Customer Reviews

Slik SPRINT PRO 3-WAY Travel Tripod with 3-Way Panhead and Quick-Release

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

 

 

The short: Get one, you will not regret it.

The long:

This is an excellent travel tripod, it is extremely light, somewhere in the range of 2.25 pounds. If you put a clip on it, it is short enough to hang nicely from your belt, and yet it still manages to extend tall enough that I, who am 6'1" do not have to bend, and actually, have about 1.5" left in the center column. Even extended fully it maintains surprising stability, sure the head sways as the legs flex when you move the camera, this is inevitable when you extend so little material so high, but it still feels solid, it bends but it will not break, and absorb vibration well.

I have always preferred 3-way heads to ball heads, but this all metal contraption seems to be it's own category combining the best of both worlds. shifting fro horizontal to vertical is like any other 3-way, however, Both pan AND tilt are controlled with the SAME lock, which means only one thing to twist if you want to recompose, no thumb screws, and no forgetting to re-latch one and having your camera tip to the side. It also means less stable panning, but this trade off is personal preference, and I prefer the configuration on this pod. Speaking of panning, the head feels a little rough on it's own, but as soon as the weight of my D70 (which it holds easily) is added it feels very smooth, not bearing smooth, infinitely better than the plastic 3-ways found on drugstore tripods (try putting the camera on backwards, it seems to handle better that way)

The "special" features of this pod are nothing short of amazing, yes it works well normally, but when you are balanced on a rock in the middle of a creek, have one leg of the pod in the water, one angled up and resting on the embankment, and the third competing with you for foot room, the center column reversed with the camera hanging upside-down, nearly touching the water, and are recomposing for the third different shot, you see from that position, you begin to realize that you have a very versatile pod on your hands.

What it all comes down to is this: this is an excellent tool, well conceived, well engineered, and well made. Do not expect it to match pro pods, and do not expect excellent stability. But take it places that you did not take tripods before and your pictures will improve. Get one, you will not regret it.

Very nice tripod. Watch-out for the suggestive sale on the Slik tripod carrying case. We purchased it along with the tripod not knowing that Slik packages it with a travel case. The worst part is that the case Amazon suggest purchasing with this is too large for the tripod. Fortunately they agreed to take it back. So purchase the tripod and forgo the extra case and you will be happy.

Before purchasing this Slik tripod, I was originally looking at another brand. The other brand cost twice as much and had no feature advantages, which made buying the Slik more sensible. In using it extensively for a five-day workshop, a two day hike and number of local outdoor shots, I've found it to be a great lightweight travel tripod. While I would not recommend it for consistent use with a Digital SLR with a heavy lense like a 200 or 300 mm, it is ideal for other lense and camera combinations. It is very quick and easy to set up, has great flexibility, and can accommodate range of locking positions.

I bought this for my Canon S5 IS (with a metal lens adapter and a couple filters attached most of the time) and after waiting around for a week for it to arrive at my doorstep, I was a bit disappointed. It's a tad too flimsy for my tastes.

The Bad

With the legs at full length and the center column at the lowest point, the legs would bend a considerable amount. Out of 10 medium-exposure night shots taken with the tripod legs fully retracted, I could only get 2 shots to come out clear. My tripod was also shipped with a sticky (to the point where you needed a flathead screwdriver to get it loose) leg angle adjustment clip which was easily resolved by taking the leg assembly apart and tuning a couple screws. With two leg sections extended, I was still getting considerable shake and movement in a light breeze. Then again, it's a travel tripod designed to be lightweight.

The Good

It's small enough to strap to the outside of my bag so I can take it long-distance with ease. The light weight helps as well. The different number of positions it can achieve is also pretty neat. This came in handy for macro shots.

Conclusion

It's a decent travel tripod and it doesn't hold too much weight if it's fully extended.

And one other thing, the user-taken photos for this product are actually photos of the Slik Pro 700DX.

I purchased this tripod about 1 year ago, and have been quite pleased. Its best feature is that it is short enough (due to 3-way) to fit inside a carry-on bag. Most other tripods are just too long. It also rises to over 6 foot in height when fully extended. It is not as stable as a Bogan (of course), but it's a lot more portable when on the go. I have this tripod and my Bogan, and this one gets used about 90% of the time. I also like the fact that is is quite light, yet quite strong. I did break off the small adjustment knob when I dropped it, but fixed it with a little super glue. It would be nice if Amazon also sold spare parts.

Bob

I shoot with a Powershot G9, and this tripod seems a perfect match. The G9 is a small camera with lots of great features, and in similar fashion this tripod combines portability with flexibility. I especially appreciate the range of positions that the reversible and adjustable center column affords -- it really lets me explore the G9's macro capabilities. This tripod will get you up high and get right down to the ground, and it's easily converted from one position to the next. Nice and light and it comes with a carry case too! If you have a big camera this may not be ideal, but it gets the job done with smaller cameras like digital superzooms, prosumer compacts, and the like.

I believe that the photos supplied by a user is the Slik Professional Tripod with A.M.T. Alloy Legs...as clearly marked on the supplied images. So not so useful in evaluating the Slik SPRINT PRO 3-WAY Travel Tripod

This is the third Slik tripod that I have purchased and I still have all three. The Silk Sprint Pro is a great tripod for hiking with its light weight and even comes with a bag. I'm using it with a Nikon D300 and older 18-35 and 80-200 2.8 lens and it has worked great. I have nothing to say bad about this tripod.

I first walked down a line of tripods at B&H here in NYC to see and feel the real versions of the digital pics I saw on the web. Since I am primarily a video guy with several bulky but steady 'pods, I wanted something to fit in a backpack with my new Nikon still camera. This one fit the bill for me. While we would all like to find a foot-long, 3 ounce and STEADY pod - it just ain't in the works yet.

Really fast release and stable. My first use was in Disney theme parks and night photos was better than expected. It's little heavy because it has a metal body but not too heavy for a men. Some times you have to have special care to prepare this tripod to move the head horizontally because if you free the central tower then the head fall down.