I recently was sent a Fotopro X-GO Max tripod for review. If you have been following my gear reviews over the past few years, you know that I have several Vanguard tripods. They’ve served me well. They’re stable, easy to work with and oftentimes portable.

So how does the X-GO Max compare?

I took it out recently to document the high water levels we experienced after some rainfall in West Michigan. If you followed the news, Michigan was hard hit by heavy rain. Our water levels were already high. In Midland, two dams failed creating major flooding throughout that area. Traverse City experienced a flash flood, flooding some popular retail shops, restaurants and even the hospital.

While we didn’t see damage to buildings in Grand Rapids, there was certainly some flooding that made pathways by the river impossible to access.

Design

For me, this tripod met two needs. One, it’s a great tripod when I need something stable with some reach. I have a regular client I photograph headshots for. And recently, my Vanguard tripod didn’t quite reach the height of a really, really tall new guy in the office. I had to take my camera off the tripod and handhold it.

With the X-GO Max, that should no longer be an issue.

It also folds down small enough, and is light enough, that I can travel with it. It’s perfect to take to my next sunset shoot at Lake Michigan, or to use while capturing unique long exposure scenes. It held my Olympus OM-D E-M1X with ease.

What’s more — it can be switched to a monopod in mere seconds. It also comes with built-in spikes — something some of my other tripods don’t have — and the center column can be reversed for low-angle shooting.

First impressions

In my first test with the X-GO Max, the tripod exceeded my expectations. It was super easy to work with and allowed me to change my height and angle on the fly. I was able to put it to use not only at the river, but also capturing an overhead long exposure shot from a parking garage.

I was never concerned about stability — I experienced no shaking of the tripod in the wind (and there were a few gusts present).

While the ball head wasn’t quite as easy to adjust as my favorite pistol head grip, it certainly got the job done. I found that the knobs adjusted smoothly and were easy to tighten down. The legs were also very easy to adjust, and collapsed and expanded very smoothly.

Needless to say, in my first excursion with the X-GO Max, I was pretty impressed. I’m excited to put it to use at the beach and see how it holds up in more extreme weather conditions. Check out B&H for current pricing.