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Technical Details
- Collapsed Height: 32.75"
- Minimun Operating Height: 0"
- Maximum Operating Height: 69.75"
- Tripod Weight: 8lbs
- Supports Up To 16 LBS
Product Details
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Product Description
The Ravelli APGL4 is a Professional Pistol Grip Tripod providing a solid base for high-end
photographic equipment. This model is all pressure treated aluminum alloy construction and is unrivalled in stability. The pistol grip adjustable head provides smooth fluid adjustment to any angle. The center column is height adjustable and the legs can be inverted for low angle shots. Dual foam grips, quick release leg locks, a quick release camera plate and rubber feet/metal spikes complete a very nice tripod.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
259 of 261 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I've got to say everything the other reviewers have said is true. This thing is awesome, especially for the money. I've broken this down into PRO's and CON's because there are a few nit picky negatives, but I say GET IT!
PROS
1. Pistol Ball grip - This thing is awesome. Easy to adjust and rock solid in any position. I'm doing a lot of portrait work and constantly changing from landscape to portrait. Position changes are instantanious.Grip is easy to work.
2. All Aluminum construction - That pretty much says it. Everything is either cast or extruded aluminum. And not the cheap stuff either.
3. Adjustable positions - The main legs can be independantly set to any of three angles allowing for almost any configuration you could think of. The center shaft can easily be inverted for low shots.
4. Carrying bag.- Unlike what another reviewer had said, you CAN put the tripod in the bag without removing the head as long as you tilt the head to around 30 degrees. It's a tight fit but it does go. The bag is high quality with a side zippered pocket to hole the extra camera mounting plate and supplied allen wrenches.
5. Oversized camera mounting plates - These mounting plates are great. I specifically bought this tripod because I use a Canon Battery Grip and the bottom is a little flexible or "soft" feeling. With the oversized plates, the weight is distributed evenly and there's no rock to the camera at all. Also, with the extra big rubber cushion undernieth, you just have to barely snug up the attachment screw on the mounting plate and the camera is on there. No rocking or rotating. This is a VERY important feature for me since I am always mounting and dismounting the camera and this will prevent damage to the mounting threads on the bottom of the camera.
6. Solid as a rock - This thing is well, like a rock!
CONS
1. It would be nice if there were an instruction manual to give you some idea of the features and how to use them. Also it would be nice if the manufacturer told you how to adjust the tension for the snap locks on the legs, because the tension IS adjustable.... they just don't tell you about it. You will figure it out, but for all they did with a great product, to not include a 2 cent piece of paper is just plain DUMB.
2. More bubble levels would be nice. There are 3 of them to help you in flat or landscape shooting, but no levels for when you tilt the head 90 degrees. I'll have to get a stick on level for that, but geez, 3 for one orientation and nothing for the other. Who was the rocket scientist there?
3. A free mini-tripod is trown into the package but it's so small it can barely hold itself up. I'd never use it for anything. My wife did say it was cute!
4. LOOSE SCREWS - IMPORTANT, I found 3 really loose screws on the tripod. I would highly recommend you tighten everything AS SOON as you receive it. If any of those fall out, it could mean trouble. Also, since some are some very small metric screws, good luck finding more. You can, but a pain.
Overall, the PROS vastly outweight the CONS and I have to say this ranks right up there with top values for the money EVER.
I'd give it 6 stars out of 5 if I could!
PROS
1. Pistol Ball grip - This thing is awesome. Easy to adjust and rock solid in any position. I'm doing a lot of portrait work and constantly changing from landscape to portrait. Position changes are instantanious.Grip is easy to work.
2. All Aluminum construction - That pretty much says it. Everything is either cast or extruded aluminum. And not the cheap stuff either.
3. Adjustable positions - The main legs can be independantly set to any of three angles allowing for almost any configuration you could think of. The center shaft can easily be inverted for low shots.
4. Carrying bag.- Unlike what another reviewer had said, you CAN put the tripod in the bag without removing the head as long as you tilt the head to around 30 degrees. It's a tight fit but it does go. The bag is high quality with a side zippered pocket to hole the extra camera mounting plate and supplied allen wrenches.
