Vanguard Alta Pro 263AGH 3-Section Aluminum Tripod with GH-100 Pistol-Grip Ball Head

2023-05-10T03:49:08

I love it. it's easy for one handed people

JUSTIN M.

2020-10-02T17:58:08

Easy to use

BEANNE M.

2019-07-17T08:33:33

So far enjoying the Vanguard 263 Aluminum tripod. It is sturdy although a little heavy. I love the pistol grip head and used an older model prior. Enjoying the different shooting positions that the tripod is able to move into.

GLENN S.

2018-06-19T14:28:50

I love this Tripod. Its definitely heavy duty and comes with a Pistol grip!! I also love the latching mechanism. Makes it much more simpler. The best thing I can compare this to is the Manfrotto with Pistol grip. Except it has a few more variations. My only issue that I have is that in Portrait mode, the screw or screw pad isnt holding my 70-200mm tight enough and it ends up slowly tilting away or down.

kevin n.

2018-05-15T08:41:03

I am very pleased with my Vanguard 263. It offers more features than I ever looked for in a tripod. It produces rock solid images even with a 500mm Sigma zoom lens loaded onto the mount.

JOHN A.

2018-04-30T11:56:52

Only 4 starts because I haven't had a chance yet to really put it through it's paces. Unpacking it and setting it up in my living room it appears to be solid and quite stout for the price. I think the pistol grip will take a little getting used to but I don't foresee any problems. Will revise my rating after spending more time with it.

Derek H.

2017-11-27T12:08:00

I just got it with the pistol grip and am110% pleased. Solid, flexible, easy to use and adjust. Use it with 5D Mk4 and feels great. Also carry bag is high quality. This tripod instills confidence and allows you to concentrate on taking photos and not on the set up. Also great value for money. Yes, I fully recommend getting it.

LOUIS O.

2017-09-07T03:32:45

Couldn't be more pleased with this purchase. This is the best tripod I've ever seen. So easy to use and so versatile. Only knock is it's heavy. But the weight only adds to the stability. If you buy this tripod you will have zero regrets.

Stephanie D.

2017-04-04T17:11:26

Very sturdy and pistol grip seems to hold well, though I was sceptical it does hold my camera with 70-200 and flash really well. I wish the legs would lock in the folded position though. It would make it easier to pick up and carry. Overall so far, I am very satisfied.

TIMOTHY R.

2016-12-18T10:51:28

Love the flexibility of this tripod. It's sturdy and fairly easily repositionable with a few clicks and a squeeze of the pistol grip. Only issue I have with it is minor shake when you have the column fully extended while it's positioned to the side. I've mostly used it for macro work where I need to position the camera over the subject so this is a noticeable issue for me and is why I deducted one star. Easily solved by using a remote or the timer. Other than that I like this tripod very much. It has good height, isn't too heavy, very stable when not in the position described above.

JAMES P.

2016-11-25T07:47:20

Best value for your money. Very sturdy and flexible.

James O.

2016-10-12T19:26:43

After trying lot of tripods ( and breaking even fewer of them ), I came across this tripod and thought to invest my money on. This definitely has been a best decision to get Vanguard Alta 263, for obvious reason. Most of the people from Beginner to Pro would look for certain things in a tripod, as below. 1.Head : Most of the tripods would have a ballhead, or similar kind, not much friendly to adjust the camera or rotate over tripod quickly. This tripod has a Pistol Grip, which makes it really easy to operate the movement without much of twist to wrist. The best thing about this tripod. 2. Weight : Well, comparing the Carbon Fiber Vs Aluminum, this tripod is definitely a bit heavy. But considering the build and sturdiness of this tripod, the weight is something we might ignore. There definitely are some good tripods in market, with lessor weight, but cost shoots up exponentially. 3. Stability & Legs movement : I must say, the tripod is really stable and Sturdy. The movement of the legs is really nice and smooth, and taking the head rod out from legs assembly and fixing for angularly movements is pretty nice, specially for Macro photography. The moves and angles you can get from this tripod, along with height adjustment is really cool. 4. Size : Not too small, not too big. Verdict : Absolutely worth trying ! The best tripod I have ever used, in love with it.

PIYUSH T.

2016-08-09T10:19:32

Macro and other close work using the horizontal setup allows you to be over direct top of subject. Low angles for flowers and mushrooms are clean and easy. 70-200 lens is about the largest I feel comfortable placing on the horizontal due to weight concerns and handles this size with no issue. I like the pistol style grip, have the same on one monopod. Some may not like the pistol grip but for me it allows quick adjustments and works great with varying rotation capabilities. A great mid/upper level tripod and head combination

TOBY P.

2015-12-28T10:58:35

I use it on my 5D M3 with 50mm Lens, if I am doing landscape it is okay, but once I rotate it for portrait shots, the camera starts rotating down ( the quick release plate is not tightening up so the camera starts unscrewing itself) I also noticed some metal strips are coming out of my camera base now. I have been calling the customer service but all I get is a voice message asking me to leave a message for the operator!!! I am very sorry I bought their product , my last Vanguard product.

Mike-L

2014-01-13T19:00:00

This a fantastic, heavy duty tripod. The center column turning into an extension for macro photography saves money. The pistol grip also saves money on a gimbel head. The legs extend easily, and can being able to remove the center column means the tripod can get very close to the ground. It may be a bit heavy, and the pistol grip may make it a bit cumbersome for a photo bag/backpack, but those are small prices to pay. I would definitely recommend this product.

STEVEN W.

2013-07-08T21:00:00

main us is for night photography. This tripod provided the need support and weight capacity for my Canon 5D Mark II and attached telephoto lenses such as the Canon 100-400 zoom. It is simple to operate and light enough to carry around. The best feature is the ability to remove the center post and to re attach it for side and various angled shoots.

