Customer Reviews

Vanguard Tourist 5 Ultra-Compact Full-Size Tripod with One-Handle Panhead

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a great tripod that does pretty much everything you could ask from something that is so reasonably priced. That being said, the tripod may seem deficient when unfairly compared to bulkier and more upscale versions. I'm putting up a list of both pros and cons so that more discerning shoppers can pick and choose from the higher end models. Sure, there are cons, but most of the cons listed are by design; you cannot expect to be all things to all people while still creating a lightweight and compact tripod, although this item gets very close.

Pros:
-Exceptional value for money
-Extremely compact; will fit easily into any small pack or even a larger-sized purse.
-Quality carrying bag (mentioned in a previous review)
-Item arrives fully lubricated (functionally, not excessively), which makes for quick and smooth use of all functions.
-Lockable axes allow for accurate horizontal- and/or vertical-only panning, as well as rotating the camera to shoot at different angles (most likely between portrait and landscape).
-Quick release shoe allows you to mount a small attachment to the bottom of your camera and then mount/dismount from the tripod with the quick flip of a lever.
-When fully extended, I can still comfortably take pictures while standing and bending over slightly (I stand 5'10").

Cons:
-This tripod is not recommended for rough ground or use as a jungle gym. The emphases placed on being lightweight and compact requires the inevitable sacrifice of strength and durability. If you are rough or careless with your equipment, this is not the tripod for you.
-The nature of the legs (similar to the extendable chrome antenna you might find on a boom box, with passive locking mechanism) is such that it's difficult to set mid-range height settings that you might want if, say, you were taking pictures from a sitting or crouching position. The tripod works very well in the fully-extended or fully compacted setting.
-This unit does lack a bubble level. I won't miss the level at all, though, as I never require that my tripod be precisely level.
-The other noticeable sacrifice made for value and reduced weight comes in the tripod head. Unlike the heavier duty, more upscale tripods, the panning motion is slightly more rough and/or uneven. The bearings and materials in more upscale tripods make it much easier to do slow, controlled pans, similar to those seen in movies. However, this should only be a problem for people who would use a video camera with this tripod. Still photographers needn't worry.

One of the most frustrating pieces of equipment I have ever bought. The legs need to be fully extended for them to securely lock into place, if not, a simple adjust to the camera causes the leg(s)to collapse. Get set for that perfect picture, press zoom, there goes the leg. Better off buying a tripod with individually locking leg sections.

I ordered this specifically for travel but it was not as advertised. The legs did not lock and continualy collapsed right out of the box. There were no leveling bubbles, as advertised. However, the enclosed information said it may or may not have them. I was very disappointed.

Great tripod for the price. It is sturdy and quite compact. Fits nicely in my backpack while hiking. My biggest problem is with the legs. Unless they are all fully extended, they don't like to lock in place. This makes it very difficult when trying to set it up on eneven surfaces. It is great when fully extended. I am about 5'8" and find it comfortable to use without having to bend or slouch too much.

The Vanguard travel tripod is indeed relatively lightweight and comes with a durable carrying case. My case, however, looks different from the attached picture. Mine has a loop at the top so you can grasp it around your wrist, plus something that looks like a belt loop about 1/3 of the way down the case. It fit into my standard-sized backpack, and I walked through airport security on international and domestic flights without a problem.

As for the tripod itself, I have mixed feelings. I picked out this lower-end travel tripod for its compact design and for the accompanying case. (Other tripods sell cases separately.)

The positives: It can swivel in almost all directions, which is useful for videocamera panning. The compact size makes for easy transport. And the shoe allows for a quick snap of shooting position, from in-your-hands to mounted-on-the-tripod.

The negatives: The biggest drawback is the difficulty of adjusting the tripod's height. This is understandably an important function, which is why I rate this product just 3 stars. The legs are telescoping -- and they seemingly lock at random intervals, making it very hard to set all three legs at the same height. (There is an intermediate setting that locks all three legs at the same height, and I found this to be useful in shooting interviews with my videocamera -- stick the tripod on a coffee table and you're in business.)

Another problem is that the legs are skinny and somewhat wobbly. Granted, the trade-offs seem to be lightweight vs. strong vs. cheap -- and you can only pick 2 of the 3.

Recommendation: I suggest investing a few more dollars for a higher-end travel tripod, one with sturdier legs that are simple to lock at the same height. You really only want to buy one travel tripod, so spend a little more and get quality, if you're fairly sure you'll be taking photos in the future.

I used this tripod on two trips last year, Mesa Verde and Arizona. I found it to be good only for still photography at best. Even then the leg locking issue was problamatic. As stated in an earlier review, if you do not fully extend the leg in its section then the unit does not lock and it buckles. The problem is that it is not always easy to determine if you fully extended the segment. It was in trying to adjust for this that the tripod broke. Apparantly I pulled a little too hard on the segment trying to make sure it was locked and it broke. This might seem like negligence but I kid you not when I say you need to pull hard on the segment in order to make it lock. I might have actually been upset except it was such an awful tripod for panning that I was better off shooting video without it. The pan head is jerky and hard to move and required me to place my hand on the camera and slowly rotate the head using pressure. Needless to say this is time consuming and uncomfortable. Yes the unit is light and packs well but overall you are better off with a tripod that is built better.

tripod is sturdy enough to feel comfortable putting an expensive piece of equipment on it without breaking into a sweat. Packs quite small despite being close to full size... legs lock tightly but breakdown quick... I'm happy.

Please beaware that it doesnot have a Bubble level. I initially checked all the features of this product while buying online, and was quite interested in the bubble level. But the actauol product doesnot have a bubble level.

As such it work fine and is quite sturdy, plus compact. The Carry bag is of quite good quality.

The telescoping legs are similar to an umbrella in that they have a little pin that snaps into place, and like an unbrella, only have one legnth that is locked into place, so you have a mini-tripod or full height. That would be fine, except the pins are cheap s$*! and broke on me, making it so one leg would not lock.

Don't buy this product, go with the independantly locking legs. For how much this cost, it should be of higher quality.

This is perfect for me. The height and the weight is perfect so I don't have to pull my back down to aim the picture. what I like the most is the quick detached connection at bottom of my camera to the tripod, I just need to pull the release button to take camera out and fold back the tripod back quickly.