This is a great alternative tripod for people with miniscule budgets, students, teenagers, or anyone who wants a decent tripod but isn't yet ready for a Manfrotto. The legs and assembly are a step up from the cheapies you can get anywhere, but they are still plastic and feel like a cheap tripod. They are notably thicker and more rugged than supermarket tripods, but they're obviously not nearly as robust as the big boys. It's also fairly light, and if you have a big rig it may not work - it's fine with a DSLR and a decent lens on it though. It just feels light. The bottom line here is that it's not bad at all. Where this tripod shines is the fluid head. It's fabulous. It's slow, lugubrious, smooth, and easy to use. It's also easy to teach - I use this tripod with elementary schoolers and they learn how to lock down the tripod, how to pan smoothly without a jerky motion, all of it. It just makes things so much easier when you're not fighting a bad tripod. So yeah, this is not going to replace your amazing fancy fluid head monopod or whatever. But it's a great backup, a great learning tool for schools or nonprofits who need to buy several in bulk without breaking the bank, a great intermediary if you're in between gear. And it stands alone in this category. There aren't many other tripods like this one. This tripod is really really amazing for what you get. Highly recommended.

Smooth, Sturdy, Best for the price.

I got this as I am just getting into photography but want to really get into video as well, so I wanted something with the fluid movement. For the price and the good reviews here and BH, this one was the best choice. I've only had it for a couple of weeks, but took it around and used it for both photo and video just to test it out and love it. It's light weight, I love the quick release mount and ease of screwing your camera on. I give it a perfect rating because relative to the price, all the specs are what you would expect and more. The main features that aren't so great with this tripod that you would have to increase your budget to get would be the weight/sturdiness, seems like it would be easy to tip over with a heavier camera with a long lens, etc.; and some plastic parts that seem to be delicate. Just handle it with care and I believe this should last a while and I think it's going to be great to learn on!

The head on this tripod is very smooth and quiet. Excellent for filming. The levelling bubble makes perfect set-up easy and fast. The legs are not the strongest, but for the price they are sufficient. Overall the tripod is better than expected.

Both the tilt and pan operations are smooth and the tripod itself is sturdy. Super pleased with the product!

This tripod is a perfect accessory for my old 4x5 Calumet view camera that weighs 11 pounds. The fluid head works very well. It's light weight and very strong. I hope to get many years of service from this unit.

Very sturdy, easy to assemble, light weight and very useful for any location.

Over the years I have used different tripods for the small video camera. The use of the camera has been to video sporting event to download onto a dvd. the VT-300 is the first tripod that has done a satisfactory job allowing for freedom of flow and coverage during filming. It also is quite a better product than it's price. It works more like an expensive tripod rather than one that is affordable. I was pleasantly surprised at its weight, flexibility, sturdiness and storage capabilities. It is no doubt the better of tripods sold on the market at an affordable price.

Considering the price, this is a great tripod. I use it with Canon 60D. Have to have camera side sideways on the camera plate to use pan-tilt lever easier. Otherwise it works great and my video's are smooth during panning.