Oben CT-2320 3-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod with BB-1 Ball Head Kit

Comments about Oben CT-2320 3-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod with BB-1 Ball Head Kit:

My first reaction when removing the tripod from the box was that this is a quality product, both the tripod and the head. The tripod is solid and built with very tight tolerances, a true indication of quality. All leg and head adjustment locking devices are silky smooth and require very minimal force to lock the positions.

The center column can be removed, inverted, and inserted into the underside of the chassis to allow the camera to shoot pictures within inches of the ground. The silky smooth ball head allows for unlimited camera orientations and positions, and the user can adjust the amount of resistance in the ball motion to suit personal preferences. The panorama rotation is very smooth, can be locked, and has an indicator scale that some may find useful.

The BB-1 head comes with a camera plate that attaches directly to the camera. This allows the camera to be mounted and removed from the tripod easily without having to repeatedly thread and unthread the mounting screw into the camera body (which increases the likelihood of stripping the threads in the camera or the tripod screw). Some camera plates "snap in" to tripods, while this plate must be secured by closing a clamp (by rotating a knob) on the mounting frame. I prefer this method over the "snap in" plates as there is less chance that one will accidently release the plate with disastrous results.

A couple of points to consider with this tripod. With the legs fully extended (column not extended) and a camera mounted on the BB-1 head, the viewfinder is about 5' 4" from the floor. This may require some to shorten the leg extensions to reach the viewfinder, especially if the camera is tilted downward.

Second, the Oben warrantee does not include labor costs for any warrantee work, only parts. At first I found this to be troublesome, as I had never seen a warrantee that did not include labor, even if it was for only 90 days or so. However, based on a discussion with an Oben representative, the tripod can be easily disassembled at home and the defective part sent to Oben for a replacement. This essentially would be a part swap and fully covered under the 5 year warrantee. For example, if the locking mechanism on one of the legs failed, the defective leg could be removed by the user and sent to Oben for a replacement. As explained to me, Oben would send a replacement leg, and not attempt to 'repair" the leg thus incurring labor costs for the user. I don't know how the BB-1 head would be treated, as this component does not lend itself to user disassembly.