3Pod P5CFH 8X Carbon Fiber 5 Section FlatFold Travel Tripod with K2 BallHead

2017-01-10T14:01:02

Very sturdy and durable!

Katherine R.

2016-12-19T10:01:29

Was handy and simple to use.

RAMAKANTH S.

2016-07-05T16:25:02

I was looking for a compact travel tripod. After searching through a ton of different options, I heard about the P5CFH, which was not only very compact when folded up, but also carbon fiber! To top things off, it was cheaper than all the other comparable tripods! The extra extension does make it a bit less stable, but that's kind of to be expected (and if you don't need too much height, can be completely avoided). Exactly what I was looking for in a travel tripod!

MATTHEW P.

2016-05-23T11:11:39

I am completely satisfied with my Adorama 3Pod P5CFH 8X Carbon Fiber 5 Section FlatFold Travel Tripod with K2 BallHead. It is well designed and of high quality.

DAVID H.

2016-02-08T09:55:09

I have a few other tripods that I have used. This one in more compact and lighter than any that I currently own. It is easy to set up and having the ability to turn the center column into a monopod is fantasic. Many time before I would pack one or the other and when I got to site I find out I should have brought the equipment I didn't bring. This was a great purchase.

TIM B.

2015-01-09T19:00:00

Simply pressing the shutter button on my mirrorless camera is enough to make this tripod shake for several seconds. Because the flat fold design leaves no space for the center column to go through the base, it must instead be unscrewed. While the tripod can be broken down into two short pieces, most the time you will leave it assembled and it is then much longer when folded up and not as portable. Otherwise there are a lot of nice design details, smooth and easy to use ball head, and even foot spikes under the rubber pads.

Josh W.

2014-11-02T19:00:00

I wanted a lightweight tripod to bring on my travels to Asia. I chose this tripod because of its relatively light weight, small collapsed profile (for when stowing this in my luggage) and its rated carrying capacity of 28 lbs. The lens is sturdy enough to support my gripped body and long lens. I also used my camera bag with another body and lens as a weight to stabilize the tripod. My camera system weighs 21 lbs total and the tripod was able to support all that weight. the height without the telescopic center column was adequate with my 5'5" height. Attaching the center column made my set up too high that I needed to tiptoe to see the viewfinder.

CORNELL C.

2014-10-20T21:00:00

Like the light weight and ability to travel flat. Sturdy in the field . Head is adequate for my D 7100. Ahhh but one little problem. I have heard others mention the same problem. The screws that hold the center leg to the head base came loose. OK no problem right ? Not so . The Allen wrenches provided don't fit in the area between the three legs. After some thinking I got out my hacksaw (Don't worry I didn't go after the pod) and trimmed the Allen wrench to fit in the small space and TA DA ! I tightened the screws. Requires a redesign or creativity!

RUDY C.

2014-07-25T21:00:00

This is a truly portable tripod. It fits into a travel bag (included) that measures 17x7x4 inches. When not in use, it folds completely flat and would require an even smaller bag if not for the ball head. It should be noted, also, that the ball had comes with a quick release. This tripod is very easy to set up and uses locking collars on the legs instead of flip locks. This also helps its narrow profile. It is fairly lightweight and fits easily into the bottom of a suitcase.

PHILIP O.

2014-07-23T21:00:00

Portability is its best feature. I've downsized my cameras in order to move around more easily, so this flatfold tripod was a no brainer. It has really proved its worth so far.

JON B.

2014-07-22T21:00:00

While a good concept and certainly small enough and light enough as a travel tripod, I did not find the 3pod to be stable enough for my 200-400vr lense. It would certainly work as a travel tripod for small lenses, 70-300 and smaller. Just be careful to not leave unattended as the tripod could be prone to tip.

DAVID M.

2014-07-21T21:00:00

The four part flat fold design lets you pack it in luggage for travel. It sets up nicely, appears solid and is just right for for Sony A7 camera and lenses.

ALAN B.

