ZOMEI Z818 Tall Camera Tripod 65'' Aluminium Alloy Monopod with 360 Panorama Ball Head Quick Release Plate(Blue)

I was initially skeptical about a chinese knockoff tripod. But given that it had very good reviews, I was tempted to buy it and examine it. This is quite a surprisingly well made tripod. I bought the Z818 Aluminium model. I was surprised at how light it was. Got a nice brushed aluminium look. Personally, I liked it but my other photographer pals didn't like the looks much. But who buys tripods for looks, right? It weighs about 3.8 pounds and measured 24 inches when folded and ~65 inches when fully extended. Very sturdy. The ball head mount seems to have been built by someone who gives acute attention to detail and quality. Very fluid motion and very nicely designed. Some of the more popular consumer tripods in this range have a drag control knob as well on the ball head. Unfortunately, this one did not have that knob. But it may not be that much of a dealbreaker. Also nice inclusion with a very well cushioned case. Did I mention that one of its legs converts into a monopod? It is a pretty tedious process though. Zomei did give an adapter to facilitate that. One little known fact about this tripod is that all the twisty leg locks have a quarter turn lock limiter that you have to surpass to actually get it to collapse. Nice little safety mechanism in case you accidentally end up twisting one of the locks.The center column with the ballhead is very solid in design. Mine needed some forcing to slide up and down indicating poor lubrication. In terms of how well the tripod was able to withstand heavy lenses, I had a Nikon D700 with a Sigma 18-35 f1.8 mounted on it and tested it. No issues. I even mounted my camera with a meter long f11 optical tube from a telescope. It held sturdily and is perfectly capable of holding much heavier lenses as well.Pros - 140 bucks; Fantastic functionality; lightweight and portable; sturdy build quality;Cons - Nothing worth mentioning;

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!

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.