Induro CT414 Tripod
– Wildlife Horizons Reviews
On taking delivery of the Induro CT414 opening the advertising packaging to find the tripod in its carry bag along with the tools and replacement spike feet and the tools to install the feet and a shoulder strap to carry the tripod in its bag.
Removing the tripod from the carry bag and Inspecting the build shows a very nice smooth finish, and a comfortable feel to its quality. Although the Induro Tripods are made in China, the quality is high and the weight of the tripod is surprisingly light at 2.9kg (6.3lb) considering the weight it is said to support, having a load capacity of 25kg (55lb). The size of each leg make the Manfrotto 55XPROB seem like a toy in comparison.
Erecting the Induro CT414 to its maximum height without the column extended is approximately 1.7mt (66in), however, if the minimum height of 587mm (23in) is too tall, meaning that getting your camera low enough to the ground would mean that you would either be required to invert the center column or purchase the optional short column (as I needed to) to enable you to lower the tripod down to a minimum height of 189mm (7.4in). The first thing I did before even seeing how low the tripod would go with the standard center column, was to remove the standard column and swap it with the short column. I am happy with its minimum height and the standard column has been put into storage, along with the Manfrotto 55XPROB standard center column, most likely never to see the light of day again. Personally I think that Induro should not just provide the short column option, but provide the tripod legs with either the long column or the short column and have the model to show it such as CT414sc / CT414lc, then this would allow users to purchase the legs with the column length they require.
The padded legs are large enough to reduce the pressure on the shoulders for extended carrying, however, I feel that they could have made these pads another 50mm – 75mm longer to reduce the distance between the twist leg locks, but thats a personal thing, but I think that marketing of the carbon fiber appearance has something to do with this shorter padding. But it still looks nice and I look forward to using this new addition to the equipment. It feels quite stable even on a smooth floor, though without any weight on the top to get enough downward pressure, its difficult to determine how stable it will feel with large lenses attached.
The leg locks are manual and are not spring loaded tensioned and you can pull the lock out to a position to stop the legs from opening too far unexpected but with a bit of use, will become part of your procedure of setting up. The tripod spider / collar is made of Magnesium Alloy, and feels a bit light, but I suppose thats part of the weight saving requirements to prevent users from complaining about the weight, or, maybe I’m used to over engineering things, but time will tell whether the design will support the specified load or if fatigue will be a factor. The twist leg locks are easy to use and are large enough to be able to apply enough pressure to tighten or loosen as required, and a one quarter turn is sufficient to allow the lower leg section to be extended or retracted. The twist locks are manufactured with water and dust seals to prevent ingress in the legs and the smooth continued use, however, these seals over time dont prevent fine sand from finding its way into the lock collar threads and disassembly is required to service the locking collars. Be aware that the fine threads of the locking barrels on the legs are fine threaded and very sharp and you will easily cut a thread into your fingers.
The Manufacturers warranty is generally 2 years + an additional 3 years when you register your purchase online with Induro giving you a total of 5 years warranty. The purchase price of the Induro CT414 is reasonable compared to other high end carbon fiber tripods that are priced at almost double or more. So although the brand name may not necessarily be popular, the price difference is better in your pocket than with brand marketing, seeing the majority of carbon fiber tripods are all made in China these days, along with nearly everything else. After I registered the warranty online with the manufacturer, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a confirmation email advising that Induro had extended my warranty for the CT414 from 5 years to 10 years. I had advised them that I was in Australia and the extended warranty still applied, so remember to register the warranty with them.
Overall Rating in stars:
Build Quality: 4.5 of 5
Ease of Use: 4.0 of 5
Smooth Operation: 4.0 of 5
Stability: 4.5 of 5
Pricing: 5.0 of 5
Once I have sufficient field use of the Induro CT414 Tripod I will update this review advising any issues or niggling things that might be experienced.
Update 2013:
Over the Easter long week end, I did a day trip out to the Fassifern Valley Gorge, South West Brisbane along the Cunningham Highway, near Boonah. Tried out the Induro CT414 and the new Pano head from RRS and found that the tripod worked very well, in fact the images are sharp and less movement caused by tripod shake. My normal procedure is to use mirror lockup for doing landscape shots and a remote release cable. I have found that the results using the more sturdy Induro CT414 tripod produces better images using the same technique. My only niggle is that when carrying the tripod over the shoulder, I found that my hands were looking for the padding further down the legs for easier grip and less likely to slip on the shiny surface of the carbon fiber. However, I could either just get used to there being less padding, or purchase the extra padding to accommodate a more comfortable position for carrying it. Overall, I find the tripod easy to use, and noticed that it was considerably easier to level the tripod compared to the Manfrotto 55 that I have.
Update 2014:
Having consistantly used the Induro CT414 tripod now for a little over a year, I find that if I am not carrying the tripod with camera and lens attached and the tripod placed over my shoulder as often as I thought I may, although I am still looking for the padding to be longer down to the twist locks for it to be in a comfortable carrying position for my arm placement when I do. However, I rarely carry the tripod with the camera and lens attached and therefore the longer padding is just a nice to have rather than a must have.
Using the tripod in taller positions, seeing it has four piece legs, to make it more stable, extend the legs to only about 70% of the extension length per extension and have the column in the lowest position, and if necessary, hang a weight from the center column for more stability. This ensures that the tripod is at its most rigid and is less likely to experience any shaking in windy weather conditions, but this is not just for the Induro, but for all tripods in general.
Update 2019:
Having just completed a 5000km round trip From Bundaberg through Western Queensland out to Longreach, Windorah, Birdsville and return leading a Photographic Tour, the Induro Tripods (I have multiple Induro Tripods now) worked very well for the overall duration of the journey. Having used these tripods in Sandy Desert Locations, such as the Simposn Desert and Welford National Park, these Induro Tripods do stand up to the punishment delivered to them. There was sand grains ingress into the Locking Collars in the legs of the tripods, however, they kept on working and never once prevented the logs from locking. At the return home of the journey after 3 weeks travel and abuse, the Tripods were easily disassembled, cleaned and serviced and re-assembled ready for another four years of abuse. As thats how log its been since they were last serviced
I hope that this has been helpful.
Regards,
Craig Roy Photography
Wildlife Horizons