Manfrotto is an Italian brand of

camera A camera is an instrument used to capture and store images and videos, either digitally via an electronic image sensor, or chemically via a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. As a pivotal technology in the fields of photograp ...

and

lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight. ...

supports, including tripods,

monopod A monopod, also called a unipod, is a single staff or pole used to help support cameras, binoculars, rifles or other precision instruments in the field. Camera and imaging use The monopod allows a still camera to be held steadier, allowing ...

s, and other accessories, that is manufactured by Lino Manfrotto and Giovanni Chenet, a company headquartered in Cassola, Italy. The brand is wholly-owned by Videndum plc.

History

Lino Manfrotto, an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

photojournalist Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (suc ...

, began designing and selling light stands, booms, and telescopic rods under the name "Manfrotto" in the late 1960s. In 1972, Lino Manfrotto met Gilberto Battocchio, a technician working for a Bassano mechanical firm. With the collaboration, the company introduced its first tripod in 1974. By 1986 Manfrotto already had six manufacturing plants in Bassano, and in the following two years they would build five more plants in Villapaiera, the industrial zone of Feltre. Vinten Group purchased Manfrotto in 1989, followed by the French company

Gitzo Gitzo S.A. is a manufacturer of photographic accessories, including bags, but specialising in tripods and supports. History Gitzo was founded in France by Arsène Gitzhoven in 1917, initially producing wooden and metal cassette filmbacks, and lat ...

in 1992 and the American company Bogen Photo Corp. in 1993. Vinten Group chose to maintain the brands as separate lines in its portfolio. Manfrotto products are distributed in Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States by Manfrotto Distribution. In Canada, Manfrotto products are distributed by Gentec International. In 2010, Manfrotto established the Manfrotto School of Xcellence, an educational resource to support and help everyone to get closer to photography and videography. Over the years the company transformed from a simple tripod manufacturer into a manufacturer of LED lights, bags and accessories for specialists (also the National Geographic bag under license), table tripods for smartphones, even backpacks for drones that use them as landing fields. In 2017 (year of Lino Manfrotto's death) the group has, in addition to the headquarters in Cassola, factories in Feltre and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in Great Britain, 9 commercial branches, 735 employees, a turnover of 201 million euros. 95% made with exports, 30% of the tripods sold worldwide bear the Manfrotto brand. Lino Manfrotto died on February 5, 2017, at the age of 80.

Advertising campaigns

In 2010, Manfrotto changed its brand slogan from "Manfrotto Proven Professional" to "Manfrotto Imagine More". In May 2011, Manfrotto launched an online competition asking people to share short posts about imagination on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

and

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for the Manfrotto Imagine More Manifesto, as well as to submit pictures representing imagination on the Manfrotto Imagine More website. A

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

was then created based around the winning posts and pictures, debuting at the

68th Venice International Film Festival The 68th annual Venice Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival was held from 31 August and 10 September 2011, at Venice Lido in Italy. American filmmaker Darren Aronofsky was the jury president for the main competition. Italian actre ...

. In July 2012, Manfrotto launched the Manfrotto Imagine More blog, a web resource with tips on how to get the best out of pictures and how to share them with other people more effectively.

References

External links

* {{official website, https://www.manfrotto.com
Manfrotto School of Xcellence Website (COM)

Manfrotto Imagine More Website (COM)

Manfrotto Official Facebook Page
Photography equipment manufacturers of Italy Companies based in Veneto Italian brands