Aoka TKPro 424C Tripod

I would like to say a big thank you to Guido at B.I.G Brenner Import und Handels Gesellschaft – www.big-photo.de for allowing me the chance to review this awesome piece of equipment!

Who’s Aoka?

Good question. I had never heard of the brand Aoka before this review and still don’t know much about them now. I can’t find an official website with them, but since B.I.G sell them, I guess they must be real!? Still, the fact I can’t get info about them puts me off – who do I contact with any warranty/repair issues?? With that aside, they actually have a very nice range of tripods to choose from.

Features

The 424C is what I would class as a medium/large sized tripod. It features a 10 layer carbon leg design, with an aluminium base. When fully extended, the legs (not including a head) reach a maximum height of 157cm and will go as low as 10cm! This tripod doesn’t feature a centre column, a feature that many photographers may miss, not me though, I loath centre columns! When I want to shoot a low angle, I want to get set up quick, not faff about with removing or re-positioning the centre column. At the top of the tripod is a 75mm aluminium bowl. This is where you screw on your desired head, which for me when shooting stills, is a good ol’ ball head.

The 4 section carbon legs come in at 36/32/28/24mm thickness and can withstand up to 30kg of weight, pretty good if you ask me! These are operated using twist locks and this is also my preferred locking mechanism on tripods. By pulling the locking clip out, you are able to lift the legs right up, so when you’re out in the field shooting on uneven ground, you can manoeuvre the legs to find the perfect stance.

Performance in the field

I currently own two tripods – one huge, one small. This was the PERFECT balance between the two and was my favourite to take out on the majority of photo trips. It is very light at around 2.3kg, which makes a big difference between my huge Leofoto tripod at nearly 4.5kg! Personally, I have always found twist leg locks to be quicker and easier to setup, especially in cold weather and so, this was another easy to setup tripod. There isn’t anything bad to say about this tripod and having used it extensively for several months I can safely say it is very durable.

There isn’t much more to say really, it is a fantastic tripod, solidly built and very light. I will be sad to see it go, but it has got me some fantastic shots! Would I recommend this? Yes, definitely, but bear in mind what I wrote previously about warranty/repairs. If you did want to order one head over to https://www.big-photo.de/stative/stative/dreibein-stative/12590/aoka-tkpro424c-carbon-stativ

Aoka TK PRO 424C tripod review