Reviews
A surprisingly good, versatile tripod, striking a good balance of funtionality / quality / price
Variant ... K&F Concept KF TM2235I love this tripod. Granted there are a few niggles. So my 5 stars takes into account the price I paid which was £61. At that price I can live with the niggles. They give it character :^). Though if the price were more, I might not be quite so generous.Here are the pros....... small and light. I can put it in my day sack along with my other things and generally forget about it until needed. No holding a large heavy tripod in my freezing hands all day. I keep finding myself checking my daysack just to check I still have the tripod in there and haven't left it anywhere. Out taking photos one day a passerby chatted to me seeing me using the tripod and camera setup properly almost like a professional. A few minutes later I bumped into him again, and he exclaimed with slight alarm "where's your tripod gone!"... he'd clearly noticed it earlier, and by now it was so well tucked away in my small day sack his first thought was that I'd lost it!...it's surprisingly stable, and the head is surprisingly firm... it pretty much stays where you lock it without any dipping or drifting down, etc. Though being so light, I wouldn't expect great stability in high winds if fully extended - though it does have the weight hook, but I haven't tried that out yet.... it looks great... the foam grip is nice and warm (though it would be nice if it were on more legs, as you can't carry it holding just the one with the grip).... the height is reasonably good. Not quite up to head height (I'm 5'11), and certainly not eye level, but as long as your camera's screen can tilt up, it's very comfortable to use. (Might be awkward if your camera's screen doesn't tilt though, or if you prefer a viewfinder).Cons... not an issue at the price I paid, but if the price were to go up much, I'd consider these more of an issue....... the biggest problem, using a Canon EOS M3 with it ... the quick release plate is quite big, so you can't change the battery, nor the memory card, nor the lens (if you are using a mount adapter for EF lenses that has it's own tripod socket getting in th way) while the plate is on your camera. Though a positive that mitigates that a little is that the plate has a very easy to use thumb hook, which allows you to screw the plate on and off your camera relatively quickly without needing to find a coin or screwdriver. (but it would obviously be better if it were slightly smaller and so could be left on your camera)... the quick release plate is held onto the tripod by (another) thumb screw, rather than the more traditional clip / lock things, but it's quite big, and quick and comfortable to operate. But I have found myself accidentally (usually when using it in low light) unscrewing the quick release plate when I thought I was slackening the head to move the camera around. This is because the two thumb screws for the plate and head lock are quite similar - only differ slightly in size, and if you aren't familier then it's easy to unscrew the wrong one.Smaller niggles...... there is a bit of oil/grease oozing from somewhere in the stem/head. Not a lot, just a little. But it does occasionally get on your hands, though that said, it easily wipes off as well. So not a big issue, and if it keeps the tripod operating smoothly I've no problem living with it. (If the tripod cost more, I might have considered it an issue)... the leg locking rings do take more than quarter of a turn to properly lock / unlock. Not excessive, but perhaps not quite as quick and sleek as the sales blurb makes out. For the price I paid, this is not a problem - they do work, and work quite quickly if you have big hands and turn all 4 per leg at once (though if I'd paid more, I might expect better quality, but they're a good balance of price / quality.)... the clips that angle the legs, on first encounter feel really cheap and feeble. Or at least the springs behind them do. They wobble all over the place. But actually in use, they've stood up well and I've grown to like them. (though if I'd paid more I might expect them to be better quality, but for the price I paid, I'm happy - they work, and haven't failed, nor do they show any signs of getting worse)... the screws that give the legs friction where they join at the top, one of the three, seems to work itself loose fairly quickly. It doesn't seem to affect the stability of the tripod with the camera on it, but it can result in the leg flopping around when you're carrying it. You do get the necessary allen key with the tripod, so it isn't a major issue to re-tighten, just a minor occasional nuisance. (but again, for the price it's OK, if I'd paid more..., etc, etc)Summary :A surprisingly good, versatile tripod, which strikes a good balance somewhere in the middle between functionality /size and weight / quality / priceDisclaimer :I DIDN'T get given this item for a review, NOR did I get any discount - I paid the price advertised on Amazon at the time I bought. I have no connection with either the seller or manufacturer. I simply needed a tripod for my camera, and chose this one. I felt it was a little bit of a gamble, being a make I hadn't heard of, etc, and not the cheapest around, and buying unseen off 't interweb , so thought I'd offer this review to help others in a similar situation. For me, this purchase feels like a gamble that has paid off - so far at least - and I've had it a number of months now, and used it on quite a number of different occasions.
07.10.2017