okay...but definately for amateur and light use.

I thought that this was the SLR version, therefore it should support an SLR and a lens, no? Well try a 20D with a 24-105 lens...err no, it just falls down collapses. It's construction is pretty poor and lightweight and the lock is purely to lock the camera screw clip to the base of the 'pod, not to lock the mechanism to prevent it moving. You will also get annoyed as your fingers and skin tend to get pinched in between the grippy balls (if you'll excuse the expression ;) I thought that this was the biggest version, but I see I made the wrong purchase and should have got the 'Zoom' version...never mind. I would suspect that the small one with something like a canon Ixus would be brilliant, but as a serious addition to a serious photographers kit bag...forget it. Get a proper small tripod, some magic arms and some clamps!

okay...but definately for amateur and light use.

I thought that this was the SLR version, therefore it should support an SLR and a lens, no? Well try a 20D with a 24-105 lens...err no, it just falls down collapses. It's construction is pretty poor and lightweight and the lock is purely to lock the camera screw clip to the base of the 'pod, not to lock the mechanism to prevent it moving. You will also get annoyed as your fingers and skin tend to get pinched in between the grippy balls (if you'll excuse the expression ;) I thought that this was the biggest version, but I see I made the wrong purchase and should have got the 'Zoom' version...never mind. I would suspect that the small one with something like a canon Ixus would be brilliant, but as a serious addition to a serious photographers kit bag...forget it. Get a proper small tripod, some magic arms and some clamps!

quality memory stick!!!

This item is superb. Reads data fast and can hold data up to 7.57gb which is a lot!!!.
I want to advise; never buy memory stick from third party sellers just because its a little cheaper. There are lots of fake memory sticks made in china which look so much like the genuine memory stick. I actually bought a memory stick before from a seller in ebay because it was cheaper but what I got was a fake one which doesnt work properly (can't read data and can't take data more than 1~2gb). Get it from amazon, its the most sure, fast, cheap way to get a GENUINE memory stick.

Excellent

My first tripod!! Just got it few mins. ago (ordered 5pm 2 days ago - from KK Electronics) and its everything and more than expected! With everything extended, its taller than me! LOL (i'm just 5'1" anyway) Despite being very light, it feels very sturdy! Even comes with operating instructions! Loving the fact that the angle of the pad can tilt to 90 degrees... perfect for those portraits! Just wish it came with a carry on bag, this would have the perfect! Nevertheless, very very pleased!!

Superb Value

I have just now received my tripod. And it's exactly as it looks in the pictures. This item is superb value for money as it has the typically rigid, quality feel as you would expect from a sony product.
It is a mighty compact tool which extends without losing the rigid feel. A Must Buy.

Ideal

Lightweight yet relatively sturdy tripod for cameras and camcorders, it's fully adjustable/lockable with quick-release catches on the legs. The product is aluminium and has a satin finish (in an off-silver colour).

I'm 5'10" and my camcorder sits comfortably at eye-level when this tripod is fully extended (no bending required). The legs are in 3 sections and are fully adjustable from 45 - 120cm with a locking collar on the central column to keep them firmly in place. (The remaining height adjustment comes from the hand-crank central column).

The unit stands upon self-levelling rubber feet which create a triangular footprint of 84cm per side when opened to maximum.

The tripod comes complete with a black nylon medium density carry bag with shoulder strap only, though there is a separate carry handle on the tripod itself (on central column).

There are 2 spirit levels; a 'spot' level at the top of the legs and a 'line' level on the camera base plate, and each of the movable 3-way aspects; pan/tilt/angle moves smoothly for the most part (the vertical crank seems the least smooth). Also, each of these can be locked independently in position as desired. [Another reviewer stated the panning action was not smooth but I've not found that problem on the unit I got].

Finally, there's a hook at the bottom to hang weights from for additional stability, the tripod will hold up to 3.5Kg.

All in all, very pleased, this tripod's a bit of a bargain really.

Let down by the head

The tripod is not up to the job of supporting my K10D, which is hardly the heaviest body in the world.

The legs are solid and flexible and can be adapted to give a level platform on almost all surfaces. This is aided with the built in bubble spirit levels.

But, and this negates the point of having a tripod, the head wobbles. The platform for the quickrelease is plastic and flexes pretty easily. Don't even try and use the camera in the portrait position. I've taken 5 shots using the exposure bracketing on the camera, with mirror lock up and 10 second timer and the shots still don't line up.

