An integral panning platform sits on top of the ball, which can be locked with a small knob. Basically a scaled-up and refined version of the RRS BPC-16, the ball has a decent range of movement (including a drop-notch) and is tightened with a locking clamp. It takes a bit of effort, and can be a bit fiddly (becoming very fiddly with cold hands or gloves) but it works well enough for something you probably won't do often. To remove the lower portion of the column, you push the tiny hook on the bottom flat, then unscrew it.
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This translates to a definite feeling of increased stiffness when the legs are at full extension. This image of the lower leg extensions of the Peak Design Travel Tripod (top) and Ascend-14 (bottom) shows clearly how much thicker the cylindrical CF tube used in the Ascend-14 is, compared to the lozenge-shaped tube of the Peak Design. The Ascend-14, however, is noticeably more rigid when fully extended. I'm six feet tall, and both of these tripods provide enough height for comfortable eye-level shooting. With their center columns extended (shown here) both can reach a rated maximum height of 60 inches. It's also heavier than the Peak Design carbon fiber model (1.45kg with the RRS Ascend head compared to 1.3kg for the PD).īoth the RRS Ascend-14 and Peak Design Travel Tripod offer a useful maximum height. The center column of the Ascend-14 can be divided into two sections, to save weight (losing the lower portion shaves off about 150g) or to facilitate very low-level shooting.Ĭompared to the Peak Design Travel Tripod (shown on the right, with the Purell bottle for scale), the RRS Ascend-14 is fractionally fatter (with a packed diameter of 3.4in compared to 3.1in) and longer when fully collapsed (18.6in compared to 15.4in). This immediately makes both products slimmer than your average compact tripod, while still maintaining the versatility offered by an adjustable center column (if you don't mind a fixed apex and lower max height, RRS already makes the cheaper TFC-14 Mk II). Like the Peak Design models, the Ascend-14's standard configuration features an integrated ball head and a non-cylindrical aluminum center column, to allow the legs to fold flat against it.
Unstated, but fairly clearly implied, is also a desire to cater to the same demand that made Peak Design's Travel Tripod the most successful Kickstarter project ever, back in 2019. The Ascend-14 is RRS's attempt to make a really right travel tripod, which doesn't suffer from the same compromises that we'd typically expect in this class: flexible legs, low maximum weight rating, or limited features. Really Right Stuff (RRS) has been building a reputation for solid, elegant, no-compromise tripods, heads and plates for a long time in the US, and in recent years RRS gear has started to become more widely available to photographers around the globe. Today, I want to look at a product which has just been launched into the upper end of the travel tripod market (i.e., the really spendy end), from Really Right Stuff – the Ascend 14.
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