5. Oversized camera mounting plates - These mounting plates are great. I specifically bought this tripod because I use a Canon Battery Grip and the bottom is a little flexible or "soft" feeling. With the oversized plates, the weight is distributed evenly and there's no rock to the camera at all. Also, with the extra big rubber cushion undernieth, you just have to barely snug up the attachment screw on the mounting plate and the camera is on there. No rocking or rotating. This is a VERY important feature for me since I am always mounting and dismounting the camera and this will prevent damage to the mounting threads on the bottom of the camera.
6. Solid as a rock - This thing is well, like a rock!
CONS
1. It would be nice if there were an instruction manual to give you some idea of the features and how to use them. Also it would be nice if the manufacturer told you how to adjust the tension for the snap locks on the legs, because the tension IS adjustable.... they just don't tell you about it. You will figure it out, but for all they did with a great product, to not include a 2 cent piece of paper is just plain DUMB.
2. More bubble levels would be nice. There are 3 of them to help you in flat or landscape shooting, but no levels for when you tilt the head 90 degrees. I'll have to get a stick on level for that, but geez, 3 for one orientation and nothing for the other. Who was the rocket scientist there?
3. A free mini-tripod is trown into the package but it's so small it can barely hold itself up. I'd never use it for anything. My wife did say it was cute!
4. LOOSE SCREWS - IMPORTANT, I found 3 really loose screws on the tripod. I would highly recommend you tighten everything AS SOON as you receive it. If any of those fall out, it could mean trouble. Also, since some are some very small metric screws, good luck finding more. You can, but a pain.
Overall, the PROS vastly outweight the CONS and I have to say this ranks right up there with top values for the money EVER.
I'd give it 6 stars out of 5 if I could!
138 of 139 people found the following review helpful
By R. Ballard
Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm 6' 3" tall, and needed a tall, stable tripod. After reading positive reviews on Amazon, I decided to take a chance on the Ravelli APGL4.
PROS:
1) very sturdy and stable
2) capable of extending tall enough for an NBA player to use
3) well-designed panhead is quick to adjust, and holds position securely
4) all metal construction
5) adjustable tension leg locks hold legs securely
6) two instant-release mounting plates
7) very versatile
8) reversible column
9) 3 bubble levels on panhead
10) includes Allen wrenches for adjustment
11) low cost
CONS:
1) not ready to use right out of the box - loose screws & other minor
assembly glitches easily fixed with a screwdriver & Allen wrenches
2) screws are made of a softer metal than they should be.
3) a few screw heads were deformed by assembly at the factory
4) funky smell from manufacturing
5) somewhat heavy
6) graphite lubricant on the ball of the panhead can come off on your hands
7) included bag is flimsy
8) included free mini-tripod too flimsy for DSLR. (but it's a freebie, so..)
SUMMARY:
I bought the Ravelli APGL4 at Amazon for around $75. ($85 with
shipping) According to the website, it has a list price of $399.95. I
seriously doubt that. But I can say that it's a downright smokin' deal
for $85.
Other reviewers recommended going over the tripod before using it and
tightening screws, and making adjustments. In my opinion, this is a
necessity. On mine, some screws were loose, and leg-lock tension was
very uneven. Luckily, this is an easy fix, as the tension of each
leg-lock is easily adjustable via an Allen screw. One of the leg-locks
operated kind of wonky... The lever wanted to twist to the side when
closing. I quickly discovered it was due to a loose screw at the
leg-lock's pivot. A quick twist of the screwdriver was all that was
needed to restore it to working properly.
There was another odd glitch in assembly. One of the balls that the
rubber feet attach to was screwed on upside down. Because of this,
the rubber foot wouldn't fully extend to the lowest position. Using a
crescent wrench, I popped off the rubber foot & unscrewed the mounting
bolt & reversed the ball. Another easy fix.
When adjusting & tightening the screws, you might be better off using
quality Allen wrenches rather than the ones supplied. The included
wrenches work, but the steel is probably softer than a quality tool
from a hardware store. Don't over-tighten the screws or strip out the
screw heads, either. They're made of a softer steel than they should
be, so it's easy to do. That said, once they're tightened up properly,
I'm sure they'll hold securely.
