Perhaps the product description should include a disclaimer:
“Not recommended for use when photographing a public figure or politician.”
I bought this similar model from Best Buy http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sunpak+-+PlatinumPlus+6600PG+65.5"+Tripod/1204144.p?id=1218246670063&skuId=1204144&st=sunpak&cp=1&lp=10
and it is not really steady enough for my Canon 7D with anything other than a small 17-50 lens. It mostly holds the camera still, but there is some creep. And for night shots, the motion of the shutter is enough to introduce shake. In other words, with a heavy camera like the 7D, it’s barely good enough for shots that border on slow… 1/30 of a second.
[QUOTE=LastApeMan, post:31, topic:307031]
This seems odd to me.
why carbon fiber?
Seems a little pricey for something like this.
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Why carbon fiber? For strength without too much weight. What’s odd about that?
Wow, usually you guys have low prices but this isn’t one of those days. These tripods just arrived at BigLots for $39.98. I just got one last night. Check your prices. This one is just way too high. Great product though.
This is towards the heavy end for a carbon fiber tripod and being Sunpak it is guaranteed to be cheaply made.
Lightweight in a carbon fiber/compact ball head setup would be 3 lbs or less. Feisol tripods are a good example of very light carbon fiber tripods. Several of their models weigh ~2 lbs without the head. You can get a good ballhead that weighs less than a lb. It will cost much more than this but a good tripod that will hold your gear steady and won’t break costs money.
Personally didn’t need the absolute lightweight so I went with the $200 Hakuba HK-503mx. Lifetime warranty and much less chintzy than anything made by Sunpak.
brad
This seems a bit short for auditorium use as in plays or school events at only max height: 64 in. (162.5 cm). I picked up the previous woot on 9/29/2009 - Sunpak Platinum Plus 7500 75" Pro Tripod w/ 3 Way Ultra-smooth Photo/Video Panhead 620-750BB and that was almost too short to get above the heads of those seated. It was less than $30 as well.
[QUOTE=NightGhost, post:22, topic:307031]
And if you’re taking a longer video, say of a school play, concert, or game, you’d be nuts not to use a tripod. Just nuts!
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If you are at a school play etc and video taping, you’d be better off with a mono pod. So would the people sitting around you. It’s a lot easier to setup and use too.
[QUOTE=phacopida, post:5, topic:307031]
Is 4 pounds heavy for a tripod of this caliber? I would like a really good tripod but I’d like to keep the packing weight to a minimum.
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Caliber has nothing to do with it. I have a 12 gauge thats about 4 pounds and it even has a pistol grip.
This is decent if you are short or have an angled spotting scope. If you are over 5ft6 you will not be able to comfortably use this for cameras.
[QUOTE=dapduki, post:44, topic:307031]
Wow, usually you guys have low prices but this isn’t one of those days. These tripods just arrived at BigLots for $39.98. I just got one last night. Check your prices. This one is just way too high. Great product though.
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Are you sure it’s carbon fiber? I wouldn’t mind having a CF tripod though I use a tripod maybe 2-3 times a year at best. I’m a professional photographer, what I really need is a CF monopod. For those asking why CF it’s all about the weight. When you carry a bag of stuff all day in the heat a tripod can become a real pita.
great head for digital slr. i have it on a set of bogen legs. I’m not sure i would trust such a light set of legs in a windy / crowded situation though. I would recommend this setup for any amateur / intermediate photographer. I also have a bogen micro fluid pan head for when i’m doing only video. Great deal !
Make sure you know what you need. I know that light and portable might seem appealing, but if you have a nice slr and want to shoot outdoors, light is not necessarily good. I was shooting on friday up in the mountains during a hike and this tripod would fly away in the wind faster than I could catch it. To steadily hold a hefty slr in the wind on an uneven surface you want something nice and heavy - not carbon fiber.
That said, if you only plan to use it indoors (no wind, steady level surface) then it might be great!
I have this and works very well! Pistol grip is removable and is best for light lenses. Upgrade to a better head for more weight,etc
Would suggest to a friend
[QUOTE=labman27730, post:23, topic:307031]
Silk tripods are junk they will last a while but then start falling apart.
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LOL. Best leave that material to just hold up spiders.
[QUOTE=gkcmilner, post:40, topic:307031]
I have a 30 year old Slick U212, and I can tell you it is NOT junk. Maybe some of the newer ones aren’t as solidly built, but they use to make excellent tripods.
This offering doesn’t seem to be all that light (4 lbs) considering it’s made from carbon fiber.
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Fascinating to see opinions of tripods based on the age of the user. When I used to sell to Brooks Institute students (Santa Barbara) in the early 70’s, a very heavy “Star D” tripod was the minimum they could use for their heavy cameras. Then, as cameras got lighter and used more plastic, so did the tripods.
[QUOTE=bchernicoff, post:42, topic:307031]
and it is not really steady enough for my Canon 7D with anything other than a small 17-50 lens. It mostly holds the camera still, but there is some creep. And for night shots, the motion of the shutter is enough to introduce shake. In other words, with a heavy camera like the 7D, it’s barely good enough for shots that border on slow… 1/30 of a second.
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I have a similar model myself and all the screws have worked themselves out of the mounting plates. Lost 2 of them before putting on some threadlock. Now this tripos is only used as a laptop stnad when shooting tethered.
4 lbs. is not a heavy tripod. I have an old
Husky made of aluminum and it weighs at least
10 lbs.
However, light weight can be a problem re:
stability in windy or unstable conditions.
There are ways to minimize this, however.
This should do very well for modern, digital
equipment, both for stills and video. And
this deal is so good, I’m seriously considering
this buy.
Chemyst
[QUOTE=butkus, post:39, topic:307031]
You can get a Manfrotto tripod with postal grip head for $70
http://www.cordcamera.com/Manfrotto-785B-Modo-Maxi-Tripod-with-Pistol-Grip-Ball-Head-P3572.aspx
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That tripod has a load capacity of 2.2 lbs.
Just one of my lenses weighs more than that.
The Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS weighs in at 3.5 lbs with the tripod ring on it.
That’s not even including the weight of the camera body.
[QUOTE=dapduki, post:44, topic:307031]
Wow, usually you guys have low prices but this isn’t one of those days. These tripods just arrived at BigLots for $39.98. I just got one last night. Check your prices. This one is just way too high. Great product though.
[/quote]
Can somebody confirm that this is the same model?
Why Carbon Fiber, besides weight?
I do a lot of sports photography, and while I almost always use a carbon fiber monopod, I will tell you that most referees won’t let you get anywhere near a sideline with aluminum (monopod or tripod) - it is a player safety issue…
Just something to consider…