GEEKOTO 77’’ Tripod, Camera Tripod for DSLR, Compact Aluminum Tripod with 360 Degree Ball Head and 8kgs Load for Travel and Work

I was looking for an economic replacement for my old tripod. A couple of months ago I was out of town and had forgot to pack my tripod. I stopped at Best Buy and picked out a similarly priced tripod. Even though it claimed to be able to support a DSLR weighing 11 lbs I was greatly disappointed. I tried it out and it felt like it was way too flimsy for my camera, which weighed roughly 5 lbs. I was afraid it would tip over. It definitely did not make me feel very secure. I returned it the next day.I considered going with a more expensive option after that experience but decided to browse some sub $100 options. I stumbled upon the Geekoto tripod and began reading the reviews. Those reviews convinced me to give the tripod a chance. I figured that if it was not sturdy enough I would give it to my daughter who recently got a Sony A6300 which is much lighter than my Canon 5D iv.Unpacking the tripod I was impressed with the quality compared to my previous purchase. It seemed to be a much higher quality. It's not quite as sturdy as my old tripod, but I knew that going in to this. I attached the quick release plate ( and here's one of my minor complaints, the piece of metal that you twist to tighten the plate seems a little thin). Once I secured the plate onto the ball head I was satisfied that it was solid enough to handle my gear. If I had larger lenses like the 100-400 or other similar lenses I would want a bigger, more robust tripod, but for my gear it seemed completely adequate. I use a Canon 24-105, Canon 135 L, Canon 16-35 2.8L and a rokinon 14mm. I shoot a lot of vertical landscapes, so I tested how the ball head would handle the weight. To my surprise it seemed very solid. It was easy to position and hold it's position.I live in Wisconsin and shoot a lot in the winter. My carbon fiber tripod used twist leg locks but in the cold sometimes they would stick. It would make adjustments to the legs very difficult and at times impossible. In the past I've avoided the lever locks like the ones on the Geekoto tripod, so I was curious how they'd perform in the cold. Well, today we had a blizzard and temps near 0°F so I headed down to the lake to shoot our local lighthouse. I was changing position quite frequently, changing from high to low perspectives. The lever locks worked well and I had absolutely no issues. I love to get low for some more unique perspectives, so I put the legs out to their widest position to see how low I could go without inverting the center column (which is still possible with this tripod) and was pretty happy. For most applications I don't think I'd need to invert the center column as it was low enough for my taste but it's nice to know it's an option if I need it.I haven't used a monopod much in the past but recently started experimenting with video and found myself wishing I had one. Well, the Geekoto can break down to one. I wasn't actively shopping for a monopod but having that included is awesome.Some other thoughts on this tripod : the hook to add weight is nice to have. I carry a sandbag in my car and with my old tripod I had to find a way to kind of wrap around the head.. it wasn't very secure. Having the hook will help greatly. The bubble level is one of my nitpicks.. it's hard to see. When the camera is mounted to the head (at least in landscape orientation.. I'll have to look in vertical) it covers up the bubble. If you look hard enough you can find it, but it is a little awkward. I use the level or grid on my live view anyway, so for me it doesn't matter too much. And one last thing, it's super light! I attached it to my backpack and the length and weight are not intrusive at all.So, after one fun test day I'd say I am very satisfied with the Geekoto. It's a good economical choice that doesn't punish you for saving some money.

bought for the solar eclipse, now i use it all the time. very good tripod for the price

AAA

First off, the packaging is very good. Comes boxed well and includes a nice carrying care. The tripod ball head is also covered with a little velvet bag that I guess helps protect it during travel. I’ve bought previous tripods in this price range before and this is pretty well done in comparison.Initial unboxing impressions: seems higher quality than I initially expected but doesn’t feel great or like it’s going to be able to take a serious beating. The leg locks function well and seem to hold pretty tight. However, they are plastic so I’d be cautious. The leg adjustment locks are also pretty well designed for this price range and use a nice press mechanism to release so you just press them with your thumb to move or close the leg. You can also open the tripod without pressing it but this makes a fairly loud clicking noise as it clicks through the angle options which I didn’t particularly like. The tripod ball head looks solid and beefy. I do have a few annoyances with the ballhead and also where it attaches to the base. First, there’s only two knobs to adjust and one is to rotate the base and the other is for the ball itself. I’m so used to having three and being able to make larger and smaller adjustments to the head. My other complaint is that the base that the head attaches to is not secured really at all. It seems like no matter how hard you tighten it down there is a little play in the base area. Not really noticeable unless you try to turn it when it’s tight but it is there. I imagine if you do a lot of panoramas or rotate your heads a lot you’ll notice it more. Lastly, the locks to secure the center post of the tripod don’t tighten down enough. I can still rotate the center column pretty easily.Actual use: the tripod is pretty light and while attaches to my backpack I didn’t really notice it all the much. It’s also relatively small and is comparable to most smaller “travel” size tripod from other larger brands. The legs locks worked and the tripod was easy to setup and breakdown between locations. I didn’t notice any issues really with the ballhead and there was no creep or movement of any kind and I was using a Fujifilm X-T2 and 16-55 2.8 so a pretty heavy setup. Not sure how it would handle a larger telephoto lens but I imagine it would be okay for light use but not as a go-to. The tripod felt relatively steady. I primarily used it with two of the leg sections extended for increased stability and this was fine. Easily stable enough for street photography etc. I doubt it would standup to harsh winds unless it was shortened or the legs widened but most tripods this size don’t. The photos taken above were using this tripod. Long exposures from 15-50 seconds and no issues.Overall I’d say this is a decent tripod at this price point. A good entry level tripod and a good option for people on a tight budget or someone who doesn’t need something that is going to need to take a beating or standup to the elements day in and day out.