Slik Sprint 150 Aluminum Tripod or?

[John King]

@Brownie Tim, extending the centre column on works on 15+ pound studio tripods on concrete floors, unless you are using an E-PM2 + 14-42 EZ, or similar ... .

Good for remote flashes though.

 

[RAH]

Good review, @Brownie . I think another configuration you might consider is one that I have used before with a tripod - instead of extending one leg as a monopod, extend TWO legs (a duopod). It really doesn't take up any more room than the single extended leg (the collapsed single leg stays toward your body the way the two legs did as a monopod), and it gives more anti-sway stability. I use this occasionally when there isn't enough room to deploy a tripod or I don't want people to notice I am using a tripod. You can hug the tripod against your chest and it's not intrusive at all. It does limit your ability to pan somewhat, I suppose, which would be yet another reason why a ballhead with a separate pan lock is considerably better for any use. Anyway, give it a try.

 

[Brownie]

I had actually thought that I could extend all 3 legs and leave the tripod closed. The only problem with that is I often collapse the legs down to nothing if I'm walking, but these open and close so quickly not sure that it would matter.

 

[PakkyT]

Thanks for the follow up review. Pretty much summed up what I thought this tripod would be like and as you said it meets the intended use you specifically had in mind for it so who cares if it is not a great tripod for other equipment and types of shooting.

I took the light out and checked the weight again. Without the light it drops the weight to 2.1lbs. Winner winner, the light went into a bag pocket.

This gave me a chuckle. 'Hmmmm, tripod if lighter if I remove the flashlight. I will just store the flashlight in anther spot in the same bag.' Although I assume what you really meant is it would be lighter to use the tripod without the light attached, rather than magically making your bag lighter, but wanted to tease you anyway.

 

[Mike Wingate]

The more you use a cigarette lighter to light things, or at a rock concert to lighten the arena and show your appreciation and show you are at one with others( holding your smart phone with the torch led works these days) gets lighter with use.

 

[Brownie]

Thanks for the follow up review. Pretty much summed up what I thought this tripod would be like and as you said it meets the intended use you specifically had in mind for it so who cares if it is not a great tripod for other equipment and types of shooting.



This gave me a chuckle. 'Hmmmm, tripod if lighter if I remove the flashlight. I will just store the flashlight in anther spot in the same bag.' Although I assume what you really meant is it would be lighter to use the tripod without the light attached, rather than magically making your bag lighter, but wanted to tease you anyway.

Exactly. Weight in the bag doesn't bother me at all, especially 0.1 lbs. But I think earlier in the thread I mentioned that I keep a strap around my neck and sometimes will let the monopod hang off the bottom of the camera as I walk around. This is very helpful when there are a lot of people around. In that case, every ounce helps. I suppose I could take my GX9 and 12-60 to save weight.

NAHH!!!!!!

 

[Brownie]

Interesting. The tripod came with one plate for the head. I wanted to buy another for a spare but the cheapest I could find was $20-25 with shipping. Yesterday I received an email from B&H with offers related directly to the tripod, one of those being the plate for $12.75, shipped free? Usually they want to sell you $50 worth of stuff for free shipping. Of course I bought one.

So far B&H has been top-drawer in every dealing I've had with them.

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

So far B&H has been top-drawer in every dealing I've had with them.

I bought an iPad Pro and Smart Keyboard from B&H on a Black Friday sale (after Thanksgiving). The iPad quit talking to the keyboard in the middle of November, so I took it into the nearest Mac repair shop. When they looked up my iPad, B&H showed that it had been purchased on November 1 and it was now out of warranty. Luckily I had my American Express receipt that showed when I had really purchased it and both were replaced under warranty. Other wise they have been OK for me.

 

[Brownie]

I bought an iPad Pro and Smart Keyboard from B&H on a Black Friday sale (after Thanksgiving). The iPad quit talking to the keyboard in the middle of November, so I took it into the nearest Mac repair shop. When they looked up my iPad, B&H showed that it had been purchased on November 1 and it was now out of warranty. Luckily I had my American Express receipt that showed when I had really purchased it and both were replaced under warranty. Other wise they have been OK for me.

I worry more about how a company responds than the initial problem. If I'm not mistaken they're the ones who took care of Dan Elkins' shipping disaster. Each time I've had a problem they step up. I suspect that had you called their CS and spoken with them directly instead of the repair shop looking it up they'd have taken care of the clerical error.

 

[Brownie]

Just got back from another trip to the Henry Ford to see the new exhibit. After using the tripod for a day, I can say without hesitation it's a perfect fit. I started using it based on the original plan of one leg extended as a tripod, only extending the others if a tripod was needed. It wasn't long before I realized that the tripod is so compact that it made more sense to leave all three legs extended but folded, spreading the legs when needed for more stability. Not only that, but the legs hinges are stiff enough that I didn't even need the strap wrapped around them to keep them folded. Of course that may change as it gets broken in, but for now it's fine.

I became so used to it I ended up using it as a tripod more than expected. Used with a 2-second shutter delay I was able to get nice shots and never once changed the ISO. I have to take into account that it wasn't a busy day and I had a lot of room. Under normal circumstances I would probably need to revert to my normal method.

The only issue is that the cork lining on the mounting plate is too slick which allowed the camera to spin, and I had to retighten it several times. I have some of that non-slip rubber mat material that I'll use to replace the cork. That was the only downside though, so pretty satisfied overall.