The key feature of the 190X is the ground level adaptor which allows great shooting creativity. Once placed on the top casting and combined with the 4 leg angles, it enables the tripod to reach ultra-low positions. The new Leg Angle Selector allows the leg angle to be chosen easily and effortlessly. Engineered wood flooring consists of two or more layers of wood adhered together to form a plank. The increased stability of engineered wood is achieved by running each layer at a 90° angle to the layer above. This stability makes it a universal product that can be installed over all types of subfloors above, below or on grade. Engineered wood is the most common type of wood flooring in Europe and has been growing in popularity in North America Today Manfrotto is one of the best-known and respected names in tripods, but how did it all begin, and why do some people know the products under the Bogen brand? The Manfrotto story starts in the late 1960s with Lino Manfrotto, a photo reporter based in Bassano del Grappa, Northern Italy. Manfrotto found much of the studio equipment of the day cumbersome and neglected to include basic stands and clamps. Spotting a gap in the market, Manfrotto produced a lighting stand, but only made a few units for friends. The 190XPROB is part of Manfrotto’s X family, designed for general-purpose use indoors and out. There are no fewer than 12 models in the current X family, divided equally between the 190 and 055 ranges. Fully understanding Manfrotto’s model numbers and knowing their capabilities is the key behind making the right choice; here’s a brief guide. Without building a dedicated rig to wobble or tap each tripod by the same amount every time, there’s no way to scientifically measure the exact damping capabilities of each model, but we devised a simple manual process which proved to be both revealing and sufficiently consistent for fair comparisons to be made. This involved simply giving the grip-side of the tripod-mounted camera a sharp tap by hand and timing how long it took for the vibrations to dissipate and become imperceptible on-screen at high magnification. This was repeated five times for each tripod configuration and the average time calculated to reduce variations in the taps. We also tested each tripod with their centre columns down and fully extended for comparison.

As for timing the vibrations, we wanted a high magnification system with live view for making the observations, and a movie mode to record them for presentation here. We initially considered using a heavier semi-pro body, but ended-up selecting Canon’s mid-range EOS 550D / Rebel T2i for a number of reasons. First, a body of this size and weight represents the majority of DSLRs in common use. Secondly, it allowed us to exploit Canon’s Movie Crop mode which only records the central 640×480 pixels of the sensor, thereby cropping the image and multiplying the effective focal length of the system by 7.2 times. The resulting high magnification is a very demanding environment for any tripod, even when supporting a relatively light camera. Manfrotto also offers versions of most tripods with three or four leg sections, simply indicated by a number 3 or 4 at the end of the model name. Their maximum heights when fully-extended are roughly similar, but having four leg sections means each section can be shorter, allowing the retracted, transportable size to be smaller overall. Since each section has to fit inside the last though, the fourth section is thinner than the third with a negative impact on overall stability. If you travel a lot and want to squeeze a tripod into a smaller bag, then go for four leg sections, but if you can accommodate a larger tripod or demand the greatest stability, go for three leg sections.The increased stability of engineered wood is achieved by running each layer at a 90° angle to the layer above. This stability makes it a universal product that can be installed over all types of subfloors above, below or on grade. Engineered wood is the most common type of wood flooring in Europe and has been growing in popularity in North America Tongue And Groove But conversely it’s important not to underestimate the strength and flexibility of the smaller 190 series, and the simple fact they’ll be good enough for most photographers. Certainly if you’re looking for a step-up from a budget tripod, one of Manfrotto’s 190 models will deliver significant benefits, and at a cheaper price than the 055s. Surprisingly, there’s relatively few bundles so far, beyond variations on the official ones with Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which implies some sort of edict from Microsoft preventing others.

Natural oak 90 tongue-and-groove flooring can be installed by glue-down (both engineered and solid), floating (engineered only), or nail-down (both solid and engineered). Types Of Floor Finishes By now you’ll have a pretty good idea of which model will be best for you, but there are exceptions to consider. The 055 range for example may be designed for taller people and heavier loads, but there’s good reasons for shorter photographers with lighter systems to buy them. As our tests proved, there’s a significant difference in vibration dissipation with the centre columns down, and in this configuration, the height of the 055 range roughly matches the 190 with their columns extended. So if you need the height of the 190 range with the column extended, but want greater stability, the 055 will give you it with the column down. It’s this simple reason which will see the 055 selected by many photographers of average height. The 055 range also obviously has more room for growth – if not in height, then in camera system weight. It may not be as light as the carbon fiber 190CXPRO3, but unlike the hefty 055XPROB, its weight remains manageable and feels well-balanced in your hands. You may still need to be fairly committed to take it out on a long hike or bike ride, but unlike its larger aluminium counterpart, it rarely becomes a burden. Fold the legs down and it also becomes very manageable in size. Rustic oak 190 another cost effective product in our range is our natural oiled finished oak. The larger sized planks with fixed lengths of 1.9 meters still advertises a high quality floor and looks the part in the majority of rooms. Plank Width With four models in the MT190 series (six if you include the ball head kits) and three more in the stronger MT055 collection (or five if you also include its kit options), it’s useful to understand Manfrotto’s naming convention to work out which will be most appropriate for you.Tongue-and-groove One side and one end of the plank have a groove, the other side and end have a tongue (protruding wood along an edge’s centre). The tongue and groove fit snugly together, thus joining or aligning the planks, and are not visible once joined. The Manfrotto 190XPROB is a relatively compact and affordable tripod designed for general-purpose use. It’s one of the best-selling models in Manfrotto’s X range, striking a great balance between price and performance. Like most higher-end tripods, the 190XPROB does not come with a head as a standard. Instead it features a plate onto which you can mount a wide variety of optional heads to match your exact requirements.

In my full review of the 190XPROB I’ll compare its features and stability against three other key models in the same range, including the carbon fiber 190CXPRO3 version and the larger 055CXPRO3 and 055XPROB models. Together these four tripods dominate the sales charts as some of the best-selling models around, and for very good reason. Brushed and Oiled – Steel brushes are used in the direction of the grain which opens up the surface of the wood and removes splinters. The wood is then oiled.So beware if you use a two-second countdown triggered by hand – if the centre column is raised, there’ll almost certainly be some motion remaining when the sensor is exposed. Of course fast shutter speeds not to mention shorter focal lengths will avoid most fine wobbles, but those using longer exposures or longer lenses could get caught out and perhaps blame their optics or image processing for a slightly soft image when it’s in fact the tripod and operator technique at fault. Manfrotto 190XPROB Verdict