108 of 109 people found the following review helpful:
Got a winner here
Honestly, I really did not have high expectations when I bought this tripod. I needed something for my camping / hiking trip and I didn't want to beat up my $200 Slik. Anyway, I was very surprised when I received this tripod. It is very sturdy and composed really well. It survived my trip with flying colors and I got great shots. Good price + good product = I'm happy =].
90 of 97 people found the following review helpful:
Not Bad ... for the money
This is the seond tripod I've purchased in the last 12 months, the other being a Bogen Manfrotto 728B (cost over $110). The Bogen is very nice because it is truly sturdy and well built (rated to hold several pounds while most tripods are not), and works very smoothly, but it lacks a gear crank on the main tube, does not have the weight hook at the bottom of the central...
Honestly, I really did not have high expectations when I bought this tripod. I needed something for my camping / hiking trip and I didn't want to beat up my $200 Slik. Anyway, I was very surprised when I received this tripod. It is very sturdy and composed really well. It survived my trip with flying colors and I got great shots. Good price + good product = I'm happy =].
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I am 6ft tall and this is such a perfect tripod for someone who is a beginning/novice photographer for occasional to moderate use (would be my guess). My forté is post-production, as I am a graphic designer and needed something to use with my new dig camera. I did a lot of research for tripods and this seemed to have what I needed for my usage. The plastic clips concern me somewhat with durability for the long haul, but I would love to be surprised and that is just my nerves and luck talking. How can you beat the price regardless?
I am so happy with this tripod so far. I love how tall it is for me particularly and how easy it is to use. I did so much research online and found this 70" one and said "screw it" I am tired of looking and bought it. I knew I needed something that accomodated for my height and there isn't a whole lot out there for us tall folks that have decent ratings and is in the hundred and below dept. I didn't have the pesos to make another "hundred+" purchase and took a risk here when I rated the cost versus quality (in my head). I feel as though I have won this battle for now.
I like the two "levels" (that i have noticed) to make sure I am squared up on this piece of equipment. Equipment has a smooth pan and I will be using it for my own photo work, video tours for my husband's realtor work and recreation/family photos. I am excited to use this more with my dig Rebel. Legs extend easily. Metal (light weight) body with plastic clips and pieces. Comes with a black bag to hold your tripod also. Easy snap-off piece to remove your digital camera and to attach. In fact I just leave it always on my camera as it expedites the process when I am in a hurry.
Tripod feels quite sturdy with my Rebel attached. I think this is a really good-looking tripod. It is so SO light weight and portable. I love that it is NOT clunky and loud to assemble when pulling it straight out of the trunk/car for quickly assembly.
I would've liked to seen a manual for recommended usage and ways of maximizing longevity of the product, but I am over it and the product is great so far.
(revise 10-09-06) Still LOVE LOVE this tripod. I use it ALL the time. So easy to use and it is SO lightweight and I can just toss it in the trunk. So quick to set up too. Love it ... it ROCKS (from a tall gal).
: )
October 2008: I did lose one of the footings, but found it and snapped back on. Still works fine and I am pretty rough with my tripod. No other parts broken yet. For the price, I am still so glad I have this tripod. The panning is "so-so" for those doing virtual tours now at this point in it's tripod life. Still I make it work. I am not a professional in the sense of photography, but for what I use it for (home photos, virtual tours) it still works and does the job pretty darn well. I don't have experience with other tripods. This is my first one and the only I have had thus far. It doesn't work as well for a panning camcorder and/or flip video. Just too jerky with the plastic pieces and 360 rotation. This tripod lives in my car so I have always ready to go. I am sure to a degree I am lucky I haven't bashed it with kid toys and/or grocery bags, but you get what you pay for, and I have definitely seen my money out of this piece of equipment and then some. Maybe I have gotten lucky, and if so I am glad.
