Budget Tripod

[thefilmaddict]

I was looking for a second tripod for my DSLR, but didn't want to spend much money. This ended up being pretty good:

https://youtu.be/57JyLhF-FS8

[Publimix]

Looks like a Chinese copy of my Sachtler 15. But hey, what's wrong with a good copy?

[Peter C.]

Looks like a Chinese copy of my Sachtler 15. But hey, what's wrong with a good copy?

No it's not. It's a copy of the Manfroto 546B with 502 head
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...6b_tripod.html

[puredrifting]

I could never buy that for two reasons:

1. It's a copy of a Manfrotto. Manfrotto are the worse pieces of junk on the market and this is a copy of the worst piece of junk. This tripod is the car equivalent of a Lada.
2. WTH is a Miliboo? The Chinese random English word salad name generator really got a good one with this name, kudos.

Those said, if all you need is an unmanned lockoff, this is probably fine. If you need to try to actual moves with it, I can't imagine that could be a pleasant experience?

[Imamacuser]

Quality control can be pretty hit-or-miss or nonexistent on Chinese products; I'm glad that your Miliboo turned out to be a good copy.

Back in the spring I ordered an E-image tripod with a GH05 head and GA752 sticks. I went through two lemons that made a scraping sound when panning before I finally got a good copy. The two lemons both had a signed passed-inspection certificate, so E-Image either has really low quality standards or really lousy inspectors.

[thefilmaddict]

Here's the thing. I own a nice miller tripod that I use all of the time. It was over $1000 new and has lasted me over twenty years. It's solid. At work, we use a sachtler. It's even nicer and kicks major butt (lots of adjustments)! Is this $175 tripod as good as those other tripods? The answer is NO, but, it was built and operates way better than I thought it would.

I was doing steady moves with it and my camera felt stable on it. Will it hold up? I am not sure. Only time will tell, but the Chinese are making good stuff these days. It's worth considering if yo are starting out or just need a second affordable tripod.

[Publimix]

+1 My second tripod is a 35 year old nondescript thing. With a plastic quick release. Does its job. I always carry it with the rest of the gear.

[drboffa]

I have a Magnus VT-300 I bought 5 years ago for about $60 that is perfect as a B- or C-tripod. The panning isn't *totally* useless, but mostly it just needs to sit still and hold a camera (which it does perfectly). A quality tripod is a worthwhile (essential, even) investment, but a cheap and reliable tripod can be just as useful and valuable.

[Imamacuser]

I bought a Magnus PV-7451M when it was on sale for $50, and it has several engineering flaws as well as quality control issues. I had to warranty exchange the head because the 3/8-16 threads were tapped at a diagonal angle. Sometimes cheap stuff is really good though, I was using a Davis & Sanford FM18 head on heavy Calumet sticks, it weighed 15lb, but worked quite well for what it was (until the head started leaking grease after a decade), but obviously wasn't as good as a Sachtler.

[drboffa]

In the interest of full disclosure, I also had a Magnus VT-100 that broke after about 2 years. So yeah, as you note YMMV with cheaper brands