It is my first tripod and I'm glad I bought it. It feels Rock Solid to use, I'm quite surprise how sturdy this thing is!I have a Nikon D7000 and Nikon SB910 Flash, yeah not that heavy setup but even if you use those huge lenses, I'm sure this thing is not moving an inch and goin' anywhere. Yes, its a a little heavy compared to carbon fiber's out there with the head but not that heavy to carry it around town. Who cares about those 2 to 3 extra pounds on your back if you have a little monster ready to give you those perfect shots.Most of my friends have Manfrotto Tripods with them but after seeing this, their jaw dropped and said "I should have bought this instead", I'm telling you comparing them side by side with Manfrotto 055XPROB in particular, this tripod feels more sturdy and looks very good too. Not to mention all those specification and angles and different things it can do with the head included, sorry I will not go with all the features I'm not good at that.All in all, you will not go wrong with Alta Pro, I highly recommend it. Like they say, you will not get that TIPA Award for nothing.Don't think too much, just buy it! :-)

Update: after several years of use the plastic spacer that sits in the hole for the extension tube broke. I contacted Vanguard about this and they sent me a replacement piece, for free, not long after I contacted them. I'm very pleased with the customer service.I'm an amateur photographer and am on a significant budget, so this tripod has proven to be an incredible deal. It's extremely strong and sturdy, I've used it regularly in streams capturing long exposures and it sits like a rock, even when the mast is extended at odd angles. The ball head is really well made and strong, as are the legs and just about everything else. If you were mugged and needed to defend your self this thing would deliver a thorough butt whipping and still let you take a mug shot. I know that's an offly odd thing to say, but this thing is built.Some people complain about the weight, but for my purposes it's been no problem carrying it around for three or four hours. Some reviews I've read have also talked about issues with the legs, I have noticed that the upper part of the legs sometimes sticks and can be hard to get in, I wonder if this was the issue with other peoples tripods. I find that if I don't force, or twist them they go in easier, perhaps a little oil in the legs would help out.

People are recommending carbon fibre tripods because they're lighter than aluminum ones. I find the weight of this Vanguard Alta Pro 263AT Aluminum Tripod with SBH-100 Ball Head acceptable. This is my first tripod. I use it indoors on still life. I bought it over others because the center column, when tilted to 0 degrees, can help place the tripod body farther away from the subject. When the tripod is splayed low, this can be a real benefit. And, I have found its ability to go low makes it easier to get upshots of flowers, etc in tight scenes. I use a light point-and-shoot, and a tripod helps prevent blurry pictures in low light and long exposure shots. The ball head is excellent. It has two built-in spirit levels. I can position the camera at any angle I want, but sometimes I have to spend a minute or two fiddling with it, because the plate tilts down only from 90 to 0 degrees on one side of the chamber. If it tilted both ways (90 to 0, and 90 to 180 degrees), that would make it easier to use. I believe Vanguard does make such a model. Note, just be careful when closing the legs inward, if you get your thumb in the way, it can really hurt! Bought on 2013-05-09, reviewed 2013-06-27 -YK.

I've been searching for a new tripod for months now. Trying to compare features, value, cost, use etc. has been a confusing jumble. This Vangard was on my list of considerations when shopping online and looking at review after review from every manufacturer. Then today I happened to drive by a camera store on my way back from lunch that I had never been in before. I was not looking for anything in particular and knowing full well I can get whatever probably much cheaper online, like here on Amazon with usually a really great return policy if things are not as advertised. So I walk in the store and right in front of me is sign that says "Tripods 50 to 70% off!" And sitting right in front is this Alta Pro 263AP. Retail price $249.99.... wait for it.... wait for it... "Discount $130.00 Off!" What? Needless to say, I scooped it up immediately for $119 bucks! Playing with it now, I am very very impressed. I do outdoor portraits and some video interviews with my Canon 60D. This thing is absolutely perfect for both. Very smooth pan and tilt for video and very solid, stable platform for my portrait shots. Extremely well made and well thought through, most especially at this price range... happy dance here :) But even at the $159 as on here, a great buy. Now having played with and seen the build quality, it would be my choice at anything under $200.

