Customer Reviews

Velbon Ultra Maxi F Tripod with 4-Way Pan Head

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

 

 

I Just received the Velbon Ultra Maxi F from Amazon for $112.99 with shipping included. I bought this for use with my Casio EX-750 Exilim Digital Camera. This tripod should work well with any smaller camera but is too small for a larger SLR.

Pros:

Construction and materials look first class. On first use, I'm impressed with the sturdiesness of the tripod. It appears that you could use this tripod on uneven ground by adjusting the legs. Movement with the panhead seem smooth. I love the 60" height(no bending over!!). Quick release seems to work well. Nice rubber feet won't let is slide on smooth surfaces. It goes down to 6.5" so it can be used in Macro mode if the situation calls for it. It seem well designed, compact and it comes with a bare bones nylon carrying bag/w strap.

Cons;

No level. I think that setting the tripod up takes a fair amount of time relatively speaking (30 sec. or so). I'm just getting use to the pod so I may get better as time goes by. Compact, but you won't get away with just trying to fasten the carrying bag to your belt. Think of a slightly longer and larger foldup umberella. I would have like to have seen a better carrying case. (more of a custom fit)

I will say that the first useage and impression is very good.

Specs.

Velbon Ultra MAXiF Panhead Tripod

5 Leg Sections with no cross conects

60" Max. Ht.

6.5" Min. Ht.

14" Folded Lenght

2.1 lbs. Weight

5 lbs. Load Capacity

Harold Rex

When I travel, I like to take a tripod. This Velbon, with it's no-clips construction is a marvel. Folds to about 18 inches, yet extends to a full 60 inches. The one-twist legs are a delight to use. Slipping the tripod into its well made carrying case is a breeze. It weighs less than two pounds.

The tripod holds cameras up to about 3 pounds. It is surprisingly sturdy and steady. The quick-release is convenient and the flip-over head makes taking vertical shots a snap. The tripod is cleverly designed to allow its use very low to the ground.

Overall, a very usable, very compact tripod that adds nothing to travel burdens - but provides a very solid platform. Perfect for travelers or those who just like to have a tripod available on their local treks.

Jerry

I ordered the Bogen 785B tripod as a small, lightweight travel tripod, but it didn't quite meet my needs. The Ultra Maxi F tripod from Velbon is a much better fit. It is listed to support up to 5lbs, and works well with my Canon Digital Rebel XTi.

My favorite feature of this tripod is the head. The Maxi F comes with a Pan & Tilt head (PHD-31Q) which is easy to use. The head is mounted on a split center column, the split is so that the tripod can be lowered to put the camera within 6 inches of the ground. This also allows the entire center column to be removed for easier packing, or to be flipped upside-down for straight-down shots. The best part, though, is that the Pan & Tilt head can be removed from the center column, and replaced with a ball head of your choosing that has a compatible mounting screw.

I had one of these (actually, it's a no-longer produced Ultra Max model but has identical specs, so I assume it's the same) and it was one of my fave pieces of kit.

I had it ~10 years and it served me very well until an over-anxious and under-informed helper twisted too hard trying to force the legs closed and broke something. Oh well, getting ten years out of it wasn't bad!

It went to Russia for three weeks and got kicked around in the luggage, on planes and trains and a Volga river boat (and if you've been to Russia you know how they are with luggage/packages/etc)!

It survived innumerable day-hikes/backpacks/camping-trips/parties/cities, and has held up to an F100 or a D70 + all my glass up to the 80-200 f2.8. I actually was never comfortable with the 80-200 f2.8 on the thing and that was more of an experiment than a matter of routine. But it also worked and in pinch...

However, where this thing REALLY shines is with a lighter-weight DSLR rig (entry to mid-level with smaller barreled glass ) or a PnS or one of the (what I call) hybrids.

Toss a PNS/hybrid in a pocket or pack with this thing in tow and you'll find yourself taking pictures in places, at times, and with people (including yourself in the composition) that you'd just not be getting otherwise. And as a photog friend says, the best kit is the one you have with you!

Anyways... These things are lighter than all but the lightest CFs (some of the blitzo mountaineers, etc), and even at that the others are only lighter because they do not come with an attached head. AND they cost at least 400-500 smackers more.

I read the complaints about stability, but IMO that's just nonsensical. Unstable compared to what? Compared to tripods made out of exotic materials and that cost 5-7 times as much (or more) and that also weigh more anyways??? Compared to heftier aluminum models that might not cost a whole lot more but weigh 2.5 - 6 times more!?!?!?!

We're talking simple phyics and materials sciences here... there is no free lunch. Stability comes from geometry, form factor, materials, and to a lesser extent design.

The only way to make a tripod this small and compact be more stable would be to add material (ends up weighing a lot more) or using exotic materials (ends up costing 5-7 times more) or BOTH. And someone has done just that, it's the Blitzo Mt'eer and costs about 5-6 times more. If that's your standard, go buy one! Truth be told and if it didn't cost what a really nice used piece of glass or body cost, I'd buy one myself.

Anyways, given that this thing is (yet again) lighter than all but the most minimnalist CFs (that cost upwards of 1g) and serves well for its intended purpose, what's not to like???

I never had a stitch of trouble with the twist lock legs and found them generally easier to use and less prone to slipping than the over-center designs (a la Bogen etc.)

And again, stability!?!?! Please, we're comparing a ~120 dollar tripod that fits the niche it was designed for VERY well, is durable, holds easily twice it's own weight, packs into 1/2 - 2/3rds the volume of the other minimalist designs that cost 5 times as much, and is lighter than those others to boot!!! What's to complain about!?!?!?

Oh, and btw... All my other kit has Kirk/RRS/etc compatible (mostly Kirk) plates/clamps/feet, so when I got my Velbon Max I took the original head off and added the smallest Bogen ballhead I could find with a Kirk plate on it. That kept the overall weight of the tripod + head down to 2.25 pounds, but made it compatible with my entire kit.

This is a nice tripod. I have to admit that I was a bit worried about the twist method. The legs slide smoothly which many others do not that work on the same twist method. I have the Sony DSC F828, which is a bit heavy and the tripod is stable and sturdy. I do recommend to get the Velbon QHD-51Q ballhead that also has a quick release to make the tripod even more compact. You can travel with it easily and the long extension is great. I like this tripod and would recommend to others.

I bought this because it was light weight and easy to carry. Works great for a small digital such as my Canon S5-IS. Head works well but not as efficient as the larger tripods.

while some features catch one's attention, others dismay. i am accustomed to tripods using a lever system to lock the leg extensions at a specific length. having read another person's review on a particular tripod, i was pulled up short by his observation (and my own personal experience) that lever locks ultimately crack and therefore become useless, while the 'twist and lock' approach found on velbon should offer better and longer service.

in addition, i wanted a tripod which would stow in my carry-on travel bag.

so off i went to this model. i never quite got comfortable with twist and lock even though i believe it may (don't remember now) resolve the issue of section slippage. being so very compact with legs unextended is quite nice. but, at the same time, extending the four adjustable sections fully gave me scant comfort regarding stability, even though my camera and lens combination either weighs approximately 2 pounds, shorter zoom; 3 pounds longer. 21mm at the top unextendable section and subsequently less for each additional one does not suffice for me.

the low position of 6.5 inches, the 4-way head and a weight of just over 2 pounds are great. nonetheless, these features are offset, rather rudely, by my perceived lack of stability.

had velbon constructed the legs a bit longer, thus reducing total sections to, say, four, and made diameter more robust so as to facilitate greater stability, this product might have worked for me.

as it is, i chose to pass.

thank you

this is the best tripod
lightweigh

. flexibly . perfect