good quality

Just had this tripod delivered and it is great quality, thoroughly recommend it. Great bronze coloured anodized finish, smooth tilting head with quick release that works beautifully. 3 section legs with a smooth action, plastic clips on legs. Also amazon had this at a great price , saving £20 on most other internet sites. Can't wait for baby to arrive to start using it in earnest! Oh and a nice carry bag as well...black with carry strap, zip top.

Punching above its weight

I'm a novice photographer and want to get shooting on a budget, but being on a budget for me means that I want to buy the right product first time and not have to pay more money replacing inadequate equipment.

I'm pretty sure I've struck gold with the Calumet 7100. After comparing several tripods in the £50 price bracket, this one seemed to tick all of the boxes. Lightweight, but not light-as-a-feather so it's not going to blur my photos at the merest breath of wind. It can handle upto 5kg of load, plenty of room for expansion should I want to treat my D40 to a big chunky lense. It opens up to a height of 147cm and a minimum of 23cm, plus its stance can be widened to 3 different diameters, and with the 3 sturdy clips on the telescopic legs it's very flexible in the ways it can be set up.

The cherry on the top is the 3-way, quick release head. Not many of the other tripods in the same price range boasts this, so it would have been a case of spending more money replacing a ball-socket head with something more suitable. No worries with this one. It's smooth, sturdy and the quick release clip is going to prove indispensable.

I'm not qualified to compare the Calumet to the more prestigious brands of tripods, but I can't help feeling that I've got more than what I paid for here. Pleased as punch!

VEL CX-444 Tripod Review

For a tripod under £30 I give it 4 stars.

Benefits -
Comes with a carry bag, light weight, has a quick release plate, and is compact, and cheap. I have used it a few times at night in London and have gotten very sharp results.

Downsides -
When I have tried using it when there was a meduim to large wind then the tripod was not stable enough to produce sharp results.

There is no spirit level to know when the tripod is level - which is fustrating when doing long exposures and you get back home and notice the image is not 100% level.

Is annoying to bend down and look through the view finder of the camera - makes it hard to frame the shot - but this will be same problem for most compact tri pods.

Overall
If you have the money would recommend going for sturdier tri pod in the £80-£150 region but at less than £30 this is a good buy for a lightweight tripod which does trade off stability in windy conditions.

Hope this helps.

good budget tripod

This Tripod is very good for the money it is fine for travel or table top photography, and includes a spirit level, it is very well made and for the price paid is very good