Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
158 of 158 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Almost perfect for a portable tripod., August 19, 2006
This is my first quality tripod purchase and after narrowing down my choices to the Manfrotto brand, I had a tough time deciding weather to buy a more professional tripod (eg.3021BN) or not, especially since Manfrotto do not officially reccommend this for SLR cameras. I went to my local photography shop, picked up the 3021BN with one hand and feeling its weight, made my decision against it almost instantly. I needed a tripod that I could carry comfortably while walking around town, as well as take with me on overseas trips and other vacations. Carbon fibre tripods were too much for me, as I am not a pro and only do photography as a hobby and they are so expensive. The pro Manfrotto tripods are awesome, just too heavy for my needs.
I use this tripod to support a Canon 30D with 17-85 IS USM lens. Total camera/lens weight of around 1.3kg and I'm thinking the only other lens I will buy in the future is a telephoto, eg. 70-200 f4L. In any case since I mainly do street photography or landscape and need to be able to carry my tripod around, while on foot and my camera/lens combination is unlikely to be more than 1.5kg in the future, this tripod is perfect for my needs. It supports the 30D SLR quite comfortably, even in vertical position. Does not feel like the weight of my camera will tilt the tripod at all. While it is not as flexible as the pro tripods, it's light engough to be carried around. And even if I decide to upgrade to a pro tripod in the future, this will always be my travel tripod. It is a solidly constructed top quality tripod, especially for the money you pay. The ball head is great, much easier to reposition the camera, just have to be carefull you hold the camera when releasing the lever, as the lever totally releases the ball and camera will flop to the side, if you are not holding it.
So while this is not a pro tripod, as a light and portable tripod, it is quite strong and rigid and supports an SLR comfortably. I only wish it had two levers, as this would make it perfect for me. It should have one lever to lock/release the rotation of the head about the vertical axis and another lever to release the ball.
Great value for money. I would reccommend this as a portable tripod. 4.5 stars.
|
|
|
124 of 126 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Choice, Even for DSLR, November 28, 2007
I recently bought a Digital Rebel XTi and needed to find a tripod to use for night shots, self-pictures, etc. I knew I'd need to spend more than the $20 I would have spent for a tripod to use with my Canon Elph, but had no idea what I was looking for in terms of a more professional tripod.
In the end, I bought the Manfrotto 725B based on price, quality (from various reviews of the Manfrotto brand), and weight and I'm more than pleased with my purchase. Here are my thoughts on several aspects of the tripod...
== Head ==
Arguably the most important part of the tripod, the head is a ball joint system that is locked with the turn of a latch. There is no leveling device on the head, so you'll have to eyeball your shot to make sure you're level, particularly with landscape shots that show a horizon or other harsh straight line.
But, any difficulty making a level shot is easily counteracted by how quick and easy it is to flip the camera from horizontal to vertical shots or vice versa. Simply flip the locking latch, swivel the camera to the desired angle, and re-lock the latch. FAR easier than tripods that have a multi-axis system.
Also, the latch and ball joint system are MORE than enough to hold my Digital Rebel XTi with a Canon 50mm lens. I haven't tried it with more than that, but I've felt the weight of my friend's 70-200mm zoom lens and would feel perfectly comfortable with that on the tripod as well.
== Plate ==
The plate is super nice. I leave my plate permanently attached to my camera and whenever I need to use the tripod, I simply set up the tripod and slip the plate into its housing and I'm ready to go.
The latch that is used to hold the plate in place has a little pin system that works two ways. First, the pin will hold the latch open when the plate is not inside so that when you're ready to set up for a shot, you can just slide the plate in without having to open the latch. That little bit of time savings could mean the difference between getting and not getting your desired shot.
Second, the pin also prevents you from accidentally opening the latch with your camera on the tripod, which could result in your camera plummeting to the floor.
The pin takes a little getting used to, but I've found it to be a great addition.
