Review on Magnus VT 4000 Professional Performance Tripod by Mark Hamblin

I have a Manfrotto 502 head on a Manfrotto carbon tripod. It's a great setup for studio work, but the head is bulky and not very ergonomic. I was looking for something more portable and practical. The VT-400 is an inexpensive tripod. The tripod is made of yoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo at a piece of beef where it counts, but otherwise very light. Treat with care and it will last forever. Treat it like garbage and it will be. The tripod comes with a high-quality soft case, which is widely used. The tripod rattles a bit, but I think this is due to the construction of the legs and not the tolerances. However, my Manfrotto tripod is completely silent (and inherently silent), so there's a lot to consider. The settings are simple and clear. The fluid head isn't adjustable, but handles my 6.6-pound video gear with ease, if a bit stiff. When you stop moving the camera, it stops - no hesitation or lag. What I can't say about my Man502 is that it takes a lot of fiddling to set it up with no lag/lag. The camera shoe is patented :-( but it's a very high quality shoe perfect for my applications :-) The pan and tilt locks are easily accessible (not so on the Man502) and comfortable to use. Overall the head is just easier to manipulate than my Man502. In terms of weight, the VT-400 is 0.4 pounds heavier than the Man502 on a Man carbon fiber tripod. Summary: The VT-4000 is a great video tripod for general and outdoor use, which is my goal. Great for studio/pro use, the Manfrotto 502 head is super adjustable but bulky and cumbersome to use. Your money is your choice. I am happy with my choice and would buy this tripod again.