ProMaster announced the Epoch tripod that it says “takes photography back to its image-making roots” by blending classic performance with “nostalgic” style.
Unlike most new creative hardware and accessories, the Epoch tripod eschews the emphasis on hybrid photo and video capture and aims directly at just still image making. The pan-tilt head is a style that has been preferred by landscape and architectural photographers for decades but has fallen out of favor in recent years as it is generally poor for videography, limiting its usage.
ProMaster doesn’t seem to find that to be a problem and emphasizes the tripod’s use as focused on the tactile joy of using a piece of equipment made specifically for one process: photography. Often seen as more precise, the stop-and-start style that accompanies a tripod of this design is probably considered old-school at this point, but there are still plenty of merits in the methods of the past.
“We set out to make a tripod that would capture the essence of vintage while providing modern performance. Inspiration came from classic cameras as well as our own experience as photographers,” Paul Orzel and Nate Lerner, Product Development Team at ProMaster, say. “The Epoch marries contemporary materials with timeless design to bring out the best in your compositions.”
Promising to blend classic looks with contemporary performance, the Epoch features three rigid leg sections made from “thin-wall aluminmum” which gives the appearance of classic stainless steel tripod legs without the weight. The legs feature locks that are machined from aluminum with a black and silver design that ProMaster says pays homage to the scalloped focusing ring found on some classic camera lenses.
The two-piece center column can be reversed or shortened which allows the tripod to offer ground-level perspectives, and the height of that center column can be adjusted by a twist-style collar lock that matches the look of the leg locks.
The pan-tilt head may look old, but ProMaster says it offers modern capabilities. It features an arca-type quick release system and a four-way pan/tilt function that promises high precision, a feature that ProMaster says can only be achieved when each axis has its own dedicated controls.
“Each of the head’s four movements have their own scale, to see their movement by a degree. Most heads have a base rotational movement—the Epoch’s head adds a top movement,” ProMaster says.
The Epoch features a maximum height of six feet, four inches, a minimum height of 11 inches, and has a folded length of 30.25 inches. It weighs 5.3 pounds and can hold a maximum load of 22 pounds. It is available starting today for $300.
Image credits: ProMaster
