K&F Aluminium Tripod SA254T1
K&F Aluminium tripod (SA254T1)
The SA254T1 is a 2.4 meters heigh aluminum tripod that has a lot of features in common with the TM2515T. The tripod is strong enough to carry up to 10kg of camera equipment, has a transverse center column, detachable monopod, 360° ball head, and a lot more. It weighs 2kg which is only 0.4kg more than the TM2515T even though it's 0.7 meters taller than the TM2515T. The difference in weight isn't reallly noticable.
Transverse Center Column
Just like the TM2515T, the SA254T1 has a transverse center column. You can extend the center column and rotate it 90° so the center column becomes horizontal instead of vertical. It allows you to get a lot of creative shots you otherwise aren't able to get. If you for example want to do a topdown shot, an issue you will have with most tripods is that the legs of the tripod will be in the frame. But because the camera can move away from the legs (because of the transverse center column), the legs won't be in the frame.
Ball Head
the K&F-28 ball head is also a similarity between the two tripods. It's a really strong ball head that can carry up to 10kg of camera gear. That means you can use heavy lenses like a 70-200 f2.8 or 100-400 without compromising stability or functionality. The ball head has a quick release plate and a spirit level so you can easily adjust the ball head so it's always level. The head can rotate 360° and two twist locks to lock the camera into place.
Removable center column
My favorite feature of this tripod is the removable center column. You can attach the center column from the bottom and take photos really low to the ground. This is amazing for macro photographers who want to photograph something that's low to the ground like a flower or a little bug.
Height
The only difference between this tripod and the TM2515T is the height. This tripod can get as high as 2.4 meters which is just impressive. The TM2515T only goes to 1.7 meters which is high enough most of the time but not for those specific edge cases. When you put both of them side by side, it becomes clear how much higher the SA254T1 gets. The legs can extend 3 times (compared to 4 times on the TM2515T). When the tripod is at its highest, it does get a bit more unstable but not to the point I'll be worried.
The legs have three presets of angles they can make. The bigger the angle, the lower the tripod will be but the more stable.
MONOPOD
One of the legs can be removed and attached to the removable center column so it becomes a monopod. I'm not really a fan of using monopods but it's always good to know that functionality is there in case you need it. The monopod gets to a height of 2.5 meters when fully extended which is 0.1 meters higher than the maximum height of the tripod.
Here are some more photos of the tripod
Conclusion
The SA254T1 is a really good tripod that has all the same great features as the TM2515T but gets a lot higher (2.4 meters instead of 1.7 meters).
Most of the time, you won't need that height and 1.7 meters will be high enough but there will always be a situation where a bigger tripod will be more useful or needed. Even though it gets so high, it doesn't compromise stability or functionality which is great! Although this is a really good tripod, I recommend most people to buy the TM2515T since 1.7 meters is more than enough but if you really want the added flexibility of having a higher tripod, the SA254T1 is an amazing option!
If you're interested in buying the tripod, you can do so using the following links:
K&F website: https://bit.ly/3tDbL54