JOSEPH B.

2012-09-15T21:00:00

I have had this tripod for about 4 months and I really like the flexibilty you have from the pistol grip to the moveable central column to the multi-positional legs. The pistol grip is somewhat limited when you want to tilt up, but with the push of a button you can extend the rear leg to take care of this. I am disappointed with the ball that the pistol grip is fastened to, it has become loose and it rocks back and forth a little now every time I want to move it or touch my camera. Overall though, I think this is a good deal.

RANDAL S.

2012-08-28T21:00:00

Has done all that I've asked of it so far. Love the center column tilt feature (ISSL). Pistol grip is a bit stiff, but not bad.

GARY H.

2012-08-19T21:00:00

The Alta Pro 263AT offers excellent stability even when the bottom leg sections are called into play and the center column is fully extended. Its very well implemented pivot for the center column offers more versatility when compared to other tripod brands which are more limited with only vertical or horizontal use. Having a 6kg maximum load capacity, the Vanguard Alta Pro GH-100 pistol grip head supports well a mid range DSLR with a heavy 70-200mm pro lens. The GH-100 pistol grip head includes a bubble level and scale on the base marked in five degree increments which are very useful when shooting panoramic. The 'Alta Pro 263AT & GH-100 pistol grip' is a highly recommended kit with an impressive standard of build quality, advanced features and an reasonable price tag.

Mauritius P.

2012-08-07T21:00:00

I was looking for an upgrade on a cheapo walmart tripod and settled on this one. I have been using this tripod mainly for use in stop-motion animation as to achieve more interesting angles of shooting than the standard straight on shot. I have found that the tripod itself is very well constructed, sturdy, and flexible to fit many different situations. There is some weight to it but it is not overly heavy. The pistol grip is alright, I would rate the grip a 3 stars. The controls on the grip are overly complicated and i find that depending on what lens you have when shooting a portrait formate the camera will not hold in place but move down. basically the hold isn't that strong. Another thing with this grip is that the angle you can tip back is not very much making low angle shots rather tedious to do. Over all happy.

Animator

2012-08-07T21:00:00

I've had this tripod for a couple of months now. Weighing 6 pounds even, it's heavier than I expected and would be difficult to lug around much. However, the weight also affords great stability, which is especially useful when using the option to put the tripod in its offset position (see YouTube videos demonstrating this tripod's versatility). I can set up my T3i so that its lens center is just 10 inches off the floor and 20 inches from the central axis of the tripod. This is a unique design. Clamps secure the legs firmly, and they can be tightened if it's eventually necessary with a adjustment tool that's provided. The appearance and build quality are quite nice. This tripod is something I'm sure I'll be proud to own for years to come. Well worth the dough.

CHRISTOPHER S.

2012-08-05T21:00:00

It maybe heavy but worth every single pound of it! Slightly complicated to use but once you get a handle of it its a great piece of gear! You'll never regret buying it! Would recommend to anyone unless you want a travel tripod! :D

Lan

2012-08-05T21:00:00

This thing is great and 100% worth the money

Jimmy k.

2012-07-26T21:00:00

I really dont have any words to describe this tripod but it works perfect!! its very stable, not that heavy, the pistol grip is AMAZING!! I think this kit will be the best to get!

Say_queso

2012-07-21T21:00:00

I recently used the tripod on a trip to Florida with both the digital and a medium format film camera. The tripod had no trouble with the heavy film camera

John

2012-07-11T21:00:00

With a small change, this tripod would have much better swivel ability while setup for macro photography. All that needs to be done is add a ring at the top of the legs.

purplefroggy

2012-07-05T21:00:00

This is a very well built tripod. Although it's a bit heavier, it's still very portable. I have carried it for a couple of hours through our forest preserves looking for wild life with no problems. One issue I have is my pistol grip is a bit stiff. When I tried to pan side to side it would unspin itself from the tripod instead of rotating freely. I worked with it for a while just moving it around and it has loosened up so it's now usable but still a little stiff. I don't think this is normal since I've seen numerous youtube videos where people are moving the pistol grip freely. And if you do buy this setup, check out youtube for some great footage on the features of this combination. The "manuals" provided don't give much info. Also, others have complained that although the ballhead has a great range of motion side to side and also to point down, it doesn't rotate upwards much which is true. Being a wildlife photographer, I point upwards at birds a lot. I overcame this by mounting the camera on backwards so the grip is away from me. I can then rotate my camera up as high as I want to. It was a bit awkward at first but now I'm quite used to it so it's not a problem for me. The pistol grip is easy to use with the larger handle and the tripod is very sturdy. I've been able to position it on slopes without fear of it tipping over - even with a Tamron 200-500 lens attached. Aside from my pistol grip being a bit stiff (maybe a one off issue) I would recommend this setup for anyone who needs a sturdy affordable tripod.

AMY H.

2012-07-03T21:00:00

I really like this set. It's very sturdy & holds my 5D with no problems at all. Love the way you can lower it really close to the ground too!

SHANNON M.

2012-07-01T21:00:00

After doing a lot of research and trying to find a high quality, yet affordable tripod and head I finally decided on the Vanguard 263 AT Tripod with the GH-100 pistol grip head. I am very satisfied with the choice and could not be happier. The tripod itself is sturdy and will hold my DSLR and 50-500mm lens without any issues. The pistol grip head makes doing quick adjustments simple and fast. Love this combination!!

ahutch

2012-06-22T21:00:00

I bought this primarily for its multi-angle central column and it really works. And it's light enough for hiking. My three other tripods are retired including a Gitzo. I'm getting the multi-mount as accessory.

FIDEL V.