Soldato
I've rolled the dice on a Q666C
Me too and a replacement tilt/pan head instead of the ball one.
Tripod required for travelling!
- Thread starter Phate
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Me too and a replacement tilt/pan head instead of the ball one.
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Me too, I am interested in a light weight Tripod to carry around on shoots.
Thank you all for the replies. I've had a look through the thread.
I like the look of both the Mefoto Backpacker & the Velbon UT 43D II - The Velbon wins on being lighter, taller, smaller when compact and cheaper than the Mefoto. The Mefoto is however, better looking
It's between this and the Cullmann I originally mentioned. The main pros the Cullman has is:
- Weight - It's nearly 200grams lighter
- Compactness - I'm yet to see a tripod beat this in design due to the way it flatpacks.
However, the last point is also it's downfall, due to this the legs are limited and have 1 fixed position so to adjust it to different terrains would mean adjusting leg height extension rather than the angle.
The Velbon:
- Is taller
- More versatile
I'm undecided. The price difference is negligible by the time you add a head to the Cullman. The ultra slimness and weight of it are VERY appealing, bearing in mind I'm going backpacking for a year so every ounce counts!
Tempted to order both to be completely honest and try them out side by side.
I like the look of both the Mefoto Backpacker & the Velbon UT 43D II - The Velbon wins on being lighter, taller, smaller when compact and cheaper than the Mefoto. The Mefoto is however, better looking
It's between this and the Cullmann I originally mentioned. The main pros the Cullman has is:
- Weight - It's nearly 200grams lighter
- Compactness - I'm yet to see a tripod beat this in design due to the way it flatpacks.
However, the last point is also it's downfall, due to this the legs are limited and have 1 fixed position so to adjust it to different terrains would mean adjusting leg height extension rather than the angle.
The Velbon:
- Is taller
- More versatile
I'm undecided. The price difference is negligible by the time you add a head to the Cullman. The ultra slimness and weight of it are VERY appealing, bearing in mind I'm going backpacking for a year so every ounce counts!
Tempted to order both to be completely honest and try them out side by side.
OK well I'm 90% convinced on the Velbon but I'm too curious to NOT see the Cullmann design, so I've ordered both and will send one back
When I see things like "taller and lighter" I get worried about stability. Although there are lots of variables (material, design, construction) invariably heavier tripods are more stable, shorter tripods are more stable, and taller tripods need more weight to as stable as a shorter similar designed/constructed tripod.
Make sure wherever you buy it from has a good return policy so you can try it out and return if not satisfied.
Make sure wherever you buy it from has a good return policy so you can try it out and return if not satisfied.
Amazon, and supplied by Amazon
The Velbon has the option to hang a bag from it to improve stability if needed.
- Looking forward to trying them out. Will compare to my Manfrotto 170Amazon, and supplied by Amazon
The Velbon has the option to hang a bag from it to improve stability if needed.
Should be safe with amazon.
They're here! 
Haven't had a huge amount to of time to play with them both but I'll give you my initial impressions of them both.
First things first, I'm keeping the Velbon, the Cullmann is going back...heres what I thought of it.
Cullmann, initial impressions:
· Its thin from being flat packable
· It’s well made, feels nice in the hand
· Due to the design you could throw it in the bag and forget about it, not realise it’s there
So I unfolded it. I didn’t read the manual…I never do. I like to see how intuitive these things are, and it took a few seconds to figure it out but I soon had the legs in place, when they spin around they click in place with a satisfying noise.
The legs when clicked in place are fiddly to extend, they don’t feel very made on the joints itself. Also when the legs fold out from horizontal to angled they don’t click in place, so I found I had to adjust one of the legs again to make sure it was at the correct angle (the weight of the leg almost makes it start going back to where it came from, not a big issue, but annoying)
At its full height it comes up to just under out chin, around about chest height. I'm 5ft 7.
Packing away I found fiddly but then again I think its just a case of getting used to it. It felt sturdy enough but I didn’t attach a camera, and you would need to buy a head for it. To pack it down to its most compact you’d need to remove the head each time too.
The idea behind the Cullmann is good and you can see where they have sacrificed basic features in the effort to save weight. I like it. If I didn’t have the experience of other more versatile tripods, I’d love it. You could easily make it so the legs went 180 degrees. But I’m sure they had their reasons.
Basically in a nut shell, it's a good tripod. But it's not suitable for me and my trip. I'd recommend to those who wanted a basic lightweight tripod. So unfortunately it goes back.
Annnnywaaay, enter the Velbon UT43D II.
OK, initial impressions...its a very nice well made product, it feels good in the hands, its ridiculously small! I've only got small hands and I could easily get my hands wrapped around it and handle it.
Here it is next to my Manfrotto 170.
And here it is next to a TRAINER to give you an idea...
Fully extended it is taller than my 170, apparently I had quite the face of shock when I undid the leg and pulled then suddenly six pieces of leg followed it, it just kept going!
To fix the legs at an angle it has a handy metal switch on the collar.
Also, to retract the legs 180 degrees to compact the tripod, along with putting them in any position, the whole collar twists around.
