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I'll upgrade to something better later, and then this tripod will enjoy its retirement holding Speedlites. Pan/tilt motion is jerky and imprecise, but that's an acceptable tradeoff for the price. Reasonably light and compact, extends fairly tall. Stable enough for indoor still photography.
There is a small plate that just stays on the bottom of the camera.The quick release legs always work great and have held up well under heavy use.Sure, the tilt and pan will not work very well for video because it is not the smoothest mechanism in the world, but for a basic tripod, it works great.In my humble opinion, buy this or spend ten or twenty times more for a very high end tripod. The 8001UT is the best basic tripod I have found. It is the right choice for 98% of people looking to buy a tripod.Unconditional recommendation to everyone but a professional (or anyone taking very very long night exposures). Anything in the middle is a waste of money and you will not find anything near this quality for less money.If you are not a professional photographer, this is the tripod for you. I have been using this for a few years - first with my film SLR and now with my digital Nikon D3000 SLR.It is lightweight, stable and the quick release head is its best feature. The quick release head lets you VERY easily take the camera from your hand to the tripod, without having to deal with the screw attachment.
This tripod is a lot sturdier compared with other similarly priced products. No hassle carrying and it and fit easily into the backpack. The one thing I don't understand is the positioning of the bubble level on the quick release; it becomes useless as soon as the camera is attached.Great value for the price. I've been using this tripod for more than six months. It has not been through any harsh conditions but I have taken it on a couple of hiking trips, including one trip to half dome.
If you try to pan, it will resist moving until you push hard enough, then it will suddenly jerk, often further than you wanted to move. It is impossible to get smooth movements of the camera, especially panning. The movements are very jerky. This tripod is great if you want to take still photos. But for still photography it's a very good tripod for the price. But if you want to take videos where you are following some action (nature, sports, etc). It's light but sturdy and fairly easy to set up. I would not recommend it.
In fact, it is more heavy duty than I need for my tiny camcorders and cameras. Very easy to use.The bubble levels are useful for getting the camcorder or cameras straight. For its size, it is lightweight. I bought this tripod because my other tripod was very unsteady and the legs kept collapsing. I guess it really isn't that big for a professional photographer. There's a second mounting plate included, so I can quickly mount a second unit. For a person who owns tiny camcorders and cameras who just wants something steady and reliable, I wish it were smaller; but then it may not work so beautifully.
I can't just put it in my purse or backpack. I'm 5'5" and I don't need to bend over when the tripod is extended.This is a terrific tripod. The center column will also extend to give a very nice height. I have to lug it around. There are an infinite number of adjustments I can make to get my camera just so, from the height of the legs to the tilt and swivel of the camera.
Sunpak 8001UT is more than steady, it is solid. Nice to have something like that included. The quick-release mounting plate means I can pick up my camcorder quickly when needed. And it's lots bigger than my other tripod. Still, when I need a tripod, this one is the reliable one.
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