Product Details

• Brand: Tiffen
• Model: 80013
• Dimensions: 29.00" h x 4.50" w x 5.00" l, 1.58 pounds

Features

• Fully adjustable 3 Way Pan/Tilt controls
• Quick release photo/video platform
• Center column converts easily to a lightweight versatile monopod
• Includes center brace and bubble level
• 60" Extended Height

Customer Reviews

Kodak Gear Mid-Size 60"
This Tripod is Great. I uses it for my camcorder. I like the smooth paning and tilting operation. I also love the fact that I can take out the center portion and use it for a monopod, which is very useful in tight places

Yeah, it's a cheap tripod, but...
I have owned several tripods in this price range, and even though they're not top quality, they're usually MUCH better than this. The legs are plenty sturdy, but the lock collar on the center post is awfully hard to use to lock in place. Usually I'd have to lock it, and then squeeze the legs together until they're fully retracted and it will then be locked in place. Easy solution, but after doing this numerous times, the friction that holds the lock collar in place will diminish and you'll have a tripod whose legs just flop around like an overturned hamster (I've seen it! Don't worry, he eventually turned back over and lived a long, happy, right-side-up life).

The monopod section works but it's a bit on the awkward side to extend and retract as well. The plastic collar inside the cylinder that centers the monopod broke the first time I took the monopod out. I usually have my Canon or Benro monopod with me when I go out, though, so I don't use it anyway.

But the real reason this tripod gets 2 stars is because the head is awful. The cheap plastic knobs and handles flex a great amount and you have to be careful not to accidentally snap something off. If you're looking for a stable tripod, this isn't for you (doesn't even include a hook to hang a weight to keep the whole thing in one spot)... The worst part is that the base that the quick release clamps on to is connected by a cylinder with a knob that you can use to switch from landscape to portrait orientation. Unfortunately the vertical is not quite vertical, it goes just slightly beyond and makes any portrait shots you take slightly crooked. It also doesn't lock in really tight so doing anything other than horizontal or vertical just results in the camera creeping in one way or another.

From the build quality, I think most of the cost to produce this tripod was to make sure it said "KODAK Gear" in at least 4 different places.

You get what you pay for, and this is a bargain
At $25.00 this is a bargain. I have had no problems with its use, and have probably used the monopod section more than the full tripod. If you want perfection you will have to pay for it, but if you are looking for an inexpensive combo tripod and monopod to use infrequently, this is the way to go.