Manfrotto 190X Pro B Review

Back in 1984, when Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Relax! was topping the charts, Italian tripod manufacturer launched the original 190 Mini-Pro tripod to critical acclaim.
Over the last two decades, it has seen a number of updates, with the 190X Pro being the most recent. So what does the 190X offer that should make you consider opting for it? Well, it boasts Manfrotto’s legendary reputation for quality and precision engineering. It’s very well constructed, with the three-section legs made from strong aluminium tubing. Because it’s a mid-sized tripod, it’s light enough at 1.8kg to carry around yet solid enough to use in a studio environment too.

In fact, versatility is its major selling point, in particular because of is the newly designed centre column mechanism, which allows it to be swung from a vertical to a horizontal position without having to be removed.
This is a major benefit in particular for nature photographers, as the camera can be set to point downwards when shooting close-ups at low-level. This is further aided by the fact that the legs can be splayed wide open to allow the head to be set less than ten centimetres from ground level.
It’s worth noting that the 190X Pro is not supplied with a head, which must be bought separately. This allows you to select a head that suits your type of photography. We tested it with the £105 322RC2 action grip head, allowing for swift adjustments to be made.
We tried the 190X Pro with various DSLRs, ranging from the lightweight Canon EOS 400D to the heavier Samsung GX-10 and Nikon D200, fitted with lenses ranging from the standard kit lens to a 70-300mm telephoto zoom. With each SLR outfit and with legs and column set to various positions, the Manfrotto proved adept at providing a stable platform. As with all tripods, we’d recommend that you avoid extending the thinner lower sections too far, but otherwise, we had no issues with the stability of the tripod.

Main specifications:
Stored height: 57cm
Minimum working height: 8.5cm
Maximum working height: 146cm
Weight: 1.8kg
Maximum load: 5kg

Features at a glance:
Spirit level: Allows you to ensure the tripod is set perfectly horizontal
Leg grips: Two legs sport foam rubber grips for cold weather use
Leg locks: Easy to use and provides a very secure lock
Leg angle release: Press to allow legs to be opened to four preset angles: 25º, 43º, 73º and 90º

Which 190 TO GO FOR?
The £100 190XB is similar to the Pro model, but lacks the centre column feature and is slightly smaller and lighter. It’s good, but we’d strongly recommend you spend the extra tenner and go for the Pro version

Build quality: 5/5
Features: 5/5
Stability: 5/5
Value: 4/5
VERDICT: 5/5
This is a tripod that ticks most boxes. It’s well-priced, fast to use and extremely versatile. Also, it 
isn’t too heavy yet is very stable 
and is built to last. If you’re 
looking for a new tripod for your DSLR kit, the 190X Pro B comes highly recommended.