In early 2023 we were stunned when Benro showed off its vision of a tripod of the Future: Theta, a motorized, auto self-levelling tripod. Well, now it seems Benro isn't the only company in town working on a smart motorized tripod. Edelkrone, which specializes in pro-grade cinema supports like tripod heads and sliders, has launched Tripod X: the world's first motorized tripod. While Benro might have been first to tease its Theta prototype, Edelkrone appear to have beaten Benro to market.
The showcase feature of Tripod X is its auto self-leveling. This uses a gyroscope accelerometer built into the crown of the tripod, which automatically controls motors within the legs, raising and lowering each leg until your camera is level. The system works independently, with no user intervention or app pairing required.
In addition to simply leveling the tripod, the system can also be used to capture captivating camera movements for video, and timelapse sequences, as the tripod smoothly transitions between two different positions. A trigger port on the tripod makes this possible by connecting to your camera via an optional cable .
Tripod X is controlled via a button interface and small display built into the crown of the tripod, which includes direct controls for raising and lowering the legs, a shortcut button for instant levelling, and even speed controls so you can choose between faster or quieter performance. Remote control via the Edelkrone app is due soon, enabling smart device interaction with Tripod X, as well as other Edelkrone products.
Tripod X has a height range of 34cm to 148cm, depending leg extension and also the spread of the legs. The leg spreader bars have been designed to operate while you're standing up, improving user ergonomics and enabling faster set-up & packing away.
As Edelkrone's focus is professional video equipment, the motors in Tripod X are rated to lift up to 20kg, while the tripod itself weighs 9kg. That's heavy even by video tripod standards, but once in position, you can let the motors do all the lifting for you. Power comes from a removable 12v power tool battery. This is said deliver weeks of usage per charge (based on an average of 300 motorized adjustments), and both battery and charger are included with the tripod.
The Edelkrone Tripod X is available to buy now, priced at $2,599.
