Manfrotto 725B Digi Tripod with Integrated Ball Head with Dove Tail Plate and Carrying Bag (Black)
by Manfrotto
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List Price: Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Manfrotto 725B Digi Tripod with Integrated Ball Head with Dove Tail Plate and Carrying Bag (Black)
Customer Review: Awesome travel tripod
Summary: 5 Stars
I have the Manfrotto 725B, and I think it is an awesome travel tripod that fits the bill for most folks.
If you're like me, you're busy with work throughout the year, so when you get to go out on vacation with your spouse and/or family, you like to bring home great pictures for lasting memories and not just quick snapshots. You want to have you AND your spouse/family in your pictures, but at the same time your family doesn't have patience with you lugging a ton of heavy gear around and taking forever to set up for a photo.
Then this tripod is perfect for you. It folds down small enough to fit inside an average sized backpack, with space left over for your D-SLR and other stuff. And it's not that heavy. It sets up and folds down really quickly, with its leg locks, quick-release, ballhead, and center column lock. Best of all, it opens up really tall, unlike many other "small" tripods.
For me, this was my step up from the $20-$30 basic tripod you get at your typical electronic or consumer store. By comparison, the materials are really beefy and solid. There is no "play" or wiggling around, like with the plastic components and joints on the basic tripods. The ballhead is a lot more flexible to use and has a much firmer hold on the camera than the plastic 3-way panhead of my basic tripod. Also, the quick-release plate is metal and very solid.
It's true that the tripod is a just little bit heavier than my basic tripod. And initially, when I felt it, it seemed like it was bigger. But when I compared them, the Manfrotto actually folds down shorter, and it is only very slightly larger in diameter. It think the size impression comes from the feeling that this tripod is SO MUCH more solidly constructed than my basic tripod. The old tripod feels really flimsy by comparison.
I know there are a lot of other even bigger, beefier, more stable and feature rich tripods out there. But I'm not a pro, and I'm sure my wife would be really annoyed if I were carrying a lot of big heavy equipment around everywhere we go. To me, this tripod strikes the perfect balance. It sets up quick, rock solid, and steady when you need it. And it practically disappears when you don't need it. And its really not very expensive at all, considering that you just need one of these things and it should last a long long time.
Customer Review: Almost perfect for a portable tripod.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first quality tripod purchase and after narrowing down my choices to the Manfrotto brand, I had a tough time deciding weather to buy a more professional tripod (eg.3021BN) or not, especially since Manfrotto do not officially reccommend this for SLR cameras. I went to my local photography shop, picked up the 3021BN with one hand and feeling its weight, made my decision against it almost instantly. I needed a tripod that I could carry comfortably while walking around town, as well as take with me on overseas trips and other vacations. Carbon fibre tripods were too much for me, as I am not a pro and only do photography as a hobby and they are so expensive. The pro Manfrotto tripods are awesome, just too heavy for my needs.
I use this tripod to support a Canon 30D with 17-85 IS USM lens. Total camera/lens weight of around 1.3kg and I'm thinking the only other lens I will buy in the future is a telephoto, eg. 70-200 f4L. In any case since I mainly do street photography or landscape and need to be able to carry my tripod around, while on foot and my camera/lens combination is unlikely to be more than 1.5kg in the future, this tripod is perfect for my needs. It supports the 30D SLR quite comfortably, even in vertical position. Does not feel like the weight of my camera will tilt the tripod at all. While it is not as flexible as the pro tripods, it's light engough to be carried around. And even if I decide to upgrade to a pro tripod in the future, this will always be my travel tripod. It is a solidly constructed top quality tripod, especially for the money you pay. The ball head is great, much easier to reposition the camera, just have to be carefull you hold the camera when releasing the lever, as the lever totally releases the ball and camera will flop to the side, if you are not holding it.
So while this is not a pro tripod, as a light and portable tripod, it is quite strong and rigid and supports an SLR comfortably. I only wish it had two levers, as this would make it perfect for me. It should have one lever to lock/release the rotation of the head about the vertical axis and another lever to release the ball.
Great value for money. I would reccommend this as a portable tripod. 4.5 stars.
Customer Review: My search finally ends
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been looking for the perfect portable (read: lightweight) travel tripod for over a year. When I travel, I typically spend 12-16 hours a day roaming around with a heavy camera backpack including a bulky DSLR, several lenses and accessories. (I once weighed my pack at 17 pounds, haha.)
