A new tripod is needed.

For years I used a simple, inexpensive carbon tripod from Walimex. On this tripod I had mounted the Basic ActionShot tripod head from Mantona. I was always aware that it was a simple and inexpensive solution. Both components had a load capacity of 4 kg.

The Actionshot already weighs 800g alone the tripot 900g, there was not much difference left for the camera and the lens. But one thing was very important to me: the combination was light and super quick to use. However, the stand of this comnbitation was not really stable. But so far I had accepted this in favor of the transport weight.

A Nikon AF-S Nikkor E 200-500mm f / 5.6 ED VR, which weighs approx. 2.5 kg, has recently been added. So the carrying capacity of the tripod with the action grip, camera and lens was clearly exceeded and turned out to be a very shaky affair in the test at my home. So a new tripod and a new tripod head were needed. The tripod head would not have been necessary, but I definitely wanted a 3D head.

So I searched the internet for information about carbon tripods. For weight reasons, I didn't want one made of aluminum, and I quickly included the Rollei City Traveler XL. The price was ok at € 99 at Amazon, I don't know why the same part is offered at Foto Koch for around € 250. But a user video made this tripod totally bad compared to the Manfrotto MT055CXPRO4 055 Carbon. Various test institutions had rated this tripod as “GOOD”. What everyone complained about was that the tripod head has no friction setting. I would like to write something about that right away. The Rollei C6i looks very similar except for the color and I tested it myself after buying it and had it in my hand. I can't really imagine that the Rollei City Traveler XL is so much worse than the Rollei C6i.

So I took a closer look at the Manfrotto MT055CXPRO4 055 Carbon. The tests and comments on the tripod on the internet were all very good. However, the price of 400 - 410 € was four times higher than the Rollei City Traveler XL. Since I did not yet have the part in hand, I do not want to say anything about the tripod.

Somewhere stinginess sets in with me. I was simply not ready to pay 400 or 410 euros for a tripod without a tripod head. But somehow I had half resigned myself to spending this money on the Manfrotto MT055CXPRO4 055 carbon tripod.

Then the thought look at the Rollei homepage, they also have other tripods.

On the Rollei homepage I became aware of the Rollei C6i Carbon. I could also find good reviews on the Internet. So I got stuck with the tripod. At around 150 euros, this was also significantly cheaper than the Manfrotto MT055CXPRO4 055 carbon tripod.

There remained the question of the 3D head, here was a lot of my choice for the Manfrotto MHXPRO-3W 3-way head.

About the Rollei C6i:

The processing of the tripod is quite good, as you can read on the net, I can't confirm that the legs are hard to get out. This is only the case if you have not unscrewed the lock properly. The tripod is very firm and secure. According to the manufacturer, it has a payload of 12 kg. Accordingly, the tripod head has failed. He makes a solid impression. That also turned out to be the case in my home test.

The tripod head does not offer a separate friction setting, but with the thick setting wheel it can be adjusted in a wonderfully dosed manner, even with just under 4 kg on it. You can dose it so well with the adjusting wheel that the 4 kg on top are stable and with a little more back pressure it can still be adjusted. Of course you can turn it further, that an adjustment in the vertical axis is impossible.

Manfrotto MHXPRO-3W 3-way head:

All I can say about the Manfrotto MHXPRO-3W 3-way head is that it does its job excellently. It's nice that you can pull out the thick rubber bands. Of course, the friction on this head can be adjusted very well. The head fulfills all my wishes perfectly.

If you set the friction accordingly, you can even use it as a video head.

I hope to have found a cheap but good solution in the combination.

If I hadn't bought the 3D head 5 days before the tripod and had tested the tripod before buying the 3D head, I would not have bought the 3D head anymore.