Review on 📸 65-inch Camera Tripod, Q310 Lightweight Travel Portable Cell Phone Tripod Stand Monopod with Universal Phone Holder and Carry Bag - Ideal for Canon, DSLR, SLR, Cell Phones, Projector, Webcam by Shawn Jacobs

tripods are one of those things that you don't need to spend extra money on a great one until you make up your mind. You just have to hope that you don't notice it at the most critical moment. Choosing the right tripod is a balance between price, performance and convenience. After all, improving one of these three requires tweaking one or both of the others, despite all the marketing talk, scattered numbers, and fantastic-sounding features and materials. So, here's my take on this tripod: where does it stand in terms of price, performance, and convenience, and who should (or shouldn't) consider it a serious purchase for mission-critical filming? - The weight. Just want to get rid of this thing real quick, isn't that heavy but the manufacturer claims the tripod weighs 2.9 pounds. It's not like this. The complete tripod (no phone mount and no case) weighs 3.5 lbs. But even at 3.5 pounds, it's light enough to be an attractive option. I have a tripod that weighs almost twice as much and you definitely feel every pound after a while. - Center column monopod function. In theory, I like this idea very much. You can fully extend the center speaker (with your head on) from its legs, and it has its own telescopic leg that can be used as a monopod. It's a simple maneuver and the speaker/monopod has its own rubber foot. Unfortunately, since it had to fit within the frame, there is no room for regular buckles to lock the telescoping pieces in place. Instead, they use a friction lock, which you activate by rotating the segment clockwise after lengthening. This latch is not strong at all, and you can fold the "locked" monopod while trying to use it with very little effort. The design doesn't seem particularly robust to me either; I would worry that after locking and unlocking the sections a number of times, the metal will warp or wear and become harder and harder to lock. Bottom line: if the function of a monopod is important to you, look for a different design. For example, on one of my other tripods (made by Dolica) you can unscrew one of the tripod legs and place the head directly on top of it for a monopod with sturdy extensions. foam components. Each leg has a section of foam at the top, and the tripod head grip has the same foam. I don't care, it seems cheap and unnecessary. The aforementioned Dolica has the same foam on the legs, and perhaps that's a sign that the two most expensive high-performance tripods I've owned have no foam at all. Tripod head and removable plate. The mounting plate and most of the tripod head are made of plastic, probably for reasons of cost and weight. Head movements aren't particularly smooth, which is to be expected given the cheap design. Owners of heavier cameras should be concerned about the plastic quick release plate, which is attached to the plastic head with the plastic locking lever, as the risk of bending and breaking is too great. There are three plastic knobs for tension adjustment. One lets you tilt the top of your head up to 90 degrees horizontally to set the camera in portrait mode. It seems to work. The second allows for vertical tilt (pointing the camera at the sky or the ground) but no adequate pressure on the grip really keeps the head in place. Even tightening the handle allows the user to lean forward with little effort. The third handle locks the swivel joint. Technically this grip works well, but the tripod design still fails because while the swivel can be locked, rotating the tripod head only causes it to start unscrewing from the center post. So it rotates freely anyway, only on the B-pillar bolt, not the pivot point. I think it's also important to note here that while the product description says it can "handle" a 13-pound load, that probably only applies to a stable, balanced, perfectly even load. If you have a heavy lens that shifts its center of gravity forward, I wouldn't trust this tripod to a) stay stable and b) end up not damaging the latch and/or mount. -- Alignment. The tripod contains two spirit levels. One is on the feet and indicates when the center is level and the other is on the head and indicates the location of the vertical tilt. Another on the head would be ideal to cover the horizontal, but in this price range the omission is forgivable. The legs are connected to the central column, forcing them to always be the same distance apart and severely limiting the angle of their extension. On level ground, this has the advantage that all legs extend at the same angle without any effort - if you pull one out of its stowed position, the other two pull with it. On an uneven surface, this makes it difficult to provide a flat and stable surface for the camera. To a degree you can mitigate this by extending the legs to different lengths to accommodate uneven terrain, but that's never going to be as good as being able to attach each leg at different angles. Aside from the aforementioned foam-to-B-pillar connection, the legs themselves are made from beautiful, durable aluminum. They move smoothly and easily. The pivots that connect them at the top of the tripod are plastic on plastic, but since the extension angle is already limited by the center post collar at the bottom, I don't know if that's a problem. The buckles that secure the telescoping segments are also plastic and fairly flimsy. The buckle itself and the way it latches aren't particularly secure, and while the lock holds up fairly well, I'm not sure they'll take much abuse. So, now that I've got you tired of tears, let's get to the good stuff. Will I recommend it? And who would I recommend it to? If any of the following apply to you, you do NOT need this tripod: -- You are looking for something that will last a lifetime. -- You plan to use it with equipment that weighs more than 3-4 pounds, especially if the center of gravity is not directly over the trigger plate. (Note: for solidity I put my Mamiya RZ67 on a tripod which weighs about 6lbs and it didn't inspire confidence. I didn't even bother with a 12lb wide angle camera, there's just no way ) - - They regularly shoot in difficult, uneven terrain. -- You are looking for something with efficient monopod conversion. If none of the above apply to you, this tripod could be a good purchase for you, especially if any of the following apply: -- You intend to use the tripod only with smaller cameras with relatively compact lenses. -- You shoot on flat or slightly sloping terrain. Tripod. -- You plan to carry this tripod over long distances and need lighter weight. -- You intend to use the tripod infrequently and cannot justify the additional cost due to low usage.