They make fluid head tripods that are very expensive, and then along comes this one that gets the job done for a lot less money. At first, I was confounded because the head was floppy, and then I discovered the anomaly in that the head needs to be tightened into the threaded top in order to be secure. The reason why that is unique is because this one provides the option of creating a super extendable selfie stick. In order to have that option it needs to have this tripod to be reconfigured. One of the legs screws off. (The one with the rubber padding for comfort and warmth when handling) Then that extendable leg is able to screw on the removable center shaft that holds the liquid head. What is required is to tighten the adjusting knob for the head, and then do some serious, but not overly so tightening. If you do it real gentle you can undo it easily with a left direction sweep, and then you think the head is floppy. Mine came that way. So, tighten the knob-set screw and tighten it up, and then loosen it to the desired tension to make sweeping panorama shots.Okay so we removed the leg with the extension capabilities but can't figure out how to remove the center pole to turn it into a pretty incredible selfie stick; that took a while. Don't mind me if I share these details with you because the directions were kind of sparse so I thought I would focus on eliminating any confusion. Finally, by reaching up under the crotch of the tripod legs you realize that there is a flat plastic disc that you need to unscrew. Once unscrewed you can remove it, and then use it as the other section of the selfie stick. I'm not saying it wasn't engineered properly, I'm saying it is not like anything else I have run into before. Once you figure it out, which the directions don't mention, you will never forget it, and it will be smooth sailing from now on.So, with the liquid head fully tightened screw thread wise (mine arrived loose making me think this was an ineffective tool, mistakenly I might add) then you can begin to get a feel for the way the two different tightening knobs work to fine tune your floating head resistance setting.Then when you figure out how to disassemble and reassemble the selfie stick option you are on your way to doing selfies as long as you have image stabilization built into your camera. You are not going to get any floating head effect when attached to the now rigid selfie pole/stick assy.So, my overall impression is that this is a very substantially well-built stand, has good fluid motion, but to me the Famall FB16L tweaks it out in that regard. However, the Famall is currently $30 more and does not have the removable selfie stick feature. Both come with nice carry bags.

First of all I'm new to telescopes but not new to star gazing. It just arrived, today. Very well and securely packed. Plenty of bubble wrap all around. Foam inserts. Each eye piece in it's own protected box along with the finder piece. I previously ordered a Barska 900114 Reflector. Everything rattled in the box. Had to return it. Chose this Mak-Cass instead.Pros:This little scope packs a punch. With a 1250 focal length along with the included 20mm and 10mm lenses it's quite a powerful little unit for it's size.Getting it on sale is even better!The base is SOLID! It swivels but can be tightened. I don't know the proper terminology but it rotates up easily and can be tightened. You can rotate the 90 degree viewer to suit your position. The base is also nice to place any additional eye pieces you may have but there is no holder or "tray". Just a flat surface. Piece of mind they're not on the ground.Took a look at the hole for the tripod option. You can get MANY tripods out there. make sure you get one that can accommodate 15lbs, and is very sturdy, not flimsy. Not the cheapest one at Walmart for example. :)The red dot finder is nice. You can adjust it to match what you really see...just look at something big in the sky and adjust it with it's forward and rear knobs. The dot is an LED and not a laser and can be made dim or bright.Accessories galore. The lenses are the standard 1.25". I think you will need a 4" solar filter if you look for one. The eye piece can be changed out, too, if you so desire.All in all you won't see Jupiter's red dot fill up your lens but you should see Jupiter's cloud rings. I can't wait to look at the moon from outside the city.Customer Service? It's Orion. They're quite good in resolving any issues.Cons:I'd like to see equatorial mount somewhere for precise locations.I can't think of anything else I don't like, so far. Although it's considered a beginner's scope it is NOT a toy.Have fun!

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 My hat is off to GVM on this 800bead count LED!! The settings are very precise to achieve the perfect lighting for many situations, so the lights have almost an unlimited amount of options to achieve the perfect look you imagine. There is an app that has control points so you can get the numbers to program into your camera to make the perfect Iris.The kit comes with Barn doors, two adjustable sturdy tripods , a light diffuser, power cord and it gets better. There are optional battery inputs for outdoor shoots as well if you're on the the go (those are sold separately) I have to say I love the fact that they put this in as an option GVM really went all out on these in the overall performance and flexibility it offers in composing your shots!The set comes with a soft carrying case and is very light and comfortable to carry. It’s made for convenience, easy set up, and best of all accessibility during outdoor and indoor shoots. GVM really thought about what filmmakers go through and this kit is so impressive for any shot, parties and/or events. I love the fact that GVM cares about their quality and customers enough to put all these amazing features and to think of almost every situation such as quick set up. It saves so much time for you too keep shooting those wonderful lighted shots that only GVM can giveThere are some preset modes that do these effects (mimicking broken light bulb, a TV screen, police car's lights,paparazzi, and even a thunder storm mode. Which will save you a lot of time in the editing room.The set comes with a soft carrying case and is very light and comfortable to carry, so it’s made to be for convenience, easy set up, and best of all accessibility outdoor and indoor shoots. GVM really thought about what filmmakers go through and this kit is so impressive for any shot or even set up for party’s and events. I love the fact that GVM cares about their quality and customers enough to put all these amazing features and thinks of almost every situation that would take time in productions of all kinds and hours of set up, and put it in this light that saves us so much time and adds so much depth to films, party’s and live events.I highly recommend this product because it’s very simple to use and the lighting is incredible!