Once everything was tightened and tweaked, I mounted both included
quick-release mounting plates to my two camera bodies, and set up the
tripod, which is very quick to do.
First, I set it up with the legs fully extended and put some body
weight on it. It was unyielding. So I pressed down harder. Still no
give. I wound up putting A LOT of weight on the tripod to check it's
load handling capacity & the strength of the leg-locks, and there was
only a very slight amount of bowing on the lowest leg sections, and the
leg locks held their grip. I was probably putting about 50 lbs. of
downward pressure on it at that point, so a little leg-bowing at
the bottom was expected.
Mounting the camera to the head took about a second. It was a snap. I
like the mounting plates on this tripod much better than some of the
other quick-release systems. Instead of putting one edge into a
groove, lowering the other side of the camera, and locking it in with
a flip lever like most others, this one is more straightforward, in my
opinion. You slide the camera onto the head, like you would slide a
flash onto a hotshoe. It instantly locks into place. A quick turn of
the lock-knob on the side of the panhead securely mates the camera to
the socket, preventing an accidental dismount. When it comes time to
remove the camera, unlock the knob and press the lock button while
sliding the camera out. It's a piece of cake.
This is my first pistol-grip panhead, and I wasn't sure how I'd like
it. As it turns out, it's pretty awesome. It's made of a dense cast metal,
with steel lock lever, and 3 bubble levels. Construction quality of
the head seems good, and it has a good, solid feel and smooth
operation. Aiming the camera is a snap. Squeeze the lever, aim the
camera, and let go. Once you let go of the lever, the head is locked in
place very securely, exactly where you want it. There's also an adjustment
screw for the amount of tension on the ball. It's a well-thought out design,
and should suit my needs very well.
By the way, the panhead is identical to the Kruger Optical model 6530
head, which sells at Amazon, for roughly the same price at this entire
package.
The rest of the tripod (except maybe the screws) is made of
reasonably durable materials, too. The legs are very rigid,
and everything is metal, except for the rubber feet and the plastic
balls on which they pivot. I really like the adjustable-tension leg locks.
Instead of tossing the tripod when your leg locks loosen from wear,
a quick tweak of the screw is all that's needed to restore performance
to like new. The metal leg-lock levers seem pretty heavy duty, and
look like they will stand up to many years of use.
With the camera mounted, this thing is rock-solid. There's no flex
anywhere. Even when the column and legs are fully extended, it's quite
stable. I have no qualms about mounting my camera and a monster
telephoto lens to this thing. I don't think it's going anywhere.
Since the column is reversible, and each leg has a quick-adjust angle
lock at the top that allows you to move each leg out to crazy-low
angles at the press of a button, you should be able to aim your camera
to about any position imaginable. Plus, there's also a screw
protruding from a removable slug on the bottom of the column. This
could come in very handy for hanging a weight off of the column for
improved stability, (not that you'd need to...) hanging a light of
some sort, or whatever.
If you're planning on doing a lot of hiking with a tripod, this one
might not be for you. It's got some weight. But that only adds to it's
stability. For me, stability is the big factor in a tripod, and since
I'll usually take it to my destination in a car & carry it maybe a few
hundred feet to where I'm going to shoot, It's not an issue for me.
I've checked out some of the much pricier Manfrotto tripods in camera
shops, and they are a very well-built piece of kit. They're admittedly
assembled with more care, to tighter tolerances, and they're probably made
of better stuff. That said, tweaking and tightening things up on this
Ravelli tripod goes an awful long way to bridging the quality gap.
Sure, the Ravelli is a Manfrotto ripoff... But it's a fairly good one.
As far as doing the basic job of being a solid, stable camera platform,
I can't tell much difference between the Ravelli and the Manfrottos.
Only time will tell if the Ravelli will hold up to years of use, but from what
I've seen so far, I'm optimistic that it will.
For me, the 300 bucks or so that I saved was worth 20 minutes spent
with a screwdriver and an Allen wrench.
