The last time I bought a tripod was for a digital camera I got in 2004. In those days, they all had standard sized holes that you screwed into a pad at the top of the tripod. Pretty low tech device, and it worked fine for years. But my newest cell phone has an incredible camera and I found myself wanting to use it in situations that would require a tripod, like taking a video of myself doing something. So I went looking for the kind of tripod I had previously that would work with a cell phone.I was amazed at what current tripods can do. I bought this one because it has some interesting features that will be useful, and it wasn’t that expensive. It has turned out to be a perfect fit for my needs. It does the basic things I need well enough - it holds my rather large phone steady, is easily adjustable, and is very portable. The ring light is not something I had ever used before, but it is turning out to be very useful. It keeps enough light on a fairly close subject to improve the quality of images, and I guess you can adjust the color for different effects, although I haven’t really used that much. I like that it is USB powered, so I can use it anywhere without needing a clumsy lamp. Even has a remote button so you can control the camera function without touching the device, which is cool.Basically, a handy and practical device, perfect for occasional or field use. If I were using it professionally, I might want something bigger and sturdier, but that would certainly cost more. This does everything I need, and the price was right. I am very happy with it.

If you need a full size tripod that’s relatively “lighter weight” but is ultra compact and able to fit into any and all regular backpacks with ease then it’s probably your best option.For me personally I am not a professional photographer but I take my hobby seriously and have several tripods that ranged in price from $60-$250 with the more expensive version being a traditional ultra sturdy full size tripod. However, the size and weight of the thing made it impossible to pack inside of a regular backpack. Since I wasn’t interested in buying a specialty camera backpack I needed to be able to store it inside of my Lululemon camo backpack for traveling and my Briggs&Riley Backpack that I used for daily business use. For those requirements alone I opted to spring for this tripod and don’t regret it at all. It fits into both backpacks easily and doesn’t take up much room.Based on how heavy-ish the carbon fiber version is and it is relatively heavy I can only imagine just how much more heavy the all aluminum version would have been so I am glad I opted for the more expensive carbon fiber version from the jump.Your situation may differ from mine but it’s the most compact, sturdy, full size tripod I’ve ever used and it fits my needs well. The quality is insanely good and the fit and finish are on the level of the price tag. If you can afford it and justify the cost to portability ratio then I doubt you will have any regrets.

This tripod comes with a carry bag.While it looks sleek, it is made of cheap materials, mostly plastic and presumably aluminum for the legs. The center tube appears to be plastic. You cannot swap out the "ball head" and all the contacts for the head are plastic so it does not move as smoothly as a much more expensive tripod. I do like the lever used to pan and tilt the head. The tripod has a bubble level which is nice, but since it is on the tripod instead of the head, your camera may block your view of it. All of the knobs are also plastic but are easy to turn and feel sturdy when tightened all of the way. The locks for the 3 leg extensions feel very tight and sturdy.There is a lock for the legs which is nice. Even when the lock is not engaged, the legs don't fold back in easily. The feet are plastic bases on some kind of bearing and they move and contour to be level with the ground very easily. The hook for adding weight looks a little cheap but I have no reason to think it won't hold a sandbag.The tripod I have that is most like this is the Amazon Basics one, which costs about half the amount. Besides this tripod looking a little nicer and having 3 extensions for the legs (which makes it a tiny bit taller), I'm not exactly sure they are that different. The amazon one has a handle bar so you can carry it and this one does not.In summary, I see no major issues with this tripod and I like that it looks sleek, but for twice the amount of a very similar Amazon Basics Tripod, you may want to consider that one if money is an issue. I am docking one star just because it seems a little expensive against comparative tripods.I received a discount on this tripod in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When I was a kid, I had a Sears 3" refractor. I actually got good use out of that scope. I was able to see the rings of Saturn and the spot on Jupiter as well as its Galilean moons. Fast-forward to my early-/mid- adulthood (with a 7 y/o son), and I wanted to get a scope with a larger primary diameter. Light research on the web showed me that reflectors were the way to go. One improvement that I was looking forward to was the absence of chromatic aberration. To tell you the truth, I don't know if it's just that I haven't used my refractor in a long time, but the SkyScanner blows the 3" refractor away in clarity. Clearly the increased aperture improves the view greatly.The mount on this scope is also a joy to use compared to the Sears refractor. The Sears scope had thumb screws and support rods that could barely keep the scope aimed on your target. The SkyScanner has a grippable knob to turn the stabilizing screw --- easier to tighten and loosen.As bonus, the mount of the SkyScanner has a tripod-mount hole. I put a Dolica quick-mount plate on it. This makes it easy to mount and unmount from my Dolica tripod, which I also use for photography. The SkyScanner's rubber feet are taller than the quick-mount plate, so I can leave the plate attached when not mounted on the tripod. Dolica has very affordable tripods that are very stable and configurable into various heights and base widths. I set the scope and tripod at a height that is good for both my son and me.Get the 

Orion 05662 1.25-Inch 13 Percent Transmission Moon Filter (Black)









 for looking at the moon.

