Velbon 200R Sherpa Tripod with PH157Q Panhead

Whenever possible, I prefer to buy from real shops - I'd be the first to complain if there were no proper bookshops, no proper hifi shops, no proper photographic shops, no proper CD/DVD shops. But then the problems begin - actually finding somewhere that sells what you want to buy. Which is where Amazon comes in! I had been looking to buy a decent tripod to replace my lightweight one, which was and still is fine for a compact camera or for a lightweight SLR. But my Canon 5D with a long zoom and flashgun attached weighs in at over 2Kg. While I rarely have both the long lens and the flashgun attached at the same time, rarely is not never. So I wanted something with a maximum working load of much more, so that I could use it without it being wobbly or unstable when extended. I am a keen amateur, with limited funds, so not in the market for a lightweight but very expensive carbon fibre tripod. I had been looking at various brands such as Manfrotto, Hahnel and Velbon but was drawn towards this Velbon by the combination of maximum height, maximum load, inclusion of a pan and tilt head within the competitive price. For up to £10 more, I would have been happy to go into a shop, where one of the things you are paying for is the fact that they have bought the stock for you to go in and see it (whatever it is) before buying, and, in the right shop, they can give worthwhile advice. But £26 (45%) more was a bit too much. So I took the risk, bought via Amazon and kept the difference. As to the tripod itself: it's excellent. Locks very securely at any angle with no movement. Feels very stable whether at its minimum height or fully extended. The leg locking clips feel quite sturdy and I have no concerns about them lasting. The pan and tilt head is well made and easy to use. Can be adjusted to move as loosely or as resistingly as you wish. The central column adjusts easily and locks in place exactly where you want it. The head has a quick release attachment which attaches to the underside of your camera, so the camera can be quickly fitted into the tripod or removed from it without faff. I am 1m90 tall, and wanted a tripod that I could use without needing to stoop down. And this fits the bill very well - I can use it with camera attached without needing to raise the centre column to its full height. 1.9Kg with head attached is not insignificant, but nor is it a problem. For carrying it around I can easily replace the original pan and tilt head - it unscrews via a standard size fitting - with (another manufacturer's) ball head and save around 330g in weight (12oz), which is a worthwhile drop. All in all, I'm very pleased with my purchase.

This was bought as a gift. I researched many tripods offered not only on the Amazon web site, and found that the specification was the best available for the budget. I am a serious amateur photographer myself with many years experience so feel reasonably qualified to pass comment. When the tripod arrived, I checked it and found the product description to be accurate and the quality extremely good. There were several reasons for choosing it. 1. was the ability to be able to remove the head and if neccessary change it for a diffrent type e.g. a ball and socket head; 2. It was sturdily constructed and had a good performance as regards the weight it could hold; 3. vertical column could be reversed for low level 'shooting'; 4. The leg locking mechanism worked very well, quick to release but held firmly when in the lock positions; 5. Spare quick release plates are easily available from many sources, which makes it even more useful, as they could be left on other cameras, longer lenses, etc., making interchangability quiclky achievable. Whilst there are lighter tripods available, this one is made of aluminium, the cost would have been prohibitive. I regard this tripod as very good value for money and suitable not only as a starting out tripod for one that is new to photography, but one which will last and be useful later as experience in the hobby is gained.

I'm absolutely thrilled with this tripod. I think for the money, it's exceptional, and really I would have liked to have given this item 4.5 stars. There's a reason why I haven't gone for 5 stars though I don't think it would be too far from the truth if I had done. It's sturdy, and gives an absolute feeling of - well, sturdiness, which of course is what you'd hope for in a tripod, but more than that, of quality and longevity. Of course, Velbon's reputation for quality, after-sales service and spares go a long way to reinforce this. No bag, of course, and at this price, who can blame them? The only slight thing for me is that the head locks down with the single screw clamp. The fluid pan is remarkably smooth for this price point, but it just lacks a touch of that flexibility of the ehad that might get it 5. Of course, you can change the head later when you can afford it/require, and as is, as an independent low-budget filmmaker, I'm more than happy with it. It couldn't have been more what I'm after. I'm just explaining where the extra star went! I'm also, btw, a big fan of the 'quick lock' action on the detachable plate when you re-attach the camera to the tripod. A nice design job and brilliantly realised construction. Heartily and unequivocally recommended.

