These Tripods Stand Above the Rest: Peak Design Pro Tripod Review

I’ve used a lot of janky camera tripods in my life. Some were cheapos from Walmart, others were old and inherited, and a few were from the CU Boulder equipment rental room. I’ve also used some really nice tripods on shoots using Red Cameras in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and elsewhere. But as soon as I got hold of the Peak Design Pro Tripods, I knew they were something different.

“Sexy” was the first word that came to mind when I pulled the Peak Design Pro Tripods out of the box. The carbon fiber construction and sleek shape immediately struck me.

The action on all of the moving parts was buttery smooth. And the tripods felt immensely solid. It was similar to the Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod, GearJunkie’s best overall tripod on our guide to the Best Camera Tripods — but even more refined.

Those were just my initial impressions. As I started using these professional-grade tripods, the attention to detail was surprising. Peak Design didn’t just make another set of premium tripods with the Pro line. It (once again) raised the bar for travel and adventure photography gear.

In short: The Peak Design Tripods come in the Pro Lite ($800), Pro ($900), and Pro Tall ($1,000) versions. All three have flanged center columns, aluminum leg locking cams, an Arca-compatible camera quick-lock, CNC-machined leg angle adjusters, and a lot more. The Pro Levelling Base levels quickly and is compatible with pro video heads, gimbals, geared heads, three-way heads, and more. The Tilt Mod converts the ball head into a fluid pan or tilt head. Professional photographers and hobbyists alike will immediately recognize how thoughtfully designed these tripods are.

Check out GearJunkie’s guide to the Best Camera Tripods.

Peak Design Pro Tripods Review

Let’s get this out of the way: I am not a professional photographer or videographer. I use cameras for a lot of my work, I take photos for fun, and I have done some freelance work on video shoots.

Most of the testing I did with these tripods was for personal photography and a couple of work photo shoots. I took them with me on a working road trip around Colorado and used them at my home for shooting gear.

As the name implies, these are professional-grade tripods that might be overkill for some amateurs. But for experts, pro photographers, and invested hobbyists, it’s a piece of gear worth looking into.

That should come as no surprise, though. Peak Design worked with Jimmy Chin to perfect these tripods for adventure and travel photography. He tested the Pro line and helped refine the design. The brand also created a couple of accessories for the Pro tripods that take their versatility to the next level.

The Peak Design Pro Tripods launched on Kickstarter on June 17, 2025. If you back the campaign, you can lock in your Pro Lite, Pro, or Pro Tall at a pretty significant discount. The brand told GearJunkie that direct-to-sale is slated for November 2025.

Materials & Design

For the Pro Tripods, Peak Design used the architecture from its Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod, scaled it up for greater stability and deployment height, and added many useful features.

The Pro series comes in Pro Lite ($800), Pro ($900), and Pro Tall ($1,000) versions. The Pro and Pro Tall have exactly the same hub and head, but slightly different dimensions. The Tall offers 10 extra inches of height for taller users or photographers who want maximum height deployment. The Pro Lite tripod has a scaled-down hub and smaller dimensions for better packability and a lighter weight.

All three are small enough to fit inside a backpack. They also all come with water-resistant cases that fit them snugly.

Similar to the Travel Tripod, the Pro series is made from carbon fiber. Peak Design used CNC-machined aluminum for the hub, head, leg lock mechanisms, and other hardware.

Hub & Head

The anodized aluminum hub allows users to choose from three different leg positions (instead of two, offered by the Travel Tripod). Simply press the button at the top of the legs and they hinge outward, allowing for a wider or narrower base.

The Pro Tripod’s head received a full, streamlined redesign from the Travel Tripod. There is still just one cinch ring that allows users to tighten or loosen the action.

However, Peak Design said it upgraded this mechanism to provide better stability. Even when at its lowest position, the head can still rotate and articulate up to 15 degrees. It has integrated fluid panning and is compatible with a new tilt mod accessory (more on this later).

When you manipulate the Pro Tripod head, there’s nothing loose, playful, or jerky about it — it’s got a very smooth, damp feeling.

