The 055PROB

This is a medium-sized tripod, and is relatively heavy at 2.4 kg. It's heavier than most DSLRs with a standard zoom lens! Its smaller 'brother' - the 190 series isn't significantly lighter either. Just shy of the 2 kg mark, the 190 series is what Manfrotto calls their lightweight tripod series.

Even though this tripod is mainly made out of aluminium, many components are still made out of plastic. For example, all the locks as well as the rotating column holder are made from plastic. That's probably how they managed to keep the weight and price down.

The tripod

The letter "B" in the Manfrotto 055PROB model name denotes a black anodized finish. Unlike normal paint, anodized paint will be able to withstand some light punishment without chipping off.

The logo

As a bigger brother to the 190PROB tripod, the 055PROB isn't really very different from the 190PROB. The key differences are their maximum and minimum heights.

At 135 cm, the 055PROB is a really tall tripod. Most of the time, you won't even need to extend the column! With the column all the way down, it's just 10 cm shorter than 190PROB with its center column fully extended. With the column fully extended, the 055PROB stands way over my head at 176 cm!

Fully extended

Its minimum height is equally impressive. Despite its bigger size, it can go down to just 11 cm above ground level. Because of its larger size, Manfrotto rates the 055PROB's maximum load capacity at 6kg, which is slightly more than the smaller 190PROB's load limit of 5 kg.

Other than those differences, the 190PROB and 055PROB are virtually identical, especially in terms of features.

Specifications

Manfrotto markets this tripod as a tripod for the professional photographer, ideal for all kinds of cameras. Sadly, I have to admit, I'm far from being a pro-photographer. In fact, this is my first tripod! Let's begin by checking out its specifications.