MeFOTO Globetrotter S 61.6" Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod/Monopod w/Case, Twist Locks, Dual Action Ballhead w/Arca Swiss Plate for Mirrorless/DSLR Sony Nikon Canon Fuji - Black (GTSCBLK)

I am a professional photographer, and "no brag, just fact" I would wager that I own and have used more tripods and camera support systems than any other customer at Amazon. Dozens, including all manner of exotic special purpose tripods, and tripods dedicated to specific applications. I'm not talking about junk, though I do have some inexpensive tripods like the Joby GorillaPod Video, which is excellent. But most of my tripods are high end professional grade from companies like Vinten, Gitzo, and even Microdolly (a pro brand made in Hollywood).For 3 decades, my primary still photo tripod has been a Gitzo Studex. This is an outstanding, highly reliable, and super stable tripod. It weighs a ton, but it is required for the type architectural photography I do, which these days involves fully configured Canon DSLR cameras and heavy tilt-shift lenses.All this said, I recently purchased the MeFoto GlobeTrotter Carbon Fiber tripod, and I absolutely love it.It is essential that your tripod is well matched to the load. Don't think this tripod is adequate for. Canon 5D Mk III with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. If you are shooting with any full size DSLR, this may not be the tripod for you.But matched to the right camera, say a crop from Canon or similar sized Nikon, this is a wonderful tripodMy MeFoto is paired with a Panasonic GH3, and the two are a superb match. In fact, this combination is like falling in love with photography all over again. I have carried tripod and camera all day long recently at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and also hiking in Zion National Park. It would have killed me to do this with the Gitzo and Canon combo, but there was no pain, suffering, or regret with the Panasonic and MeFoto.The MeFoto is very well made. It is highly stable, the first criteria for any tripod. It is also incredibly small and lightweight. Yes, this carbon fiber version costs $100 more than the aluminum, but unless you abuse equipment and know you will destroy anything within a year or two, I think the carbon fiber is worth the money. A good tripod can last a lifetime, and I am coming to appreciate more and more the value of reduced weight. Light weight makes the difference in decisions you make, which hike to take, what gear to carry. Considering the cost of travel, the surcharge for carbon is a bargain.This MeFoto tripod is a joy on many levels, but the real proof is it has become my go-to tripod for personal photography. That's saying something from a guy who has maybe 3 dozen tripods at his fingertips, some costing thousands more than this MeFoto.Understand this glowing review only applies if the tripod is well matched to the camera.For me personally, I cannot imagine serious use of any of the smaller tripods in the MeFoto line unless your intended application is to support a point and shoot camera. Tripods are something few point-and-shoot photographers ever consider.Final observation: the MeFoto GlobeTrotter is highly suitable for camera backpacks which include a tripod pouch. I am using a Lowepro Video Fastpack whichmI highly recommend for still cameras as well as video. It has a tripod attachment point that fits this MeFoto tripod perfectly.Bottom line: I purchase tons of photographic gear, but this MeFoto tripod is not only superb, it is one of those rare pieces of equipment that really changes my life, coming at it as I am from much heavier professional caliber equipment. My highest recommendations - buy it now, you will not regret this purchase!

Set up- Its extremely easy to use.- Getting my camera on and off the tripod is very easy.- Its very easy and quick to set up.- It has hinges on its legs to set the tripod legs at different angles.- Overall I can set up this tripod mostly with one hand if needed.Stability- This tripod has a center rod for adding weights which enhances the stability.- I have set up this tripod at different angles on uneven surfaces and never had issues with stability.- When I extend all the legs, I get little paranoid moving too far away from the tripod but even though I have not seen any problems with it.Usability- I have been able to set up this tripod on different terrains.- One good thing about this tripod is that I don't have to set it up at a particular camera angle. The ball head moves in all directions and I can align the camera horizontally very easily, by adjusting just 2 knobs below the camera. This has saved a lot of time and effort for me.Overall- This tripod is carbon fibre so its light compared to few other tripods to travel around with.- It has great stability even with the light weight.- Its really small when folded, hence I could manage to fit it in my carry on bag.- Monopod comes very handy and its easy to take it on-off.I found it hard to follow instructions that came along so I mostly tried with trail and error approach. One slight issue I have faced now is when I tilt the camera to -90 degrees. I sometimes have a hard time to make the camera stable. But I need to research more and figure out how to do this.

