Benro A0690TBH00 Travel Angel Aluminum Tripod with Ballhead and Case, Maximum Height 55.9", Supports 5.5 lbs

2013-08-12T21:00:00

I am really happy with this tripod. Really nice compromise between stability and portability. Really well designed and easier to use and transport than my higher end tripods. Easy set up too. Folds down really small and is very light. While using a D4 with a huge howitzer telephoto lens might be a little much for this tripod, I use my D7000 with 75-300 easily. Very steady for long exposures even when pointing in odd directions. Comes with a really nice case that keeps the footprint of this tripod very minimal while carrying it. I think my bigger more expensive tripods will be getting very little use going forward. The only situation I would not use this for would be video... it would be hard to do a steady pan with the ball head. But, I have other tripods for that if I need it.

ARTHUR C.

2013-05-09T21:00:00

I bought this product (A0690BH00) because it is lightweight and I wanted something sturdy. I first bought the Benro A1690BH0 (from another website), but after carrying it around for little bit, it was heavier than I wanted for backpacking and hiking purposes. I could tell the A1690 was much beefier and durable, but I wanted to go with a lighter tripod. I returned the A1690BH0 and bought the A0690BH00 through Adorama. Shipping was fast. Despite being lightweight, the legs are very sturdy and well built. When hiking, the hook on the center column lets me hang it to the outside of my CamelBak hook and the CamelBak outer-straps hold the rest of the tripod in place (No fussing-easy to remove and attach to CamelBak pack). The Single Action Ball head is rated for 5.5 lbs (per manufacturer) but didnt seem very strong when holding a Canon 70-200mm F2.8 lens [3.25lbs] with a Canon T4i [~1.25lbs]. Let me first backtrack and say that the 3/8" camera screw will work fine for lightweight, consumer grade lenses (e.g. standard 18-55mm IS Canon lens with a Canon T4i). But when mounting the 70-200mm F2.8 IS lens with a Canon T4i on the ball head, I rotated the single action ball head somewhat to see how sturdy the ball head would be. After rotating the ball head considerably, the 3/8" camera screw wiggled a little loose (thereby giving the camera some wiggle play). So, I decided to remove the plate and put considerable effort to tighten down the 3/8" camera screw from the under the BH00 plate and affix it onto the F2.8 lens/camera body. I then mounted the plate/lens/camera onto the ball head and rotated the ball head again. Again, the 3/8" screw wiggled loose. The screw is not a very sturdy screw for a heavy lens. The BH00 will work for a lighter-weight lenses, but not with heavier lenses. Additionally, the single action ball head does not have a friction adjuster like dual action ball heads. It is not a big deal when using a lighter lens. On dual action ball heads, you have to tighten the friction adjuster to account for the heavier weight lens, which works great on my heavier 70-200mm F2.8 lens (3.25lbs). Without a friction adjuster, a camera body/heavier lens may be a bit cumbersome to maneuver with the single action ball head. So I decided between a Benro dual action head and a Manfrotto 494RC2 (8.8lbs). Sinc the comprable Benro dual action head was much heavier, I ended up buying the 494RC2. The camera screw is sturdy, the friction adjuster is great for different weight lenses and the head itself is durable. A minor issue is that the two knobs (friction adjuster and main knob) will not let me fold up 3 legs completely together (the knobs are in the way), but close enough. I can tell a weight difference (0.7lbs) compared to the BH00 head (0.3lbs), but I'm happy with the 494RC2.

JAMES N.

2013-04-23T21:00:00

small, light and easy to carry.

ROBERT J.