CULLMANN52125 - Alpha 2500 tripod with 3-way head (extension height 165 cm, pack size 67 cm, load capacity 2.5 kg, weight 1277 g), silver

I have many tripods and each one has its own drawbacks, the more stable they are the heavier they tend to be, unless you are paying a fortune for carbon fibre. Even very compact and lightweight versions can be a bit bulky when just walking around with your camera. So if possible I like to be able to pack my stuff into a single shoulder bag, so its camera, spare lens, fold up stool, tripod, bottle of water and a snack plus my mobile phone goes in, oh and I nearly forgot the pop up drinking bowl for my dog. After that I'm set up for a nice walk and hopefully take some shots along the way, I often take images of wild flowers, fungi and other close up and macro stuff that is mainly at ground level and although my other tripods will do the job they have to be set up very low down and that is where this comes into its own. So lets start with the basics, this is and never was intended to be a professional tripod, you would not want your heavy and expensive Canon or Nikon sitting unattended on the top of this in a stiff breeze. It is however a very well made small tripod for certain tasks like the ones I mention above, it is very compact and lightweight and will pack away easily into a bag or backpack. It is not particularly tall and at fully extended height will put the lens of your camera at about 42” above ground level which would be fine for most casual panoramic shots, but it works best as a small tripod for low to ground level photography and when used at up to say about 24” high even a heavy camera would be secure enough, although if used at full height I would advise staying close to the tripod just in case. Construction wise it has three alloy extruded sections with plastic snap down locking tabs to secure each section and these seem quite robust when closed. The centre post moves up or down within a 12” range and the three legs are braced between with a sliding bridge section that locks when pressed downwards. The top section has a tilt and pan locking head with a quick release lever for the camera plate, all a bit basic as you would expect for the price and although plastic it does seem to hold the camera secure enough in the horizontal position, but I would not trust it with a heavy camera or telephoto lenses. Basically it is what it is and for the price it is ideal for the purpose I will be using it for and would happily recommend it to anyone wanting one for similar use, i.e. low down and macro photography without the need for carrying a bulky tripod around with you.

Works really well for me I use it on a regular basis

Good tripod for the price. Lightweight, folds down really small. Mobile phone holder worked great.

My 14 year old daughter has taken an interest in 35 mm photography and was recently thrilled to be given a Canon SLR. She asked for a tripod and hr father and I looked about, finally settling on this after careful consideration of price, reviews, etc. Must say that we were not expecting it to be as sturdy as it is, given the price. It is well made and easy to use. Her camera sits securely and the quick release works great. She's very pleased with it, especially since it is very light, folds down compactly, and the carry bag is comfortable to use.

I am going to use it under my outdoor Pochard painting box

Grip and sturdiness is ok!!

bought this tripod to replace a lightweight plastic one i had, this is a very stable, surprisingly light tripod, has seen extensive use so far, and is perfect for my needs, especially like the quick release feature for the mounting plate, makes hand held shooting to tripod shooting smooth and fast

Good tripod but be careful if you have a heavy camera as it can easily topple over with a heavy camera.