Opteka 70" Full Size Professional Photo / Video Tripod

Lots of adjustability and everything locks. It comes with a carrying bag which requires that you collapse it correctly, but then it's easy to get it to fit. The black parts are plastic and the rest is aluminum, so it probably wouldn't stand up to a lot of punishment, but I don't care; I'll take care of it and keep it in the bag when it's not in use.

This is a great deal for the price. I have no complaints about it at all.

The tripod would have arrived as scheduled except for a bad ice/snow storm enroute from Chicago to Billings. All highway traffic was delayed any where from 24 - 48 hours. I have no problem with that which can not be controlleld... The tripod was a birthday gift to our adult son and he is very pleased with it. I should have ordered 2 of them, one for my own use.

This is a great tripod for it's price range, with lightweight but sturdy construction and a surprising height. I do a lot of video shooting on the go, and this tripod really fits the bill. It's very light, and is easy to carry around in the bag that comes with it. Fully compressed and in it's bag, it's only about 27" long, which is certainly small enough to put in a large bag or just sling over your shoulder. Although it's light, if you take care of it, it will be sturdy enough to last quite a while. Mine had a hook at the bottom for weights, as well, which seems to be something that was missing from some people's. For most people, I'd say it's certainly enough to fit most of your photography/video needs.

I have never seen a tripod like this for so little money. It is well built and full featured. All features work smoothly and have the solid feel of a tripod costing at least three times the price. If you can only afford to spend $90.00 for a tripod, don't. Instead, buy this and take your family out to diner.

See the Jan 2006 review - Not Bad ... for the money.... He has excellent advice and his summary and comparison are excellent. Right on.

I give this tripod one more star because I am tall and this tripod was (and is) a good height. However, at root, this tripod cost me about $600 when it toppled over under a fairly slight gust of wind. It is not substantial. If you are going to use it, carry something to weight it down using the included hook. It moved just enough (in investigating what happened) to have one of the legs dip into a depression and down she went, as I was turning to get another lens for a very early morning sun rise. Camera was effectively ruined.

A further criticism though not substantial, is that the handles, gear and locking nuts are flimsy. They work OK for ordinary use but don't expect this tripod to stand up for the long haul. As is just about always the case, you get what you pay for.