So, we are still trying to work our way through reviewing as many of the popular tripods on the market right now as possible but today’s article is going to be a little different. Rather than reviewing a popular tripod, we are going to be reviewing the Benro KH25N that we have actually seen requested a few times.
Now, instead of letting our readers ready the full review just for us to recommend another tripod, we just want to save you the time and say that if you are looking to pick up a decent video tripod with a fluid head around this price point, check out the Manfrotto 290 Xtra Aluminum MK290XTA3-2WUS (Click here to check for product prices and availability). Not only do we feel that it is a quality tripod that beats the Benro KH25N but the Manfrotto tripod is also very popular within the community while also having earned itself an excellent reputation too.
It is no secret that the KH25N is not very popular and although it offers some decent image stabilization, we feel that it is overpriced for what you actually get as well as a little dated. In our opinion, this overshadows its performance and pushes it behind the competition. That said, we will still be going over our Benro KH25N review for anyone who is still interested in adding it to their collection of camera accessories.
Click Here To Check For The Latest Prices For The Benro KH25N!
User Interface And Control System
As the Benro KH25N has been predominantly designed to be used as a video tripod, it should be no surprise that it comes with a fluid head as standard that offers some excellent slow pan potential. If you are interested in doing any type of slow panoramic photography then the Benro KH25N will also be idea.
The image above shows the fluid head of the KH25N with a camera mounted on it and as long as your camera rig does not go over the 11-pound load capacity, the panning is extremely smooth. In our opinion, the head of the tripod is definatley its best feature and still holds up well against some of the more modern fluid heads released more recently.
Moving on, we come to the dual-stage leg system as partly shown in the image above. This is without a doubt our biggest issue with the KH25N and we feel it is also one of the reasons that the tripod never really took off amongst the community. We see no reason that videographer would want to have to put the time and effort into prepping the dual-stage leg system on the KH25N every time they use it when there are better tripods around with either twist lock or flip lock legs locks that get the job done much quicker.
Although on paper it is a nice idea, in reality, people are busy and value their time. Modern twist locks and flip locks offer just as much security when set up and can definatley keep your camera rig safe when mounted. We have also seen a number of other people commenting on the legs and the majority of the comments are complaints.
[the_ad id=”5467″]
We just feel that Benro has missed the ball on this one and made the legs overly complicated to set up that takes far too much time and energy. Imagine if you are out and about and have to relocate multiple times per day and have to adjust this leg system twice per location shift. It is just too much of a faff on.
Click Here To Check For The Latest Prices For The Benro KH25N!
Performance And Functionality
Another area where we feel the Benro KH25N falls short when compared to what completing tripods like the Manfrotto 290 Xtra Aluminum (Click here to check for product prices and availability) is its performance. Although it can provide some decent quality image stabilization and it also offers some great smooth panning, at this price point, we would expect more.
There are tripods from the Zomei range that offer the same level as performance as the KH25N but they are half the price. Anyway, here are some key features of the Benro KH25N that most people looking to purchase the tripod will want to know:-
- Maximum upper load capacity – 11 pounds.
- Fully interchangeable pan arm for right and left-handed use.
- Maximum usable height – 61 inches.
- Minimum usable height – 28.9 inches.
- Folded tripod length 30.5 inches.
- Features two 3/8″-16 accessory threads.
- Tripod net weight 7.5 pounds.
Another issue that you can probably see is that a 7.5-pound tripod with only a 11-pound load capacity is a total nightmare in our opinion. There are a bunch of lightweight aluminum alloy tripods on the market these days at this price range that are not only much lighter than the Benro KH25N but they also support a much larger payload with some going over 30 pounds!
Click Here To Check For The Latest Prices For The Benro KH25N!
Build Quality And Design
We touched on the design of the legs on the tripod earlier in the article so we won’t go over it all again but let’s just say we feel that Benro has prioritized their theories without actually thinking of the time of their potential customers and have ended up failing. That said, the actual build quality of the tripod is pretty solid and it is very robust but on the flip side it is also very heavy.
Click Here To Check For The Latest Prices For The Benro KH25N!
Our Verdict
That brings our review of the Benro KH25N tripod to a close, as you can probably guess, we are not big fans of the KH25N and definatley feel that there are better options available, especially for its price tag. We would recommend that our readers consider the Manfrotto 290 Xtra Aluminum (Click here to check for product prices and availability) as we feel that will make a much better addition to your camera accessories.
Click Here To Read Independent Third Party Reviews Of This Product!
