3 Legged Thing Jason Tripod & AirHed Cine CC Fluid Head Review: More Height, Less Weight, Nearly 3X the Payload

3 Legged Thing is a manufacturer of tripods and related gear located in Stagsden, Bedfordshire, England. From the start, 3 Legged Thing went its own way, adding color, anodized components, and modular design to its products. We have reviewed many of their products in the past and always found them to be excellent. In this review, we look at the 3 Legged Thing Jason Tripod with the optional AirHed Cine CC Fluid Head.

What is It?

Jason is a compact, lightweight modular carbon fiber tripod available with or without a choice of cine heads. Designed for wildlife and landscape photographers and videographers, this tripod offers exceptional flexibility and portability, making it ideal for travel and for shooting in a wide range of environments.

For this review, we paired the Jason Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod Legs with the AirHed Cine CC, whose Arca-Swiss-compatible clamp and plate provide versatile support for a wide range of cameras, accessories, and video equipment. 3 Legged Thing provided two sets of legs for this review: the Jason 3 and Jason 4.

What’s in the box:

• 3 Legged Thing Jason 3 Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod Legs (Darkness)
• 3 Legged Thing Jason 4 Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod Legs (Darkness)
• Airhed Cine CC Fluid Head
• Retractable panning arm for right or left-handed operation
• Premium, protective carry bag with a carabiner clip, and storage pocket with an extendable carry strap
• Toolz – Multi-Tool, hex key, coin key, keyring, carabiner and bottle opener
• Limited 5-Year Manufacturer Warranty

Personality

As mentioned before, I have reviewed products from 3 Legged Thing in the past. Most notably, the Legends Jay Carbon Fiber Tripod with the AirHed Cine Kit Fluid Head, which is in many ways the precursor to the Jason and AirHed Cine CC. It is hard not to compare the new items with the previous versions.

One thing that has not changed is the company’s inherently funky personality. The tripod and legs come in different finishes: the Jason legs are available in Darkness (black), Olive Drab Green, or Lava (anodized orange), and the AirHed Cine CC is available in Darkness and Lava.

Although not as instantly recognizable in the Darkness version, the same details that set 3 Legged Thing tripods apart from others are present. These include Trigger-Pull leg-angle adjustability, three independently adjustable leg angles, and the ability to shoot at ultra-low levels.

Build Quality and Features

Both the tripod and head are very well made. The construction feels solid and durable, and the controls and moving components inspire confidence while remaining quick and easy to adjust.

Beginning at the top of the setup, the Arca-Swiss compatible fluid head features a quick-release plate with camera mounting screw(s). The plate is secured using a clamp knob on one side, while the other side includes reference markings for repeatable plate positioning. A built-in bubble level sits alongside these markings, and a 1/4”-20 threaded accessory mount is conveniently positioned on the side of the head.

The casing below features pan arm attachment points on the right and left sides, and the tilt lock is centered on the casing, with the pan lock directly below it on the head’s base. The Jason comes with an arm that extends and retracts from 6.3” to 9.4” (16-24 cm). The arm is straight, unlike the Jay, which has a single angular bend. The head’s base also includes a second bubble level.

The Jason is topped with a mounting plate for a pan and tilt head integrated into the top of the tripod. It features another bubble level as well as two accessory mounting points, a 3/8”-16 with a ¼”-20 adapter and QD (Quick Disconnect) socket. The underside of the top of the tripod features a hook for attaching a ballast bag or similar weight.

The Trigger-Pull leg angle adjusters replace the previous models’ rapid latches. Where the rapid latches protruded out from the leg sections and were operated by pushing down on the latch, the Trigger-Pull adjusters function by pushing the back of the adjuster. In their default position, the new adjusters sit nearly flush with the leg sections.

Each leg junction offers three angles: 23, 55, and 80 degrees, enabling a wide range of shooting setups, from ultra-low-level shooting with minimum heights of 6” for the Jason 3 legs and just 4.33” for the Jason 4 to fully extended 60.6” for the Jason 3 and 55” for the Jason 4. Because each leg adjusts independently, the possibilities are limitless.

Adjusting the legs is quick and easy using the Trigger-Pulls. To select a leg angle, users press the back of the Trigger-Pull and move the leg into the desired position, and release the latch. The included multitool lets users adjust the tension of the tripod’s leg pivot joints to their preferred level of resistance.

The legs themselves are made of carbon fiber with a more pronounced carbon fiber pattern than previous models and are screwed into the hinges. You can unscrew the leg sections and replace them with sets of different lengths or numbers of sections, such as the Jason 3 and 4, or reconfigure them for use as a monopod. Both Jason 3 and 4 legs feel like they add essentially no weight to your camera rig when used as monopods.

