Benro Tortoise 35C Tripod Review - With GX35 Ball Head
After many years with my trusty old Manfrotto 055, I decided it was time for a new tripod. The 055 is still in good working order, but I wanted something a bit lighter (I’m getting old), and something that is similar in height and strength to the 055, but can shoot at a lower angle.
Meet the Benro Tortoise 35C….
I was sent the 35C last week, but to be clear, I’m not being paid to say anything about it at all.
I’ve had a new tripod on my wishlist for quite some time, the only trouble has been that I’m a bit too specific about what I need from one.
It has taken a loooooong time!
The main reason I ended up choosing the Benro Tortoise 35C with GX35 ball head was for the tortoise mode, I’ll delve into that below, but first, let me tell you what’s important for me, and comment on the suitability of the Benro 35C Tortoise.
For those of you who would rather watch than read, here’s a YouTube review where you can see it in action.
Benro Tortoise 35C tripod review with GX35 ball head
Payload Capacity
I need a tripod that can safely carry a mirrorless camera with a few kilograms of lens, expensive Sony lenses!
It needs to be safe and secure in ordinary conditions, and give me some confidence in the mountain winds on rocky uneven ground.
The Benro 35C is more than capable, with a payload capacity of 15kg it’ll take my 2-4kg of Sony camera in its 3-legged stride.
Weight
Usually, I don’t much consider weight when choosing equipment.
Although I like to hike and climb mountains, in reality, I never go that far. I’m definitely someone who likes to park close, walk a short distance and soak up the views, rather than keep walking through them.
That said, I’d be lying if I said I never considered it, and to be honest, I do more so as I get older. The Manfrotto 055 has started to annoy me a little, coming in at over 3kg, it has been pretty good for bicep development, but often left me wishing I wasn’t carrying it.
It’s fantastic that the Benro Tortoise 35C comes in at just 1.9kg, much to the relief of my ageing spaghetti arms.
Height
Now then…
Height. Important right? Yes. Absolutely.
But I often find myself wanting to get low more often than I want to get high. So as I said earlier, I chose the Benro for its “Tortoise mode”, but maintaining the ability to shoot from head height was also very important.
When shooting landscapes, the difference between a lens height of 2ft to 6ft is remarkable. It opens up much more ground and helps avoid unwanted obstructions. It’s essential to have the ability to get up near head height, IMO.
The Benro Tortoise 35C comes in at 156cm fully extended. Just about perfect!
What's more, due to the 5 section legs, (the “5” in the 35C), it packs down to just 56cm at its shortest. Making it easy to pack and transport.
Tortoise Mode
The Benro 35C Tortoise Tripod has what I’m calling “Tortoise Mode”, I’ve no idea if that’s how Benro intended it to be, but it is now.
With no centre column, when the legs get fully extended out the tripod is able to lie almost flat on the ground, giving you a lens height of just a few inches.
This is a game-changer for me.
With the old trusty Manfrotto 055 I either needed to lie it on its side or change out the centre column for a short piece. That, or take a hacksaw to it.
The whole thing is a hassle.
It’s a hassle, and to be honest, I’d rather not have a centre column anyway. I must use it less than 1% of the time. It adds weight, it adds a weak point and it introduces more possibility of vibration and movement while out shooting timelapse.
The GX35 Ball Head
Benro offers the Tortoise range with various different options, leg sections and lengths etc, and also other ball heads. This particular tripod came with the GX35.
I’m a little hesitant to say much about it at this stage. I feel it’s only really possible to give a worthy opinion on a ball head after many hundreds or even thousands of uses.
It looks well-made and robust while also being relatively lightweight. It has dual panning, a built-in bubble and comes complete with an Arca-Swiss-style quick-release camera plate. The plate has two big locking pins that work along with the ball head knob to stop the camera from sliding off if it were to come loose. Perfect for hiking.
I often like to stick the tripod over my shoulder, that will be a huge benefit.
It’s smooth to operate and holds its position very well, without the need to over-tighten it.
The GX35 just happened to come with the 35C tortoise, I didn’t think too much about it other than it looked good. I always think that a photo ball head is just a photo ball head. They wear out, are relatively cheap and are easy to swap out.
Time will tell, but it looks pretty good so far.
Setup Speed
Now, the speed of setup is important to me.
If I’m out making my adventure films I’ll often reposition and adjust my tripod many hundreds of times over just a couple of days. While it doesn’t seem like much, adding just 30 seconds to my setup time would be a huge hassle!
The Manfrotto 055 that I use comes with quick-release levers on all of the legs. They’re great, quick and easy to use, even with gloves on.
Those levers are fairly rare these days and had been the deciding factor putting me off getting a new hiking tripod for quite a while, everything seems to come with bloody twists nowadays.
I took a gamble and decided to try the Benro legs after hearing good things about them.
Pleasantly surprised is an understatement!
These are twist locks that work remarkably well. It’s about a quarter turn or so from locked closed to open, and the twist is surrounded in a big thick ribbed rubber grip, making them super easy to tighten and release, yes, even in gloves!
Again, I can’t comment on how robust they’ll be over time. It’s a little concerning, I’ll be honest. I can imagine how a bit of crap getting in there or a little over-tightening here or there could bugger them up quite easily.
Have no fear though, I’ve found the Benro Tortoise 35C with a 5-year warranty! Brilliant. 5 years in my hands is absolute hell for it….
Stability
While not so important for video, (I almost always shoot with a Sony A7iii and IBIS), stability is crucially important for my timelapse work. I need something I could stick a few KG of camera on to and leave it for 18 hours on the side of a mountain.
Yes, I do that….!
At this stage, I’ve not tested it in harsh conditions, but it’s obvious to me that it is more than capable. The thick diameter carbon-fibre leg sections that Benro have used on the 35C offer a whole load of rigidity.
The lack of a centre column omits a weak point that many tripods have, and the entire thing is very well built.
The GX35 ball head seems more than capable. I’ve just stuck a Sony A7iii and 200-600mm lens on it in my garden. If anything, I’d say it’s more stable than my Manfrotto 055.
Other Features
A couple of things worth a mention here are that beneath the ball head, you’ll find a little hook that can be used to hang a weight. Your rucksack, water bottle, or whatever.
It’s usually rocks for me, on a bit of guy line. This little hook will prove useful in those winy Welsh mountains.
The Benro Tortoise 35C also comes with a nice little pretty padded carrying case and strap, but I can’t see myself ever using that.
It also comes with a choice of feet. The standard rounded rubber feet but also these spiked options, again, I can’t see myself using them for anything other than if I needed to use it as an ice axe. Which I definitely wouldn’t do.
That would be irresponsible….
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