Vagabond’s Caravan

Yay, finally got my first full size tripod, a Christmas gift I bought for myself, hehe. Got it at HuaHo Yayasan yesterday for B$68, consider a very good deal because it comes with a ball head, am loving it! =D

As the title suggest, any tripod is much better than no tripod. I had been having a dilemma, whether to spend a lot on a tripod (around B$150-B$250), and so it last for a long, long time (without the need to upgrade to a better one); or spend a lil’ on a cheap one first, and upgrade 2-3 years later. Decided to go with the former, and for B$68 only, I expect this tripod could last longer than 3 years for me (I don’t expect myself to have bazooka lens until 5-6 years later, when I start working) without any future upgrade, why not?

At first I was considering ordering from Singapore, either from PPCPOnline (Singapore’s leading online store for camera accessories) or Jack (he distribute Benro in Singapore, a member of ClubSnap forum. Benro is China’s leading tripod brand, a rip-off of Gitzo, the most prestigious tripod brand). Both would had cost me around B$120-B$150 (the cheapest one), including shipment. The price is good, but I can’t see/touch the tripod before I buy, and I am afraid that it might be damaged during shipment.

All the tripods I saw in other camera shops and HuaHo(s) in Brunei are not up to my expectation (in terms of value. They’re either low quality, or overpriced), and I hate to deal with the salespersons, too (maybe because I look like 15 years old kid, blehz). Fotomas Gadong has a good one for B$120, I never check out any GuanChuan shop tho (I can’t drive, yet).

Ok, let’s get to the technical (well, not really) part of the tripod. As the box suggested:

• the max height of the tripod is 1570mm (as shown in the photo to the right. It is about my eye level, yea yea, I am short),
• folded height is 610mm (it doesn’t bother me much, and can be handy when you need to fight for your life),
• max tube diameter is 23mm and
• net weight is 1240g (not sure if that includes the ball head or not, I think it weight more than that, probably 1500g).

Overall, the tripod works well although there’s some flaws (Made in China, and the price is so low) but you’re definitely getting more than what you paid for (well, maybe it’s too earlier to say so, don’t know if it’s durable). I think it’s pretty sturdy (considering my gears are pretty darn light) and reliable. The quick release plate works, but I think I need to DIY and modify it a bit to make it more stable. The ball head works pretty well for my light gears and other section works too (such as the center column, the legs, the locking system, the way the legs can be adjust for macro mode - as shown in the first photo on top, and etc).

Here’s a shot which shows the ball head (QR plate is mounted on my camera, hehe) and the leg locking system. =) It’s easy to use, and fun too! =) I highly recommend it. Oh yea, the brand is Onlas, check out their website (mine is model F-6601, but it’s not there, lol). And there’s another bigger one available there (HuaHo Yayasan), by another China brand ManBilly, for $99, passed it because I think this B$68 one is sufficient for my use.

That’s all for today, Merry (belated) Christmas everyone. =)