Have returned previous online tripod purchases as they just weren't very compact when folded, and they just weren't very tall (full-sized) when expanded. I am thrilled to have happened upon this model. Folds small enough to shove into my pack, but I was amazed to fully expand it and have it go way, way over my head (I'm 5'9").
The ball head is sturdy enough to support a Nikon D300 + a fully extended 18-200mm lens. Although lightweight, the legs are steady and feel well-constructed. The carry bag is very convenient and nicely designed with the "Manfrotto" logo down the stripe. A very good value. I think I'll use this as my "real" tripod from now on.
Setup takes less than a minute, from out of the bag to fully in place with the camera mounted and pointed. I was frequently able to stop on the street when I found something I wanted to shoot, set up, shoot and move on quickly. My "real" tripod is extremely heavy, slow to set up, and NOT compact when folded - only use I can see for it from now on might be in high winds.
For the price, this is an excellent tripod. I bought the version with the ball head, which allows for many interesting configurations (including shooting vertically). As someone else mentioned, this head doesn't allow you to pan to the side without loosening, so you may lose your vertical position, but this is easily solved by just rotating the lightweight tripod. There's no bubble level, but you can use the grid lines in your viewfinder to find the horizon if you can't eyeball it. The only other possible improvement would be two leg stays per leg instead of three, which is more time-consuming to operate.
For the money, I can't complain. This is the perfect combo of durability (you get high-quality Manfrotto design), ease of setup, weight, and compactness (when folded) with expandable height. Would recommend.
Customer Review: Bogen-Manfrotto 725B Digi Tripod with integrated Ball Head
Summary: 4 Stars
I was looking for a lighter version of the Bogen 3021, which I use with a generic ball head. The 725b came the closest: 1) It has quick release leg locks, 2) a ball head with quick release base plate, and 3) it is 3.5 lbs lighter than my Bogen 3021.
I am 5'8" tall and I had to extend the 725b halfway up for horizontal shots and all the way up for vertical shots. Ideally, the tripod should not be extended for greatest stability. I mount a Nikon D70 with an 18-200 zoom lens. Even with the extension all the way up the stability was firm. I would use my 3021 if I were using the D70 with my 200-400 zoom lens. When shooting with a tripod, you should be able to look at the viewfinder standing straight up. Having to bend over to look at the viewfinder is uncomfortable. If you're taller than 5'8" tall you should consider a longer tripod.
Unfortunately, the 725b does not have a release to allow you to pan. There is only one release on the ball head. The extension lever, unlike my 3021, only allows you to move the extension up or down. If you shoot panoramas and want to pan on the exact plane, or if you plan to use it with a video cam, try finding a tripod that pans.
If you're using a full size ball head, the full size base plate may not fit the 725b. However, the 725b plate may fit the full size ball head.
While there is only a 3.5 lb difference, the 725b feels much lighter than the 3021. Carrying it is a breeze. It opens quickly, cameras can be mounted or released quickly and the ball head makes framing a breeze. I highly recommend this tripod if these are primary considerations. If you're taller than 5'8" tall, plan on doing a lot of panoramas, or mounting an extreme telephoto lens, I would not recommend this tripod.
Customer Review: Excellent Tripod ... Except When the Head Breaks
Summary: 1 Stars
When I got this tripod, I was very excited ... it was lightweight, compact, and very easy to use.
I used it a few times ... and loved it.
After using it at home for about 6 weeks, however, the ball head no longer holds up my camera. (I'm very careful with my equipment, and I would say this tripod saw light to moderate use). And there's no way that my camcorder (a Canon HG10) even comes close to the 7 pound weight limit that the specs say this head can hold.
This is a wonderful tripod ... except for the integrated head. Once the head breaks, it cannot be replaced, thus turning the entire tripod into a paperweight.
I'd suggest buying something else.
PRODUCT UPDATE: Since the unit is still under warranty, I returned it for repair. The service department returned the unit "in working order." Now the head will hold my camera up about 50% of the time, and I find that I have to fiddle with the lock a great deal to get the head to stay. I don't trust the latch, so I'll continue to use this tripod (because of the portability and weight), but I rarely take my hands off my camera when it's on this tripod.
From reading the other reviews, other folks seemed to have had good experiences with this unit. For me, even after going to the hassle of returning the unit for service, I am still not pleased with it, and would not recommend it to others.
I guess you roll your dice and takes your chances.
PRODUCT UPDATE #2:
A few weeks after I posted the above, the head stopped working entirely. People seem to like this unit, so I must have gotten a defective one. This broken unit now serves as a rather expensive secondary light stand in my studio.