BOTTOM LINE: If you're willing to spend a little time tweaking it up,
and you don't mind packing a little extra weight, I'd recommend the Ravelli
APGL4 heartily. It's hard to imagine getting a more solid, flexible tripod for
anywhere close to it's price.
PROS:
1) very sturdy and stable
2) capable of extending tall enough for an NBA player to use
3) well-designed panhead is quick to adjust, and holds position securely
4) all metal construction
5) adjustable tension leg locks hold legs securely
6) two instant-release mounting plates
7) very versatile
8) reversible column
9) 3 bubble levels on panhead
10) includes Allen wrenches for adjustment
11) low cost
CONS:
1) not ready to use right out of the box - loose screws & other minor
assembly glitches easily fixed with a screwdriver & Allen wrenches
2) screws are made of a softer metal than they should be.
3) a few screw heads were deformed by assembly at the factory
4) funky smell from manufacturing
5) somewhat heavy
6) graphite lubricant on the ball of the panhead can come off on your hands
7) included bag is flimsy
8) included free mini-tripod too flimsy for DSLR. (but it's a freebie, so..)
SUMMARY:
I bought the Ravelli APGL4 at Amazon for around $75. ($85 with
shipping) According to the website, it has a list price of $399.95. I
seriously doubt that. But I can say that it's a downright smokin' deal
for $85.
Other reviewers recommended going over the tripod before using it and
tightening screws, and making adjustments. In my opinion, this is a
necessity. On mine, some screws were loose, and leg-lock tension was
very uneven. Luckily, this is an easy fix, as the tension of each
leg-lock is easily adjustable via an Allen screw. One of the leg-locks
operated kind of wonky... The lever wanted to twist to the side when
closing. I quickly discovered it was due to a loose screw at the
leg-lock's pivot. A quick twist of the screwdriver was all that was
needed to restore it to working properly.
There was another odd glitch in assembly. One of the balls that the
rubber feet attach to was screwed on upside down. Because of this,
the rubber foot wouldn't fully extend to the lowest position. Using a
crescent wrench, I popped off the rubber foot & unscrewed the mounting
bolt & reversed the ball. Another easy fix.
When adjusting & tightening the screws, you might be better off using
quality Allen wrenches rather than the ones supplied. The included
wrenches work, but the steel is probably softer than a quality tool
from a hardware store. Don't over-tighten the screws or strip out the
screw heads, either. They're made of a softer steel than they should
be, so it's easy to do. That said, once they're tightened up properly,
I'm sure they'll hold securely.
Once everything was tightened and tweaked, I mounted both included
quick-release mounting plates to my two camera bodies, and set up the
tripod, which is very quick to do.
First, I set it up with the legs fully extended and put some body
weight on it. It was unyielding. So I pressed down harder. Still no
give. I wound up putting A LOT of weight on the tripod to check it's
load handling capacity & the strength of the leg-locks, and there was
only a very slight amount of bowing on the lowest leg sections, and the
leg locks held their grip. I was probably putting about 50 lbs. of
downward pressure on it at that point, so a little leg-bowing at
the bottom was expected.
Mounting the camera to the head took about a second. It was a snap. I
like the mounting plates on this tripod much better than some of the
other quick-release systems. Instead of putting one edge into a
groove, lowering the other side of the camera, and locking it in with
a flip lever like most others, this one is more straightforward, in my
opinion. You slide the camera onto the head, like you would slide a
flash onto a hotshoe. It instantly locks into place. A quick turn of
the lock-knob on the side of the panhead securely mates the camera to
the socket, preventing an accidental dismount. When it comes time to
remove the camera, unlock the knob and press the lock button while
sliding the camera out. It's a piece of cake.
This is my first pistol-grip panhead, and I wasn't sure how I'd like
it. As it turns out, it's pretty awesome. It's made of a dense cast metal,
with steel lock lever, and 3 bubble levels. Construction quality of
the head seems good, and it has a good, solid feel and smooth
operation. Aiming the camera is a snap. Squeeze the lever, aim the
camera, and let go. Once you let go of the lever, the head is locked in
place very securely, exactly where you want it. There's also an adjustment
screw for the amount of tension on the ball. It's a well-thought out design,
and should suit my needs very well.
