We may earn a commission when you purchase through affiliate links. Learn more.
I’ve always enjoyed bargain hunting, so when I came across a 4 section tripod made by a Korean/Hong Kong based company called Horusbennu being sold at a bargain price I couldn’t pass up the chance to pick one up to try. Designed in Korea and made in China, Horusbennu seems to be a pretty popular brand in Asia, but they don’t appear to have a very big following elsewhere. A few discussions on several forums led me to conclude that the quality from this brand was at least decent and worth giving it a shot. While there are always the photographers who would never use anything but a Gitzo, I enjoy gambling from time to time to test out new things — with camera gear, sometimes the gamble pays off and other times it doesn’t. At this crazy price, I knew I might find myself with a tripod that worked reasonably well….or I might find one that would be better tossed in the dumpster and replaced with a pile of old shoes to balance my camera on.
While I was able to find a few opinions on some of Horusbennu’s other tripods, I wasn’t able to find any reviews on the one I was looking at — the Horusbennu Neo-1128L Professional Aluminum Tripod with Ball Head. With an advertised weight of about 2.5 pounds including the head, this tripod sounded like it could be the perfect travel tripod if it turned out to be well-made. Just over two weeks after ordering it, a package arrived from Korea and I was finally able to see if my tiny gamble paid off.
I was immediately impressed with the weight of the tripod — it really is as light as advertised. The legs seem sturdy and the twist locks move easily and lock the legs securely in place. The center column locking collar holds the column sturdily and there’s no vertical play even with a substantial amount of force pushing on it. With the column lock tightened though, with force applied you can rotate the column horizontally — it’s not likely to affect the stability while shooting though but it still shouldn’t be rotating.
When searching for information about this tripod before purchasing it, it was listed as having a folded length of 47cm/18in. Reasonably compact, but not quite travel tripod sized. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the actual length of the tripod was shorter than this, making it a perfect little tripod to toss in a backpack. With the head removed, the Horusbennu Neo-1128L is actually 16 5/8 inches long when folded. With the head mounted, it measures in at just under 19 inches. To further conserve space, the center column can be removed — the center column measures 14 1/2 inches. With the center column removed, the tripod is 16 inches long — this measurement can be reduced even more by unscrewing the center column lock. To make it shorter still, the leg sections unscrew fairly easily as well. Backpack sized? Definitely!
For a tripod that has a pretty short folded length, it can be extended (with the center column raised) quite a bit to a maximum height of 53 inches without the included ballhead and 56 inches with the ballhead mounted. Fully extended, the tripod feels sturdy, and a spring loaded hook (which can be unscrewed) at the base of the center column allows for weights to be hung from the center column for increased stability. The center column is reversible as well, allowing the camera to be inverted between the tripod legs, very useful for shooting macro shots closer to ground level. The rubber feet pop off to reveal pointed spikes that should be better for soft, wet ground; it takes quite a bit of effort to pop them off though, so you shouldn’t need to worry about losing them accidentally. Like most tripods, this one also comes with a carrying bag. A set of two allen wrenches is included as well, for tightening or removing the legs. It would be nice if one of the included allen wrenches fit the tightening screw on the ball head, but alas…
The included ball head, the Horusbennu BH-28D Traveler retails online for a bit over $20 on its own — while not the greatest ball head in the world, it does have some nice features including two bubble levels for horizontal or vertical shooting. The 28mm ball doesn’t make for the smoothest operation I’ve seen, but it’s pretty good. A panorama index is nice to have and the head rotates smoothly at the base. Even with reasonably heavy lenses, the ball head seems secure. The advertised maximum load is 8kg, about 17.6 pounds which should be enough to accommodate most DSLR & lens combinations. The plate is simple to mount and feels nice and secure when attached.
To test the Horusbennu Neo-1128L I headed out onto the beach to shoot some nighttime long exposures on a night with sustained winds of 24mph, gusting to 34mph…enough of a breeze to give this affordable tripod a real test of stability. During multiple 30 second exposures with a 24mp Pentax K3 DSLR and Pentax DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Lens the shots were sharp even at full-resolution.
All in all, while this budget tripod isn’t the best tripod in the world, it certainly seems to be the best at this price point and is far more sturdy and feature rich than the tripods you’ll find for a similar price at the drugstore while on vacation. While the adage, “You get what you pay for,” may hold true for many things, in this case I think you get quite a bit more than you pay for. While it’s not a Gitzo by any stretch, it seems like a reliable, reasonably well built piece of equipment, and if a big name brand tripod company slapped their logo on it and charged 3 times as much, I don’t think anyone would question it. I especially like that the various parts are easy to remove, making cleaning the tripod after an adventure into the backcountry or onto the beach simple. For budget travelers, outdoor lovers, and photographers who simply don’t have much cash on hand, the Horusbennu Neo-1128L is definitely a tripod worth its very low purchase price.
Order from Amazon.com