Comments about Sunpak Sunpak 8001UT Video/Photo Tripod with 3-Way Fluid Effect Head & Quick Release, Extends to 60.2", Supports 6.6 lbs, Champagne Finish:

I just received this from Adorama, and I bought it as a replacement for a very crusty old hand-me-down tripod that was probably manufactured about 40 years ago. Man oh man! All I can say is that things have certainly improved since then. This tripod is lighter than my old one (3lbs versus 4) and has a wealth of better features, starting with the mechanism used to secure the legs in their extended position. My old one used hand screws, but this has much faster clamps. Also, unlike my ancient tripod, on this one the head works properly so that when you want to orient the camera vertically, if you have a typical till/swivel flash unit that you want to bounce behind and up slightly, that works properly. (With my old one it was bass-ackwards so I could not get a proper flash head orientation.) The combo/convertable spike&rubber feet are neat feature too. The thing feels very solid to me, and I do believe that it will comfortably hold way more than the rated 6.6 lbs... maybe even twice that, IF you are careful and don't kick the thing. The controls all feel good and solid, and although many parts are plastic, the whole thing DOES NOT feel ``plasticy''. I like that it comes with 2 quick-release thingies, even tho I will probably never use the second one, but the real kicker is the free carrying case, which seems to me to be quite well made. Lastly, the darn thing even LOOKS pretty. I don't buy equipment for its looks, but hey! It's nice when something useful actually looks nice too.

Did I mention that this was terrifically inexpensive? Elsewhere it costs more, but Adorama seemed to have the best price. (I shopped and other online stores were selling it for twice as much or more.)

Comments about Sunpak Sunpak 8001UT Video/Photo Tripod with 3-Way Fluid Effect Head & Quick Release, Extends to 60.2", Supports 6.6 lbs, Champagne Finish:

The Sunpak 8001UT tripod is a good tripod for the price. It is inexpensive, and was a good buy for my purposes: casual photography. The biggest drawback to the unit is its poor construction: its joints and fasteners are often composed of some kind of plastic material that can break easily. My tripod arrived with one of these fasteners broken; I purchased some epoxy and repaired it, but the same thing could happen to any other of the fasteners. Additionally, the tighteners were made with equally poor materials: some of the bolts have difficulty engaging their threads, and may actually be stripping them.
You get what you pay for: this tripod is inexpensive for a reason, and if you can stand that, this is a fine purchase.

Comments about Sunpak Sunpak 8001UT Video/Photo Tripod with 3-Way Fluid Effect Head & Quick Release, Extends to 60.2", Supports 6.6 lbs, Champagne Finish:

Great value, the head is much sturdier than the cheap [...] one I had before...it ended up snapping off after two uses with a d80. This one works great and does what its suposed to do. Also it has a 2nd quick release block.

Comments about Sunpak Sunpak 8001UT Video/Photo Tripod with 3-Way Fluid Effect Head & Quick Release, Extends to 60.2", Supports 6.6 lbs, Champagne Finish:

I needed an in expensive tripod and this one is what it is. With a D200 and stock 18-70mm lens it droops a bit and micro adjustments are pretty non existent. If you need a good tripod, spend the money, if you need something to hold a camera still, then by all means....