Manfrotto MK290XTA3-3W, Tripod with Ball Head, 3 Way Head, for DSLR, Compact System Camera, Mirrorless, Aluminium, Black

Tripod legs seem a 4 out of 5 for build quality, tripod head is brilliantThe tripod legs seem a little bit cheap, the plastic clips don't seem the best quality (I usually use a Geekotto tripod) I'm hoping they last but only time will tell, the tripod head seems to be better quality and I can't see it breaking, seems well made and with smooth movementsI would recommend this tripod and brand, for what I paid (£103) it's a bargain

Great quality. Bought for my spotting scope but will have to get another for my camera as well

This tripod is pretty good actually. Good quality and smoothe operation. I can keep a wobble free focus on stars at maximum 66x on my celestion spotting scope. It is perfect for birding!

Like I lot

Not the lightest carbonfibre but easily makes up in height and stability

I bought the Manfrotto to replace a very old plastic tripod which has served me adequately for many years and with which I was happy until parts began to wear and it became unusable.On opening the box I was surprised at how heavy this tripod was. It was also sturdier than I expected, much more so than my old tripod, in fact, it was much, much better than I expected.It was easy to set up and with a little experimentation I was able to achieve everything described in the instructions within a matter of minutes. Mounting the camera (Nikon D5300) was fairly simple.Once fitted the head is secure and firmly held (more so than my previous tripod) and the pan and tilt easy to control. I did not buy this tripod to shoot video but I found that whilst the pan facility worked well, the tilt was a little stiffer than I would have liked, even when fully open and, unless it becomes freer with use, is not really suitable for smooth video. Possibly video enthusiasts would prefer rather longer handles than are fitted here too.Extending and fixing the legs is simple and, once again I was surprised by the height achievable. With one section of the legs extended it is stable but, obviously, at its maximum height with both sections extended and the centre section raised it is slightly less so though usable. There is a hook on which to hang a weight to stabilise the tripod if necessary.The tripod came supplied with a carrying bag with a drawstring closure.

The legs are great really sturdy and stable. The locking system works well and there is no movement when locked.You could spend £170 on Amazon just for the legs only, so you can't complain too much about the head. But it isn't the best quality and the arms feel a little spongy. I use a Benro geared head or a Manfrotto video head with these legs and it works perfectly.I would recommend buying this tripod but upgrade to a better head as soon as possible. That said, I'm using this professionally, so this might suit a hobbyist fine.

Tired of the £20-£30 wobbly chinese offerings, I was determined to gift my partner with a 'proper' tripod to compliment her camera kit and 25-125x zoom monocular. I did my research and was very gratified to see that I'd made the right choice.The fluid head is very smooth, and a particular feature I like is the ability to splay and lock each leg independently, from the usual 30-ish degrees, all the way out to full horizontal, suiting a range of instances where it's difficult to site the feet for stability (rocky terrain, etc). This is afforded by depressing a catch at the top of each leg to release lock, moving the leg out, then progressively moving the leg back down against a ratchet for positioning.Incidentally, I mentioned to a work colleague that I was purchasing a 'proper' tripod as a gift, and without further clues he asked... "Is it a Manfrotto?". It just so happened that his friend was really into photography with some serious Canon kit, and used Manfrotto tripods himself - hence his asking.If you're serious about a decent tripod, I can heartily recommend the Manfrotto brand as it's hard to see how anyone could be disappointed.