Slik Pro 700DX Super Titanium Alloy Tripod Legs - 615900

The weight n sturdiness

I believe the Slik lineup is the value in legsets. This is the second 700DX legset I have, and I also have a 500DX and 330DX legset, all with Manfrotto ballheads with RC2 or Arca-style clamps. The 700DX legset is not as light as the carbon fiber offerings (Slik offers those a well), but just as capable and at a very attractive price point. Solid kit.

The tripod that I had previous to this was a an old half-broken cheap Velbon Victory that someone gave me for free, so as you can imagine the 700DX is a major upgrade that I'm quite happy with. I bought this for use with a  Marumi TB-12 Arca Compatible Ball Head  which I selected based on price, quality, and Arca QR plate compatibility, and it seems to be a solid combination with these legs.I wish I could compare the legs with ones from other manufacturers at a similar price point, but I'm lacking any experience with those. In any case, this thing is rock solid and gets high marks from everything I've read, and the fact that you can lock the legs into three different positions for various heights is extremely handy. Reversing the center column works quite well, and with a 40mm lens on my 1.5x crop factor D7000 I can extend the legs all the way, reverse the column, slide it to the highest position, point the camera straight down with the legs fully extended in the highest position, and not have any of the legs visible in the frame. So this thing is great for "straight down" angles for copy work or what have you. And for wider angles I'm guessing that locking the legs into the middle position will keep them out of the frame.My only complaint is that the feet don't have spikes, and it seems like there's no option to add spiked feet that I can find. So far I haven't run into any situations that would benefit from spiked feet though, so i can't really say how much of a problem this might be for me.

For the price of this tripod, I don't think I could find anything better.It's of decent weight. Steady in most conditions and rather light for carrying around. There really isn't much to say. It's sturdy and built well. I've had this thing in some pretty crazy conditions too. The one that sticks out is less than 30 degrees stood up in a stream. I was scared to death my camera was going to fall over as their was a decent current, but ti held up and didn't even flinch.I've also used this Tripod to support a monitor for my photo booth. It's held the monitor and a camera simultaneously using some Teether Tools mounts. I've only had one close call and that was my fault. I find putting the weight of the monitor (because it hangs off center of the tripod) between 2 legs to work best. To further explain, put a single leg going out from the back of the monitor, so looking at the front of the monitor you'd see to legs coming out of the either size. Perhaps one day I'll add a photo.Again I can't complain about this tripod, it just works and it's very sturdy for my needs, even for a monitor!

Sturdy isn't the word, these things are Rock Solid! they're a little bit heavy though, I opted for the lighter-weight option and A Little Less stability

This tripod feels like a high quality product with some care put into it. It is not your wobbly budget tripod, and it should last a long time. That being said, it is quite heavy, so I use it mainly indoors. I think it is too heavy for me to want to carry it hiking.I wanted a completely wobble-free tripod to take video with, so it fits that purpose and may be cheaper than other comparably stable "video tripods."Pros:- Solid, stable, does not wobble.- Quick to adjust legs and securely clamp in place- Can use at a pretty wide variety of leg anglesCons:- Leg tilt adjustment can be a little stiff (probably adjustable)- Heavy- (Does not include tripod head.)- Feet are just rubber and lack spikes (some tripods have little spikes that you can screw out of the feet when desired)- No special Manfrotto head attachment - some people complain of their Manfrotto heads loosening up when used with non-manfrotto legs. I haven't personally had problems with this with my Manfrotto fluid head, though.

I made a modification to improve stability. Cost is less than $5 and takes a couple of hours. The lower part of the center column was removed and stored. A 1/4" hole was drilled in the center of the threaded center column cap. A 1"x 3"x 1/4" eyebolt was installed using nuts and washers on both sides of the center column cap. The upper nut requires a deep socket to tighten the assembly. The assembly was screwed into the center column and snugly hand-tightened exercising care not to over-tighten. A purple anodized carabiner was used to suspend a 10 pound 10 ounce sandbag centered beneath the tripod head. This puts the load very close to the manufacturer's maximum recommended weight once a camera and heavy lens is clamped in.The springiness of the legs and the wobble of the center column are greatly reduced thereby increasing the probability no movement will occur as the shutter fires.

Very satisfied. The tripod is very stable and strong and light enough for me that it is not an intrusion to carry. I topped it with a Manfrotto 496RC2 ball head, and the two complement each other perfectly, making a very stable shooting platform. I am 5'10" and with my Nikon D90 with battery pack/vertical grip attached, I can operate while fully standing without having to extend the center post. In fact, the center post is made of two sections which unscrew in the center to allow the center post to be removed and inverted. The tripod is high enough without the center post elevated that I permanently removed one half of the post to reduce a little weight. I would definitely recommend this tripod and would purchase another in a heartbeat. The only slightly negative comment is that it is only equipped with rubber feet, and does not have retractable spikes. However, this was well defined in the listing, and was not a surprise on recipt - just a possible suggestion for improvement.