Sunpak 9002DX Tripod with 3-Way Quick-Release Pan Head

I bought this tripod in spring of 2004, and it's been with me these four years now through thick and thin on all my adventures (including the 10'000 mile North American road trip over two weeks in mid-December, including driving through all of Yellowstone right after a -40 degree cold spell). I'm 6 feet tall, and I've used it on my film SLRs (light ones like the Ricoh XR7 and heavy ones like the Canon FTb) with decent-sized lenses, and with my point-and-shoots (Canon A620 is probably one of the larger p&s, also an early little Nikon Coolpix) with fabulous results. Just fabulous. I wouldn't want to use it for movies because the panning is not the best for that but this is great bang for the buck for the photography enthusiast (which I'd much rather do than making movies). Comes with two detachable mounting plates (you do own two bodies, right?). Someday I'll upgrade to a Bogen or something and will probably wonder how I lived before, but this is the best $20 I've ever spent on artistic gear.

Have used this tripod for about a week now and the build is pretty decent. The legs are sturdy and the overall design works well. The only problem I have with this tripod is the handle to adjust the height feels flimsy and brittle. The built-in carrying handle is convenient and the extra tripod screw attachment for a second camera is a nice bonus.

This had a lot of features I was looking for in my first tripod. Not too heavy, not too light. I saw one similar same name brand at Ritz Camera, but was shorter and $10 more. Just wish it could get a little lower to the ground for taking pictures of burrowing owls in my back yard.

My tripod arrived with a small part already broken - the very end of the handle for cranking the camera up and down does not stay attached but I'm still able to raise and lower it with a little added effort. For this reason I did not return the tripod for an unbroken replacement. (Not worth the time/effort.) Aside from that problem, I love the tripod. It is compact yet can be raised to an incredible height (around 6 feet tall!) My favorite thing is the cork-lined base that is easily removed from the tripod. And they even included a spare! For the price, it is quite a good deal.

I use this tripod occassionally with my Nikon D200. It's simple but good enough for me.