Velbon Ultra Tripod Question for travel/hiking

(Apologies if this is double-posted; I tried to post yesterday but it

does not appear to have worked).

 

Question for Velbon Ultra owners. The Velbon Ultra Maxi line of

tripods appears to suit my needs but I wanted to get some owners'

opinions.

 

I have a Canon Digital Rebel with a 17-85 EFS lens for travel although

I may use the 70-200 f4 occasionally.

 

1) Will the Velbon Ultra MAXiSF with the PH-343 head (apparantly 5 lbs

load) support my equipment adequately? Or would you recommend the

LUXiSF with PH-353 (6lbs load) and suffer the added overall weight?

 

2) Are the heads replaceable on the Velbon Ultra tripods?

 

3) There is a max load specification difference on Velbon's site

(http://www.velbon-tripod.com/ultra_maxi.htm) vs. places like Adorama

or B&H Photo. For example, on the Velbon site the MAXiSF is rated to

1.5kg load and most online shops list load capacity at 2.2kg (5lbs).

Which specs are correct?

 

4) Are there any tripod aprons that work with these tripods? That

seems to be a good way to add some extra mass to the tripod setup when

necessary.

 

Thanks in advance!

Wayne

Hi Wayne.

 

I just back from extensive travel in China using the Velbon Ultra Max i SF. I wanted a tripod that I could get low and weight was a huge issue as I was also toteing a 10 month old and my wife's shopping bags. The tripod proved useful, but has its shortcomings. I'll try and answer your questions specifically.

 

1) Will the Velbon Ultra MAXiSF with the PH-343 head (apparantly 5 lbs load) support my equipment adequately? Or would you recommend the LUXiSF with PH-353 (6lbs load) and suffer the added overall weight?

 

I wasn't happy with the head frankly and replaced mine with a Giotto head (MH-1002) which I modified with a Strobofram quick release. Yes, it added more weight to the tripod but it seemed a lot more solid and I just didn't like the ballhead that was supplied with the tripod, its just TOO small. I tend to use a timer or remote release with my Pentax equipmen to minimize tripod shake, if you are going to be pressing the shutter release yourself and using the longer zoom (70-200) I suspect you'll have some shake issues. My longest lens was a 80-200 f4.7-5.6 that weighs all of 300g and my camera body was all of 500g if that is of any help.

 

2) Are the heads replaceable on the Velbon Ultra tripods?

 

As noted, yes it is.

 

3) There is a max load specification difference on Velbon's site (http://www.velbon-tripod.com/ultra_maxi.htm) vs. places like Adorama or B&H Photo. For example, on the Velbon site the MAXiSF is rated to 1.5kg load and most online shops list load capacity at 2.2kg (5lbs). Which specs are correct?

 

 

I dn't have a clue. But I will say this tripod when extended with the middle part is rather unstable. I did extend the middle tube a couple of times and placed my weight on it to prevent wind shake.

 

4) Are there any tripod aprons that work with these tripods? That seems to be a good way to add some extra mass to the tripod setup when necessary.

 

I don't know. The middle tube is hollow and has a small hex hole in it which screws out. I suspect with even a little creativity one could add a hook through the hole and attach a sack to add weights to it.

 

There were a few things I really liked about the tripod. I really liked all the positions that the legs could get into. This proved very useful on numerous occasions when I was shooting from a wall and could drop out one leg. The tripod sets up, comes down VERY fast, the fastest of any tripod I have ever used. On a couple of occasions I didn't set the legs right, so you you need to be careful.

 

This is not a solid tripod like a gitzo or bogan, it is a compromise. But using good stabolizing and shooting techniques the tripod performes fine. If I didn't have the child I would have brought something a little more solid and stable. But if weight is THE issue, as it was for me, either to bring a tripod or not then the tripod does fine.

Look at the Bogen/manfrotto Digi series.

Hi Wayne -

 

My experience with the Velbon Ultra Maxi SF is very much like Douglas'. I replaced the head that came with the tripod with my Markins M10 which I use on many tripods. I would not trust the teeny Velbon ballhead with a 70-200 zoom, but the Markins + MaxiSF would be plenty stable, especially if you rig a center hook as Douglas suggests. I haven't done that but it would be fairly easy before you leave to drill through the center column and add a hook.