2014-07-14T21:00:00

This tripod weighs more than an aluminum one,but still a manageable weight to carry around on an outing or in a backpack. The slide out legs have four knobs to loosen and tighten on each leg, so it's not as quick as the ones with quick clips. I was hoping it would be sturdier than my aluminum one for long exposures. I'm not sure it is; I took a night photography class and the instructor noticed it moving in the breeze. I had to lower it for more steadiness and block the breeze with my body as best I could. I also can't seem to get it to a good spot for straight vertical photos/turning the camera 90 degrees. This tripod had good reviews that I found when I chose it, so possibly my expectations were high. I'll keep it, however, instead of returning it. I like the compactness of it for travel.

Weavalert

2014-07-01T21:00:00

I am a professional photographer and I do a lot of nature photography in addition to weddings. I have always lugged my heavy tripod to my weddings and just figured that was the price I had to pay for great shots. However, I recently started a new project capturing the many waterfalls of Hamilton Ontario which requires a lot of hiking up and down mountainous hillsides. It was then I decided it was time to invest in newer light weight equipment. Since I would be carrying a camera backpack I needed something that was light and would fold small. After extensive research I decided the 3Pod P4CFH tripod with the H2 ballhead was the best choice for me. It has strength and weight benefits from carbon fiber material and with some other nice features the price offers a lot of "bang for the buck". It has a nice design that allows it to fold flat and when I retract the legs fully it shrinks to 18 inches in length. The flat short design, which I was skeptical about at first, makes it so I can easily stack things on it in my carryon or slide it next to other items in my backpack. Brilliant! The center leg unscrews to make a monopod. It comes with a strap and the center leg also has a soft foam rubber hand grip. These are nice, well thought out touches. Sometimes a monopod is all I need and the reduction of weight in my backpack is much appreciated. The center column which attaches to the ballhead unscrews easily which allows me to make the choice of height vs. weight. In many cases I choose in favor of the lower weight on long hikes and heavy loads. I usually use the rubber pads on the feet but in some hillsides with turf or soft earth, I will take the pads off and use the built in spikes instead. The legs adjust easily with a slight twist to loosen and twist back to tighten. The leg angle can also be extended. Recently in very rugged area I need stability on an oddly angled rock which stood waist high. I opened the leg ratchets and the tripod base was almost opened to a platform with the legs retracted. The K2 Ballhead is made from lightweight aluminum and it moves smoothly a full 360 degrees for panoramic shots or panning videos which I also do. It also comes with a quick release plate with a bubble level which locks your camera tightly. My only concern is the piece that attaches to the camera requires frequent retightening. I will have to look into why it continues to loosen on its own. Last but not least it come with a nice compact carry case with a velvet bag for the ballhead. Since my purchase I have photographed Bermuda extensively as well as, 20 of the 100 Hamilton waterfalls and I am very pleased with my choice of equipment.

Beata W.

2014-05-17T21:00:00

I bought this tripod to be my main travel tripod. I liked the light weight from the carbon fiber and the fact that it included a decent ball head. Additionally the fact that it folded down to such a short length for packing while still being able to be extended to 56 in. tall was a plus. I should have paid a bit better attention to the photos since in order to achieve the short collapsed length the tripod needed to be taken apart in two sections, the legs and the telescoping rod with the ball head. So while the legs fold flat, you need to find somewhere else to pack the extension rod and ball head. Also, I was planning on just clipping this tripod to the outside of my Manfrotto camera backpack, but this does not work when the tripod is in two pieces. If I leave the tripod assembled it is too long to attach to the outside of the backpack. Instead, I just bring the legs with me and attach the ball head to the legs without the telescoping extension. This allows me to attach it to my backpack and pack it flat in suitcases. Unfortunately, this also means that the max height of the tripod is 40in. Furthermore, shooters with larger heavier cameras may find that the tripod is a bit flimsy for them, especially with the extension rod. I found that on a windy day it was very hard to keep my camera (Nikon D610 with 20mm) from swaying on the top of the extension rod. I plan to try again by just attaching the ball head to the tripod legs to see if that solves the issue. All in all I still like it and use it frequently, an for $150 feel it was priced right, but cannot give it more than 3-stars.

Bryan M.

