COMAN T1 Mini shrinks its one-touch carbon fiber tripod for travel

COMAN’s T1 Mini is a 1.65 kg (3.6 lb) carbon fiber travel tripod with one-touch leg extension. It is on Kickstarter now from $279.

COMAN has launched the T1 Mini, a carbon fiber travel tripod, in what is its third crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. It keeps the company’s T1 one-touch height adjustment and adds a one-second Arca-Swiss quick release, three leg angles, and a modular center column.

The company says a traditional tripod takes around 15 seconds or more to set up, and that its proprietary one-touch leg-extension system cuts that to as little as 3 seconds: flip open the clamps, slide the leg sections out to the desired length, and close the clamps to lock them.

The T1 Mini weighs 1.65 kg (3.6 lb) and has a maximum payload of 6 kg (13 lb). It is built from carbon fiber, 6-series aluminum alloy, and stainless-steel hardware. The four-section legs and center column are 3K, 10-layer high-density carbon fiber. Folded length is 533 mm (21.0 in) and maximum height is 1595 mm (62.8 in). Three preset leg angles are available, and the replaceable feet come as rubber feet and steel spikes.

Modular center column

The Y-shaped center column has a concave-triangular design. The three legs nest into its grooves when folded, reducing total storage volume by 30% over the T1.

The column is modular:

• Inverted center shaft: remove the bottom hook, pull out the center shaft, reverse it, and reinstall it for low-angle, ground-level, and macro shooting.
• PH100 Short Center Shaft: included in the box, it replaces the standard center shaft for ultra-low-angle shooting and lets you pair the tripod with compatible fluid video heads via the 3/8"-16 mounting point.
• PH110 Light Stand Shaft: available separately, it replaces the standard center shaft to extend height up to 2285 mm (90.0 in) and turn the tripod into a light stand or 360° camera stand.

COMAN’s Arca-Swiss quick release uses a bolt-style latch instead of a knob, and the company claims 99% compatibility with existing Arca-Swiss plates, including Peak Design-compatible plates. The panoramic ball head rotates 360° horizontally and uses a US-patented inverted-bowl design.

An optional mount attaches a smartphone to the tripod magnetically, for teleprompter use, live-view monitoring, or other applications. The tripod has two built-in ARRI-style 1/4"-20 threads at its base for accessories.

Pricing and availability

The T1 Mini is available to preorder on Kickstarter from $279 for the Black version and $299 for the Silver and Military Green versions. It is already fully funded and hopefully ships in December with a soft carrying pouch, an Arca-Swiss quick-release plate, the PH100 Short Center Shaft, a user manual, and an adjustment wrench.