Review of second camera:My first Eken camera did not work properly and those comments can be found at the end of this review. Fortunately the seller was very polite and accommodating. They did everything they could to make their product right by me, and as a consequence, I have a second Eken camera that works properly so far. Like one of the other reviewers, this camera arrived with a dead battery in the wrist strap button, but after replacement with another 2032 battery, it works properly as well. I consider the remote shutter switch to be a useful feature of this camera, so proper operation is important.I still don't have a lot of experience with this camera, but in walking around the house and yard, I am happy so far. The camera seems to handle varying light situations fairly well and has no trouble recording good video and still shots in a dim house interior. The quality of the various mounts, case, and attachments seems quite good. The manual that comes with the camera shows the mounts and attachments, but does not explain very well how to use them. There is a great variety of mounting options and it would be helpful to see how Eken expects them to be used. The way attachments connect together is pretty obvious, and there are some 1/4" screws and 1/4" female attachments that make connections to standard camera tripods possible. So, with a little bit of ingenuity, I think the camera can be mounted successfully in most situations. For my own purposes, I may take a spring-type carpenter clamp, put a 1/4-20 screw through one jaw, and use that as a quick, portable mount.Earlier review of first camera:This camera literally did not work for more than five minutes. Streaks appeared across the viewing screen, the video froze, and all the buttons became unresponsive. I had to remove the battery to shut the camera down. So, I charged both batteries, formatted the SD card and tried again. Same thing or worse, every time I tried it. Sometimes the camera would not even complete booting up before freezing. Finally, I gave up and returned it for a refund. However, I want to give the seller a recommendation in spite of my experience with the camera. Upon learning of my review, the seller contacted me and made numerous offers of assistance, replacement, and discount. Unfortunately, I had already returned my camera to Amazon and could not easily take advantage of the seller's offers. The seller was very prompt, courteous, and professional.

As the title mentions, I am coming from a few different action cams, my primary camera is a Sony AZ1 and a GoPro Hero 3 Black. Of those two cameras the Sony is ahead. But the issue is that neither of those two cameras have 4K recording capabilities. The Akaso was bought for this sole reason. It delivers good picture quality and good battery life. One of the things that brands like Akaso tries to do is to give you a lot of accessories, the two batteries and waterproof case are welcome additions that I had to pay extra for with the GoPro and Sony. Also the remote control is a great addition. It is not as feature packed as Sony's remote, but it does do all the things you need a remote to do. The touchscreen is large and easy to press selections. The menu system is a bit archaic, it really needs to move away from the 2000's styling. Additionally there is a 1/4 x 20 tripod socket on the bottom. I much prefer that to the more traditional GoPro style mount as I can easily place this camera on my numerous tripods, or mount a small Arca Swiss style QR plate on the bottom.A couple of things that can be improved, sound when in the waterproof case is almost unusable, outside the case it is as good as you would expect from an action camera. The picture quality is good, but not great. I found the colors to be a bit dull but since I post process all my video footage I was able to create a LUT for Davinci Resolve and OBS. One other thing that should have been included is that this camera does not support an external microphone. Akaso does have cameras that do support external microphones, so the omission on this camera is a bit peculiar.Recordings are stored on a microSD card, it supports up to 128 GB but I have only used a 64 GB card in mine. EIS (supported up to 4K 30 fps) works pretty well, not as good as a gimbal, but no one should expect that from internal EIS systems on any action cam. Night time and low light recordings are okay, they are a bit on the dark and grainy side and lack color fidelity. Usable but not anything to write home about. Since my primary use for this camera is daytime and as a replacement for a web/streaming camera this is simply not an issue. The picture quality in low light is the only reason I do not give it 5 stars for that particular specification.The camera also has built in WiFi, you can download the Akaso app, available for both IOS and Android, where you can attach to the camera wirelessly and basically see everything that the camera sees on your mobile phone. I have and do use this feature, but only to frame shots because being in front of the camera prevents you from seeing the rear touchscreen.Bottom line, a pretty good camera with a few flaws. A good value compared to new GoPro's or Sony's , especially if you can get it like I did in Today's Deals on Amazon.

