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I have a Zomei ball head tripod, but was asked to provide some feedback on this one. So I bought one, and took it to a windy place to take some night long exposures. Here's the good and the bad.Good:Cheap price for a tripod. The legs seem to be lightweight metal and are tube shaped - not "U" shaped which typical bargain tripods provide, meaning the legs tend to be stable. The locks on the tripod are very easy to operate, are plastic, but hold extremely well. I'd say the lower half of the tripod is pretty decent for travel.Bad:The top extension mechanism is faulty in the sense that you need to turn the knob on the side to secure the camera in the up position, if you extend the head up and do not tighten the knob on the side, it will likely start to slide down, and if not it will at least be wobbly. The extension is plastic which was a bummer, but it is a $35 tripod so there's no expectation for it all to be metal or other high-quality materials.I did get some 5-10 second exposures on my nikon and they seem to have been pretty sharp, meaning there's not a lot of sway. It was decently windy, cold, and the exposures were long. I think this is a good beginner tripod. It's a bit short, so if you're someone that's over 6ft tall, you may want to think about getting a taller tripod for your troubles.I should also say that I was using a remote shutter, so I was not pressing the button on the camera which aided the stability. I tend to not use the timer, although a 5-second timer would have been enough to settle down any wobble.If you have a few more bucks in your pocket, I'd go with their higher quality Q555 ball-head tripod. It is much steadier than this one, just as portable, and will likely last you for years. I have not had any issues with mine. Their 818s and other tripods are also great quality but will cost you a bit more as well.You get what you pay for, so in this case I wasn't looking to get a professional quality tripod, but the tripod they sent me was much better than I have received in camera kits in previous years, making it a good starting point if you need to use it for family portraits, or some other beginner level applications.I have had this tripod for about 5 months and used it for almost every photograph and video I have taken. Before I bought this tripod, I did some comparisons with many other types of tripods and styles. This one particularly stood out the most for me. It was at a price that I could afford and had many of the functions that expensive tripods can do. At that point, I was barely starting my photograph career and needed a sturdy, full function, and good quality tripod but cheap. I searched for better tripods, but all of the professional tripods were too expensive. I was kind of nervous about buying this tripod because of the product being made of aluminum and plastic. But when it arrived, I took it out of the package, and it felt very sturdy and lightweight. It came in a small long box, opening the box I took out the tripod which was inside a black carrying case. The tripod was well packaged, and it was in great condition. The legs extended much longer than I thought, and the locks work great. The head of the tripod was well made as each function did what it was supposed to do. The best thing about this tripod, it is so light I can carry it with one hand or in my backpack. Now I take it on every trip I go, knowing that it’s so compact and easy to carry around.I’ve spent more money on “better” tripods but I’m happier with this one. Namely because it has a pan-handle. One of my first tripods had a pan-handle but it was clearly a cheap tripod, much like this one. I gave that tripod away. Invested in heavier/sturdier/“more professional” tripods. But one thing they were lacking was the pan-handle. Instead they came with twist knobs. Which might be great for some people. Not for me.The moon is the thing that first drew me into photography. It wasn’t until I got rid of my cheap tripod with the pan-handle that I realized how important that feature is if you’re trying to track the moon. When you’re zoomed in with a 300mm or 500mm lens the moon moves pretty damn fast and you’re constantly adjusting the tripod to follow it. Knobs are useless for that (in my experience).I still have my 2 “fancy” tripods but I guarantee the next tripod I take to shoot the moon/stars with will be the one with the pan-handle.My generic tripod I have been using since 2012 has finally broke. I purchased another generic one but it did not do what I wanted it to do, which is an overhead shot using my Iphone. I like how this tripod can tilt downwards. It feels sturdy, but it is light. I just got it today, but I am giving it 5 stars because it does what I want it to do. I looked at a ton of tripods here in Amazon, but just went with this one because I was spending too much time looking at Amazon. I am glad I just picked this one. I will update if it fails me, but so far so good.I had one of these from a friend, and then when looking at one for myself opted first for the AmazonBasics one. I opened that one, immediately packed it back up for return, and bought this one. It's simple, very lightweight but also braced thoughtfully to be strong. Very happy with it!Updated Review 19/03/2019I received an email from Cherry Cao apologising for the defected tripodand and offered me a full refund. The money has now been refunded and I am in the process of purchasing a new tripod. Cherry also confirmed that I do not have to return the faulty tripod. This is incredible service worth a mention. I am very pleased and would definitely recommend this product and company! Thanks!I really like the concept of this tripod. It's light and perfect for travel. However my unit did have a few dealbreaking shortcomings. My head is skew. Even on a perfectly level flat surface, its noticeably skew. The head movement isn't smooth either. It has a few sweet spots so i suggest you learn it's limitations. It's also not the most stable and better suited for really light applications.Will i use it for pro use? No. I use it for nothing but a stand when travelling.Got this Zomie Q111 tripod stand at ₹3499. The product is made up of metal with good quality plastic components. The product comes with a carry bag but you need to purchase a phone mount separately (e.g. Ulanzi ST-02S). I recommend this product to all who are looking for a good light weight metal tripod stand.