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This is the seond tripod I've purchased in the last 12 months, the other being a Bogen Manfrotto 728B (cost over $110). The Bogen is very nice because it is truly sturdy and well built (rated to hold several pounds while most tripods are not), and works very smoothly, but it lacks a gear crank on the main tube, does not have the weight hook at the bottom of the central tube and did not come with any bubble levels. My wife and I are both amatuer photographers, and my camera weighs over a pound. Having used both tripods, I still prefer my first one. The Opteka is made of much cheaper materials (obviously), and came out of the box looking used. It had scratches on the legs, the pan head is poorly made of cheap plastic, the central tube had been dented right at the bottom end, and I thought it was missing the weight hook. I found the weight hook in the included carrying bag, and I bent the tube back into a roundish shape so I could shove the weight hook into place. Mind you, the weight hook is plastic, and it's not threaded into the tube (it's ribbed), so it's not going to hold more than a few pounds without getting yanked out. I attached the mounting plate to my camera, and tried out the tripod. The motion (on all parts) is not terribly smooth. The legs do not glide nicely as you extend them, the controls on the pan head are not smooth and gentle, and the crank to raise the tube is not terribly smooth either. They all function just fine, but if you're looking for something that feels substantial and works smoothly, this isn't it. PROS: It's cheap, fairly light, and has a lot of features for a tripod under $40. CONS: The materials are very cheap, and the parts don't always work smoothly together. Overall, it is a great option if you don't want to risk losing or damaging a more expensive tripod, but go to a camera store and try some tripods out to see what really matters to you. Another thing I like about the Manfrotto, the legs are in four sections (the Opteka is just 3 with longer legs, too), so it collapses down to a smaller size. ON 47TH STREET: WHen I initially thought I had been denied the weight hook, I sent an e-mail to two different e-mail addresses I found for them. It took them a week to respond, and the repsonse was "call us". I found that very disappointing.
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At first, I was pretty excited about receiving this tripod. At first glance, it seems to be a great product for its price -- the legs seem sturdy, it's got a convenient accessory hook and a useful carrying handle, plus it came with its own carrying case and built-in bubble levels!
The problem with the tripod, I think, is that it's poorly constructed, or at least it's made out of cheap material. There are a lot of weak plastic parts that seem like they would break easily with moderate use. At first, I chose to ignore these flaws considering the low price (mostly, I was worried the frail snaps on the legs would break), but on my third photoshoot, the vertical adjustment knob died on me.
I was using a wireless remote shutter (which is to say that I wasn't even touching the tripod) and suddenly, my camera swung down and my zoom lens crashed back into the tripod. Luckily, nothing broke, but I was still pretty worried. After checking to make sure that it wasn't my fault (maybe I didn't tighten it properly?), I realized that the vertical adjustment knob was completely busted -- no matter how much I tried to tighten it, it stayed loose. I removed it completely and found broken bits of plastic threading, which could only mean that I'd have to get the tripod replaced -- it should have been made out of metal.
But even assuming that my particular tripod was defective to begin with, this is not a great tripod to purchase in general. The weak plastic parts are always a concern, even if the vertical knob doesn't break like mine did (besides the plastic snaps, the crank handle and accessory hook are also plastic).
In terms of convenience, although it's great to have a tripod tall enough (70" is GREAT if you're looking for a taller tripod), it's pretty inconveniently bulky when collapsed to its minimum length -- but I suppose that's a necessary compromise for having a taller tripod. The built in bubble levels are useful too, unless you're vertically orienting your camera -- then, there is no bubble level for that orientation, so it's hard to be sure your horizon is properly aligned (unless you have one of those fancy $70+ photography hotshoe bubble levels. Or unless you just never turn your camera and take pictures vertically on this tripod.).
There's also a detachable plate which makes switching from handheld shots to tripod shots really quick and easy (which I love). Technically speaking, I suppose that's just another movable part that may promote vibrations that keep your pictures from looking tack sharp, but for its convenience, it is more than forgivable.
Aesthetically speaking, the tripod is a bit disappointing. Those dull plastic parts look really tacky, although they make the tripod relatively lightweight.
Finally, the name "Professional" photo/video tripod is a misnomer. Although I am an amateur/enthusiast myself, I highly doubt any professional would use this tripod instead of a good ballhead tripod. In my opinion, (and in retrospect) the convenience of a ballhead tripod make even the most inexpensive ballhead tripod worth it (but be prepared to pay at least 4 times more for one than for a tripod like this one). Plus, with a ballhead tripod, you'll at least LOOK more like a professional photographer, even if you don't know what you're doing :)
Overall, I would not recommend buying this tripod. Instead, do yourself a favor -- buy a ballhead. I'd suggest anything by Bogen/Manfrotto for starters. Hope this helps!
