Bogen Manfrotto Tripods
Manfrotto is a well known name when it comes to tripods appropriate for both digital and traditional photographic work, but some people refer to Manfrotto tripods as Bogen products. This is because in the early 1990s, the companies manufacturing and distributing Manfrotto products were purchased by Bogen, an American company committed to distributing imaging equipment.
People began referring to Manfrotto products as Bogen tripods, and this situation lasted for almost twenty years, more than enough time for brand consciousness to shift to the new name among the general public. However, true aficionados of the affordable quality tripods long produced by Manfrotto were aware that the Bogen name was really an overlay.
The situation reversed itself quite recently — in the year 2010 the Bogen Imaging Distribution Network acknowledged its roots and changed its name worldwide. In every country where Bogen operated, it began doing business under the name Manfrotto Distribution. Therefore now, a Bogen Manfrotto tripod can more properly be referred to once again simply as a Manfrotto tripod.
History of Bogen Manfrotto Tripods
The history of Manfrotto tripods stretches back to Italy and the decade of the 1960s. Late during that decade, a photographic reporter named Lino Manfrotto became dissatisfied with the equipment available to him. He needed better stands to hold his materials steady as he composed shots. Aiming to remedy this, he designed a light stand, but at this point he wasn’t interested in mass production, but only in creating better equipment in his own local area.
By the early 1970s, however, Manfrotto was expanding into the commercial arena with his products. Based in Italy and focused on the Italian market at first, the Manfrotto company experienced steady growth but didn’t become an international concern until a British group named Vitec bought him out in the late 1980s. Manfrotto was retained to help manage the new international concern, a wise move since he knew more than anyone else about the product line of Manfrotto tripods.
Interestingly, even before the Bogen buy out in the early 1990s, certain Manfrotto tripods were already being marketed under the Bogen brand name, but this only happened with certain models and in certain regions. The United States was one such region. Then, of course, the whole company came under the umbrella Bogen name, but later reverted back to Manfrotto tripods.
Bogen Manfrotto Tripods Today
Known for making tripods that are affordable yet high quality, Manfrotto today produces both aluminum and carbon fiber varieties of tripods. The latter type is lightweight and strong, while the former type is ideal for hobbyists and beginners who wish to start out with an inexpensive tripod as they learn the craft.Manfrotto also owns the Gitzo Tripods brand, which is widely considered the world’s best tripod manufacturer (of premium tripods).
Interestingly, most Manfrotto models are available in either structural material. How can you tell for certain which is which? Just look at the model numbers. Those labeled with a CX are composed of rigid, lightweight carbon fiber. Bogen Manfrotto tripods that feature only an X in their model number are made of aluminum.