I am always in the market to look for new innovative budget products.This tripod is really solid for the price you pay for it. It's definitely a smaller tripod which you can see with a photo of it next to my full-size video tripod.It's not a small tripod however, I believe this is big enough for the average consumer trying to up their phone photography game or need something to film TikToks with.The phone mount actually is more of a screw loosen and tighten which is nice because I have more confidence in it holding my phone well.The remote definitely works. There were no directions in the box but it was easy to just power on and connect to my phone. It worked to take the photo about 9 times out of 10. I'm assuming there was just some interference or something. When looking at a budget product, one can't be too picky and it definitely gets the job done for the price!The build quality was better than I was expecting at this price point. I have lots of other budget-priced smaller tripods that wobble like crazy and I don't even want to put my phone on top of it. This one, however, is pretty solid in its construction.Overall, glad I picked this one up. I would definitely recommend this over lots of the other budget options out there.

This is my first professional tripod, I was using a very light weight tripod that came free with a camera kit and it was too light for my DSLR especially with the heavier lenses and tended to topple over if I wasn't careful, and it had far less adjustability.Although this is a heavier tripod than some carbon fiber versions, it is pretty sturdy and does the job very well for its price range.Features:-Sturdy construction with heavy black metal legs with cushioned uppers- Flip lever to lock the legs so it is easy and convenient compared to some other tripods- Grips on tripod legs which maintain a grip on all surfaces- Tripod legs can also be positioned at different angles very easily to give you just the right set up depending on your space or tilt of the land where you're shooting, especially on uneven terrain.- Ability to raise up or down with central rod, or tilt it 180 degrees to capture creative shots- Bubble level to check if you're horizontal- Ball head offers a very smooth action that is easy to operate for panoramic shots- Quick Shoe mount is very handy, and it also offers 2 quick shoe mounts for different configurationsThis is a great first tripod for a DSLR camera. A bit heavy to lug to locations but is absolutely worth it if you want that special shot.

I also own the 

Vanguard Alta Pro 263AGH Aluminum Tripod with GH-100 Pistol Grip Ball Head









 too. This tripod has the same fantastic innovative Multi-Angle Central Column (MACC), which can act like a pretty cool mini-jib, but comes with the SBH-100 head instead.In terms of build quality, both are excellent and Vanguard really has the user in the mind with added shock protection and extra locking. After using the Pistol Grip and the ballhead, I personally prefer the SBH-100. For me, it makes adjusting things much quicker. With the Pistol Grip, especially when I want to shoot in portrait orientation and want to tilt, I have to adjust two knobs; however, with the SBH-100, I can tilt up/down while in portrait orientation with just one lock to adjust it's tension.If you're concerned about weight, don't want something that heavy but still want the same quality, there's also this one available: 

Vanguard Alta 263AB 100 Aluminum Tripod with SBH-100 Ball Head









 (I also own that one but it does not have the Multi-Angle Central Column feature) - it's much lighter.It's absolutely a no surprise to me that Vanguard has won many awards for these tripods. The quality really shows.

I'll admit, i didnt have too high hopes for a product that's less than 20 bucks on amazon, but I wanted something quick and after comparing reviews on a couple of phone tripods i settled on this one. Honestly the best 20 bucks ive spent her. This tripod was exactly what I needed, got the job done with no hassle, easy to assemble, and it's both lightweight and portable, at that!I specifically wanted one that had connected to a cellphone, big enough for a S10. The holder extended fine for that, without the case of course. Seemed to have a solid grip, so even at the highest height (about 5 ft or so) I wasn't fearful the phone would fall out.That's the other thing, the 62 inch height on this is great, i think most others tap out around 50-something inches.And the shutter battery held up for my first shoot, which i took a TON of pics with, it was probably on for 1.5 hrs in total -- let's hope the battery life on that lasts for a few more rounds. but you cant beat having a clicker, especially if you're doing a shoot all by yourself.the ONLY thing (and this is minor, and not necessarily a fault of the product) but when extended all the way, i was a little worried the wine might knock it down when i was outside on the grass, but it was fine.