I recently got my hands on the Oben CT-3451 Tripod and I couldn’t be more grateful. At the first of this year, I made a big change from Nikon to Lumix and was super frustrated with the fact that my Manfrotto tripod was massive compared to my mirrorless camera. I felt weighted down and not interested in hiking much this summer till I could find something to replace it. Then, in walked the Oben CT-3451 Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod with BE-113T Ball Head and I was ready to hit the trail again.

Weight

This entire tripod weighs just 2.5 pounds and folds down to an easy-to-transport 12″ piece of equipment. This is perfect for a mom like me who is also probably carrying a child, a diaper bag and an entire studio in one trip because I refuse to make a second trip!

Three features I love

  1. Three different locking angles on the legs. This is a great feature to have when you are in nature shooting and the ground is uneven. It also allows the tripod to completely fold up and be very compact.
  2. The integrated monopod is genius. You are basically getting two tripods for the price of one!
  3. I will never own a tripod without the quick release plate for mounting my camera to a tripod. It’s just so easy and kid-friendly, which my little future photographer loves.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a lightweight, compact, durable, carbon fiber, two-in-one tripod you really should try the Oben CT-3451 out.

Editor’s Note: Since this review was written, the CT-3451 has been discontinued, and replaced with the nearly identical CT-3551. The links in this article now point to the updated product.