Bogen / Manfrotto 785 Modo Maxi Photo Video Grip Head Tripod

I got this tripod to use with my Nikon D40 when I travel. Even though it's recommended for use with a point-and-shoot or video camera, it's also perfect for use with a small DSLR. It's very portable, lightweight (as long as you're not using an extremely large telephoto lens), and can be set up quickly. With the legs fully extended the height almost equals that of a heavier tripod. It also can be adjusted so that the legs flatten allowing the camera to be within inches of the ground. This is great for macro or tabletop shots.
The ball head works very well for adjusting the camera to just the right angle and locks in place securely. However, when using the camera in a vertical format you really have to make sure the grip is firmly locked or it can slip slightly.
One suggestion--go ahead and get a travel bag for the tripod when you order it. Unless you already have one, you'll want one, especially if you plan to take it when you travel.

This tripod is great for small digital cameras or even fair sized SLR digitals like the Canon Rebel. I can carry it around because it is light, where the heavy pods end up staying at home.

However, it is not great for video use, and if you want a tripod to use for video you should consider a model with a head really designed for video.

Problems with using it for video:

1.lack of smooth / fluid type head -- it is hard to pan smoothly.
2.the small handle, which has the lock in it, is hard to hold once you mount a camera.
3.the handle lock requires a bit of force to release (or lock), causing the camera to shake.

This tripod is awesome for small point and shoot cameras. I made the mistake of not researching the weight limit and my Nikon D80 with the battery grip just about fell over. 3.5lbs isn't a lot of weight but when you attach it to this tripod it becomes very sketchy. Don't risk your $1500 DSLR on a $60 tripod, spend the money and get one that is sturdy enough to hold the weight. But if you are using a little guy like a CoolPix or Powershot, this tripod is great; buy it.

Nice tripod. Though its quality is not that good, can't expect more for that price. I would recommend this anyone looking for affordable tripod.

I think this tripod is great. I have a Professional Manfrotto Tripod and this is a nice casual companion. Inside I use both: Video on the Pro and Still on this tripod.

This review should be informative to anyone, but I'm going to address a lot of stuff related to my hand tremor, so other folks with a tremor will know the design limitations I've found.

---I was aware of these limits before I bought the tripod---

I'm not complaining, or saying it is inferior in any way. Just informing others of the way the design restricts usefulness for folks with a tremor like me.

----------------

Because of a hand tremor I cannot handhold a camera. I also need to use the remote, or set the shutter timer, and have my finger off the camera before shutter release. This tripod has a single head release lever that releases all 3 axes at the same time. If I try to hold the handle of the ball head, with it unlocked, for any kind of pan, my hand tremor is transferred to the camera.

Although the trigger is progressive (It isn't On/Off - it goes from really tight to looser and looser until free) it doesn't help at all. The friction added by the trigger is sticky and movement is jerky. If I could release one axis at a time and add some smooth friction in the head, I might be able to pan. With friction it still wouldn't be locked in one axis, so drifting would be a problem. I can pan some heads by pushing on one point of the handle with my fist. For me holding a tight fist keeps my hands pretty steady, and a little smooth friction in the head will usually damper the bit of tremor still present.

Even if I get some friction going, I'm going to have to lower the center of gravity to the center of the ball to really make it useful. Since the center of gravity is far above the ball the camera just wants to flop over.

Separate axis locks would be fantastic, but that is the trade off for the very flexible and fast positioning you get with a ball head vs. a standard head.

There are a couple of work arounds with this tripod that will allow a horizontal pan.

When you release the trigger, but hold the base of the collar around the bottom of the ball, there is a joint that allows a smooth, steady, horizontal pan. Why a clip or little click lock of some kind, wasn't included to do this seems really short sighted. I'm going to make something to clip over that small post under the head so I can get a nice horizontal pan when I want it. Right now, I can do it by wrapping my fingers tightly around that small center post under the ball and releasing the trigger. It will then pan horizontally. It isn't locked to level though so if you required a perfectly level pan, it might be hard to find that position and hold it.

I can also raise the center post about 5 inches and loosen the joint in the post. It takes 11 full rotations to separate the post, so using one rotation for a pan isn't risky. The threads on the joint are really very smooth. They are a little loose though. I wrapped some teflon tape (available in the plumbing section of a hardware store) around the threads and that makes the joint run even smoother and reduces the play between the threads.

The trigger friction seems as though it might allow steady movement, but because it's a sticky kind of friction it doesn't work that way. It just allows you to change the camera position with a little friction so the camera doesn't flop over while you are trying to line up a shot. You still need to fully lock the head before you take your hand off of it.

I think you could probably safely increase the load capacity (in the tightest leg spread - it is substantially weaker when you move to the wider setting), if you were willing to sacrifice the lower leg extensions. The narrower stance of shorter legs is less resistant to tipping so you'd need to consider that also. The stability and strength difference between each section of the legs decreases quite a lot from the top to the bottom sections. It seems like you could break or bend the lowest post fairly easily, but it's probably still much stronger than other lightweights.

Using the center post, like most tripods, does seem to reduce the stability a lot. The height you get from this tripod is great. I'm 6'2" and at full extension, the camera is only about 6 inches below my eyes.

I don't find it has any stability issues. In comparison to other light weight tripods it seems very steady to me. Even if I figure out a way to lock the axis, the head would have to move with very little pressure. It seems like the tripod itself, wouldn't be stable enough for a really smooth pan, if I had to use more than a little force to move it.

When I judge only by the design that was promised, and not by wished for improvements, this tripod is far superior to any other lightweight tripod I've seen.