Cayer Video Tripod, BV30L 72"/184cm Professional Heavy Duty Aluminum Twin Tube Tripod with 360° Fluid Drag Head,Compatible with Canon Nikon Sony and Other DSLR Camera Camcorder, Load Up to 17.6lb/8kg

Sometimes the phrase 'too good to be true' comes up. This is that time. First off, this is not an industrial, heavy weight tripod in the Sachtler league, but for a light to medium camera like a Sony FX9 or similar this is ideal. I bought a similar tripod for 3 times the amount of money with carbon fiber and sent it back as it had no weight. This has a decent amount of weight and even the head is pretty smooth. All the comments you read about how well engineered and thought out this thing is have rung true with me. I will get at least 10 years out of this thing and maybe even more. For me, the head is the significant part of the investment of a tripod. And as I said, even that worked smoothly, but I bought an alternative more expensive and heavier head and will use the other head from the Cayer on a second tripod if I need two tripods on a shoot. It's a really decent product for the money. Really fantastic. I am super impressed.

This video tripod is very good quality for the price and the design looks awesome.Pros;K3 Video fluid head is fantastic, operations are very closer to professional Manfrotto video head.You can also use your Manfrotto plate on this K3 video fluid head.You can use sliders on the top of this tripod without any problems.Very useful adjustable handle in the middle, which you can rotate and correct your video head level at any time.Tripod carrying bag is excellent heavy duty built quality.Good customer service for answering any questions and has Limited 8-Year Warranty.Cons;There is a second knob on the video head that has to be turned to lock the camera in position. You will have to slide your camera on to the head and once the camera is on the head, it will not fall forward or backward. Then there is a quick release button which will only hold the camera on the head without securing it. You will have to turn the second knob which is very closer to the camera body to secure it. If you slide your camera fully in, you will find this knob difficult to turn, because the knob will touch the camera body (right hand side of the camera where you have hand grip to hold the camera body) and you will not be able to turn it and lock. I had to slide back the camera a little and then adjust the knob to secure the camera, its tricky, but you can do it once you get used to it. May be small camera body will succeed. So this video head has no quick release system like a Manfrotto video head where you have one knob to use easily to release the plate and also to lock the plate without the need for a second adjustment.Overall this is a very very good video tripod for professional use and also good value. I would highly recommend this product to any professionals looking for a sturdy tripod.

Excellent tripod. The build quality is great. There's a great video review of this from an engineer on YouTube and he gives an in-depth review about its structural strengths and potential weaknesses and there aren't really any of the latter. Its built so well. So easy to use so easy to move while setup.Best bits!Comes with a second attachment plate! So now I can leave a plate in the bag and leave one attached to my rig.Comes with a bag! Not just any bag but nice bag that isnt cheap! These things make all the difference.The fluidiy on the tripod is perfect. There is a lock to stop it. But it's a "fixed" fluid style. The lock isnt to determine the push back with the fluid head. The lock is only to lock it in.I managed to attach a 100cm slider to it and it worked. Ok, I had to really tighten the tilt lock but it worked! Now I dont have to carry two stands.I nearly bought another tripod but glad I changed my mind and got this. Easily the best value tripod for videocameras and SLRs.

Have had this and used it for just over a month now. Well packed and easy to use. I use this with a Panasonic hc-x1500 camcorder and it copes with the weight well.This tripod itself is quite weighty, which means that once it is down it is super stable. The machine finish is good and feels well made. The legs release easily, 1/2 turn, and have a nice smooth action, the spreader works fine. The top plate fits well, 1/4 turn release but beware, it can catch the camera. The horizontal movement plane is smooth and beautifully damped although if you turn it to many times it can release. Just turn it back the other way to fix. With the Panasonic I have to mount the camera as far back on the mounting plate as I can, to make it balance.I have 3 cons:1)The levelling bubble is a little obscured by the tilting head but if you level before you attach the camera you can get round this.2) The vertical tilt is notchy at the top, there is a definite clunk and it is hard to adjust the tension to a nice smooth flow, it can jerk a little as you start movement. I wrote to Cayer about the clunk and got no response.3) The bag has developed a split along the Zip - see image.Summary.If you are looking for a solid tripod, this is a decent buy, if it's faulty swap it before the 30days have expired. It is heavy, whilst this is great for stability you don't want to hike up any mountains with it. It is much cheaper than the main brands which is a major plus. Shame about the tilt and the bag.