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Question: I have a digital camcorder and want to fill continuous video of moving people; how smooth is the panning with this tripod?
Document: I always find it humorous (well, not really) when people criticize a $30 tripod and discuss how it won't meet the needs of folks looking for "motion-picture" video quality. Whatever. I bought this tripod to complement a camcorder used at my son's football and basketball games. I tested it out this weekend at one of them, and it was superb in performance and functionality. The panning was very smooth and maintained level very well.
I do video work and was attracted to the sale price and extra height of this particular tripod. Come to find out, this model does not have a fluid head, meaning, if you do any panning with a camcorder, it won't be as smooth as you'd probably like it to be. Also, at the end of a pan the head tends to "unwind," causing your panned image to back up a little ways.
I didn't want to put more money into a tripod that what was necessary, so I bought theOpteka 70" Full Size Professional Photo / Video Tripod. I am using it mainly for still shots and video taping our music performances for review, so I didn't need anything that would move smoothly. (If you do need this tripod for panning, it is not smooth.) I also bought for the height; I can set it up back in a room & shoot over most people's heads.
No complaints! Used most all features and recorded video. Despite what a couple others have said, I had no problems with panning. The OPT7000 worked flawlessly. It was a breeze to set up and moving around was so simple. I thought it might be a little unstable with the camera mounted but the legs spread out so widely stability was never an issue.
Lightweight. Doesn't feel 100% solid but with gentle handling, I don't think this will break or collapse.- I like that I can tighten the gears so my camera stays where I want it. I didn't have problems panning with it, ofcourse it wasn't smooth like butter, but it seemed quite consistent. The camera will not fall down if you tighten the "black stick" clockwise.CONS:- Either I haven't figured it out but this is by no means 70 inches tall.
This tripod it the best bang for buck! I use it for my jvc camcorder to make films. If you get the right technique you can get smooth pans out of it(I did). AND DAMN ITS TALL, and strong too.
For the price, this thing is great! Stable, easy to set up and level. Not great for camcorder panning though, as the head is not even remotely like a fluid head.
It wasn't too expensive, but not too cheap either. I know better than to buy a $15.00 tripod. It was getting lots of good reviews, but also some bad ones, most of which bashed the tripod's build quality. Several reviews also mentioned that the panning isn't very fluid for all you videographers out there. I just got done setting it up and I don't see why some people reviewed it badly. Obviously, this tripod isn't extremely high-end, but it's not bad at all.
There is a soft plastic insert/bushing that centers the main shaft when making height adjustments, and on mine this bushing has become separated from its housing and moves up and down with the shaft during height changes.2. Smoothness of operation - the head does not swivel easily for smooth panning, although I don't know that many would use a tripod for panning shots. Same goes for the horizontal adjustment, its simply not very good.
See many people complaning about it's cheap plastic built, but hello? this is a 30 bucks deal, what were you expecting, titanium? This tripod is excellent for begginers who don't want to spend a lot of money (like me). Completely recommend it.PS: Just take it easy when handling it, it's just plastic hence it can easily be broken.
Answer: I don't want to sound like a pretentious professional, but honestly? It's lackluster. You might end up being better off with spending another $50 to get a fluid head tripod, it's so incredibly worth it. The Ravelli AVT seems to be based on a Davis & Sanford design that i'm not quite fond of (fragile under heavy use) but is leagues, *light-years* ahead of this sad piece of plastic.