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FLM Atlas II Tripod: Simple 2-Leg Full Height with Quick-Swap For Different Tripod Heads (UPDATED with reader comments)

re: tripods

I have many tripods that I’ve accumulated over the years. I really ought to sell off at least the half dozen or so Gitzo tripods of various sizes, though the tiniest Gitzo 0-series is occassionally useful when ultra light is required.

I also have half a dozen excellent Really Right Stuff tripods of varying sizes. But for my field work in recent years, I almost always carry the Really Right Stuff TFC-24L along with the Acratech panoramic head aka “long lens head”, just to keep the weight down. The next larger size is too heavy to carry on long hikes, though I’ve done so when at full strength.

FLM Atlas Tripods

FLM offers tripods, tripod heads, clamps and plates, and panoramic and leveling accessories.

Recently, FLM asked me to take a look at their tripods (see all tripods at FLM). Rather than duplicate existing form factor (eg 3-section or 4-section mid-weight), I was keen on something substantially different from my existing tripods.

CLICK TO VIEW: FLM Tripods

Accordingly, I opted to try the FLM Atlas 42-L2, with its massive 42mm carbon fiber tubes and 2 tripod sections. The tripod is surprisingly lightweight (5.2 pounds ~= 2450g) in spite of the extra large tubes, perhaps because as a 2-section design, it has only one knob involved.

The Atlas 42-L2 is a 2-section tripod with reversed leg tubes. 38mm carbon are atop thicker 42mm tubes, allowing for greater strength and ease of adjustment. The new FLM Atlas Series is a systematic series of tripods incorporating large tubes and an adjustable apex that accepts standard-size 100mm accessories using the CC-100 adapter. To use 75mm accessories, the FLM CC-75 adapter is needed. The 42mm tubes provide excellent support, while the apex has a safety catch and a quick lock system. The strongest and toughest tripod FLM has yet produced.

Shown below I have my battle-worn Arca Swiss Cube mounted to it. Continues...

FLM Atlas 42-L2 carbon fiber tripod
(Arca Swiss Cube tripod head)

Build quality

Build quality is top-notch in every way I could see, and the design is very well considered. The quality is professional grade, and every bit as good as competing brands.

Comparative size and weight

I don’t envision carrying the Atlas 42-L2 on long hikes; I see it as  “van tripod” for quick setup and short excursions.The quick setup (single leg section) is definitely appealing, but also the easily swapped tripod heads.

Over the shoulder, I find the Atlas 42-L2 quite comfortable, and it also carries well in the hand. I know that many if not most readers do not carry a tripod over the shoulder, but that is actually a very common usage pattern for me in the field. The large tubes and longer length actually make it quite nice to carry, at least in my limited use so far.

Shown below is my Really Right Stuff TFC-24L with the Acratech long lens head compared to the FLM 42-L2. Obvious the Atlas is not going to be for airline trips or backpacking! But as something you can grab out of the car and set up very quickly, you’ve got only two knobs to deal with and heads can be swapped in seconds too.

There is one minor 'catch': fully extending the legs on the Atlas stands the tripod head over my head, which means not fully extending the leg and thus gauging the extension of each leg to make them consistent. While my 4-section RRS tripod is a little short with 3 or its 4 legs extended, each leg can be pulled to its hard stop position by feel. It would be nice if the Atlas has some kind of scale or markings for getting to a predetermined height.

Tripod feet are wide-diameter rubber as shown, but steel spiked feet are included. For my work in the mountains, rubber is almost always the better choice.

FLM Atlas 42-L2 carbon fiber tripod vs Really Right Stuff TFC-24L

While it is convenienent to have a tripod extend to a just-right height for one’s own stature, that’s more of a custom-made thing or you get lucky. Plus, I prefer a tripod with some extra height for field use, such as one leg downslope. The FLM Atlas 42-L2 has enough extra height for that purpose in most situations.

Below, I am about 5' 10" tall (hair is approx 0.125" tall, but I am not counting that). With head, the total working height as shown is about 5' 9" at camera base (tripod base itself stands at 5' 5" = 166cm).

Lloyd with fully-extended FLM Atlas 42-L2 tripod

Quick-swap tripod heads

The tripod head attaches to a plate which inserts into the bowl. Swapping heads can be done in seconds by rotating the tightening knob up to release tension, then unlatching the plate with the latch at left. The head and plate then lift up and out, another head+plate can be dropped-in, the lever tightened by pushing it own and you are good to go. Very fast and simple to do.

Shown below, the head+plate has been released out of the bowl (see the gap just above the level). Pushing the hea down into the bowl and rotating the lever locks it into place. The plate also has built-in non-marring friction screws for heads with bases that are wide enough; these help further secure the head.

FLM Atlas 42-L2, plate+head unlatched
FLM Atlas 42-L, bowl without head/plate

Operation

Setup is very fast and easy. With only 3 total locking knobs, it’s a matter of extending the 3 legs.

The only minor point there is getting the extension the same on each leg. Some kind of marking on the legs could help that... perhaps a marking pen could do that. Every tripod has this issue in some form, unless you are lucky enough to have one that is exactly the right height for your personal stature.

A habit-related issue: the leg locking knobs travel with the tripod leg; when closing the tripod, be careful to not pinch the hand holding the tripod farther up. But the feedback loop means you won’t do so more than a few times before holding things a bit differently!

Field use

So far my use is around the house; my health issue have prevented me from traveling for some months, but I hope to put the FLM Atlas 42-L2 to use on a trip this fall.

I don’t expect any issues, but that’s what field use tells you over years. For example, could large tubes be damaged more easily by banging on rock? I don’t know.