== Legs ==
To say that the legs on this tripod are easy to setup would be a HUGE understatement. Each leg extends via three flip-style latch mechanisms.
To extend the legs, I simply flip open all three latches, pull the foot until the leg is extended to the proper length, then flip all three latches back to the locked position. Extending all three legs only takes a matter of seconds.
And while the legs feel a bit lightweight, they've performed in many abnormal situations, including taking pictures in Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire, with no issues.
== Shaft ==
I love, love, love the shaft that raises and lowers the head on this tripod. More specifically, I love the latch that lets me control the shaft. A simple flip of the latch and you can adjust the shaft to whatever height you want. When you're done, just flip the latch back into the locked position and you're done.
There have been many times when this simple latch mechanism has saved me a lot of time as I adjusted the height of the shaft over and over and over again to get my picture lined up properly. If this tripod used any other locking mechanism for the shaft, I'd be disappointed.
And the locking mechanism held my Rebel/50mm camera/lens combination with no problems.
Also, the little rubber boot at the bottom of the shaft can come off, which will allow you to pull the shaft out and reverse it so that you can take pictures as close to the ground as you want to. Doing so is very easy.
== Size and Weight ==
I have the Canon 200EG Backpack and this tripod easily fits into the loops on the bottom in a horizontal fashion. When wearing the backpack with the tripod, the tripod is about as wide as my arms, which is much smaller than other tripods I've seen. My friend has a tripod that is larger than this one and I would be concerned about situating that tripod in a horizontal fashion for fear of running into things. With this tripod, I have no fear of accidentally hitting anything while its attached to my backpack.
Honestly, the weight is negligible. I've carried the tripod in my hand, on my backpack, and over my shoulder and I've never once had it become uncomfortable. On the contrary, I'm occasionally surprised at the fact that I'm carrying such a great tripod without really feeling it weigh me down.
=====
Over and over again as I use this tripod, the words "easy" and "simple" come to mind. Everything on the tripod is put together in a way that is intuitive and just plain easy to work with. I never find myself questioning why a latch was put in a certain place or why the manufacturer didn't do this or that. Instead, I simply pull my tripod out of its bag (included!), set it up, and use it without even thinking about it.
With so many things to deal with on my camera to take a good shot, not having to even think about anything with my tripod is a blessing!
|
|
|
49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bogen-Manfrotto 725B Digi Tripod with integrated Ball Head, December 3, 2007
I was looking for a lighter version of the Bogen 3021, which I use with a generic ball head. The 725b came the closest: 1) It has quick release leg locks, 2) a ball head with quick release base plate, and 3) it is 3.5 lbs lighter than my Bogen 3021.
I am 5'8" tall and I had to extend the 725b halfway up for horizontal shots and all the way up for vertical shots. Ideally, the tripod should not be extended for greatest stability. I mount a Nikon D70 with an 18-200 zoom lens. Even with the extension all the way up the stability was firm. I would use my 3021 if I were using the D70 with my 200-400 zoom lens. When shooting with a tripod, you should be able to look at the viewfinder standing straight up. Having to bend over to look at the viewfinder is uncomfortable. If you're taller than 5'8" tall you should consider a longer tripod.
Unfortunately, the 725b does not have a release to allow you to pan. There is only one release on the ball head. The extension lever, unlike my 3021, only allows you to move the extension up or down. If you shoot panoramas and want to pan on the exact plane, or if you plan to use it with a video cam, try finding a tripod that pans.
If you're using a full size ball head, the full size base plate may not fit the 725b. However, the 725b plate may fit the full size ball head.
While there is only a 3.5 lb difference, the 725b feels much lighter than the 3021. Carrying it is a breeze. It opens quickly, cameras can be mounted or released quickly and the ball head makes framing a breeze. I highly recommend this tripod if these are primary considerations. If you're taller than 5'8" tall, plan on doing a lot of panoramas, or mounting an extreme telephoto lens, I would not recommend this tripod.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
