As a modern photographer, you are often wearing many hats. We carry a lot of gear. Well now, there is one piece of tripod kit that transforms into a standing, tabletop, monopod, or handheld tripod all-in-one for both your phone and camera. My back is thankful for innovation. Let’s dive into the details.
Physical camera stabilization is often cumbersome and heavy. You never know what you are going to need. The worst is when you are far from the home or studio and that one item would have made a world of difference. Helping to fill that gap and lighten the load on all our backs is the new Chronicle tripod by ProMaster. This one tripod transforms in so many ways that every aspect of it becomes a usable form factor for the content creator. As an Fstoppers writer, I was offered the opportunity to test out this tripod for my honest opinion, and I was surprised at how neat a gadget it is. Check it out.
The Chronicle tripod is a truly an all-in-one. Whether you need to stabilize a phone or camera and on whatever surface, this tripod transforms to do the job. It starts out as a normal tripod and ball head. Just as you’d expect, it is able to support your gear with an industry standard Arca-type dovetail quick-release camera mount. The ball head is the first surprise. It has a unique design where it flips up and converts into a phone mount. The center column is easily removed and acts as its own tabletop tripod. They call this the Flexor. Fold the legs in and it’s a handheld tripod. If you are on the go, as many of us are, having all of this function in one piece of gear is so helpful. Then, you’ve seen tripods that convert into monopods, but this one takes it even farther. The monopod transformation can be set up as a traditional pole or attach the three-legged base from the Flexor for added stability.
To test the Chronicle tripod kit, I brought it to my local parks and botanical gardens. I wanted to carry it around, see how it felt when integrated in my kit, and have the opportunity to test it in all its various forms. Macro plant photography gave me a great chance to test the Flexor as a tabletop tripode. The Flexor legs are much sturdier than other tabletop tripods that I have used. They stayed in place and did not droop or lean under the weight of my gear.
I moved on to trying both the standard and monopod styles for wide angle shots. Each mode performed well, with my favorite being the flipping head in standard tripod three-leg style. The ease of swapping from phone to camera made me use both more, as it wasn’t an annoyance to swap out one for the other. In camera mode, the ball head worked as expected without sag, thanks to the maximum load rating of 22 lbs (10 kg). It has a smooth swivel and roll to the ball. The tightening knobs are responsive and, when tightened, were solidly in place. When using a camera, the flipping aspect of the head made swapping between portrait or landscape mode easy. I made a quick video clip to show how effortlessly you can switch from horizontal to vertical.
While many would enjoy the Chronicle, I can see this tripod really serving the content creator or travel photographer. The ability to flip between phone and camera is a trademark of the versatility of the content you can create while on the go and traveling light. When in phone mode, the head is straightforward and intuitive to use. It reminded me of the type of spring clamp in a hands-free car mount, sturdy and with a firm grip. The head also has a locking collar for smooth panning or creating panoramic content.
I really appreciated how customizable this tripod kit is. Having the ability to adjust so much means it is made to suit you and how you work. One piece that was simple but stuck out for me, pun intended, is the removable control handle. You’ve likely seen these on tripods meant for video. They help for panning or camera movements. I liked that it is removable, which is not usually the case.
The Chronicle tripod also includes a few little touches that I appreciated and show off ProMaster’s attention to detail in creating this kit, the first of which are the accessory ports on either side. Just in case you do want to add anything extra on, you don’t need to craft a mount, as it is ready to go with both ¼”-20 and 3/8”-16 accessory ports. Then, if you like bubble levels, this kit does not disappoint, with levels on both the tripod and ball head.
The build quality of the tripod is nice, and you can choose from aluminum or carbon fiber to suit your style and needs. I tend to opt for the increased durability and material resistance of carbon fiber in tripods, as mine are used in sand, salt, snow, and everything in between. Both the aluminum and carbon fiber versions are rated for performance and withstand temperatures down to -4° F / -20° C. As an outdoor photographer, I appreciate this standard of quality. Being an all-in-one, you might not know what to expect. It doesn’t have a wobbly, cheap material feel or experience. I noticed that parts of the tripod that you would hold, like the handle, leg locks, knobs, etc., are a very soft yet grippy silicone. Rather than normal smooth plastic, the silicone material used helps make it super easy to tighten, loosen, adjust or even just hold the cold metal. I appreciate this thoughtful material choice for ease of use but also from an inclusivity standpoint.
A crucial part of tripod shopping is the weight. This is another aspect where the Chronicle shines. Despite all its bells and whistles, the overall weight of the entire tripod kit is right on par with most travel tripods. The aluminum kit weighs 4 lbs, 11 11/16 oz / 2.15 kg and the carbon fiber version weighs in at 4 lbs, 2 7/8 oz / 1.9 kg. Considering that this is a standing, tabletop, monopod, and handheld tripod all-in-one, the value is all there.
With so much to offer, the Chronicle tripod by ProMaster might just be the all-in-one for you. If you would like to add it to your kit, the Chronicle is going up on Kickstarter August 22nd, 2023. If you save the Kickstarter now to be an early backer, you can access Super Early Bird pricing and save up to 43% off MSRP pricing!
Kit Specifications
- Maximum working height: 59 1/16” / 150 cm
- Minimum working height: 8 ¼” / 21 cm
- Folded length: 22 15/16” / 58.3 cm
- Maximum load: 22 lbs / 10 kg
- Weight: 4 lbs 2 7/8 oz / 1.9 kg
- Cold weather performance: -4° F / -20° C
- Handle weight: 3 1/8 oz / 89 g
- QR plate weight: 1 1/8 oz / 32 g
Maximum height and weight do not include the QR plate or optional handle.
Ball Head Specifications
- Height: 3 15/16” / 10 cm
- Base diameter: 1 31/32” / 5 cm
- Weight: 13 5/8 oz / 386 g
- Maximum phone size: 3 7/8” / 9.84 cm
- Minimum phone size: 2 9/16” / 6.51 cm
Ball head height and weight do not include the QR plate or optional handle.
Height is measured in camera mode for use with Dovetail plate rather than phone mode.
Tripod Leg Specification
- Maximum working height: 55 1/8” / 140 cm
- Minimum working height: 4 5/16” / 11 cm
- Leg angles: 22°, 50°, 80°
- Platform diameter: 1 25/32” / 4.5 cm
- Folded length: 19” / 48.3 cm
- Weight: 3 lbs 5 ¼ oz / 1.51 kg
- Leg section diameters: 28, 25, 22, & 18mm
Tripod leg weight includes legs with Flexor installed. These do not include the ball head, QR plate or optional handle.
Flexor Specifications
- Height with legs spread (tabletop / ground-level mode): 9 1/4” / 23.5 cm
- Length with legs folded (handheld stabilizer mode): 13 ¾” / 35 cm
- Weight: 1 lb 8 3/8 oz / 691 g
- 3-leg base only weight (not including collar or ball head): 7 5/8 oz / 216 g
Flexor specifications are for the assembly with silver collar and ball head attached. These do not include the QR plate or optional handle
Includes
- Chronicle carbon fiber tripod with twist locks and Flexor
- Chronicle 36mm ball head
- 3608 Quick release plate
- Optional handle for ball head
- Tool kit with storage pouch
- Soft, padded storage and transport bag
