Element MII Aluminium Tripod with Ball Headvs A1
Manfrotto
Element MII Aluminium Tripod with Ball Head
Starting from £120 new
Best for Landscape, portrait & long-exposure photography
View Element MII Aluminium Tripod with Ball Head
Sony
A1 (2021)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
View A1
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Landscape, Portrait & Long-Exposure Photography — Element MII Aluminium Tripod with Ball Head: The Element MII is what most photographers should buy as their first full-size tripod. Manfrotto quality, proper ball head, 8kg capacity and 152cm max height at an accessible price. It does everything a landscape or portrait photographer needs without breaking the bank.
Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting — A1 (2021): 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
Who should buy what
Element MII Aluminium Tripod with Ball Head
- Landscape photographers who need a stable platform for long exposures
- Portrait photographers who want hands-free shooting capability
- Videographers who need a flat, stable base for panning shots
- Anyone wanting a reliable full-size tripod at a reasonable price
A1 (2021)
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
Quick take: The element mii aluminium tripod with ball head is the most affordable; only the a1 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Element MII Aluminium Tripod with Ball Head | A1 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £120 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | — | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | — | 50.1MP |
| Video | — | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | — | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points |
| Stabilisation | Fluid ball head — smooth repositioning, arca-swiss quick release, 8kg load capacity | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | — | 30fps electronic with full AF/AE |
| Battery Life | — | ~430 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1.5kg (with head) | 737g (with battery) |
| Dimensions | Folded: 48cm / Max height: 152cm / Min height: 7cm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | — | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps |
| Screen | — | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | — | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | — | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | — | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Element MII Aluminium Tripod with Ball Head | A1 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Video | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Travel | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Wedding | — |
More comparisons with Element MII Aluminium Tripod with Ball Head
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