By the way, the panhead is identical to the Kruger Optical model 6530
head, which sells at Amazon, for roughly the same price at this entire
package.
The rest of the tripod (except maybe the screws) is made of
reasonably durable materials, too. The legs are very rigid,
and everything is metal, except for the rubber feet and the plastic
balls on which they pivot. I really like the adjustable-tension leg locks.
Instead of tossing the tripod when your leg locks loosen from wear,
a quick tweak of the screw is all that's needed to restore performance
to like new. The metal leg-lock levers seem pretty heavy duty, and
look like they will stand up to many years of use.
With the camera mounted, this thing is rock-solid. There's no flex
anywhere. Even when the column and legs are fully extended, it's quite
stable. I have no qualms about mounting my camera and a monster
telephoto lens to this thing. I don't think it's going anywhere.
Since the column is reversible, and each leg has a quick-adjust angle
lock at the top that allows you to move each leg out to crazy-low
angles at the press of a button, you should be able to aim your camera
to about any position imaginable. Plus, there's also a screw
protruding from a removable slug on the bottom of the column. This
could come in very handy for hanging a weight off of the column for
improved stability, (not that you'd need to...) hanging a light of
some sort, or whatever.
If you're planning on doing a lot of hiking with a tripod, this one
might not be for you. It's got some weight. But that only adds to it's
stability. For me, stability is the big factor in a tripod, and since
I'll usually take it to my destination in a car & carry it maybe a few
hundred feet to where I'm going to shoot, It's not an issue for me.
I've checked out some of the much pricier Manfrotto tripods in camera
shops, and they are a very well-built piece of kit. They're admittedly
assembled with more care, to tighter tolerances, and they're probably made
of better stuff. That said, tweaking and tightening things up on this
Ravelli tripod goes an awful long way to bridging the quality gap.
Sure, the Ravelli is a Manfrotto ripoff... But it's a fairly good one.
As far as doing the basic job of being a solid, stable camera platform,
I can't tell much difference between the Ravelli and the Manfrottos.
Only time will tell if the Ravelli will hold up to years of use, but from what
I've seen so far, I'm optimistic that it will.
For me, the 300 bucks or so that I saved was worth 20 minutes spent
with a screwdriver and an Allen wrench.
BOTTOM LINE: If you're willing to spend a little time tweaking it up,
and you don't mind packing a little extra weight, I'd recommend the Ravelli
APGL4 heartily. It's hard to imagine getting a more solid, flexible tripod for
anywhere close to it's price.
95 of 96 people found the following review helpful
By JR
Amazon Verified Purchase
I ordered this tripod and am truly impressed. This is a sturdy, well constructed tripod that performs beyond my expectations for this price. The pistol grips by themselves can cost more than this entire setup.
Pros:
1. Solid, the weight provides great stability and it feels like it can take a lot of abuse. Nothing about this screams 'cheap'.
2. Pistol grip head is easy to use and locks solidly in place. When the trigger is released it doesn't budge the smallest amount even supporting my camera and heaviest lens. I'm not sure I could ever go back to a pan head tripod again.
3. Extends to about 6 feet high. Collapses to about 2 feet when not in use.
4. Comes with an extra quick release plate, adjustment wrenches, carrying case and a free mini tripod.
Cons:
1. This is a heavy tripod, I didn't weigh it but must be close to 10 pounds easily. Not ideal for taking on long treks hiking to photo spots.
2. Could be considered bulkier than some of the more expensive tripods.
3. It was free so it's tough to add this as a con but the mini tripod is useless except for really light cameras.
4. Smells strongly of machine oil when first taken out of the packaging but the smell fades. As you can see I'm grasping at things to fault with this.
If all you want is solid support for your photos with an easy to use head for an amazing price then look no further than this one.
Edit: 12/13/2011
After about a year of using this tripod it's having issues. I'm not sure what the parts are called - but the light gray latches that control the angle of the legs no longer lock in the first, standard position. They slip and don't lock until the second, lower position. This makes the tripod impossible to use unless I want to take photos from the lower leg angle.
