Giottos MT9251 + MH1000-652 Aluminum Tripod Series II with MH1000-652 Ball Head and Quick Release Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)MH1000-652 (Ball Head)

This is a good quality ball head at a reasonable price.The knobs are very solid, smooth, and easily lock in place allowing the head to support up to 22 lbs.The unit pans smoothly and the small knob in front can be used to set tension on the panning feature or lock it in place.The small knob on the side is for tension control of the ball head, and the large knob is the primary ball release.One of the features that help me to decide on this unit was the tension control feature.However, after using it for a while I can say it's pretty much unnecessary.The primary locking control knob is very smooth and does not release the ball too quickly.Hence, it's very easy to control the tension and ball adjustment just from this one knob - and much easier than trying to coordinate the two.I you are considering one of the other Giottos ball heads, and you don't need to support up to 22 lbs, the smaller and lighter MH1002-310 (which supports up to 13 lbs) should work just fine without the dedicated tension control knob.Otherwise, this unit is solid and very well built with precision tuning.I'm also happy with the quick release assembly MH1002-310 (included).It easily snaps into place, and easily comes loose.It also has a safety lever. One note on this, after the unit is snapped into place, you'll want to push the release lever in to tighten the grip.It will stay snug. If you don't, the camera won't come loose, but could wiggle a little bit.

Giottos MT9251

This is a very well built tripod that I trust to support my equipment, and is very stable for great photos under most conditions.It's not particularly light or nimble, but it's considerably less expensive than carbon fiber.The only disappointment I have is in regard to the twist style locks on the legs.These take much longer to lock than the more common quick style locks, and are more difficult to get really tight so the legs don't collapse under weight (you need a strong grip).However, the most disappointing thing about these locks is if you loosen one too much, or accidentally turn it the wrong way, the leg can completely slip out with all the parts falling on the floor.This happened to me once, and it took ten minutes to re-assemble the leg, and I'm lucky I didn't loose any parts (4 pieces inside).I do like the looks of the twist locks, and it folds up slimmer without levers sticking out, but the design is inferior to the quick locks.With that said, if I take the time to make sure the legs are well tightened, and don't need to continually adjust the leg lengths during a shoot, it works great and I would recommend. It's a good quality tripod for the price.

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Product Description:
3-Section aluminum tripod and MH1000-652 ball head with quick release. Includes case and strap.

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