporting my heavy 300mm 2.8 lens when I shot photos of a morris dancer for The Guardian.

tripods3
A morris dancer

My 055 was treated to a shower of sparks for this Telegraph photo of a fifth-generation armourer in his workshop and has supported film cameras, digital cameras, video cameras, long lenses up to 600mm and even wireless controlled flash units.

Roman armourer with sparks
Roman armourer with sparks

In the 1990’s 055 helped me get this photograph of a trigpoint, (the same one I photographed twenty five years later for the header of this article!).
I made this image for The Guardian and remember it well. With my Nikon F4 mounted on the tripod, I tripped the shutter on delayed action then sprinted up to the concrete trigpoint and held a ‘leapfrog’ for a few seconds.
This I managed to do for twelve times before collapsing exhausted.
As I lay on the grassy hill I heard the clatter of two big Royal Marine Sea King helicopters approaching, flying tactically very low and obviously using the concrete trig pillar as a marker. Great image and totally unexpected! I pressed the shutter-
‘peep, peep, peep’. It was still on delayed action setting and I missed the best photo!

Me leaping over a trigpoint
Me leaping over a trigpoint

 

My original tripod was never given a cosseted, easy life. Like most of my gear it get’s thrown into the boot of the car, taken out and used and dragged through hedges backwards. It’s a pretty unforgiving experience but one that it has handled very well- and arguably much better than me! It really HAS been through hedges backwards by the way- at the National Hedgelaying Championships.
This continual exposure to hazards and changing weather/seawater/rivers/mud and other circumstances has led to some of the original paint wearing down to the bare aluminium.
Despite that everything still works as it did 25 years ago and that has to be a tribute to the original design.

Pic of old tripod showing wear and tear in close up
Pic of old tripod showing wear and tear in close up

Ease of use

The 055 doesn’t need the user to possess an engineering degree. Straight out of the box it’s very easy to get along with. The new tripod is a 055XPRO3 model.
It weighs much less than my old one and has a few clever tricks up it’s sleeve.
Stability is even better than the old model and there are rubber grips on the top to avoid your hands sticking to the metal in freezing conditions.

Clever trick number one and the party-piece of the new tripod is the ability to move the centre column ninety degrees up out of the way of the tripod legs and shoot it horizontally out to the side. Combined with the lower leg positions, this allows the photographer to get the camera down really low.

tripods7
90° column

Then there is the new bubble level feature to help keep things on the level. This rotates freely around the centre column which is a nice touch. It means you can position it wherever it is easiest for you to view it.

Leg locks are now quick power lock levers and these can be set with one hand. An improvement on the old leg locks and very firm once set.
The legs themselves can be set to angles independent of each other- so setting up this tripod on uneven ground or steps is very quick and easy.

tripods8
Old leg locks and new Quick Powerlocks

The 055XPRO3 also sports an Easy Link connector- a new feature which means a support arm can be added for lights, reflectors, even a laptop or tablet, etc.

Conclusion

This latest 055 is a big improvement. I like the lighter weight, the clever action of the centre column and the easier to use leg locks. It’s a thoroughly well made piece of gear with a great design. A tripod that isn’t solid is a waste of time but this one is solid, dependable and it won’t break the bank. It will open up a new world of possibilities for your photography.

Have a look at the product landing page!

Pic of Easter chick with daffodil on head
Pic of Easter chick with daffodil on head

Copyright Text and Photos by John Robertson.

John RobertsonOther articles by author

John Robertson is a Manfrotto Ambassador and freelance photographer with the UK National and International press. He also works for commercial clients and produces both editorial and commercial videos.

Our Brands