Edit: 10/3/2012
The seller contacted me and voluntarily sent a replacement unit to resolve the issue with the leg angle. I verified everything is working as expected so am restoring my rating from 2 to 5 stars. Based on the number of 5 star reviews I will write this off as an isolated defect, the original tripod had been used only lightly about 12-15 times before it started malfunctioning.
Pros:
1. Solid, the weight provides great stability and it feels like it can take a lot of abuse. Nothing about this screams 'cheap'.
2. Pistol grip head is easy to use and locks solidly in place. When the trigger is released it doesn't budge the smallest amount even supporting my camera and heaviest lens. I'm not sure I could ever go back to a pan head tripod again.
3. Extends to about 6 feet high. Collapses to about 2 feet when not in use.
4. Comes with an extra quick release plate, adjustment wrenches, carrying case and a free mini tripod.
Cons:
1. This is a heavy tripod, I didn't weigh it but must be close to 10 pounds easily. Not ideal for taking on long treks hiking to photo spots.
2. Could be considered bulkier than some of the more expensive tripods.
3. It was free so it's tough to add this as a con but the mini tripod is useless except for really light cameras.
4. Smells strongly of machine oil when first taken out of the packaging but the smell fades. As you can see I'm grasping at things to fault with this.
If all you want is solid support for your photos with an easy to use head for an amazing price then look no further than this one.
Edit: 12/13/2011
After about a year of using this tripod it's having issues. I'm not sure what the parts are called - but the light gray latches that control the angle of the legs no longer lock in the first, standard position. They slip and don't lock until the second, lower position. This makes the tripod impossible to use unless I want to take photos from the lower leg angle.
Edit: 10/3/2012
The seller contacted me and voluntarily sent a replacement unit to resolve the issue with the leg angle. I verified everything is working as expected so am restoring my rating from 2 to 5 stars. Based on the number of 5 star reviews I will write this off as an isolated defect, the original tripod had been used only lightly about 12-15 times before it started malfunctioning.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
great easy to use heavy duty tripod
great easy to use heavy duty tripod. the one disadvantage of this tripod is that it's heavy to cary but i still like it. fast shipping
Published 20 hours ago by Amer Khubrani
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent!
This is a great tripod. Very solid and durable. Good heavy-duty metal construction. I love the pistol-grip ball head which lets you position your camera where you want quickly and... Read more
Published 5 days ago by Horace N. Buggy
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is an amazing tripod.
Don't know why I waited so long to upgrade! I love how sturdy it is, Allowed for some beautiful macro photography!
Published 6 days ago by Kelley Stahl
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great buy
This is probably the best buy I've made. Out of the box it was perfect. I've used it a few times now and I'm still impressed with the precision and stoutness of the tripod and... Read more
Published 7 days ago by TulsaWxChaser
1.0 out of 5 stars
3 Tries, ending in disappointment
I'm returning the 3rd one, I give up. Yes, I've ordered/returned three of these. I would not recommend this tripod. Missing & stripped screws, broken zipper. Read more
Published 12 days ago by CreativeRadiance
4.0 out of 5 stars
I love this tripod
Only thing I can say is I love it...I did have to take a screw driver and allen wrench and go through and finish tightening everything. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Richard Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just one word: very professional
I tried for some hours straight from the box. A superb packaging, a sturdy construction, you feel confident. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Sebastiao P. Nunes
5.0 out of 5 stars
Durable and Solid
I tried the light weight tripods, but with repeated use I tend to break them.
This unit has solid craftsmenship. Read more
This unit has solid craftsmenship. Read more
Published 17 days ago by Terry T. Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good for the price
I have only used this tripod once butit did perform just how I had hoped that it would. Set up is easy and fast which I wanted for in the field setup. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Chauncy Russell
2.0 out of 5 stars
Does the job but too pricey for the quality
This seems like a high end tripod that was a dud and so instead of selling it at the business model price, they are just trying to get rid of what's left. It's not a great tripod. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Andrew Clem