I've got a YouTube channel and I don't have a fancy camera, but what I do have is a drawer full of old phones aka cameras. I've tried a host of phone holders for tripods, and this one is hands down the best one I've used.backgroundI've binned all of the springy rubber phone holders. Because placing the phone is a complete faff and an excellent dose of frustration. Here's the drill1. Stretch the phone holder it while holding the mini tripod AND2. place the phone missing the volume and power buttons AND3. getting the placement so the phone is flat against the bracket holder thingy. This is where a third and comes in handy. Something most people are lacking.Got a maxi-phone? forget about the stretchy phone holders. OH, then there's the part where over time the handle used to pull up on the stretchy bit in order to do all of the above 3 items. pulls off.Want to adjust the camera angle for those less than level or artsy shots? Adjust the legs on your tripod.The ultimate solutionThe Vastar tri-pod adapter does away with all of above faff This phone holder is extremely easy to use and does away with the need of a third hand.what I like1. The design is well thought out, in terms of sturdiness and ease of use.2. There is ample amount of rubber to protect the phone and to securely hold it in place.3. The ability to rotate the phone for fine camera angle adjustment is built into the holder. a quick turn of a knob quickly adjusts the camera angle.4. the threaded bit is a brass insert molded into the plastic with plenty of surrounding plastic to prevent cracking.What I don't like? Nothing.little annoyancesMy tri-pods I use ball alignment detents. The bottom of the phone holder isn't flat, it has strengthening ridges with voids between the ridges. One of the ridges is dead center on the bottom of the mount will force the phone mount not to sit squarely on the shoe. Is this a deal breaker? No, it's something to be mindful when placing the phone holder on the tri-pod shoe.The solution is to bypass the detent by attaching the tri-pod shoe to the phone holder where the detent is exposed (not under the phone holder).Artsy shots with odd camera angles, or the tri-pod isn't dead nuts level is where the rotational adjustment is the game changer. No more faffing about with the legs on the tri-pod trying to make it level.All in all I love this thing. I've binned all of my other phone holders, and replaced them with this one!Get it you'll love it!

Photography was once a very important part of my life: Newspaper photographer, primarily, though I dabbled in other venues as well. This was in the days of 35 millimeter film, usually black and white, developed and printed in a dark room. My Canon or Nikon was generally with me. I also prized my tripod. It was not elegant, but it worked well. Sadly, somewhere along the line it disappeared.Since then photo equipment has changed so much I sometimes feel like a dinosaur. I can’t remember when I last used film, or a darkroom, and most photos these days are with a smart phone. Even so, there have been times where I yearned for a tripod. So the Sirui AM-223+B-00K Tripod/Ballhead combo enticed me.Just as cameras have changed, so apparently have tripods.My old one could extend several feet and had only limited abilities to adjust angle. It was not easy to adjust. Legs were aluminum, which meant it wasn’t always as sturdy as one might wish. It was awkward to carry.The Sirui is much more compact: It’s extension ranges from a minimum height of 2.3"" and a maximum height of 13.8” (suitable for table-top, it seems). Even so, it has a very solid feel to it. It can be carried very easily in its own carrying pouch (provided).I was impressed by the fact that the camera could have a fixed position but also have an almost infinite ability to pan up and down, back and forth. The mechanisms are extremely smooth and control knobs easy to work. (It did take me several minutes to figure them out. Then it became intuitive.)This is apparently designed for a serious amateur with a “real” camera because I did not see how I might adapt it to use with a smart phone. As I said, I feel sometimes like a dinosaur, however, so I suspect that there is some device, attachment, or technique that can make it possible.Guess I’ll have to mosey on over to that so-called Interweb thingy to see what I can find.(Seriously, however, if you’re looking for a tripod, this might be a good choice.)

I was looking for a small, lightweight tripod to carry in a backpack while hiking. I wanted this tripod to support a small 50 mm spotting scope for birding and wildlife viewing in general. This Zomie Q111 tripod will work great for me.First impression when picking up the box out of the mailbox was “WOW, this is light”! Opening revealed a carry case containing the tripod and a cell phone adapter. The cellphone adapter fits my phone with a thick case. Everything was in working order. The clips for locking the legs are much better than the twist style. There is no slippage of the legs even with excessive downward force. The quick release plate is easy to use and secure enough to stay locked. It is spring activated and would be difficult to unlock by accident. The pan and tilt head is smooth enough to track a birds flight without too much fumbling. One half turn of the handle and locking knob is all it takes to release tension.I was surprised at how stable the tripod is, even when fully extended. There is very little play in the legs. The three outer legs are attached to the main post with center braces and there is a locking mechanism by the center braces to keep the legs expanded. This adds to stability. The main post, when fully raised added a little bit of wobble, which is not problem for me. Every tripod I have ever used has had this issue. I usually sit when I am viewing so I won’t have to extend the main post at all and the legs only part way. This adds to the stability. I also have an angled spotting scope, so that reduces the height requirement as well. The weight hook is a nice addition even though I doubt I will have a need for it except to maybe keep my backpack off the ground while in the woods.A lot of the other reviews are correct in stating there is a lot of plastic. And the crank handle to raise and lower the main post does seem like a weak point. At this price point this should not be a surprise considering the high end tripods retail for much much more. However, the plastic does seem to be robust and the crank is unnecessary as the main post can be raised and lowered just by grabbing it by hand. If you have a heavy camera or scope you should be supporting the raising and lowering by hand anyways. I suspect I will get many years of use out of this tripod provided I use a little care and don’t force things. And if I don’t, for what this cost replacing it is not a big deal.While, this tripod might be a little too lightweight for heavy spotting scopes and big unbalanced zoom camera lenses, I would recommend it for most uses. The compact size and light weight are excellent for backpacking and storage in general while providing a surprising amount of stability and ease of use.