Manfrotto Pixi Evo verdict
Summary
The Manfrotto Pixi Evo is a larger than usual mini tripod with some interesting features, including two height settings, extendable legs and the capacity to cope with quite big cameras. But even though it works well, the build quality and finish seem pretty poor for the price. It does the job, but there’s not a lot of finesse.
For
+ Handles larger cameras well
+ Adaptable ball head
+ Choice of height settings
Against
– Cheap feeling materials
– But not that cheap to buy
I bought the Manfrotto Pixi Evo because I’d been impressed with the regular Pixi and it looked like the Evo version would do everything even better. And so it does, up to a point, but it has some features I’ve ended up not using, and I think the finish and materials don’t justify the price.
One thing I like about these mini tripod designs is that you can close up the legs and use them as a handgrip for vlogging. And so you can with the PIxi Evo, but its slightly larger size means it’s a little less easy to grip than the 3 Legged Thing Iggy, for example, if you have small hands. Also the the semi-matt finish on the legs doesn’t give you the best grip.
The longer legs on this model mean you get a wider spread than the average mini tripod, and this makes the Pixi Evo much more stable with larger cameras. I took the product shots with my Olympus E-P7 fitted, but the Pixi Evo also coped perfectly well with my much more massive Sony A7R II and FE 24-105mm f/4 combo. I didn’t even need to align the lens with one of the legs (a common mini tripod trick) to stop it overbalancing – it remained perfectly stable.
If you need a wider stance, the Pixi Evo can oblige. Pressing a button near the top of each leg lets you slide it out on an extension bar. The mechanism feels a bit sloppy but as soon as you add the weight of a camera all the slack is taken up and it’s pretty solid. There is a little up and down ‘springness’ due to the design of legs, but this is just a mini tripod so it’s sill to expect full size tripod rigidity.
There are also two leg angles to choose from, tough this makes only a modest difference to your working height – basically, it goes from ‘low’ to ‘even lower’. On the other hand, if you use the leg extensions and the more upright leg angle together, you do get a useful increase in height – but then the legs take up a lot more space on your shooting surface too.
The ball head on the top isn’t bad at all. It looks fairly cheaply made, but the ball is a good size and it grips well. You loosen and tighten it with a single knob, and there’s no separate pan axis. You can even angle the camera vertically, and the leg spread is wide enough to stop any danger of tipping up – though I wouldn’t try this with a larger camera.
I do rather like that you attach the camera via a regular screw and not some kind of quick release plate. It’s quick to use and it keeps the Pixi Evo simple and straightforward.
I do like the Pixi Evo for its broad stance, its ability to handle larger cameras and its decent ball head. I think the extending legs and dual height settings don’t add an awful lot, though – for my needs at least – and I also think it feels a little cheap for the money.