I was a lucky, lucky little boy this Christmas. My father-in-law was kind enough to give me the Manfrotto Neo Tec Tripod and Manfrotto Compact Ballhead with Rapid Connect Plate (to replace my Benro carbon fiber tripod with compact ballhead that was stolen during a flight in September). I've been using it frequently, and hope this brief review will be helpful to those of you who are looking to buy a new tripod.
Price - $365
Rating - 8 out of 10
Pros - Wicked fast. And easy to use. And did I mention fast? It's really as cool a mechanism as it looks/sounds. All you do is pull the legs out, and you're ready to shoot. Push the buttons at the top of each leg, and the whole thing collapses back down. The legs are thick and stable. The biggest complaint I had with my Benro was that the smallest leg section was too small, and pretty flexible, so there was a lot more movement and vibration than I ever get with this tripod. The rubberized carrying strap is nice. The bubble-level is nice. The legs can be positioned so the tripod is almost flat on the ground, which I find useful, since I do that sort of thing. The rubber feet do a good job of keeping the legs from slipping and moving. Another complaint I had with my old tripod was that sand and dirt got into the legs, which made tightening, untightening, and extending them more difficult. The bottom leg section of this tripod is on the outside, rather than the inside, meaning that the first connection between leg sections is about 18 inches off the ground. No more sand problems. Brilliant. And I like the weight. It's not too heavy to carry around (not nearly as bad as studio tripods), but heavy enough to keep your camera very stable even in strong wind. For 30 minute exposures. Perfect.
Cons - The mechanism for positioning the center column horizontally is about the worst idea I've seen since avacado icecream (no offense to you avacado-icecream-lovers out there...maybe you'll like this feature). You actually have to twist the bottom of the center column (for a while) before the head mount comes off. Then you loosten the adjustment knob for the center column, remove the column, and stick it through a different hole in the top mechanism. You then replace the head mount by re-tightening the bottom of the center column. Sound fun? It isn't. At least it can go horizontal... Other than that, I can't think of another complaint I've had with it.
My pet-peave is stupid tripods. I always use a tripod. And a ballhead. And a wireless-shutter release. And mirror lock-up. So if you're also a little neurotic about sharp images, and are in the market for a new tripod, (and have $400 to drop on one) I highly recommend the Manfrotto Neo Tec. And everyone else can go eat avacado icecream.
~Tom
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