Velbon Ultra Luxi SF Tripod with Ball and Socket Head

by Velbon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 14.5 x 4 x 4 inches ; 2.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000246WNI
• Item model number: ULTRA-LUXISF
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 25, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

With a top leg diameter of 0.94 inches, the Ultra Luxi SF is a compact, sturdy, lightweight tripod that's ideal for serious photographers everywhere. The tripod is distinguished by its unique "twist-lock" leg system, which requires only a quick twist and pull to extend the legs to the proper height, and another twist to lock them in place. Users will also appreciate the Trunion shaft system, which positions the main leg bolts directly above the shaft, making the tripod even more compact when closed. And thanks to the two-section center column and multi-angle legs, you can take the Ultra Luxi SF all the way down to 7 inches for serious low-angle photography (the maximum height is 47.6 inches). Finally, the tripod comes with the sturdy PH-353 ball-head mount, which is made of a die-cast aluminum alloy and boasts a load capacity of six pounds. The Ultra Luxi SF, which makes a great travel tripod (it folds down to 13.4 inches and weighs 2.1 pounds), comes with its own carrying case.

Product Description

Tripod with Twist Lock Legs and Grounder with Ball Head

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Travel Tripod, August 15, 2005

By 

D. Kim "bummster" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Velbon Ultra Luxi SF Tripod with Ball and Socket Head (Electronics)

Quite a remarkable travel tripod! very lightweight, yet solid. Lets take it from the top.

The head isn't bad. While it may not have a quick release, it's low profile make for a great travel size. There is a piece of cork surrounding the screw point. The ball head has one adjustment lever. This one lever controls the friction of the ball and the ability to pan the head. The lever rapidly adjusts the amount of clamping force. The ball head is slotted on two sides, 180 degrees from each other. The head comes off! yes, it is removable. it screws into a center column pole.

The center column is necessary to use the tripod/head. However, the center column is sectioned, and the majority of it can be unscrewed with enough remaining to be clamped in the base.

The legs are rather light, but that's to be expected. easily repositionable via angle and length. It will take a bit getting used to the locking method. Once i have the tripod setup, i push down on the head with my hand to make sure the legs are locked.

With the max height leg angle, pushing down on the tripod doesn't force the legs to splay out in weird directions. nice! they do splay out when at the intermediate angle. the legs have no ability to accept spikes.

Overall, it's a great tripod, and I'm quite happy with it. It holds my Rebel XT + Sigma 70-200EX with out a fuss. I haven't tried it in wind with the same setup however... the entire thing fits inside the Canon Backpack too.

what's not to like?

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great travel tripod even for big cameras., November 19, 2004

By 

Guy Coniglio "gconigl1" (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Velbon Ultra Luxi SF Tripod with Ball and Socket Head (Electronics)

This is an amazing little tripod. Very rigid. works fine with my D70 even with bigger lenses like my sigma 12-24. Incredibly compact when collapsed. If it were 6" taller fully extended it would be perfect. If you do any sort of shooting while hiking or backpacking you'll love this little guy.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just What I Needed... and Exceeded my Expectations, October 16, 2005

By 

J. Dunn (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Velbon Ultra Luxi SF Tripod with Ball and Socket Head (Electronics)

Just what I needed for a 2 week vacation when weight and space mattered. The low height required more stooping than my standard tripod; but, the advantage of the compact size and weight was well worth it. (I generally avoid extending the center column of any tripod.)

...and it certainly exceeded my expectations. My Canon Digital Rebel held steady--even in vertical orientation with the 70-200 f4 plus a 1.4x extender in use. Thirty second night exposures and shorter daylight shots showed no shake. (I use the self-timer.) The ball head on this unit is very effective. The fit and finish are reassuring. The bag is of equal quality; not just a bonus gimmick.

A surprise feature, the ability to select from 3 leg angles, came in handy for shots where a very low viewpoint was needed to include the foreground.

I highly recommend this Tripod with the PH-353 Ball Head.