Sure it is better than hand holding for a lot of occasions, but there is too much movement in the head.

must buy

Compact, light, elegant, simple and functional. Contrary to one review, it does have instructions in English - they appear on the packaging itself, rather than on the accompanying leaflet - but instructions are largely superfluous anyway.

Works but breaks

Works well but broke in 3 months. I guess you get what you pay for.

Fragile; problems with panning

I had problems with this tripod. The first one delivered was damaged in transit and the replacement would not pan smoothly.
Some reviewers are happy with this product and, indeed, the first (damaged) one did pan OK, but the panning problem with the replacement was not a one-off - looking back thorugh the reviews, others have had the same problem.
On the plus side, ordering this product gave me an opportunity to experience Amazon's excellent handling of returns of damaged or faulty items. If you have a printer, Amazon provides a pre-paid return label so you don't have to get a refund for the postage. Also, they didn't wait for the returned item to reach them before sending a replacement (in the first instance) or processing the refund (in the second) - they did it immediately. Therefore, if you decide to take a chance on buying this product, you can at least be confident that Amazon will handle it professionally if the panning is faulty.

Very disappointed

I expected much more from this tripod. I have other Manfrotto equipment and it is all first class. Despite this tripod being advertised as"Professional", when I tried it out in the field for the first time I was very surprised at the poor results. I initially put that down to an inadequate tripod head, but having now obtained the first class Manfrotto 808RC4, I can identify the problem as the tripod - it vibrates like a harp string. When using even a moderate telephoto lens I would be better-off holding the camera in my hand. Attaching my camera bag to the convenient hook on the tripod makes no difference. Even without any leg extension the tripod still resonates. My advice would be to try it before you buy.

One of the best tripods you can buy for under £100

So I bought this Gorillapod along with a Cannon IXUS 70 digital camera and it's a perfect combination.

I recently went on a trip to Palermo, Sicily and without this Gorillapod, I wouldn't have got a single good picture. When vising churches and places with low light conditions you need a tripod to deal with the long exposure times (to avoid grain and the unforgivable use of the flash) but carrying a conventional tripod would have been allot of trouble with setup times for on the fly photography.

With this Gorillapod there wear no problems with setup times as all you need to find is something to either sit in on or rap around (most of the time a pew would do) There is enough articulation where the camera attach so that even with rapping the Gorillapod around a pole you can get level shots very easily. The Gorillapod is small enough so then it will fit in a coat pocket without trouble.

Obviously with this design you can't expect the legs to extend like on a ordinary tripod, the result being that you get allot of shots from a mouse's perspective when you can't find anything to sit/rap the Gorillapod on/around, but this problem only happens 1 percent of the time, the rest of the time this works perfectly .

Buy this Gorillapod!!! even if you think you will only use it once (trust me, you will find something to do with the thing) it's less than £15 for goodness sake!!! -.-

BUY IT!!!

P.S. The SLR/zoom versions can do more and really I should have bought either one of them, and so should you!!!

Junk

I just bought a Gorillapod SLR Zoom and it is a complete waste of money. They are only suitable for a compact camera. A proper camera clamp or bean bag would be better than this!

The essential accessory

No matter how basic your camera, this wonderful device will improve your technique 100%. Forget fancy image stabilization this beats it hands down.

Even if you can only start to appreciate how infinitely superior available light is to flash, you will absolutely love this thing. It's beautifully made and the adjustable head lets you take pictures in landscape or portrait mode. The only downside is that you'll spend the next six months telling your pals where they can get one.

Proceed to checkout now.

Quality Product

I got this ball head as a christmas present and am absolutely delighted with it. Manfrotto makes quality products at a decent price. I previously used a tripod that had an annoying video head on it which meant that any tilting off to the side was impossible with the head. This ball head is a godsend, you loosen the one bolt, move the camera where you want it then tighten the bolt again. Job done, quick and simple.

There are two notches cut out so you can tilt your camera over to portrait format. When you loosen the bolt the whole head can rotate so you can position those notches where you need them before tightening everything up.

The quick release plate is small and can be left permanently on your camera. When it is clipped to the head it connects smoothly and stays put. There is a secondary safety catch that engages as well so there is no chance of mistakenly unclipping the camera.

A real high quality head that offers lightning fast adjustment.

Velbon Tripod

Great item, great price, great service. This tripod is ideal for the serious photographer. I'm not a pro and this is a great compromise between the low end market and the pro end. The tripod is sturdy,has good easy movement and is versatile.