ZOMEIHeavy Duty Camera Tripod Travel Z818 Aluminium Alloy Monopod with 360 Panorama Ball Head Quick Release Plate(Orange)

I am an amateur photographer and I bought this as an improvement over my cheap tripod. I received this about a week ago and have put it to use indoors and out a couple of times since. It seems to be well built for the price and I am very pleased with it. The ball head is smooth and easy to operated and the legs extend and retract well. I am using this with a Nikon 5200 and a 55-200 lens. It easily supports the camera and is very stable. I have tested the tension on the ball to see if it can handle downward angles without moving. It holds very well. I believe it could hold heavier lenses at a downward tilt and I'm sure it could hold them level or tilted upward.When testing this outdoors, I mounted my camera to take shots of birds. I kept enough tension on the ball to allow me to move it easily and still hold position when I let go. It worked perfectly. I also used it to take some long exposures of a stream while set up on uneven ground. The tripod held perfectly.Two slight negatives: First, as mentioned by another reviewer, if you don't have the rubber adjustable leg tips secured tightly, they will work their way off. I have lost one tip already.Second, the instructions are very poorly translated. I would advise Zomei to hire a professional service to translate these. As a former translator, I can see they violated a cardinal rule, "Always translate INTO your native tongue." These were obviously translated by someone who didn't speak English well. Not a huge issue, in fact it is rather entertaining to read, but they are not helpful.

What a beautiful piece of equipment, from the packaging to the finished product. I watched online reviews, did thorough research, and searched all around the Internet. I am so pleased with this purchase. I've owned a half decent tripod that I purchased more than13 years ago, but wow. This one cost about $40 more than the fieldmaster I've carried, and wow. The quality is amazing. I expected a half decent tripod, but this is borderline stellar. I opted for the black/silver since my desired red finish is not offered. It's very classy looking, would have loved red though as I'm team-Nikon.Movement on the twist locks is solid, there seems to be a 1/8 turn 'catch' that would appear to indicate the point where the legs will begin to slide. Turn past this for smooth extension, and past it to lock the legs at the desired length. Same for the head extension. I didn't bother with the instructions as the tripod is fairy intuitive, and I'm not stupid. Flipping the ball head inverse for macro is a simple process of unscrewing the plastic seat for the spring-loaded weight hook, removing the neck extension, and reinserting upside down. The ball head is phenomenal! Because of the ball size, I'd be surprised if a 2.8, 200 mm professional lens would have the heft to move it under load. Especially with a lens mount for a tripod - which any quality lens should have anyway.I agree that the monopod conversion could be modified to NOT require hauling a small threaded piece that could easily be lost, but at this price point I find it hard to complain too much. The included bag is very nice, matching the quality of the tripod itself, and the reflective band is a nice add (when shooting in the dark you'd be hard pressed to lose the bag with the use of your auto-focus light on the camera). Since a few small parts are needed for the monopod conversion it would be nice to have a small zipper pouch on the camera bag, but I may need to add a small Velcro pack for those items myself.The dampened pan head is very nice. It feels heavy without a camera installed - and it should. Once a camera with a decent lens is in place, panning is smooth, and couldn't be better.The only comments I have is that this model does not have the spiked feet recessed inside the rubber ones. I could swear I saw this in the description! Minor, think I've used mine once in 13 years. I believe a bubble level on the tripod itself - as well as on the ball head would allow you to have perfectly aligned panning across the horizon, as you need a level base as well as a level head to net a parallel pan. Relatively minor as I do minimal video work. The last comment is regarding the spring loaded weight hook. I feel this may be a weak point and wish it were an alloy component as well. Because it needs to be removed each time you flip the head, I feel it may wear down over time. While it appears to be a relatively high-quality, high density rubber/plastic it may degrade. Only time will tell. Hopefully this is a serviceable/replaceable item.I would not hesitate to recommend this tripod to any photog, pro or amateur alike. I've been shooting since 1989 and used my dads slik tripod for my old Pentax K1000 shooter. This is space-age by comparison. Happy shopping, and happy shooting!

This tripod was sold through Amazon by Zhuo Pu Camera Equipment. It was delivered within the expected time-frame. They have asked for customer feedback and while I won't be able to address durability (since I haven't had the tripod for very long) I can say that my first impression is that the tripod is sturdier than the one I owned previously, and it has more ways to be configured (i.e. put the head in upside down for macros, 3 different leg positions, option for monopod, and pan feature on the included head). I've so far used it to take pictures outside in snow and ice and...so far so good. The legs slide in and out easily and the twist style clamps tighten down in about a quarter turn - you don't, and probably shouldn't try to tighten these as if you were the incredible hulk. I don't have a big budget, and this ZOMEI tripod appears to have a very reasonable price for the features it offers. But the price is so reasonable, that it makes me think the deal is too good to be true. The fact that other brands seem to be selling the same tripod under different packaging makes me wonder who the manufacturer really is. If it turns out that this tripod is durable, I will update this review and give it another star.I can also say a few words about customer service. When I unpacked my tripod, I discovered that the Small Pan Tension Knob was broken. Specifically, the plastic knob-head had snapped off the metal screw it was supposed to turn so the screw could not be undone and the pan function of the head could not be used.Amazon is often a great way to buy things, but it is extraordinarily difficult to talk to a human being, and the automated remedies, while effective and polished, often do not have much flexibility in regards to options. Amazon's remedy, or at least the only one I could figure out, was to get permission to send the tripod back for credit. This would have been easy to set up—in fact, I actually applied for a shipping number, and it was easy and there wouldn't have been any charge for shipping, but, I wouldn't get credit until they got the tripod back, and in the meantime, I needed a tripod.Fortunately, Amazon also provided contact information for Zhou Pu Camera Equipment, so before committing to send the tripod back, I sent an email (to China I think) and described the problem. As soon as they read my email (Time zones), they responded and asked for a photograph so they could be sure of the problem and then the solution. I sent them a picture of the broken knob. And as soon as they saw it they (the Zomei Seller Team) responded again and said they were sending a replacement knob, and to just use pliers to take the broken screw out.Zhou Pu Camera Equipment quickly solved my issue. The part arrived about a week later, shipped in a bubble wrap envelope from China.In the mean time, I was able to use the tripod. I also discovered that some hardware stores have similar knobs that can work as replacements if you find you need one.I appreciate how quickly the Zomei Seller Team responded to my problem.

The stand was easy to assemble and it’s super sturdy but not exaggeratingly heavy. It’s great because my camera is super bulky and it was strong enough to hold it really tall. I have no worries about it falling over and I like that you can get a lot of options on changing the angle it will face. I use it for making YouTube videos and it’s a purchase I don’t regret in the slightest since I don’t know much about tripods, except for the fact that the cheap ones are flimsy.

I love this tripod. It's easy to use, well built, and the orange color that I got is a really nice vibrant color. It stays out and is durable but lightweight and pretty compact.

Exactly as advertised

ZoMei Z818 BlackI have been using it for few months now. Ordered this specifically for the height and the monopod. Solid and well constructed. Fast shipping but the box was dented, hope they put more packing for shipping oversea.

Perfect for using with my spotting scope. Very light. Very sturdy.