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It's light, compact, and has it's own carrying case!! The one thing that makes this tripod more than worth the price is the DUAL LEVELS. One for the 3-way panhead and one for the quick-release channel lock legs.
It has a reinforced center brace with a carrying handle, along with a with a rotating locking feature, so if you're re-positioning a few feet away that the tripod won't collapse on itself. At the end of the center brace is an attached accessory hook, as well. The channel lock legs, you can adjust to any height in between while using the level. It has a quick release plate and you can take pictures at a 90 degree angle using the rotating platform. Since the level is on the platform, you know it's 90 degrees with the level. It has a gear operated center column, that also has a rotating locking feature. The panhead also has a rotating locking feature, too. The panhead slides easily when the locking feature is released. It has non slip rubber feet, that accept nearly any angle of terrain.
Finally, IT EXTENDS 70 inches in height!!! Me, being 5'2", I would never use that height unless I had a short ladder. LOL! My DH laughed when I showed him how high it will extend. I have a Casio EX-P505, which is small and light . . . I mean, it looks tiny sitting on the tripod. LOL! But I'm sure it could accomodate much heavier cameras, because titanium anodized finish.
Here are it's specs:
Maximum Extended Height: 70 inches (5.83 feet)
Minimum Operating Height: 25.5 inches (2.125 feet)
Folded Height: 26 inches (2.17 feet)
Maximum Tube Diameter: 1.13 inches
Net Weight: 61.4 oz (3.84 lbs.)
So, this product is worth way more than price, because I thought it was a good deal before I found out ALL of it's features. I'm so sold on this product that I just ordered opteka's 67 inch monopod, which is sold on Amazon.com from the same fast shipping company, "47th Street". We're overseas and received it in about a week. (I was impressed with their packaging and fast shipping.)
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I do video work and was attracted to the sale price and extra height of this particular tripod. Come to find out, this model does not have a fluid head, meaning, if you do any panning with a camcorder, it won't be as smooth as you'd probably like it to be. Also, at the end of a pan the head tends to "unwind," causing your panned image to back up a little ways. Thus, I think it's rather misleading to label this as a "Photo / Video" tripod.
Additionally, I don't really care for the cheap feel of some of the plastic knobs and adjusters. Finally, mine came with a few, very minor cosmetic blemishes, almost as if it were used.
Instead of video, I'll be utilizing this one as a microphone mount.
If you want to do video, please buy a tripod with a fluid head. You'll love it, I guarantee that.
That's why I give this one 2 stars.
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I bought 2 of these to carry a camera support to be suspended over a treadmill for filming from above. I love the fact that they can extend to 70". They are very sturdy and with the hook on the central post I could hang a sandbag for additional support. Furthermore, the support beams from each leg to the central post are attached to a central ring that can tighten to change the size of the base of support as measured by the distance between legs of the tripod. This is extremely helpful when you have limited floor space and tight or cramped corners. With the addition of sandbags, this narrow base of support can still be quite stable. The additional bubble levels on the stand are enormously helpful on rough terrain. The locking mechanims on the legs are plastic, however and are thus not very good for outdoor, dusty conditions. They are very much like the Samsonite 3751 with the same camera release mechanism, locking legs, bubble levels, extendable center post, changeable size of base of support--the differences are: cheaper, greater extension, hook on center post, and carrying case.
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This is an awesome tripod, I didn't think it'd be that great because I've seen high tech ones that were pretty expensive. But this one is really nice. 70" is more than enough height for me since I'm only 5'5" It's easy to use as well. I've never used a tripod before in my life and I easily got the hang of this.
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This is a good value tripod that has many nice features on it and the price is very good. Although there is a lot of plastic on it, this does serve to reduce weight and requires some common sense in handling. It is not something you want your children to play with or climb on. Overall the fit and finish are good, and I like the ease of changing to a vertical format. The camera is easy to disconnect from the tripod and so one can screw the camera onto it while the bracket is off, and one can see what they are doing. The legs work well and the feet are stable, and there is a built in spirit level which is handy. The crank is a bit stiff when new but all the locks work well and do the job. I would recommend this tripod to people who do still photography. I might have some reservations about the smoothness of the pan and tilt for use with video applications. The 70" max height is a very good feature.
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This is my first tripod. I have been asking my friends about buying tripods and I came across this tripod. For $20, a 70" tripod and all the other features along with it. It is definitely a great buy. It is more that what I was looking for within my budget.
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