Customer Reviews

Sunpak Compact Camera Tripod

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For the price at Amazon it's a great buy! The build and design is extremely good considering it's under $20. This is a COMPACT tripod as another reviewer has noted, and is for light weight cameras/spotting scopes only. For most of us a 2-way pan head is fine - I wouldn't buy this as my one-and-only tripod, it's for when you want a tripod that's light weight and doesn't take up space yet is still reasonably steady if you don't overload it. I've bought a lot worse tripods for more than double the price!

I'm planning to put a bit of silicone grease on the two axes to make it pan a bit more smoothly. Other than that, this tripod is a great value for the price, I'm glad I bought it.

Although this tripod is limited in its functionality, it is extremely lightweight (1.6 lbs) and folds down to about 14 inches which is what I was looking for. It also holds up to 3.3 lbs and seems to be built relative well for its size. I originally looked at the ultra compact tripods which have the telescoping legs (like an antenna). Although they are smaller and lighter, they don't hold has much weight and the legs look like they will eventually break after limited usage. As someone stated earlier, this Sunpak would not be your main tripod but a second tripod you could take on hikes, tours, etc where carrying a heavier tripod would be cumbersome.

The Compact SXL is designed as exactly that- a COMPACT tripod. Sunpak has many larger models, but this one is intended to be compact & portable. The U212D Slik is a much heavier, less portable tripod & is not a comparable model.

Tripod is light weight and small, very easy to fit in luggage and on the motorcycle. This was one of the things I was looking for in a tripod. It holds the weight of my Canon 40D with an attached lens just fine. The problem I incurred was a vibration when shooting! It was just to light for the camera. After switching the camera to the timer mode all the vibration disappeared. But, if it where a windy day I wouldn't think this would work to well in those conditions.

I purchased this tripod because of its lightweight. I use it for backpacking and dayhikes. It is perfect for that use. I use a D50 with a standard lens and have dragged this thing all over Yosemite, the desert across creeks etc and have never had problem. It is a lightweight tripod and needs to be handled carfully but I didnt buy it expecting it to be bulletproof, I bought it to support my camera in the field and not wear me out from the weight. For me it was the perfect tripod for my purposes and the bonus is it was inexpensive.

This tripod does not have have any defects as such but unfortunately does not prove useful for most photography requirements. It can only be extended to around 43 inches or so. From, my experience one needs at least 60 inch tripods to take pictures of people or interesting sceneries. Moreover, it can pan only in two directions, so this tripod does not help while taking vertical photographs.

While purchasing a tripod look for these two main features
- 3-dimensional panning, you'll need to turn the camera around both in x, y and z axis.
- Also one that can be extended to atleast 60 inches.
Trust me, you really need these features, if you are looking forward to serious photography.

On the brighter side, this tripod is extremely light-weight and easy to carry around. But then the purpose of the tripod is to help in taking pictures, which this one is unable to.

The amount of tripods out there is overwhelming - you can literally research for days. In the end it greatly depends what you use it for, so I will start with that. I needed a tripod for a sigma dp1 compact camera so weight bearing was NOT an issue at all. I dont need a tripod that can support 7 lbs etc. Second i wanted a tripod that is LIGHT because i want to carry it around. nothing over 2lbs is even a consideration. this one is supposedly 1.8 lbs HOWEVER it has a removable head (big plus) which i replaced with a compact giotto ball head immediately, so now the weight is noticeably less - feels like about 1.5 lbs at most. with this modification the tripod is nearly perfect for my use - its light, its sturdy and it cost me $40 (including the replacement head). Similar thing from Manfrotto etc would probably cost $150 easily. I dont want to be carrying around a tripod that costs half the price of the camera.
CON: i do wish it extended more.. 60 inches would be better than 47 but i knew that going in and its not a deal breaker

recommended but also look at other sunpack tripods, if they have a removable head its worth considering a taller version. i think this is the way to go rather than $400 carbon fiber nonsense.. good luck

This is a good, well-finished light, easily portable tripod that comes in handy for use with a smaller camera. I also own a Sunpak Mini-PRO plus tabletop tripod and a large Sunpak 8001UT tripod. I use all three but if I had to settle for one for general use it would be this one. The Sunpak Compact Tripod Case (14" Long x 3.25" wide) is the case needed for this tripod.

By way of full disclosure, I must advise that this tripod was not to be used for a camera, but rather a parabolic sound-trapping dish device in the rugged Badlands of West Texas in a qusi-military setting near the Mexican border. There were other requirements: It had to be black (night operations), light (it was packed in), small (the pack was crowded) and hopefully, inexpensive. In a word, it was all or these things.

On the downside, the Sunpak's 43 1/2" max height could well be a little short for the standing user. But for a static, sitting operator or for use as a mini table stand, the divice is perfect.

This is a great tripod. It's light enough that you'll actually carry with you and have it when you need it.