Cartoni Red Lock Tripod System – First Look & Interview

by Nino LeitnerMay 25^th, 2020

Cartoni has always been revered for premium tripod systems. The new Cartoni Red Lock Tripod Systems are aggressively priced and pack plenty of new technology.

In this interesting discussion with Elisabetta Cartoni we learned about some of the design considerations that went into the Red Lock Tripod Systems. There seems to have been some significant innovations in tripod technology over recent years, and Cartoni are at the forefront of this, making their fluid heads even better.

Special Aerospace Fluid Making a Difference

What makes a true fluid head a fluid head (as opposed to a friction head… which some manufacturers try to market as a fluid head) is… the fluid! Cartoni have employed a new silicon fluid across their fluid head range. This new fluid was actually developed for aerospace, for use in aircraft landing gear for shock absorption. It costs 10x more than the previously used silicon fluid, but offers noticeably better performance.

The Cartoni Red Lock Focus 8, Focus 10, and Focus 12 Tripod Systems

Image credit: Cartoni

The Cartoni Red Lock Tripod Systems come in three sizes. The Focus 8 has a payload capacity of up to 8kg, the Focus 10 up to 11kg and the Focus 12 up to 12kg. All three share a common aluminum bowl system that can be adapted to accommodate 75mm or 100mm ball fluid heads. Switching between 75mm and 100mm is as simple as adding or removing an adapter ring. The Focus 8 comes pre-configured for 75mm. Both the Focus 10 and 12 come as 100mm. Cartoni are providing the adapter ring with all three models.

One aspect of the new fluid heads is that drag is easy to adjust in small increments and immediately takes effect. This makes fast adjustments to resistance possible to compensate when changing lens or otherwise altering the mass or center of gravity of the camera. In some fast-paced live situations there isn’t always time to properly rebalance the camera after making a change, so this is a welcome feature.

Image credit: Cartoni

The fluid head is not the only thing that’s been carefully considered. The tripods themselves have new positive locks and rubber feet and can be completely trusted for torsional stability.

The Cartoni Red Lock Tripod Systems are affordable and don’t seem to compromise on the technology, materials or build quality you’d expect from a Cartoni tripod system.

If you’re in the market for a new set of legs. The Cartoni Red Lock systems should definitely be on your list to look at.

After watching the video and hearing about the development that’s gone into the Cartoni Red Lock Tripod System, what are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.