Peterson—April 18, 2016
This was the perfect purchase by someone who had no clue what to look for in a tripod. I am not a professional photographer and had never been close to a tripod in my life. It has exceeded expectations I didn't know I had until I began to use it. My husband and I are getting on in years and sometimes taking pictures is a challenge on shaky hands days. We've purchased several Olympus Stylus digital cameras (point and shoot and let the camera figure out how to give us a good picture). We needed the zoom feature to take our wildlife photos from our home and deck. A little tremble with a big zoom equates to a major shake...hence the desire for a stable holder for the camera. The tripod was very easy to assemble and I confess I did not use the instructions which looked a little intimidating. I used no tools, not even the allen wrench that was included. Someday I'll look and see what it is supposed to do but I have everything working that I need. I simply unfolded the legs and used the little turn knobs on each of the three legs to get the height I wanted. Love the range for height! I'm 5'5" and husband is nearly 6'. It is ideal for us both. Twisted the camera onto the little screw on the removable platform, tightened the platform on top of the tripod and was ready to use it. There are two easy adjustments that allow the platform holding the camera to move in a steady and controlled fashion if your target isn't inclined to sit still and smile. We've caught eagles, deer and other animals moving at a clip and at a distance. Shots we missed before we now get most of the time. The platform holding the camera can be quickly removed if you need to grab the camera and run without the tripod. The tripod is attractive enough to leave set up all the time and is a great conversation piece. Everyone who sees it wants to take a picture. Other nice features are that it is lightweight but very, very sturdy. It has a nice travel case. It has another attachment with a larger screw that may be meant for something that needs a larger screw to attach than our Stylus' need. All in all it looks more expensive than it is. Read more
John S.—February 1, 2023
The media could not be loaded. I will confess that I didn’t buy this to make beautiful pictures (although I might try now), but for a far less glamorous reason. At 6’ 1’ and 70, I don’t bend, squat, hunker down or get back up from doing any of these things like I used to. I just wanted something to steady my telescope and camera to observe and snap a steady shot of something far away without having to do any any of the physical gyrations mentioned above. The reviews and the price convinced me that this tripod was the one I wanted to try out. This thing is lightweight, well-made, easy to set up, and quite sturdy. I only gave it 4 stars for sturdy because I don’t want to deceive anyone, and until it’s held up for a while longer, I won’t. The phone adapter is great. I used it, my IPhone 6s, and my 12x55 monocular to video Sirius on a clear night. It’s also super easy to convert to a monopod, just like it says. If it falls apart a month from now with careful use, I’ll come back and update this, but thus far, I’m totally impressed and satisfied. It does what I bought it to do, and at a price where my wife won’t ask “why did you need to buy one of THOSE”! UDATE: After several months of use, I hereby raise my rating from 4 to 5 STARS! The adjusting knobs and the joints on the legs are holding up fine. In my opinion, so long as you don't use unnecessary force (take your frustrations out on it), it will last for years. Great tripod! Read more
Wayne S. Pelouch—April 28, 2019
I was looking for a reasonably good, but not overly expensive tripod and the Mactrem fits the bill. The adjustable angles for the legs seems like a good idea, although you have to be careful to make sure they are pressed firmly in place to avoid some slippage. There appears to be a little wiggle room for where the legs contact the ground because of this issue -- my only minor complaint. The top camera mount piece was not firmly screwed in, so make sure it is or you won't be able to lock down the rotation (pan). The "tilt" and ball lock both need to be tight to keep the camera secure. I like the counter weight hook to lower the center-of-mass and improve stability, especially in windy conditions. If you pay attention to these things, then the tripod seems reasonably stable even with a heavier lens attached to the camera. The ball is not overly loose or tight, so the camera is easy to maneuver and lock down. The tripod is easy to use and fold up. Additionally, it has some nice features which I haven't used yet, but expect to at some point (monopod, inverted column). It's also an attractive design and comes with the carrying case. Due to the tripod lightness (another feature I like), I would suggest using an exposure delay so that you can take your (heavy) hands off for the shot. Common sense, really. Overall, I am very happy with the tripod and recommend it to others. Read more
