The Vanguard Alta Pro tripod hosts one of the highest levels of customization when it comes to photography angles. This tripod features a multi-angle central column (MACC) system. The MACC system provides for an extremely wide range of angles that covers from 0-degrees all the way to 180-degrees.
As this is one of the most adaptable tripods available on the market, this is sure to be the one to cover any angle that a photographer might need. Photographers who choose this tripod will find themselves blown away with the immense options when it comes to angles.
Design
The Vanguard Alta Pro is made with a quality aluminum for a light total weight of 5.4lbs. This isn’t specifically designed to be lightweight for travel use, but it almost hits the mark on weight. However, with a minimum folded size of 24.75 inches, this wouldn’t be the best substitution for a travel tripod as it is still quite long even when folded down.
This tripod extends to a maximum working height of 65 inches and supports a maximum load capacity of 15.4 lbs. This could be an option for a beefy camera setup, but certainly not the heaviest DSLR combination.
One thing that this tripod doesn’t do in place of another design option is disassembly into a monopod. The Vanguard Alta Pro instead flaunts a MACC system, which again stands for multi-angle central column, for a huge range of angles.
The legs to the tripod also have their own feature that stands out from other tripods. An adjustable angle lock is available for every leg and can be adjusted to 25, 50, and 80-degree angles for photography in tight, uneven spaces.
A second feature is also present in the tripod legs. Each tripod leg can be folded out to put the tripod completely flat on the ground. Granted, this is only possible to use in level outdoor surfaces or even better yet, within a studio environment.
The Vanguard Alta Pro has Instant Swivel Stop-n-Lock technology built into it that securely positions the central column in a single simple movement. Another design of the tripod is its quick-release flip leg locks and retractable spikes. The style of these quick-release locks is the fastest type of quick-release leg locks.
Lastly, the tripod hosts an SBH-100 ball head mount that completely supports panoramic photos with its full 360-degree rotation and has a built-in QS-39 quick-release plate with full bubble levels.
The Vanguard Alta Pro Tripod in Use
The Vanguard Alta Pro isn’t something that can be entirely compared to competitors as it just almost always wins due to its unique MACC system. Other tripods don’t have a MACC system and instead feature a monopod mode or an inverted camera mount for low-angle photography and macro photography, and sometimes both.
As the Vanguard Alta Pro can obviously shine when extreme angles are needed due to its MACC system, there really isn’t any need to use a different tripod. Panorama photos and low-angle photos are easily attained with this tripod and not much can’t be.
For low-angle photography, one just simply has to fold up all three legs into its extreme low-angle mode and begin shooting. This mode won’t get a very extreme low-angle when compared to an inverted camera mount, but it gets there and with much more ease of use.
Finally, the tripod combines two of the best things when it comes to the camera mount head: Full 360-degree panorama and quick-release. This prevents the need the remove and install different camera mount heads to get the desired features. This is clearly more cumbersome and not as desired as the combination found with the Vanguard Alta Pro.
How Does It Compare to Competitors?
The easiest comparison that can be made with the Vanguard Alta Pro is with a tripod that has a similar focus on multiple angles. Otherwise, other tripods just immediately fall short when a comparison is made. Not many tripods feature a MACC system that can be easily locked into place with a simple switch, and when a multi-angle system is present, it is often cumbersome.
The similar competitor to the Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB 100 Tripod is the Manfrotto X-Pro 3-Way Head tripod. Obviously, both tripods pay attention to the possibility that a photographer needs to shoot from different angles. Each tripod has its own way to achieve photos from different angles. The Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB 100 Tripod hosts a MACC system and the Manfrotto X-Pro has its 3-Way Head.
The Manfrotto 3-Way head is found to be the clunkier option and not as streamlined to use as the MACC system with Vanguard Alta Pro.
| Vanguard Alta Pro | Manfrotto X-Pro 3-Way Head | |
| Quick Release | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 5.4lbs | 2.2lbs |
| Panorama | Yes | Yes |
| Material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| MACC System | Yes | No |
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Vanguard Alta Pro can’t be beaten if the most desired need is a fluid range of angles. The tripod can handle a range of 0 to 180-degrees with its MACC system and can support low-angle photography as well. With a total weight of 5.4lbs and a folded down size of 24.75 inches, this tripod is just on the edge of being too heavy and bulky for travel into the field.
Amateur photographers, and even professional photographers, would be ecstatic with this tripod in just a few minutes of use. The MACC system aside, its legs feature the best quick-release locks, can be locked into three different angles and supports low-angle photography when folded out for flat surfaces.
Once again, any photographer would be more than happy with the Vanguard Alta Pro as its construction and MACC system, as well as a handful of other features, will provide a wonderful photography shooting experience.