I like the amount of thought that went into the design of this tripod. It is small enough to fit into my medium-sized backpack. I keep it in the carrying case when not in use, and it isn't too difficult to set up. I have the carbon fiber version, and the weight is not as light as many would prefer, but it's a full-sized tripod that can be converted into quite a small form factor. I am sure the two shorter versions would be a significant reduction in size, but I don't mind carrying the GlobeTrotter around, even on long trips.I rest my D810 with the 28-300mm FX Nikkor lens, and there is no problem about front weight causing instability while on the tripod. I love the addition of a hook on the bottom, allowing me the option to add additional weight to keep the tripod even more stable.Using it as a monopod is pretty easy, and takes about 3 minutes to set up.If you have used screw-type legs before, then you know it can sometimes be an adventure when you forget to tighten the leg extenders, or when they unscrew on their own. One of the drawbacks to the design, but as long as you do keep a hand ready to support the camera while mounting/carrying the tripod, a collapsing leg should not be a big concern.The ball-mount head is smooth, and stable. I prefer a level "tube" instead of the bubble, and it can be out of the way, depending on which direction you set your camera. However, it's better than no level. The gears easily twist and untwist easily, while also maintaining a good grip once tightened.Overall, it's a very nice tripod. If you want a smaller, more compact design, I am sure Mefoto's smaller offerings on this product line would also be a good choice.

Shipped quickly with no issues do far.

Allier petite taille repliée, poids relativement correct et qualité, c'est un challenge.Et là, Mefoto a réussi !Une tête multipositions en métal sur ball impeccable, des pieds retractables et orientables en mode araignée, un niveau très bien réglé, et surtout, la douceur et la solidité avec laquelle tout est paramétrable.Le petit plus ? La possibilité de faire du monopod avec l'un des pieds détachables !Il tient à 110km/h de vent (testé en Islande), tient à l'acide, au gel, à la pluie... c'est vraiment une bête de course qui ne me quitte jamais lors de mes périples das les pays froids.Vous chez chez un tripod de haute qualité ? Vous l'avez trouvé !

Ottimo cavalletto soprattutto da viaggio. Sta in un trolley per cabina. Il sistema di chiusura ne riduce gli spazi. Molto stabile e leggero in carbonio. Il primo mi è arrivato senza piastrina per la macchina fotografica ma mi è stato prontamente sostituito.

Excellent and well built tripod. Extremely stable in any condition. Knobs are smooth and fluid. A bit on the heavy side, go for carbonfibre version if weight bothers you, otherwise a notch tripod. You cant go any wrong with this one.

Das Stativ hat "inklusive Kopf" eine maximal Höhe von 162,5cm, das steht ein wenig missverständlich im Text dabei, das ist für manchen schon etwas zu niedrig oder an der Grenze. Was mir nicht gefallen hat ist die Stabilität der Beine, das habe ich bei anderen Herstellern bei ähnlichen Stativen schon besser/stabiler gesehen, und das Klappen der Beine, das nach meinem Empfinden etwas zu leicht geht, das ist auch nicht mehr stärker einzustellen. Wenn das mit der Zeit noch etwas leichter gehen sollte, dann wird das nicht unbedingt stabiler dadurch. Der Kopf ist gut, gefällt mir. Wer ein leichtes Stativ zum mitnehmen sucht, aber keine gehobenen Ansprüche an die Stabilität stellt, ist hier sicher gut bedient. Für mich war es wohl nicht ganz das Richtige Stativ. Ich würde gerne 3,5 Sterne geben, das geht leider nicht, aber da das Stativ nichts dazu kann, dass ich andere Ansprüche habe, gebe ich 4 Sterne.