Overall, I'm chuffed. For £80 it's a steal!
Haven't had a huge amount to of time to play with them both but I'll give you my initial impressions of them both.
First things first, I'm keeping the Velbon, the Cullmann is going back...heres what I thought of it.
Cullmann, initial impressions:
· Its thin from being flat packable
· It’s well made, feels nice in the hand
· Due to the design you could throw it in the bag and forget about it, not realise it’s there
So I unfolded it. I didn’t read the manual…I never do. I like to see how intuitive these things are, and it took a few seconds to figure it out but I soon had the legs in place, when they spin around they click in place with a satisfying noise.
The legs when clicked in place are fiddly to extend, they don’t feel very made on the joints itself. Also when the legs fold out from horizontal to angled they don’t click in place, so I found I had to adjust one of the legs again to make sure it was at the correct angle (the weight of the leg almost makes it start going back to where it came from, not a big issue, but annoying)
At its full height it comes up to just under out chin, around about chest height. I'm 5ft 7.
Packing away I found fiddly but then again I think its just a case of getting used to it. It felt sturdy enough but I didn’t attach a camera, and you would need to buy a head for it. To pack it down to its most compact you’d need to remove the head each time too.
The idea behind the Cullmann is good and you can see where they have sacrificed basic features in the effort to save weight. I like it. If I didn’t have the experience of other more versatile tripods, I’d love it. You could easily make it so the legs went 180 degrees. But I’m sure they had their reasons.
Basically in a nut shell, it's a good tripod. But it's not suitable for me and my trip. I'd recommend to those who wanted a basic lightweight tripod. So unfortunately it goes back.
Annnnywaaay, enter the Velbon UT43D II.
OK, initial impressions...its a very nice well made product, it feels good in the hands, its ridiculously small! I've only got small hands and I could easily get my hands wrapped around it and handle it.
Here it is next to my Manfrotto 170.
And here it is next to a TRAINER to give you an idea...
Fully extended it is taller than my 170, apparently I had quite the face of shock when I undid the leg and pulled then suddenly six pieces of leg followed it, it just kept going!
To fix the legs at an angle it has a handy metal switch on the collar.
Also, to retract the legs 180 degrees to compact the tripod, along with putting them in any position, the whole collar twists around.
Overall, I'm chuffed. For £80 it's a steal!
Anyway to remove the central column form the velbon, they just reduce atsability and add weight.
Similarly, could you remove the last2 legs sections? Tripods are as stable as the weakest link, which tends to come from the bottom leg section.
Removing all of that should save weight and make for a better tripod.
Similarly, could you remove the last2 legs sections? Tripods are as stable as the weakest link, which tends to come from the bottom leg section.
Removing all of that should save weight and make for a better tripod.
Haven't looked at dismantling it to be honest. It honestly seems sturdy as it is. If I find this an issue on the road I can look into it.
Could also potentially ruin the design though?
Could also potentially ruin the design though?
Caporegime
You need the centre column to be there for when folding back. Else the head would get in the way of the legs.
That is a shame.
Caporegime
It shouldn't be a problem (in mine with a similar design), you can drop the centre column to almost the cross point between the 3 legs.
Mine has arrived and i have to say very impressed with it. Build quality is top notch, design is excellent, better features that the Q-666c variants (imo) and the ball head looks very serviceable.Sh4rkie said:
True test will be tonight with a 70/200 2.8 on it
Mine has arrived and i have to say very impressed with it. Build quality is top notch, design is excellent, better features that the Q-666c variants (imo) and the ball head looks very serviceable.
True test will be tonight with a 70/200 2.8 on it
How'd you get on?
What features does it improve on over the 666c?
Honestly, phenomenal.
6D + grip + 70/200 2.8 on it's side on the head it holds it vice like, no slippage when locking it down it's stays where you put it. Very surprised as it's smaller than my existing head on my Redsnapper.
Tripod stability wise centre column not extended and it'll take the above solidly on it's side with no movement. Although it'd never happen as i'd rotate the body in the lens mount vs on the ball head. Centre column fully extended to eye level (i'm 5'11") and it's good but not without the perils of being fully extended.
Build quality is amazing, so refined, the metal work finishing is precise everywhere. Finishing is immaculate, even the ball head is so polished. Genuinely blown away for a relatively cheap offering. Leg angle locks are spring loaded and cleverly done. Centre column and leg locks are solid and hold well. And there is an additional screw to doubly secure the centre column if needed, it's where you can secure a carry strap. Feet spikes are included and are lethal!
Plain black bag included and it compact and strong / quality. Finally converts nicely to a monopod.
Take away from it for me is the engineering of it. It's so well made.
Pleased as punch for £77!
Mine has arrived and i have to say very impressed with it. Build quality is top notch, design is excellent, better features that the Q-666c variants (imo) and the ball head looks very serviceable.
True test will be tonight with a 70/200 2.8 on it
Link to where i can buy this please?
Sounds good — spring loaded leg angle locks would be a nice feature on the Q-666c