The RRS TFC-14 is the smallest and lightest standard tripod made by Really Right Stuff. As we typically expect from them, the test results are impressive. I expect this tripod to be one of the stiffest, if not the stiffest, available at its size and weight. As usual for RRS, the damping isn’t in the same league as the stiffness of the tripod, so long lenses on this tripod will be a problem.
| Name | RRS TFC-14 |
|---|---|
| Class | Travel |
| Stiffness About Vertical Axis | 703 +/- 1 Nm/rad |
| Damping About Vertical Axis | 0.204 +/- 0.02 Js/rad |
| Stiffness About Radial Axis | 2521 +/- 10 Nm/rad |
| Damping About Radial Axis | 0.422 +/- 0.042 Js/rad |
| Retail Price | $795 |
| Weight | 2.33 lbs (1.058 kgs) |
| Manufacturer weight rating | 25 lbs |
| Maximum Height | 47.2 in (119.9 cm) |
| Minimum Height | 11.1 in (28.2 cm) |
| Center Column | No |
| Base Diameter | 1.6 in (4.1 cm) |
| Folded Length | 17.2 in (43.7 cm) |
| Folded Circumference | 8.8 in (22.4 cm) |
| Folded Volume | 106.0 cu. in. (1.7 liters) |
| Leg Material | Carbon Fiber |
| Leg Sections | 4 |
| Primary Leg Angle | 25 deg |
| Leg Locks | Twist |
| Top Tube Diameter | 28.5 mm |
| Second Tube Diameter | 24.5 mm |
| Third Tube Diameter | 20.5 mm |
| Fourth Tube Diameter | 16.4 mm |
| Exchangeable Feet | Yes |
| Foot Type | Rubber |
| Bottom Hook | Yes |
The stiffness and damping data are the averages of 10 trials for each measurement. The reported error is the standard error, except in the case of the damping data. I have set the error in the damping at 10% as the standard error metric does not appropriately capture the error in fitting to the data. All of the reported specifications are measured, with the exception of the weight rating.
Example data for oscillations about the vertical axis of the tripod:
Beautiful fit. The damping is adequate, but not spectacular.
Very clean frequency space data showing that we are very obviously hitting the resonance frequency.
Example data for oscillations about the radial axis of the tripod:
Excellent performance. As usual, the stiffness and damping are significantly higher for oscillations about a radial axis compared. There was a little bit higher variance in the spring constant than I am used to, as reflected in the reported error.
Yep, we are fitting to the correct resonance.