Giottos RT-8150 8-Section Compact Tripod with 3-Way Head (Black)

Comments about Giottos RT-8150 8-Section Compact Tripod with 3-Way Head (Black):

I travel the world with my wife who plays pro basketball. We take movies and photos everywhere, from Egypt, to the louvre to the outback Desert of Australia. As a tripod it is perfectly stable, strong and aligned. I also extend all 3 legs and hold it out in frontf me as a single rod to film and take photos of ourselves as if a 3rd party is doing it for us,,,

All other tripods break, this one rocks. Hakuba used to make them but no more, now, these are the king of tripods.

Comments about Giottos RT-8150 8-Section Compact Tripod with 3-Way Head (Black):

Great for a light weight and small travel tripod.
Good for point and shoot cameras for bridge cameras.

Comments about Giottos RT-8150 8-Section Compact Tripod with 3-Way Head (Black):

I take photos for competition in fairs and need something compact to carry with me all the time. It will even fit in my camera case! The only thing I can think of that I wish it had is a Quick Change Head!

Comments about Giottos RT-8150 8-Section Compact Tripod with 3-Way Head (Black):

I had a similar steel telescoping tripod for years that I used for multiple small-tripod needs. Alas, someone else decided he needed the videography gear in the back of my car more than I did, and the tripod was lost.I looked at similar tripods at [...], but they looked like flimsy junk. This tripod, however, is very well built. And I appreciate the one-handle head. Good purchase.

Comments about Giottos RT-8150 8-Section Compact Tripod with 3-Way Head (Black):

I bought 2 of these from a different brand (hakuba) but they dont make these anymore. I lost both of them at the airport because they wouldnt allow me to take it on the aeroplane. Ridiculous! I use my compact cameras like the panasonic g1 with a 2 second delay and it works brilliantly. The best tripod is the one you take with you.

Comments about Giottos RT-8150 8-Section Compact Tripod with 3-Way Head (Black):

Not lightweight but nice and compact. Using for Digital Audio recorder for meetings and workshops.

Comments about Giottos RT-8150 8-Section Compact Tripod with 3-Way Head (Black):

Let's get one thing straight: this tripod is NOT suitable for a large, heavy camera. What it is good for is providing a relatively small and light tripod for a small and light camera (e.g., a Canon S90).

Even then, it's not rock-solid; there's noticeable wobble at full extension. I mitigate this by using a 3-second timer delay on the camera when possible (I'm usually shooting still objects).

Also, the adjustability of the tripod isn't awesome; if you are on non-level or irregular terrain you'll have to fiddle to get the position you want.

All that said -- if you're looking for small/light tripod that is larger than a "tabletop" model, and you have a lightweight camera, this does the trick, and the price is right.

Comments about Giottos RT-8150 8-Section Compact Tripod with 3-Way Head (Black):

Great tripod to throw in a bag to snap a few shots with a small camera, but it simply won't hold a larger camera still.

Comments about Giottos RT-8150 8-Section Compact Tripod with 3-Way Head (Black):

Wanted a tripod for hiking that, when folded, could fit into a fanny pack (i.e. less than 12 inched) and was not heavy. Compared this Giottos to a $20 tripod available at Fry's and other places under the brand name of Digital. The Digital tripod is shorter (10 inches) and weighs less (14-15 oz); Giottos is 11 inches and weighs 18-19 oz. The Giottos feels a lot heavier than the Digital. Both are equally stable and both can be used up to 40-41 inches. The main difference is in how well designed and built they are. The Giottos feels like it will last a life time with little grief; whereas the Digital looks like it will last a couple years at best, and out of the box the legs sometimes stuck when trying to close them. One downside to both tripods is that due to the many leg sections that slide inside each other that I expect that dust and sand will jam the legs quite quickly - and when hiking I have to expect dust and dirt. I expect the Giottos to survive dust and sand better than the Digital, but I doubt the Giottos would last very long if used amidst dust and dirt.