Excellent tripod. It is heavy, which is what I want. The head that comes with this tripod is excellent, fully adjustable, even the tension of the movement of the ball. So with my heaver camera (Sony A7R II with telephoto) it really is what I was looking for. Plus no handle from the head (making folding and storing a breeze), but rather the ergonomic twist tight knobs. They fit my fingers well (bigger hands) and to tighten the ball is smooth. This is probably not what you want to take hiking - and I won't. This is more for taking in the car/truck, city work, studio work. But it is solid. Also, versatile. I can lay the top over 90 degrees and shoot straight down. It is quick to open and close. And taller, so I don't have to stoop to look through the view finder. All in all this tripod and head are just what I want. I also bought the recommended Manfrotto case. It is very snazzy looking, quite the Italian flair. Even the tripod looks good (I know that sounds weird! What can I say? It's a professional photographer's tripod and half the cost and looks like it will last for a very long time.) Will I take this traveling overseas? If I was working, yes. For touring, I might. I feel so safe with the camera on this platform. You can get lighter weight carbon tripods. Me, I like this one best. Read more
I've owned a couple of cheaper tripods (substantially cheaper!) and while I was a little concerned about spending this much I am now very happy that I did. This is one substantially built piece of equipment and is very sturdy. This particular model (four-section legs) collapses down to a convenient size fo easy carry in the old bag that I had. The ball head works flawlessly, it is smooth and locks into any position you put it in, holding firmly even with a good, full-sized SLR and a heavy lens. I'm into macro and table-top photography and the ability to swing the arm into a horizontal position and/or spread the legs out provide excellent versatility. I can get my camera within inches of the ground or out over the edge of the table for a product shot. Excellent build, very nice features that provide versatile use, compact fold, and solid positioning of the camera. You can't go wrong... this is a one-time purchase that will last you for years with any care at all. Also note that Manfrotto offers great service and quite a number of optional equipment. Read more
Received tripod and will be using it soon. Was disappointed that it shows suggested what is purchased with it and it has quick release attachment with it already. Sadly I bought it per suggestion and I was not suggested the carrying bag. So spent extra money for one thing and could have gotten bag instead. Annoyed honestly. Now off to find carrying bag because this tripod is pretty heavy without one! Ugh Read more
I am not a tripod expert. Since the age of about 14 I have been active in amateur photography. I was in the high school camera club, had photos published in local newspapers, and was a photographer for our high school yearbook. Since then, my photos have really just been family photos except for shooting an occasional wedding through word-of-mouth to those who could not afford $3,000 plus for a pro (I made no profit). I have always owned a tripod, but those have been inexpensive. My last tripod was a Velbon 7000, which for the price was okay. Since my wife and I began traveling, the need to take scenic photos with us both in the image meant more use of my radio remote and tripod. I decided to purchase a decent tripod and after much research settled on this Manfrotto 190 package with the ball head. Oh man! What a nice tripod! I should have invested in a better tripod years ago! You can review the features through online video reviews, but I am quite pleased with this purchase. I am really looking forward to using it for our selfie scenery photos but also for some night photography. By the way - word to the wise. If you are taking travel photos for personal use or other personal photos, you need to get yourself and your family into the photographs. Don't rely on some passer-by to use your camera. They will likely not frame it correctly, cut off feet, cut off heads, and otherwise innocently screw it up. Get some sort of remote trigger and a good tripod! You'll treasure the photos! Photos of mountains, seashore, or animals alone are nice, but the ones you'll keep will be those with you and yours in them (not missing anyone who had to take the picture). Read more
This was to replace the tripod I had for 10+ years, and it broke in 3 months! That is friggin ridiculous! I'm not throwing it around or mistreating it. I'm not a big female, tightening the crap out of it! Of course, now I'm outside my return window for Amazon, so I'm having to contact Manfrotto to get this resolved. Read more
I bought this on the suggestion of a friend when I said I wanted a sane way to do overhead shots, and this has the ability to do that. What I wasn't prepared for was how sturdy this thing is. To be honest, all the tripods look pretty much the same in photos, but this is so much better than my previous one. I'm totally happy. The other bonus (sigh) is that I have a bad habit of taking photos that are tilted or not square, even when I used a tripod. I'm not sure what the heck I was doing wrong, but this one has broken me of that habit. Totally pleased. Read more
Very solid tripod. This is a good upgrade for those looking to get a very stable tripod at a reasonable price. No it's not as good as the high end Gitzo or Really Right Stuff but it's a good compromise. My only cons, and they were expected at this price point, is that it is a heavy tripod. If I was traveling or had to carry it long distances I would likely upgrade and get a carbon fiber model. But for me as an enthusiast who enjoys portraits and landscape photography this is an excellent tripod. Very high quality. Read more
