CAMBOFOTO 68 Fluid-Head-Camera-Tripod Professional Travel Video Tripod for Camera DSLR Camcorders Binoculars Spotting Scope Telescope Max Load 8

Well made, head is more fluid than expected for the price. Read more

Great tripod and it’s simple to use. Read more

Great tripod with 360 leveling bubbles and the base plate is easy to attach/detach. Its also got a sturdy metal body but isnt that heavy either! Read more

This CAMBOFOTO 68" Professional Camera Tripod with Fluid Head has all the makings of a top quality product. After all, it delivers a rock solid build, a precision-guided fluid head with hydraulic dampening technology, and a tripod that can support up to 8.8-lbs, more than enough weight bearing capacity for heavier photography and lighting equipment. Now that I’ve had a chance to put the tripod into service, I’m generally pleased with the performance. However, it’s not without a few whiffs, and this has me thinking twice about a recommendation. ✅ WHAT I LIKE BEST ✅ ➜ Each leg of the tripod can be adjusted to one of three different angles relative to the vertical centerline; 20°, 55°, and 90°. It’s a simple ratchet mechanism with a pawl-like lever and 3 teeth, one for each angle. And because each leg has its own ratchet assembly, the tripod legs can be adjusted to accommodate uneven terrain. For example, if working on a hillside, the upstream leg can be set at 55°, with the two downstream legs at 20°, to compensate for the slope. From there, the level perspective can be further refined by adjusting the length of the legs; i.e. upstream leg lengthened, and/or the downstream legs shortened, depending on the slope angle. It’s a novel feature that markedly enhances the capability of the tripod. ➜ But I must say that my favorite feature is the precision movement of the fluid head. Thanks to an all metal build using quality components, together with tight tolerances between internal mechanical mating parts. And when the benefits of hydraulic dampening are added to the mix, I found the 3-way movement to be silky smooth with zero-backlash. I also detected very little if any “settling”, or drift, of a selected set-point after locking down any of the movements. Bottom line, the fluid head mount on this tripod package provides an uncompromising user experience, with a level of control that's only found in a professional-grade product. ❗️LIMITATIONS❗️ ➜ There’s no quick-set lock mechanism to secure the legs once deployed. Instead, the legs have bolts that have to be turned with a hex key tool every time the legs are deployed, adjusted (in angle), or collapsed for storage. And yet the bolts still don’t fully “lock” the legs. I’ve never been a fan of tool-based locking mechanisms because of the drag they put on the user-interface experience. But even more concerning is the risk of accidental collapse, especially when the tripod is set at the more vulnerable 20° angle. And/or if the bolts haven’t been sufficiently tightened. Bottom line, I don’t think I’ve ever used a tripod with “friction locking” legs before, and I’m not so sure I want to start now. It would have been better if the bolts had a wing or lever at the end, removing the tool requirement. ➜ The control arm for the pan tilt movements comes as a separate part that has to be attached to the head with a thumb screw. To ensure the fit is secure, serrated gear-like teeth have been cut into the mounting surfaces of the arm and where the arm attaches on the tripod head. Unfortunately, this is the one instance where the tolerance of mating parts is NOT sufficiently tight, and the result is backlash. Indeed, there’s considerable wiggle in the arm, even after the thumb screw has been tightened down to MAX torque (by hand). In fact, there’s almost 1/4” inch of vertical backlash at the very end of the control arm. And I’m sorry to say, the lag in responsiveness muddles the precision of the tilt movement. Not to mention putting a drag on the overall performance. ➜ The ratchet mechanism that controls the leg angle adjustment does not lock. Instead, each of the angle set points (20°, 55°, and 90°) relies on the hex bolts mentioned earlier to secure the angle set. And if they are not tightened enough, gravity will collapse the legs the minute they loose contact with the ground. ➜ The tripod that I received is missing the 1/4”-20 mounting screw for the quick-release plate. I was hoping I could simply contact CAMBOFOTO customer service and request a replacement; however, there’s no manufacturer (or seller) CONTACT INFORMATION provided with the product or in the listing. Of course, this has important implications for the 2-year warranty that’s advertised in the listing. 👍 RECOMMENDATION 👎 Despite the few issues that I flagged, this CAMBOFOTO tripod package remains a professional-grade product with plenty to cheer about. Indeed, the sturdy structural build and the precision movement of the fluid head are two features that alone should be enough to justify a favorable recommendation. On the other hand, if you’re like me and bothered by limitations that dampen the overall user-interface experience, like the ones I cited above, you might want to consider other options before settling on this model. Either way, take a close look and see what you think. Good Luck! Read more

The media could not be loaded. I like this tripod a lot, everything seems to work well and hold strongly construction overall is quite premium The only drive I have is a misspelling on the neck of the tripod and obviously that doesn't mess with its functionality at all. Everything simply works as it should and while I have seen other products from this brand have some rather large faults this one seems to hold its own for the most part. I've had this tripod for a few months now and use it on a daily basis in my video studio and it handles my medium heavy cameras fairly well. Nothing is sharp pokey it's all very premium feeling and nice and compact in the hand with a fluid head to get those smooth pan and tilt shots. Overall I think it's a great beginner intermediate tripod for photographers and videographers, and just perfect for folks needing a simple tripod for a podcast studio. And small enough to fit on the side of a camera bag on the go without taking up a lot of weight and space. This tripod is a winner in my book at this moment and if that changes I will let you know. Read more

I really like this product, which has replaced an old tripod that broke. Although I was disappointed with the opening experience and the boring brown box it comes with, this is actually a great product priced competitively. I was pleasantly surprised by the product’s attention to details: it comes with extras such as a soft carrying case, a phone holder, a mounting plate, hex wrenches, and extra screws, it has an adjustable handle that can be operated from the front, back, right, or left sides, it incorporates a fore-aft ruler that allows setting the mounting plate precisely, its rotating head includes 360-degree rotation markings, two bubble levels are mounted to the frame, and red accent colors elevate the tripod’s look. The tripod is extremely easy to carry, setup, and use. It is light enough to transport effortlessly yet heavy enough to be sturdy, especially when using the bottom hook to further weigh it down (with a camera bag or backpack), even when using my substantial DSLR camera. Deploying the tripod is a snap, where each of the 3 legs extend with 3 easy-to-handle leg locks, in addition to the center column extending vertically. All of the adjustments allow the tripod to take on many different shapes and sizes, adapting to any terrain. I mostly use it fully extended, in which case the final height is perfect for framing shots while standing up. The only fault I could find on this product is that the mounting plate bubble level is hidden by the camera when mounted (so it must be used, if at all, prior to mounting the camera). Despite this minor flaw, it provides amazing value for its price. Read more