This product, is highly underrated IMHO. I'm genuinely surprised at the clarity of the images, as well as the functionality, and versatility of a digital camera, so moderately priced. For those unaware, a major determining factor for me, when shopping for potential camera equipment, is the ability to manually control and adjust the camera accordingly, in certain lighting conditions, in order to achieve the desired effect that I'm looking for when taking shots for my wife's craft business. Usually those types of adjustment controls, simply aren't offered in products at this price-point. Typically it requires a purchase of equipment costing in upwards of $500 plus, on up into prices ranging in the thousands. One of the key points on me deciding on this model, was it's inherent utility. Very impressed!!! Likewise, I've found the transfer of those files, over into my hard drive, where they can be processed and integrated into our online Etsy store as product sale advertisements, to be a breeze. Very clear and concise directions, on how to utilize this process. The ability to use this item as a webcam as well, is also extremely useful. I find the recordings to be clear and crisp, w/ excellent sound quality to boot. Once again everything in this regard, is easy to access and self-explanatory. Very user friendly!!!! This model is also very easy to find additional equipment that is compatible and can facilitate it's transport, storage, and ease of use. For example: tripods, storage cases, ect. All of which are available on Amazon, as well In conclusion, I believe this product to be potentially the best sub-$300 digital camera on the market today. As such, I highly recommend it.

I received this tripod in a very timely manner from Cayer Photographic. This thing is exactly what I needed for all of my photo stuff. I use it for all of my cameras and spotting scope, as well as my chronograph. This is now my go to for all my needs. This product is made very well and SOLID. Its quite a bit heavier than all of my previous tripods, which is a good thing in my book. They were all made of light plastic and even caused some significant damage to one of my DSLR cameras after blowing down in the wind. I used to have three of these cheapys I also used for my spotting scope, which also tipped over in front of me and I was able to catch that one in time to save my $1,200 scope. So the weight issue is not a problem, very solid on the ground. It defiantly takes a little more oomph to hall it around, so you might want to take that into account. Set up is very easy, once you do it a couple of times. This tripod doesn't have a crank to raise your camera up and down, it's done with the legs. At 72in. you shouldn't have any height issues, unless your an extremely tall person (then you could just use the nearest tree). :) I also want to mention the customer service you receive from Cayer. I actually received an email from them to check to see if , not only had I received it, but if I was happy with my purchase. Sophia was very helpful, so kudos to these guys. They are a top notch company with very high quality products.

The media could not be loaded.


















 I will start off with, I’m not a professional photographer. What I am, is a nerd. If you’re a nerd you might have seen some of the ridiculous photos of action figures with effects added that make them look like they’re actually fighting or the same with miniatures like Warhammer.I don’t like digital effects but those photos make me envious. You need some proper mood lighting to achieve those things with practical effects. I have larger rbg lights but getting them at the right angle on tiny things is nearly impossible. So I decided I’d get a wand.You can see from my video and attached photos, you can create some real moods just using this light on an action figure. A little practical smoke and some landscape detail and this would go toe to toe some of those digital effects.Lighting makes a big difference and the mobility and ease of placement of this light, make it a big wonder over the large rgb sitting on my tripods. One step closer to practical effect glory on my shoots.The battery will last a while, I’ve charged mine about at the halfway point so I can’t give an accurate figure of how long the total time is but it’ll charge up pretty quickly. It’s also very easy to use.Please don’t delete the associated photos of the action figure and miniature, they were uploaded to show the color effects the wand has on them.

I bought this as a kit to get me started with my home photo studio. I'm not a pro by any means, but I am a fairly dedicated amateur. I wanted a lighting kit for taking pictures of my newborn/firstborn child the first few days home from the hospital to try out some "Anne Geddes"-style newborn photography. The baby isn't here yet, but I've done a little bit of testing to get familiar with it before I have a mewling little beastie oozing bodily fluids all over the muslin I'm planning on using for a backdrop.First, the tripods are actually a lot sturdier than I was expecting. I paid $40 for the set shipped, and the stands along feel like they're worth double that.The umbrellas do a decent job of diffusing the light, but are very flimsy. As long as you're easy with them, though, it's not that big a deal, just be gentle.The light fixtures and their cables are all actually very nice--they feel solid and safe, not like they're going to burst into flames or short out and cause the bulbs to explode, sending razor-sharp glass shrapnel raining down on my child's delicate skin (or not--I'm not an electrician). The bulbs themselves claim to be set at 6500K, daylight-balanced, and pure white. To me they feel a lot cooler than that--more in the 10000K range. Again, I'm no pro. I think using a gold bounce reflector would probably fix that.Overall, I'm happy with the purchase. The quality was a lot higher than I expected for the price, and the addition of a handy storage case was just icing on the cake. If you're a pro, keep looking--this won't hold up to constant setup and takedown. But if you're an amateur like me, with an interest in learning more about studio photography, this is a cheap way to dip your toe in the water.