Manfrotto 725B Digi Tripod with Integrated Ball Head with Dove Tail Plate and Carrying Bag (Black) by Manfrotto
|
List Price: Category: Digital Camera See more digital camera details and other models |
|---|
(Click here)
Digital camera reviews of Manfrotto 725B Digi Tripod with Integrated Ball Head with Dove Tail Plate and Carrying Bag (Black)
Digital camera Review: Excellent Tripod
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this to take movies (staying still) and it works great. My last one was very awkward to change positions and get level shots (didn't have 360 movement). Because of the ball on the head, this one can move to any position and be level and it only has one main lever that needs to be loosened. The base is very stable too.
Digital camera Review: Excellent Tripod ... Except When the Head Breaks
Summary: 1 Stars
When I got this tripod, I was very excited ... it was lightweight, compact, and very easy to use.
I used it a few times ... and loved it.
After using it at home for about 6 weeks, however, the ball head no longer holds up my camera. (I'm very careful with my equipment, and I would say this tripod saw light to moderate use). And there's no way that my camcorder (a Canon HG10) even comes close to the 7 pound weight limit that the specs say this head can hold.
This is a wonderful tripod ... except for the integrated head. Once the head breaks, it cannot be replaced, thus turning the entire tripod into a paperweight.
I'd suggest buying something else.
PRODUCT UPDATE: Since the unit is still under warranty, I returned it for repair. The service department returned the unit "in working order." Now the head will hold my camera up about 50% of the time, and I find that I have to fiddle with the lock a great deal to get the head to stay. I don't trust the latch, so I'll continue to use this tripod (because of the portability and weight), but I rarely take my hands off my camera when it's on this tripod.
From reading the other reviews, other folks seemed to have had good experiences with this unit. For me, even after going to the hassle of returning the unit for service, I am still not pleased with it, and would not recommend it to others.
I guess you roll your dice and takes your chances.
PRODUCT UPDATE #2:
A few weeks after I posted the above, the head stopped working entirely. People seem to like this unit, so I must have gotten a defective one. This broken unit now serves as a rather expensive secondary light stand in my studio.
Digital camera Review: Fantastic Tripod!
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this tripod to use with a Canon Rebel XT.
At first I was concerned that it wouldn't be sturdy enough.
WRONG! I was pleasantly surprised! This is a fantastic tripod, with ease of set-up,lightweight, the tripod Ball head and quick release that came with it you can't beat the quality or the price!
Dennis
Digital camera Review: Fine little tripod
Summary: 5 Stars
Manfrotto rates this for use with point and shoot cams. Its pretty small and thus would be perfect for that use. I mounted my Nikon D80 with a 5omm prime on it and did some test shots. It was quite steady and relatively easy to adjust. It did make me quite nervous when I flipped it to a horizontal - especially when the dog walked by. But it was fine. I mainly bought it as a backup, for travel, some indoor work, and to mount my flash and it works great for that. Especially since it folds up real nice and small and comes with its own carrying bag. I would say this is a fine tripod for the price, especially if you are planning to use it with a P&S as intended. I considered mounting my 28-70 2.8 to the D80 and giving it a whirl but I am not a glutton for punishment.
synopsis- Excellent for intended use. Carrying bag is a bonus. Lightweight and quite versatile. Serious DSLR users may want to fork out more $$$ for a more substantial tripod.
Digital camera Review: Great Choice, Even for DSLR
Summary: 5 Stars
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!