I needed a tripod for a new solar telescope I had bought. The telescope itself was lightweight, and was recommended for use on a camera tripod. Having used 'Velbon' as a hide clamp for both a spotter scope and DSLR camera I knew it would work well with the new scope - and it has. The tripod itself is very light - but also adaptable and easy to use. It can be raised to around 2 metres, and has a head that can be manipulated in just about any way possible! It can pan (ideal for following sports or a flock of birds) can be raised or lowered - and more importantly locked at any angle up to around 160 degrees. I initially had a problem with looking at the sun directly overhead - the tilt mechanism would not quite reach that far. The solution came by extending the height of one of the legs - thus giving the angle needed for comfortable viewing. For photographers the supplied head also has a 'flip and lock' mechanism to quickly and safely change from landscape to portrait without having to remove the camera from the tripod. All in all I am very pleased with this tripod; it is easily adaptable to many different uses and hobbies - and when used it can be folded down to a mere 60 cm (2 ft). It even looks good, too!

The quality of this tripod is top notch. The quick release legs are are sturdy and the head is smooth, with pan, tilt and vertical movement. The quick release plate also works well and the lever that tightens the camera onto the tripod locks in the open position when you remove the camera hence making attachment quicker and easier next time. You cannot attach the head to the lower end of the extension tube for close up - like on some tripods, but I just loosen off the tube, pull it out and reverse it and you then have your camera as low to the ground as you need-between the tripod legs. If you are looking for a light mobile tripod this is probably not the one to go for. It is full size and the quality is reflected in the weight. But if you are looking for a quality tripod that came handle a DSLR plus 300mm lens and remain rock solid, this is what you need.

Solid, yet light and easy to carry tripod. Im a photographer and videographer, hence my reasoning in getting a tripod with pan and tilt controls. My main issue with this tripod is you cant adjust tilt and pan separately, which is no good whatsoever when trying to have smooth tilts and pan when recording video. Another issue i had with this is the lack of a bubble level to make sure your shots are level, it seems criminal for a tripod at this price to not come with one. For photographers tho, this is a decent tripod, nothing more nothing less.

I bought this to use with a birding scope as the original tripod I bought had too much play in the head to allow the scope to be set easily over long distances. The Velbon 200R is sturdy, but not too heavy and the one touch pan head is really good (you can lock tilt and pan with one control) So far I have not been able to test over really long distances, but with just the scope (80mm diameter and 330mm long) it locks fine with no visible creep over distances of about 400m. Adding a camera introduces a small amount of creep but not much. Overall I'm very pleased.

Great tripod for the money, easy to use, very stable with my scope attached and the best price in the market place. It is light and sturdy, the head performs very smoothly in both planes and is easy to lock in place with the single handle. Copes really well with my Celestron Regal 65 F-ED scope which weighs 1750g and is rear heavy, no creep at all when tightened. Well done Velbon and Amazon.

Un trépied de qualité, robuste et pratique. Bon rapport qualité/prix.

Die Überschrift sagt eigentlich schon alles ! Der Hersteller aus Japan ist hierzulande unbekannt. Aber geöhrt zu den Top Marken. Vergleichbare Produkte kosten schon mal locker mehr als 200-300 €. Der Hersteller bietet viele Ersatzteile. Man merkt das der Hersteller schon 25 Jahre Fotostative baut !!! Der Kopf besteht aus super leichtem Magnesium. Ein 400mm Tele Objektiv meiner Canon DSLR findet super Halt und da wackelt nichts. Ich bin 186cm groß und muss mich nicht bücken. Kamera Schwenks beim Filmen oder Panoramas ist auch möglich. Der Kopf ist austauschbar gegen diverse Typen. Auch eine Russentonne mit 1250mm (Teleobjektiv mit T2 Anschluss + Adapter) findet in allen Stellungen halt. Astrofotografie sowie Makroaufnahmen sind somit sehr gut möglich. Aber auch Portrait Fotos sind durch dreh, kipp und Neigungen in allen Varianten möglich. Für Reisen ist es bedingt geieignet. Dafür ist es etwas lang. Passt aber noch in jeden normalen Koffer, Tasche. Zum Wanderern empfehle ich es auf Grund von Größe und Gewicht eher nicht. Ist aber machbar. Da sind andere Markengeräte noch schwehrer und größer. Danke Velbon Preisleistung gebe ich 5 von 5 Sternen Verarbeitung 5 Sterne Handling 5 Sterne Reisetauglichkeit 3 Sterne

Muy bien para telescopio terrestre, incluso digiscoping con reflex es estable. la rotula es bastante precisa y comoda para el precio que tiene el conjunto. Una pena que venga sin funda, me ha sorprendido un poco pues incluso los de 25 eur la traen.

Velbon Rocks. As a photography teacher, I have come to expect Velbon tripods as a premium product with metal, solid and durable construction, and smooth tripod heads. We use these both for video and still photo. You won't be disappointed with your purchase. You will be pleasantly pleased.

Questo è un ottimo cavalletto: solido e stabile. Il peso non è affatto eccessivo e quindi è facilmente trasportabile. Sono più che soddisfatto dell'acquisto fatto e il prezzo secondo me è corretto. Lo consiglio!