Behind the product: New ProMaster XC-M tripods

The PRO Convention in Lincolnshire, IL, is one of the highlights of the spring conference season, as hundreds of dealers from around North America gather to learn, to network and to buy. One of the maxims of PRO is “What happens at PRO stays at PRO,” which enhances the value of the conference for members and affiliates.

In recent years, however, the buying group has not been shy about sharing news about the innovations and improvements to its ProMaster brand accessories. In 2019, PRO debuted the new Xtreme Compact Modular (XC-M) travel tripod, a reinvention of the popular XC tripod. The Dead Pixels Society spoke with Mike C. Northrup, director of sales at PRO, to about what makes the new tripod so special.

“Our best-selling tripod for about seven years was the X-series collection,” he says. “It was time for a refresh and to make in-line changes, but we didn’t want to do just another iteration of the travel tripod. There are many companies out there that make great travel tripods; we wanted to make a better one that right out of the box could be a solution for the on-the-go photographer.”

Northrop says the new tripods preserve some of the X-series’ most-favored features, like leglock controls and angle adaptors, and then improved on them.

“The head got a complete redesign,” he said. “Both the XC-M 522 and 525s come with a dual-action ballhead with independent control for your panhead and your ball. We’ve added a memory lock; the beautiful thing is if you have a heavy camera and lens combination and you want to make sure you get a certain amount of drag every time you lock and unlock that head, you can dial in the stopping point for your drag. You get repeatable results.”

Northrup added the XC-M has improved its quick-release plates, adding industry standard safety bolts and improved the anti-twist material covering the plate. This keeps the camera from moving around on top of the head.

The XC-M is a modular system, offering extension leg sets and the ability to convert each leg of the tripod into a monopod. Other accessories include a ground-level adaptor for macro photographers, all-terrain feet and a ProMaster MD (Mini Dovetail) clamp.

“Every ProMaster XC-M comes installed with a miniature plate on the yoke, where an MD clamp lets you attach a flex arm, an LED light, a tablet or a smartphone if you’re doing streaming or behind-the-camera work as you’re shooting, or even small field monitor or microphone. It’s a much quicker way to change those accessories in and out.”

He added the packaging and “out of box” experience got special attention.

“The goal all along was to offer a beautiful tripod right out of the box,” says Northrup. “For photographers who need or want to take it a step further, that’s where the modularity comes in. Every single one of the accessory will be available through ProMaster authorized dealers in beautiful retail packaging. It’s part of how we’re educating the consumer base, when they open an XC-M there will be a note directing them to our new microsite, XC-M.promaster.com, where they’ll be able to extend their one-year warranty to a three-year warranty. A lot of tripod manufacturers offer a three-year warranty, but what has separated ProMaster from other manufacturers is the warranty is unconditional.”

That new microsite is the gateway to education for education about the XC-M system and the variety of accessories. “When the consumer goes to the site, they can learn about all of the different accessories like the ground-level adaptor or the tilt-column for tabletop work,” he said. The new line is available now to PRO dealers and affiliates.