 not for video, maybe for still |
| Review Date: March 11, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Y. Ghoniem, egypt |
the first thing i did not like, is that it comes without a manual or a handbook or a guide, for a novice user u will have a hard time figuring it out. and i could not find any resources on the net for it.
the second thing is fitting the head and making it pan without unscrewing it, is tricky, you actually need to tighten the knob to fit the head, and LOOSEN it to make pan.
panning and tilting is not smooth, no matter how hard i try.
the adjustment levers and the screw heads are limited in motion, u can not rotate them 360 if you have the handles installed, or the camera mounted, so you to pull the lever head out to unclutch then turn it, then release it a
it is however solid and stable. i say it as a tripod fit for photography and not for video |
Very useful. Well made
|
| Review Date: March 3, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Ric Barrios, florida,usa |
| Very good appliance. Great for moving camera between shots. Not so smooth for panning, wheels are a little hard and there is some vibration |
Deserves 6 stars for value
|
| Review Date: March 2, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Josh, Minnesota USA |
Simply put this tripod is excellent. I half expected to receive something way too lightweight. I was a little shocked when I hefted the box. This is not a $20 tripod. The fluid head makes tilt and pan silky smooth (if you have the settings adjusted right.) I don't think anyone could be disappointed with this tripod. I will say that my cam is fairly lightweight compared to some, and it might have made my ability to pan a little easier, another reviewer mentioned that you may have to hold the tripod while panning. My cam is about 8 pounds or so. I can see that with a much heavier camera this might be true, but I can't confirm it.
The construction on this is just solid. The price on this is unbelievable. |
A great product, but... [UPDATED]
|
| Review Date: February 10, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Daddy V, |
[UPDATE]
More praise for CheetaMounts! I was able to return the original Head which I believed to be defective. I spoke with the service rep and he was very help and understanding. I RMA'd the Head and got the replacement very quickly... now for the important info:
The replacement head is much, much better at panning than the original. It is as smooth as the Pro model (AVTP) that I also own. However, the Tilt action did suffer from a "bump" almost right at the level position. But, I did work the head for about an hour to break it in and the "bump" seems to be gone or at least very minimal.
Both the AVTP (Pro) and the AVT models have very good fluid style Heads, especially for the price range. I will say though, that there seems to be a consistency issue with the Ravelli heads. I have 2 AVTP tripods plus this AVT model and they each require a different tension setting to get an approximate/same panning & tilt action. Not a problem, just not consistent.
Again, for the price you get a very, very good value. I would highly recommend either model to anyone looking for a bargin - great bang for you buck!
[ORIGINAL Review]
First, major praise for CheetaMounts for their really, really fast delivery! WOW! I don't know how they do it, but they get their orders out fast!!!!
What's in the box:
* Tripod
* 2-way fluid head
* 2 handles/arms (to attach to the head)
* 2 base mounting plates (one already in the head and an extra one)
* 1 carrying bag
* 1 hex wrench
Fit & Finish:
* The Head: It is solid and very heavy, not what I expected at this price. The only plastic piece is the handle used to adjust the tension for the tilt. Looks like other "pro" heads and has the same features. The two included handles attach to the head and can be adjusted for proper angle.
* The legs (sticks): They are a mix of metal, aluminum, and plastic. The overall construction is metal & aluminum. The plastic pieces are used in the locking sections to secure the position of bolts in the flip-locks. (I'm a little concerned that with heavy use, these may not last... but with care, I'm sure I'll get a lot of mileage out of them.) The feet could have used a bit more design improvement, but they do provide basic function - rubber or spiked, just spin the foot assembly to expose the spike. There is no locking nut so if you pickup and move the tripod there's a chance a foot will spin out of position, thus requiring a re-leveling. (I solved this loose-spinning problem w/ some generous amounts of plumbers tape to give the threads some bite to allow the foot assembly to stay in place.) Speaking of leveling, there's one circle-bubble level at the base of the head.
Form & Function:
Once all pieces are assembled and the legs are locked off, the stance of the tripod is very solid. (I only have a Canon HF-S100 w/ all the accessories, so I can't say if it can support heavier rigs...) The tension of the pan and tilt is very stiff. On mine, the tilt is very smooth through the whole range. It is consistent and I'm very pleased with its capabilities.
[UPDATE: I've since recieved a replacement from CheetaMounts for the AVT Head. After a short "break-in" period on the new head to try to get rid of a "bump" that is evident right at the level position, I'm now able to pull very smooth pan action and almost the same level of smoothness in the tilt as the Pro version (AVTP). I'm not sure why the heads are different between the 2 models - they look the same other than handles & the bubble level, but I suspect the internal mechanism must be different some how. The problems I describe below for the pan action of the AVT head are no longer present with the replacement.]
The pan, however, is not as consistent. There are times when I get very smooth starts, stops, & continuous pans. Then there are other times when it feels like a bargain head. I've tried all the adjustments without much success. If your constantly moving the head, like following a sport from the sideline, it works great. However, the moment you stop the head and try to start again, your taking a gamble whether or not you hit a "sticky" point. This is probably fixable, but I haven't it figured out yet...
Summary:
For all the features you get, you can't beat the price. If you are looking for a bargain on pro features and you can live with what you're getting, then this is the tripod for you. I like mine, I added the Ravelli tripod dolly as well. The combination is great and makes the tripod even more sturdy yet portable. I can live with the panning issues especially for the price. It's a good buy for amateurs! |
Its a great tripod, fluid panning, sturdy build and excellent service
|
| Review Date: February 1, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Ethan Illfelder, NY, NY USA |
| Its a very good tripod, the panning is very smooth, not perfect but awesome at the price. The build quality rivals far more expensive models, the head is built like a tank! Above all the customer support is beyond anything you would expect... It is a small company, they manufacture in china but are based in the US and they are fully responsive to an issues you might incur. I had a manufacturers error on an early model , thought I was just going to live with it considering the company I bought it from, and left a review reflecting the error within the next day I was contacted and they replaced it, payed for shipping and were extremely courteous on the matter. Will buy from them again, cant wait to see there next generation tripods- They will be amazing |
|
No video reviews found for this product.
