Camcorder Reviews

I received this tripod as a birthday present. I set it up and used it to take one family photo. My daughter then walked by, slightly bumping one leg of the tripod. I was quite surprised to look at the tripod and find the leg badly bent. Tried to straighten the leg and it snapped right off. "Sturdy steel leg construction" the package says. HA! Straight into the garbage it went after being out of it's package less than 10 minutes. I'll get a different brand next time.

Just a bit confuse by this company product's description. Does NEW mean the package opened and have scratch on it? Although it is works, I totally lost my joy. Anyway, it maybe an "exceptional" case, but I won't buy from this company again.

I love this tripod. I own 2 other much larger tripods but this is the one I take everywhere. Setting up this tripod is very quick - just pull each leg and twist to lock. Taking it down is even faster - twist each leg to unlock and then pound the tripod against the ground to collapse all 3 legs at the same time.

However, make sure you can live with the following limitations before getting this tripod:
1. The extended height is either 10.5" or 40". Any other height in between is very difficult to setup and not as secure.
2. The maximum height of 40" is quite low. There will be times that you wished you brought along a regular tripod.
3. It has only a 2-way head. It can only pan and tilt forward/backward. It cannot rotate clockwise/counterclockwise.
4. The build quality and tolerance are not top notch. When you pan, the head rotates slightly clockwise then counterclockwise. Camcorder and digital photographer using panning or stitch panoramic mode will find this objectionable. For my particular tripod, I have to remember to setup the tripod leg with the Ambico logo to my right in order for my pictures to line up with the true horizon.
5. It looks flimsy (but to be expected for this type of tripod). The plastic head probably will not survive a direct drop to the concrete pavement.

I bought one of these quite some time ago to use with my SLRs (Canon T90s) and it turned out it was totally useless for them. It was way to wobbly so I ended up buying a Bogen tripod and ball head for around [$$$]. This tripod went into the closet until lately when we bought a DV JVC camcorder and for it this tripod works very well. The camcorder is light enough for the tripod to hold it steady enough. The fluid head is a bit of a joke (not really fluid), but it works for what we use it for. And the bubble level is a nice detail. You cannot put many pounds on this and don't expect to take razor sharp pictures on long exposures. But it's an inexpensive alternative for smaller digital cameras and camcorders. It's lightweight and easy to carry.

It's been a long time since I used a tripod but I managed to get it set up without reading the instructions. There are no instructions so save the box for helpful hints. Tripod is fit for my purpose: mostly indoor use planned. It is hard to get it truely static when pressing shutter release on Minolta Dimage X. I was also horizontally challenged - the base has a little level that is below (BELOW) the camera pad. I would not take this on a rugged outdoor adventure with many uneven surfaces (They will need to make a titaniium one to get it this light but durable; start saving now.) I would not use it around kids, old folks, crowds, or any combination of these because your expensive electonic gizmo is going to going to fly thru the air with the greatest of ease. A nylon or tyvek travel case would be a helpful item.

This is a pretty decent tripod, for the price. However, don't be misled by the "fluid effect head." That's why I happened to buy this particular tripod, and it turns out that I already owned one!

I had purchased a tripod made by Ambico which was almost identical about 14 months prior to this purchase. At the place where I bought it, it cost me around 20 bucks. I had decided to get a different tripod because the fluid effect head wasn't nearly fluid enough for me. When this one finally came, I compared the two, and my old one worked just as good as this one.

If you're looking for a cheap tripod that gives you great bang for your buck, then this tripod is for you. If, however, you're looking for a tripod that truly is fluid, look somewhere else. Oh. And if you're going to get this tripod, shop around a bit. You might be able to find it cheaper elsewhere.