Digital Photo magazine looked at six of the top carbon fibre tripods in the market to see which of them made the best investment.

The six tripods tested were: Giottos MLT8351B, Gitzo GT1531, Manfrotto 190CXPRO3, Slik Pro 713 CF II, Swarovski Optik CT 101, Velbon Sherpa Pro CF-535. Some pretty serious contenders!

And the Gold Award went to the new Manfrotto 190CXPRO3!

Writer Michael Topham concluded: "The one that stood out from the pack of six was the Manfrotto 190CXPRO3. This is the second Manfrotto tripod to pick up a Gold Award this year, following in the footsteps of its slightly heavier sister, the Manfrotto 190XPROB, featured in our February 09 issue.

"The lightweight materials are solid without sacrificing strength and the 1.29kg weight is user friendly when loaded as part of your backpack. Not only is it nice and light, the ingeniously designed centre column arrangement that Manfrotto calls its 'Quick Column System' offers all the shooting angles you could ever wish for.

"If a light tripod is is just what you need the 190CXPRO3 is the way to go, offering all the rigiidity, strength and practicality you could want at a sensible price. Choose a good ball or 3-way head and you'll have a top-notch tripoid that will last you for many years"

Is a Tripod a Necessity?

Digital Photo raised an interesting question in their carbon fibre feature: Is a tripod a necessity?

The answer was an unequivocal 'YES!'.

And the magazine gave some pretty sensible and persuasive reasons why a tripod is such an important part of the photographer's armoury:

• A tripod helps fix the camera in position for any length of time
• It allows you to take sharp shots using long exposures or in low light
• Less obvious was the time it takes to erect, level and adjust a tripod which gives you a chance to consider your options and results in better composition!