2014-04-21T21:00:00

I wanted a tripod that was easy to pack and carry during my travels. This tripod is nice and light due to its carbon fiber composition. The fact that it lays flat makes it easy to pack and it doesn't take up as much space as traditional tripods. One drawback to its being light, however, is that it is vulnerable to wind. I just hang some weights from the center pole, and that helps stabilize it. It is well-made and I am very happy with it

Bill

2014-04-01T21:00:00

this tripod is excellant- I can put it in my carrying bag and folds to less than 20 inches. The ball head is sturdy and works perfectly with my DSLR camera-- Flat fold is a usefull feature too-and saved big bucks for tripod with similar features

teegee

2014-02-19T19:00:00

Good build quality, average design. Fold flat (16")feature defeated by loose 10" column section. K3 ballhead not really heavy enough for bigger DSLR w/larger lens. Awkward to use as a monopod. Stable enough in this weight class and price range. Nice carry bag.

James H.

2014-01-06T19:00:00

I have yet to do more with it then just set it up and play with it but it seems great. It is lite enough to carry around yet study enough to properly support my Nikon D800E.

Walt K.

2013-12-23T19:00:00

I liked the price and the weight but it was a bit flimsy for the camera I have. If you have a smaller camera this would be fine. But if you have a larger one it is too bouncy to get a good shot.

Walt

2013-12-09T19:00:00

The contact Isreal advised me to purchase this product over another, and even though it was about $30 more, I'm happy with his recommendation.

Pau P.

2013-12-02T19:00:00

My main tripod when traveling. I like to do macro shots of flowers, and this works very well no matter what the ambient lighting. It is also great for taking city scapes in the evening. It would be better if it could be converted into a monopod.

Dr B.

2013-11-14T19:00:00

The tripod works just find, but the ball head tighting screw failed. I went to the store i New Tork and was able to exchange the tripod for the another.

SAMUEL T.

2013-11-11T19:00:00

First the good: Head is very good. Smooth rotation, solid locking, feels solid enough for a large lens. Tripod is flatter than a normal design, fairly light but no lighter than other similar size carbon fiber tripods. Monopod feature is useful to give you the option. The Bad Main problem is that the main screw holding the head on the tripod is also holding on the middle leg, and when you remove the head - a common occurrence on a tripod that converts to a monopod - the screw gets loose. There is no way to fully tighten it again on the leg side without a wrench or at least pliers. Since it is a convertible tripod, it is missing the telescoping function most tripods have to raise the head. It does include an extra 8 in section that can be screwed on to raise the head, which also telescopes a bit, but I found that setup to be fairly wobbley. There is too much flexion in that setup to hold a large tele lens steady. So if you never plan on using this as a monopod and you attach the ball head permanently to the tripod, then you can avoid the first problem. However if you want to use the extension mentioned above or to convert to monopod or to ever pack the tripod into it's included case, you will have to deal with the loose screw issue.

Gene N.

2013-11-05T19:00:00

Until this tripod I had been using an aluminum & plastic Sunpak tripod that did fine until I got a heavier 70D camera. I was really attracted to this set because of the ability to transform into a monopod, something that I had been looking at the Benro line of tripods for. The 3Pod was much cheaper, so I decided to give it a shot. Overall I'm happy with the tripod. It is very adjustable, the ball head seems to be made of quality materials, and the ability to convert to monopod works as well as I had hoped. I'm also extremely pleased that the pan on the base of the ball head seems to be dampened somehow. It's very nice for panning while shooting video. I could probably gripe about a lot of things that aren't exactly how I'd do them, but I won't. I do have 3 major problems with the designs here, 2 of them with the head. 1. The foam handle is in the wrong place or a foam handle should have been added to the center tube. When you go into monopod mode, the center tube attaches to the top of the leg. The foam handle is way too low to be useful. I have tried using just the leg and the ball head, but that makes for an extremely top-heavy configuration that's also too short. 2. The levels on the ball head are of limited use so far. I'll admit that this is my first ball head, so maybe I don't know what I'm doing, but there is no position that I can put my camera or the head in to that allows me to use either level effectively. The most frustrating part about this is trying to level the camera in portrait orientation. I only care about left to right tilt and the only way to get that set is by using the level in my camera. 3. The ball lock is useless as a tension knob. There are marks on the knob that I imagine are supposed to represent the amount of tension being put on the ball, but I don't get any consistent results. There is a point where the ball is lose and then there's a point where it's not and it's never the same. A quick lever would have been more useful. In the end, I love the tripod, but will probably end up replacing the head down the road with something designed a little better.

BenJ