K&F Concept 64″ Camera Tripod Review

The K&F Concept 64″ Camera Tripod, or, if we’re talking government names, the 64″/1.6m Camera Tripod Lightweight Vlog Travel Tripod Compact Flexible & Portable 17.6lbs/8kg Load with Portable, for DSLR Cameras K234A0+BH-28L, is an incredibly budget-friendly travel tripod. However, when gear is cheap compared to the alternatives, there’s usually a reason. Does this K&F Concept hold up to the weight of modern photography, or will it crumble and break our expensive equipment? Let’s find out.

The Rundown

The elephant in the room regarding this tripod is the price. At the time of writing, this model is $50 on Amazon and less than $45 if you buy directly from K&F Concept. Considering most travel tripods will cost at least $100 and can go higher than $500, the savings here are huge. Typically, we’d scoff at such cheap camera equipment; however, we’ve had good experiences with K&F Concept gear, so we wanted to take a closer look.

The primary material used on this tripod is aluminum. It’s pretty lightweight; however, if you’re used to carbon fiber, it’ll feel like an anchor. The metal feels durable and has held up in testing. There has been some chipping, but the material is still holding up, though it looks a little worse for wear after a few weeks of use.

This tripod has many plastic components, which is worrisome. Don’t get it twisted—we’ve had no issues with any of them so far, but one bad drop while hiking could make the tripod significantly harder to use because of the cheap plastic used to manufacture it. Additionally, plastic flexes more than metal, so this causes the tripod to be less secure than if there were better components. We’ll get to that later, though!

Over a month’s testing, we used this tripod in abandoned buildings, bike rides around Detroit, rivers, and road trips around Michigan. We’ve had no issues with the aluminum or plastic components, and overall, it’s holding up well, apart from a few scratches here and there. However, in use, it is wobbly near the high end of its 162.56 centimeters, or 64 inches, maximum height. Still, none of our cameras have fallen off, and we’ve gotten some quality images with it. For the price, it’s tough to beat.

Now, we’ll share some of our experience with specific tripod components.

The ball head, which you can purchase separately for around $40 (model number BH-28L), performs pretty well. It’s all plastic other than the actual ball itself and the tripod screw, which both are crafted from metal. Even the plate that holds your camera is plastic—which causes some wiggle with heavier cameras. You can shoot at all angles with the head, and adjustments are pretty easy to make. There’s a bubble level to ensure that your horizon line stays straight, which is handy. This isn’t the nicest ball head that we’ve used, but you could swap it out if you want to with something you already own or like better.

The tripod also comes with a phone grip, handy for shooting photos and videos with your iPhone or other smartphone. It feels pretty cheap, but it screws onto your phone, so you don’t have to worry about it slipping out. Generally, this is much higher quality than cheap models available on Amazon.

The center column is metal and has a few tricks up its sleeve. Though the stem is hardy aluminum, the adjusters are plastic, which could theoretically break after a bad drop while hiking or exploring the city. So far, we have had no issue. You can extend the center column alone, and an additional extension slides out from the top, giving you a lot of extra height. Since there’s so much length coming from these center columns, the weight of your camera is significantly higher than the base of your tripod, making it easier for it to tumble over in the wind. There’s a small clip on the bottom of the center column where you can add weight to combat this; however, the clip is plastic, too, so we wouldn’t put too much weight here for fear of it breaking.

The legs are pretty standard, though the smallest extension feels thinner than usual, even for cheaper tripods. Still, the tripod is stable when the legs are fully extended without the center columns engaged. There’s some flexibility if you put a presser from the top, but not in a way that even strong winds would be able to cause issues. The clips are plastic and, again, feel cheaply made. Of course, they are, but they’ve held up for weeks of testing, so we can’t complain much.

There are three leg angles that you can adjust with a metal clip. We rarely found ourselves using the lower two; however, they’re handy to achieve a unique angle with grasses blowing in the wind or a babbling brook passing below your lens. You can also use two legs at the standard angle and transition one into a higher angle to rest on a wall or fence to get closer to your subject.

The tripod comes with a carrying case, too, which is relatively compact. This model comes in the case; however, if you’ve forgotten how to put it back, we’re here to help. In standard tripod mode, with the legs in their shortest form, extend the central center column all the way up using the Beyblade-shaped screw. Once it’s up, tighten the screw, but leave a little leverage so you can still spin the center column. Then, adjust all three of the legs using the orange metal clips to invert the legs so that they’re facing straight up. Because you left the center column slightly loose, you can twist the head to ensure the legs are as close to the center column as possible, saving space. From there, you can stow it and the phone mount in the case for easy storage.

Though this method makes the tripod shorter, it’s thicker than when folded in standard tripod mode. The skinnier but taller method may work better for stowing it in the side pocket of a camera backpack or even a travel backpack or daypack with a large water bottle pocket.

Packability

The max height of this tripod when all of the legs and center columns are engaged is 162.56 centimeters or 64 inches. For such a compact travel tripod, this is excellent. Still, at such great heights, the tripod isn’t very secure. We feel more comfortable using it with only one of the center columns engaged, which gets you to around 142 centimeters, or 56 inches. If you need the extra height, it’s there; however, we prefer using it at the shorter length for more stability.

When stowed in the case, it’s roughly 40.64 centimeters, or 16 inches long. This is very packable, and the case has a strap, making it easier to carry to your next location. This size will fit into some extra-large travel backpacks and will have no issue fitting inside rolling luggage. It isn’t the smallest travel tripod we’ve tested; however, the size is quite good for its maximum height.

Quick Comparison

One of the most recommended travel tripods on the market is the Peak Design Travel Tripod, which we use daily in the Pack Hacker studio. The most significant difference between these two models is price, but we’ll get to that later.

The carbon fiber version of the Peak Design Travel Tripod is 2.81 pounds or 1.3 kilograms, which is incredibly lightweight, especially considering its durability. The K&F Concept 64″ Camera Tripod is slightly lighter than the Peak Design model but without the added durability. The Peak Design model comes in aluminum, too, which weighs 3.44 pounds or 1.56 kilograms.

When fully extended, the Peak Design reaches 152.4 centimeters or 60 inches, slightly shorter than the K&F Concept’s 162.56 centimeters or 64 inches. Still, the Peak Design’s stability at the highest lengths is far better than that of the K&F Concept, and it can also get closer to the ground for those unique shots we mentioned earlier.

When collapsed, the two tripods are roughly the same size, though the Peak Design model is thinner.

At the time of writing, if you were to purchase each of these tripods directly from the manufacturer, the Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod would cost you more than 14 times what the K&F Concept tripod would. If you go for the aluminum mode, it’s nearly nine and a half times as expensive.

The Peak Design Travel Tripod is far superior and is better suited for someone who knows exactly what they want. The K&F Concept 64″ Camera Tripod is a great beginner tripod for someone looking for their first model or a professional who needs an extra that doesn’t need all the functionality and extras that something like the Peak Design offers. They’re both great tripods; however, they’re for different travelers!