Roy P writes:

I have been using different FLM products now (tripods, leveling bases and clamps) since 2019, which I bought my first FLM tripod, the CP38-L4 II. It’s absolutely one of the best tripods I’ve ever used. Having used an RRS for a decade previously, I’d say FLM is at least as good as RRS, potentially even better. It comes down to form factor and individual preferences. I’ve been asking for a Gitzo-like open apex “Systematic” tripod, which FLM now has in the Atlas series. I have been really impressed by FLM’s willingness to consider user feedback and inputs.

The leg length / height headache doesn’t exist with the 42-S2, since on this short version, simply extending the leg to its max brings it up to eye level for me, and I don’t need to think about it at all.  That’s the beauty of it – while other photographers are still putzing with the height, I’m up and looking for my subject in my camera viewfinder in 15 seconds.  This is extremely valuable for stop and go shooting that happens a lot in wildlife.

But this tripod is obviously too big for travel, and it’s also too heavy for long hikes.  It’s really a tripod for road trips where you can drive somewhere, walk short distances (< 1 mile), take photos, get back into your car and continue to drive to the next photo spot.

In your case, you got the long version, so you will have to adjust the height.  As for a marker, this does the job. AFAIK, Novoflex is the only tripod maker that etches markers like this on their tripods

Tripod leg marked with marker
Sharpie Paint marker

DIGLLOYD: Roy showed me several models of FLM tripods, all impressively well designed.

Daryl O writes:

I've been playing around with FLM for many years. All equipment is good. The crown jewel is their ballheads. A rather complex mechanism, it has the best method of drag setting. Place camera on head, turn both knobs to full loosen, tighten the large knob until drag is perfect, set the inner (small knob) until it stops. Now, the drag is perfect, use the large knob and a slight adjustment loosens/tightens, the drag will not change. I can not find another head that will do that as well. For large work the 58, 48. Smaller for hiking use the 38 or 32.....the numbers are from memory so maybe not exact.

I see you're using the arca head with those stupid small knobs for 360 degree rotation at the base. FLM has a rotating base that I use with my D4 arca it has a bigger knob and I don't have to play with the arca knobs that as you know can get wonky when the head is positioned in certain ways. I am thinking that every manufacturer has a rotating base (3/8) bottom and top thread so perhaps there's better than FLM but that's what I use.

Lastly, they have a two section arca plate that forms an L bracket, I don't use it much but the idea is it provides a universal L bracket that is small. A very innovative company, flys under the radar and I can pick this stuff up cheap from flm (demo items) or ebay. B&H also.

Like all German companies repairs are forever, however their repair policy is very liberal.

DIGLLOYD: ballheads in general are difficult to compose with; making a small change to frame or level is invariably a make-work headache. However, if there is a means to position things such as on the Acratech long lens head or the Arca Swiss Cube, maybe that would change the equation.

Ari of FLM writes:

Two items of interest that I got from your review: my customers use a silver, fluorescent or white Sharpie to mark off the tripod leg lengths. Some don't want that, so we leave it up to the customer, but that's a quick, easy and accurate DIY solution to the leg length issue.

Second, from the comment by Daryl O: we make ball heads that can be less fiddly to level than other ball heads thanks to a feature we have called tilt lock. By turning the tilt lock knob, a rubber O-ring presses against the ball, thus locking up the horizontal movement. The ball can only move vertically, i.e., front to back. If you push the ball hard enough from the side, it will come off axis-but if you use it as intended, it can save you a lot of trouble when you need quick and accurate leveling. Here's a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BbY15x55TQ

DIGLLOYD: looks good!

Roy P writes about accessories for tripod like the Atlas:

This Leofoto 75mm Half Ball Adapter is a steal for $20:

I got one, and it works fine. You can add it to the Komodo K5 fluid head, so for $130, you have a pretty light head that can work as a ball head, gimbal for long lenses, or fluid head for video. All you need is an ARCA-compatible clamp to screw onto the plate that comes with the Komodo K5 fluid head. You just need this $10 kit @AMAZON.

To make the Leveling Base work, you will need a half bowl, and instead of a 100 mm half bowl, I use a 75 mm half bowl with a built in adapter for 100 mm apex rings, the Leofoto 75mm Top Bowl Adapter for LN-404C Tripod.

This half bowl is also for other purposes.

For the clamp, I highly recommend the Sunwayfoto DDH-07N clamp, which lets you change the orientation of the clamp, https://www.ebay.com/itm/372906498326.

This clamp has suddenly become scarce – I bought the last one that Adorama had (on eBay). But there is a DDH-07 version of this clamp that costs $10 more. It includes an Arca dovetail that is unnecessary for this purpose, and it can be removed: https://www.adorama.com/sunddh07.html

This is also good, and doesn’t come with the dovetail plate: https://www.ebay.com/itm/334314452392

The more expensive alternative would be the older Really Right Stuff PCL-1 B, which you can buy used for about $165 including taxes and shipping.

The advantage of this over the current RRS panning clamp is, it does not have the integrated Arca dovetail which makes the clamp needlessly thicker and heavier, and of course, it also costs $265.

The other nice thing about the $20 Leofoto leveling base is, you could just screw in a clamp right over it and use it without any ball head at all. If you know you’re going to be shooting with your camera upright only and not planning to angle it vertically, this works beautifully, and you can cut out the weight of a ball head altogether.

Even so, this setup still gives you a little leeway with the angle of the camera, to the extent the LB allows (typically, 15° of movement), and in a crunch, you could also fudge a little by shortening one or two legs of the tripod to buy a little more angle.

Not bad for a $20 piece of gear!

DIGLLOYD: might save some readers time and money.


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