Ray is an ultra-compact micro-traveller, and Bucky is his bigger, more versatile buddy, and both are built for travel
(Image credit: 3 Legged Thing)
3 Legged Things tripods don’t just have funky names, but funky looks too. The two new models will be available in two color schemes – ‘Earth Bronze with Ocean Blue head’ or ‘Metallic Slate Grey’.
They both come with a new AirHed Vu ball head with a unique feature – a small window on the side that shows the head clamping mechanism in action. It’s designed for strength, too, as are the Ray and Bucky tripods themselves, both offering an impressive 30kg payload capacity.
The legs are made from eight layers of 100% pure Japanese carbon fibre, and all three can be unscrewed and replaced with 3LT’s Vanz ‘footwear’ to make a table top tripod. You can also unscrew any leg and attach it to the centre column to make a monopod.
3 Legged Thing says it has introduced new style twist locks with O pads for improved grip, and new chicken lips (shims) for the leg joints for improved strength and rigidity.
(Image credit: 3 Legged Thing)
3 Legged Thing Ray
This is the smaller of the two new tripods and folds down to a length of just 35.6cm, extending to a maximum height of 128cm with the AirHed Vu head.
It has five-section legs and a removable/reversible two-section center column. With the AirHed Vu fitted, Ray weighs 1.62kg – the tripod on its own weighs 1.27kg.
(Image credit: 3 Legged Thing)
3 Legged Thing Bucky
Bucky is bigger, but still classed as a travel tripod, with five-section legs that fold up around a three-section center column and AirHead Vu head, to produce a folded length of just 41cm but a maximum height of 1.89m (or a minimum height of just 11cm.
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Like Ray, Bucky features removable tripod legs and interchangeable ‘footwear’ (an optional extra) and the ability to connect any one of the legs to the removable center column to make a monopod. All-up weight, with AirHed Vu included, is 1.87kg
Price and availability
The 3 Legged Thing Ray and Bucky travel tripods will go on sale from August 18 but are available for pre-order now:
RAY, legs only: $329.99 / £319.99 RAYKIT, including AirHed Vu: $429.99 / £389.99 BUCKY, legs only: $399.99 / £379.99 BUCKYKIT, including AirHed Vu: $499.99 / £449.99 AIRHED VU, complete with QR-Octa: $169.99 / £149.99
Rod is an independent photography journalist and editor, and a long-standing Digital Camera World contributor, having previously worked as DCW's Group Reviews editor. Before that he has been technique editor on N-Photo, Head of Testing for the photography division and Camera Channel editor on TechRadar, as well as contributing to many other publications. He has been writing about photography technique, photo editing and digital cameras since they first appeared, and before that began his career writing about film photography. He has used and reviewed practically every interchangeable lens camera launched in the past 20 years, from entry-level DSLRs to medium format cameras, together with lenses, tripods, gimbals, light meters, camera bags and more. Rod has his own camera gear blog at fotovolo.com but also writes about photo-editing applications and techniques at lifeafterphotoshop.com