 

This tripod is relatively short since you really can't extend the center column much with a heavy lens on it, but it really can't be beat for the folding size (very short) and the light weight. I'm taking it to France with me this fall since it fits neatly inside my camera backback when I take the ballhead off.

 

That said, it is not going to be as stable as even a Velbon Chaser 4a which is similarly priced but takes up about 4 times as much space in your bag, and even collapsed the Chaser is MUCH longer. When I bought the MaxiSF I decided my highest priority for the purchase was "reasonable" stability and the shortest folding length I could find. The MaxiSF did not disappoint. Good luck on this decision!

 

- Mary

Ditto the other users comments.

Regarding use of an "apron". What I do is just hang my camera bag strap around the top of the tripod in such a way that it acts as a weight-bag.

This can help with stabilizing any tripod that can support the weight.

Thanks for everyone's responses, they were very helpful. I've ordered the Velbon Ultra LUXiSF which is very similar to the MAXiSF but with a slightly bigger ballhead (the PH-353) and slightly thicker legs (24mm vs 21mm max in diameter). Once I test it out, I'll see if this slightly larger head means I will not need to replace the ballhead (at least immediately). At least I now know I can replace the head in the future.

 

At 2.1 lbs, it is slightly heavier than the MAXiSF so I'm carrying a bit more weight but perhaps a little added stability. Thanks for the suggestions in terms of adding weight.

 

I'll post a follow-up once I've used the tripod on my upcoming trip to Yosemite, Vegas, and the Grand Canyon.

 

Thanks,

Wayne

I have tried out the Velbon Ultra Luxi F tripod - see http://www.virtualtraveller.org/tripods/tripods.htm for details. These new tripods are good!

<p>After the better part of a decade, my first Ultra Maxi just gave up the ghost (ironically, not to wear and tear but to a fat-fingered admirer forcing the twist action of a leg and breaking it!)<br>

I ordered a replacement within 36 hours, if that tells you anything. The only reason it took that long is that they no longer make the exact model I bought, so I had to spend some time comparing features and etc to get essentially the same tripod (but with some nice added features, like legs that can be splayed outwards.)<br>

For myself I took off the Velbon head and added a small ballhead (Bogen 482, apparently no longer being made) with a Kirk clamp on it.<br>

All my kit has Kirk-compatible plates/clamps/feet, so that way it's all mix and match.<br>

Anyways, what others have said pretty much says it all. If stability (to the point of virtually eliminating shake/vibration) and capacity etc are important, look elsewhere.<br>

However if you want something inexpensive (in tripod terms), that packs very small (appears to be about half the volume of the Gitzos, etc), that *does* augment stability and etc, and is likely to be with you when your larger/heavier/clunkier tripod is not, then consider one of these.<br>

I mostly used (and will use) mine (new one) with my D70 and a smaller/shorter f2.8 zoom or my latest/greatest PnS/pocket-camera as what I think of as a "mini kit".<br>

After all, as a pro photog friend likes to say, the best camera/kit is the one you have with you.<br>

A good PnS (the Canon G11 comes to mind) or lighter DSLR rig and this tripod (or similar) can form the basis of a kit that costs a fraction of the cost of, takes a fraction of the space of, weighs a fraction of the weight of, and therefore fills a completely different niche than, a more fullup traditional kit.<br>

On the other hand and were money no object, I'd own a Gitzo tomorrow.<br>

As to hanging weight off one of these, instead of mucking about wiht the hex plug, I just drilled a hole cross-wise through the post about 3/4" up from the bottom, and used coat-hanger wire to fashion a clip ring using that hole. It then just left a plastic carabiner in the clip ring and hang whatever is handy off the carabiner.<br>

Note: This is NOT a tripod I would be carrying around extended (setup) and then just "landing" it wherever I want, the way I will with my Bogens for example. It is just not sturdy/stiff enough for that and I'd anticipate some kind of disaster sooner or later doing that...</p>