Editorial Review:Product Description:Whether you need a tripod for a digital, 35mm, medium or large format camera, video camera, binoculars or scopes, Velbon has a model with the quality, craftsmanship and exact features to meet your needs. Ultra MAXi series are new Twist & Lock leg systems designed for fast and easy set-up, with the benefit of other MAXi features.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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Velbon Ultra Maxi tripod
This is the best and lightest camera tripod I have ever owned. It's sturdy enough; and extends tall enough, to serve all my photographic needs. It's incredibly compact when folded.
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Great little tripod!
It's small enough and light enough to carry with you on a trip. It's sturdy enough to do the job. I plan to use it for two purposes during my travels in Europe - photography and plein air painting. My small painting box has a tripod connection and this tripod will support it while I paint.
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Excellent choice for travel/hiking that won't load you down!
I needed a lightweight travel tripod for those long exposures & sharp details & this one worked great & didn't take up much space. It comes with a pouch which I strapped to the side of my Kata rucksack & was easy to access. I didn't get the quick release, but spinning the tripod off my camera only took a few seconds. I looked at more expensive options, but the cost/benefit just didn't make sense. This tripod held up great with my Pentax K20D all the way to Machu Picchu!
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Perfect Travel Tripod
I'll admit I was skeptical of paying $120+ for such a tiny tripod, but my skepticism was unfounded. This tripod is great. I just returned from 10 days in Eastern Europe and the compact size and ultra-light weight of this tripod made it perfect for the killer stairs of the Prague Castle. The legs deploy and collapse with a simple twist and the unit feels very solid considering its light weight. I was shocked to see guys walking around with full-sized tripods, I can only imagine what a pain that was.
One recommendation: pick up the Velbon QRA-3 - Quick release adapter, as manually fastening the camera to the tripod for each use will get old quickly. I just ordered mine from B&H PhotoVideo (about $30 w/shipping). There are other quick-releases out there, but the velbon unit weighs just 2 oz and should compliment the tripod well.
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Ball and socket is lacking, but size, wieght and sturdiness are second to none
I'm fairly new to the world of photography and I needed a tripod that was relatively inexpensive. My other primary concern was that it's light and folds up small. I was planning on taking this tripod with me hiking and travelling so it needed to easily fit into my backpack and shouldn't add too much weight. After reading some reviews of the more inexpensive brands, I decided to spring for it and spend the money on this Velbon.
Sturdiness:
Very sturdy, even with extension arm. Wind really wasn't a problem at all and never did I feel like it was going to collapse under the weight of my dSLR.
Portability:
This is where this tripod really shines. Folded up, it's a little over 1 foot long. It fits across the bottom of my backpack with ease, takes up no space at all. It's also very light, I really don't notice a difference on my back when it's in the bag and when it's out of the bag.
Height:
To be honest, I wish it unfolded just a few inches taller. It comes up to about my chest (neck if the extension arm is extended). That can make composing hard shots sort of a pain on the back, but for it's folded size, it's a concession I'm glad to make
Ease of use:
The ultra maxi both shines and falters here. The twist lock motion of the legs took a few days to get used to, but once I got the hang of it, it was incredibly easy to use. Just 4 clicks when twisting one way unlocks, 4 clicks the other way locks. VERY nice, VERY simple (once you get used to it). The real setback of this tripod is the included head. First, the lack of quick release is a REAL hindrance. I found myself not using it sometimes because I didn't feel like screwing/unscrewing my camera onto it. I'm also always afraid I'm going to drop the camera during this process. Once I did get it screwed on, the ball and socket were hard to adjust. In essense, you can only adjust one tilt plane at a time (first, you have to adjust the forward/backward tilt, rotate the ball socket, then adjust the left/right tilt. This was sincere pain.
So in conclusion, I'm very happy with this purchase. I'll probably be replacing the head with a quick release version that's also easier to adjust, but all in all, I'm glad I spent the money (it was a little out of my budget).