My favorite aspect of Peak Design’s Pro Tripod head is the spring-loaded plate locking mechanism. Instead of adding another knob or lever to the design, the brand made the head’s bubble level double as a plate release switch.

You simply press the bubble level to the left, and the plate lock opens. Place the Peak Design–specific plate in, and it triggers a switch automatically locking the clamps onto the camera plate.

Legs & Locks

Unlike the Travel Tripod, the Pro tripods only have four telescoping leg sections, allowing for even greater height deployment and stability. Our tester for the Travel Tripod listed the “spindly legs” as one of the only cons to that design. With the Pro series, Peak Design has solved that issue.

I found the legs on these tripods to be extremely stable. The only wobble I sensed at all was when the tripod was deployed to its full height (the center column fully extended), and it still wasn’t much at all.

The legs for each of the three Pro tripods have different girths, and, not surprisingly, the Pro and Pro Tall offer the most stable stance. Those two models are also slightly heavier than the Pro Lite, so there’s a tradeoff.

The locking mechanisms used on the Pro Tripods are also a new design. They have better grip strength and are stiffer, adding to the tripod’s stability. The action on the locks is buttery smooth and easy to open/close. I didn’t experience any issues with them sliding out of place. They held their position firmly when locked down.

Flanged Center Column

Peak Design said that the center column was one of the hardest things to design, but one of the most important on the Pro Tripod. The column is a carbon fiber triangle with concave faces that create a flange. Flange shapes like this resist bending and deflection, which is crucial for structural stability.

According to Peak Design, this approach makes the Pro Tripod center column six times more stable than that of the Travel Tripod. This was a big factor in how the brand achieved a 40-pound weight capacity for the Pro and Pro Tall Tripods and a 35-pound weight capacity for the Pro Lite. The brand said it was not easy to find a manufacturer who could make such a specific shape out of carbon fiber.

At the bottom of the flange’s center column, you’ll notice a small hook. That’s to add weight with a camera bag or sandbag if you’re shooting in windy conditions.

It’s a nice feature, but one that holds a little secret of its own. Pull the small ring at the base of that hook and twist, and the hook comes free of the center column. Within, there is a phone mount (to shoot with a smartphone) and a hex key that fits the tripod’s screws.

Accessories

Tilt Mod

Videographers won’t feel left out thanks to the tilt mod ($150) that Peak Design made specifically for the Pro Tripods. It converts the Pro ball head into a fluid pan/tilt head for full video capability.

The Tilt Mod comes with a handle and the camera attachment device, which stows together magnetically. Simply pull them apart, screw the handle into the socket, and attach the Tilt Mod to the head like a camera plate.

With this mod attached, you can smoothly pan or tilt while shooting video. The head’s cinch ring allows you to set the resistance higher for a slower action, or lower for faster panning and tilting.

Pro Leveling Base

The pro leveling base ($130) allows you to use any brand’s pro video head, gimbal, geared head, three-way head, and other heads. It can be swapped with the Peak Design–specific ball head, and it attaches to or replaces the center column in the pro tripods. It also allows you to level your camera on uneven terrain without adjusting the tripod legs.

Peak Design Pro Tripods Review: Who Is It For?

If there was one thing I wish were different about these tripods, it’s the price. These are premium pieces of gear, and they’ve got price tags to match, starting at $800 and going up to $1,000.

But this is a case where you really get what you pay for. I have not come across a tripod that more easily justifies such a steep price. Peak Design put thousands of person-hours into designing this product, testing it, refining it, and perfecting it.

The brand even worked with Jimmy Chin, who helped it dial the features and details of the Pro Tripods. It’s no wonder they stand tall above the rest.

The price might be prohibitively expensive to casual amateurs who shoot mostly for fun. But for professional photographers, prosumers, and hobbyists who take the craft seriously, it’s a highly functional and thoughtfully engineered piece of camera gear. These are truly innovative tripods. Hands down, they’re some of the nicest camera accessories I’ve personally interacted with.

You can back the project on Kickstarter now and get a Pro Lite, Pro, or Pro Tall for more than $100 off. Check all of the price options on the campaign page.