Reviews
Awesome for the money
I don't know what I expected with this really, but having now used it for a while I thought I'd write a review.
First off, it is a reasonable height, folds to a very compact size, is lightweight and fairly sturdy with my Panasonic G9 and even the long 100-300 zoom lens fully extended. It does feel a little rough around the edges in some parts if you compare it to a £300 product, but how can you complain at this price. The Ball-head is good, not brilliant but it does the job. It's fully arca-swiss compatible and takes my Peak Design capture plates perfectly. And of course you can replace the head if you like.
It comes in a neat bag with the head covered by a velvet bag. One minus point - there is no pocket in the bag to hold the allen key, tripod mount, double connector and small extension tube which are supplied. That means they can be easily lost. I keep them in the velvet bag and leave parts at home unless I think I'll be using them. The monopod option is great and works well but you will need some of the parts in the bag so again - a pocket would have made it perfect. Then again, you can buy tripod bags separately
This tripod has so many features and functions, and whilst it is a little clumsy and fiddly in how it does them - it does do them! Again, at the price you can't complain. You can invert the central column for working close to the ground, or swing it perpendicular to the ground for top down product shots. The legs are individually adjustable so even on uneven ground you can get it level. When you clamp the camera into a certain position there is a little movement so you do have to be careful and adjust a couple of times to get the perfect framing - this is a sign of the cheaper product but again it is minor.
I also wanted a travel tripod but to be honest I'm struggling to find one which packs more compactly than this (39cm) or is significantly lighter (1.6Kg - 1638 grams to be precise) even when looking at carbon fibre
Overall, I'd happily stand this up against products twice the price, or even more. A slightly better bag and slightly better ballhead would make this the product of the year for sure.
First off, it is a reasonable height, folds to a very compact size, is lightweight and fairly sturdy with my Panasonic G9 and even the long 100-300 zoom lens fully extended. It does feel a little rough around the edges in some parts if you compare it to a £300 product, but how can you complain at this price. The Ball-head is good, not brilliant but it does the job. It's fully arca-swiss compatible and takes my Peak Design capture plates perfectly. And of course you can replace the head if you like.
It comes in a neat bag with the head covered by a velvet bag. One minus point - there is no pocket in the bag to hold the allen key, tripod mount, double connector and small extension tube which are supplied. That means they can be easily lost. I keep them in the velvet bag and leave parts at home unless I think I'll be using them. The monopod option is great and works well but you will need some of the parts in the bag so again - a pocket would have made it perfect. Then again, you can buy tripod bags separately
This tripod has so many features and functions, and whilst it is a little clumsy and fiddly in how it does them - it does do them! Again, at the price you can't complain. You can invert the central column for working close to the ground, or swing it perpendicular to the ground for top down product shots. The legs are individually adjustable so even on uneven ground you can get it level. When you clamp the camera into a certain position there is a little movement so you do have to be careful and adjust a couple of times to get the perfect framing - this is a sign of the cheaper product but again it is minor.
I also wanted a travel tripod but to be honest I'm struggling to find one which packs more compactly than this (39cm) or is significantly lighter (1.6Kg - 1638 grams to be precise) even when looking at carbon fibre
Overall, I'd happily stand this up against products twice the price, or even more. A slightly better bag and slightly better ballhead would make this the product of the year for sure.
2022/04/15