Each telescoping leg segment is joined to the next with a friction lock with a raised pad and diagonal rubber texture for better grip. The locks need only be turned a half turn to loosen enough to extend and retract the legs.

The tripod also comes with a very nice carrying case. Made of a pleasant-to-the-touch yet durable blue material, the bag has zippered closures for the main compartment and the outer accessories pocket, which includes a zippered mesh pocket for tools and small items. It also has a second mesh pocket inside, plus Velcro straps to hold the tripod in place.

Modular Design

The design is modular and allows for a huge number of variations in terms of setup and usage. As a standard tripod, it can extend to 5’ and can sit on the ground at under 5”. While that range is very impressive, it is just the start of what the Jason system can do.

You can easily unscrew the carbon fiber legs and replace them with a variety of available feet. 3 Legged Thing offers a whole line of these feet, including Little Bootz (rubber feet), Big Bootz (big rubber feet), Heelz (stainless steel spikes), Clawz (stainless steel grips), Stilettoz (long stainless-steel spikes), and Vanz (stainless steel spikes with removable ABS rubber balls). The company also offers Docz, a rugged foot stabilizer for monopods.

The 3 Legged Thing Jason Tripod’s detachable legs can also be used as monopods or boom arms. Jason’s base can be converted to a tabletop tripod, or even to a foot stabilizer for the monopod, by adding optional footwear such as those previously listed. One notable difference between the Jason legs and those of the previous model is that the foot threads are now 1/4”-20 instead of 3/8”-16. All optional feet offered by the company ship with 1/4”-20 to 3/8”-16 adapters.

Portability

Although the combination of the 3 Legged Thing Jason Tripod with the optional AirHed Cine CC Fluid Head is not as compact as the previous model’s folded length, it is still significantly more compact than other tripods in this category and especially those with similar payloads.

What is truly impressive is that the new tripod is about the same weight or lighter at 2.65 lb. (1.2 kg) for the Jason 4, 3.26lb. for the Jason 3 vs 3.11 lb. (1.48 kg) for the Jay, and yet can accommodate significantly heavier rigs at 88 lb. (40 kg) for Jason 3 and 4 vs 30 lb. (14 kg) for the Jay.

The new tripod can also extend higher at 55” (140.5 cm) for the Jason 4, 60.6” (154 cm) for the Jason 3 vs 47.24” (120 cm) for the Jay. Equally impressive is the Jason can reach those heights while also having a lower minimum height of 4.33” (11 cm) for the Jason 4 and 6” (15.6 cm) for the Jason 3 vs 7.72” (19.6 cm) for the Jay.

The 3 Legged Thing Jason Tripod is an impressive step forward. Compared to previous models, it extends higher and shoots lower; it is also lighter yet can carry nearly three times the payload. Those qualities, when paired with the design’s thoughtful details and inherent flexibility, make for a very useful bit of gear.

Specifications

AirHed Cine CC

The 3 Legged Thing Jason Tripod is available independently or paired with your choice of fluid head, in both Arca-Swiss and 501-style versions. Whether you’re shooting with a video camera, DSLR, or mirrorless camera, the fluid head delivers smooth, controlled movement in every direction. This head has increased default tension in response to customer input.

The craftsmanship and attention to detail are immediately apparent, right down to the tightening bolt, which features the “Stagsden” town name engraved on its head. Mounting a camera is as straightforward as with any standard Arca-Swiss plate, and the head itself feels instantly familiar, intuitive, and comfortable to operate.

Specifications

I found 3 Legged Thing’s previous tripod and head excellent in my past reviews and gave them 5/5 stars. The Jason and Airhed Cine CC improve on the previous models where it counts. With the Jason 3 and 4, you can choose leg segments and lengths, but regardless of your choice, the tripod is lighter, can shoot higher and lower, and carries nearly three times the payload of the previous iterations.

The fluid head can accommodate rigs with a combined weight of up to 22 lb. (10 kg) and now features a retractable handle.

If you are looking for a lightweight travel tripod with unmatched flexibility and brilliant design that can accommodate payloads of up to 88lb., the Jason awaits.

The 3 Legged Thing Jason 3 and Jason 4 Tripods are available for backing on Kickstarter.

The 3 Legged Thing AirHed Cine CC Fluid Head sells for $249.99 and is available directly from the manufacturer and other retailers, including B&H Photo and Amazon.

Source: Manufacturer-supplied review sample

What I Like: Unique modular design; Small and lightweight; Impressive flexibility; Can accommodate heavy equipment; Excellent build quality

What Needs Improvement: Nothing