Opteka 70" Full Size Professional Photo / Video Tripod by Opteka
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List Price: Our Price: $30.99 You Save: $38.96 (56%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Opteka 70" Full Size Professional Photo / Video Tripod
Digital camera Review: 70 inches tall?
Summary: 3 Stars
First off, my intentions for this tripod was just something I can start out with as I'm not willing to shell out $80+ dollars at the given moment. I've been using a Canon EOS Rebel T2i for about a year, and I really needed a tripod mainly for self pictures and videos.. since I don't have anyone who could help me with that. So almost a year later, I finally decided to try this out.
This tripod came in about four days. It didn't have any instructions or booklets with it, so you're going to need to experiment with it to see how it will accommodate you.
PROS:
- Pretty sturdy. Lightweight. Doesn't feel 100% solid but with gentle handling, I don't think this will break or collapse.
- I like that I can tighten the gears so my camera stays where I want it. I didn't have problems panning with it, ofcourse it wasn't smooth like butter, but it seemed quite consistent. The camera will not fall down if you tighten the "black stick" clockwise.
CONS:
- Either I haven't figured it out but this is by no means 70 inches tall. 70 inches is around 5'8", no? As I crank it up it stops at around 3 feet at most(I'm eyeballing it, btw)!
Additional comments: The screw to screw on the camera to the 'plate' of the tripod was tricky for me. I got it to fit my camera by taking the plate out and pushing the screw through the plate so it didn't dwindle down. At that point, while holding the bottom of the screw through the whole so it wouldn't fall down, I twisted my camera onto the screw until it became tight and then inserted the plate back onto the tripod (confusing? lol). I'm not sure if all tripods are like this since I don't have prior experience with any but this part upset me (I had a big WTF?! moment). I was about to get ready to return the product because I really wanted something that will be secure for my camera especially since I shelled out $1000 dollars for it.
I do plan on buying a better tripod later on, possibly end of the year or next year, but for now this will do.
... I just need it to get to 70 inches. -______- With that I would rate the product 3.5~4 stars...
Digital camera Review: A Good Tripod
Summary: 5 Stars
Hi, everyone! My name is Dennis, and I'm a budding photographer writing his first ever Amazon review. I just ordered this tripod from Amazon yesterday and it's already arrived. Amazon does it again... Anyway, I've always loved photography and for thr first time ever I have a real camera to do something with, a Nikon L110. I also have a Canon XSi, which is much more of a "real" camera, on the way and I'm very excited that I don't have to take pictures around campus with my extremely mediocre cell phone camera anymore.
After a few hours of researching tripods online yesterday, I found this one. It wasn't too expensive, but not too cheap either. I know better than to buy a $15.00 tripod. It was getting lots of good reviews, but also some bad ones, most of which bashed the tripod's build quality. Several reviews also mentioned that the panning isn't very fluid for all you videographers out there. I just got done setting it up and I don't see why some people reviewed it badly. Obviously, this tripod isn't extremely high-end, but it's not bad at all. It seems very sturdy to me, even without the addition of any weight to the hook on the bottom of the center pole and it's very light. I shot some video on it as well, to see how it panned. While not perfectly smooth, it was pretty close. All you have to do is loosen the correct part of the head (I'm not sure about the correct terminology) enough and it'll pan just fine. Any jerkiness could probably be attributed to me, not the tripod. It even comes with a carrying case, which I think is a nice touch.
Setup took only a few minutes (this coming from someone who has never set up a tripod in his life), but I can easily see it being set up in probably just over one minute, especially after one becomes acquainted with how it works. It doesn't come with instructions, but, again, it only took me a couple minutes to set up, the hardest part to figure out being the head.
Overall, this is a very good buy. The bulid quality seems very good (although I have no real frame of reference) and I'm fairly confident that it will hold up in the long run if I treat it gently and refrain from knocking it around too much.
Good luck to all my fellow photographers! Happy shooting!
Digital camera Review: A great tripod for a great price!
Summary: 5 Stars
This tripod may not be enough for the serious photographer with a super-heavy rig, but I use a Digital Rebel with a 75-300 lens and it can clearly handle a lot more than that! It's easy to use, lightweight, very sturdy and easily folds down into a nice case. Highly recommended!Digital camera Review: A very good deal, no complaints
Summary: 5 Stars
Lots of adjustability and everything locks. It comes with a carrying bag which requires that you collapse it correctly, but then it's easy to get it to fit. The black parts are plastic and the rest is aluminum, so it probably wouldn't stand up to a lot of punishment, but I don't care; I'll take care of it and keep it in the bag when it's not in use.
This is a great deal for the price. I have no complaints about it at all.
Digital camera Review: A wonderful Tripod for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a great tripod for it's price range, with lightweight but sturdy construction and a surprising height. I do a lot of video shooting on the go, and this tripod really fits the bill. It's very light, and is easy to carry around in the bag that comes with it. Fully compressed and in it's bag, it's only about 27" long, which is certainly small enough to put in a large bag or just sling over your shoulder. Although it's light, if you take care of it, it will be sturdy enough to last quite a while. Mine had a hook at the bottom for weights, as well, which seems to be something that was missing from some people's. For most people, I'd say it's certainly enough to fit most of your photography/video needs.