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Velbon DV-7000 Tripod Review
OK, I admit, I've never done a review in my life, but having searched google for reviews, I was none the wiser when I went to try it out at the local Jessops. Of course, when I did so, I found it to be great! This tripod retails at around £80, although this will change in the future.
So this is essentially what it looks like, it does go higher than what's shown in the photo (167cm IIRC), but you get the general idea. As you can see, it's black, which is important in filming as you don't want your tripod to affect the light. Others I've seen come in champagne or silver, and arn't suitable for close indoor shots but are fine outside. I prefer the black colour though for aestetics alone.
Here be the quick release plate, surfaced with cork to not damage your camcorder (I don't know if this is different to rubber other than looks) and has a spring-loaded locking pin which can be removed if you so wish, although it just gets puched in if your camera doesn't have a hole for it to fit. Second picture shows the plate out of the slot. As you can tell, it slided out sideways and the base of the plate (not shown) has a thumb-screw which enables you to attach your camcorder. As such, nothing hangs down and could interfere with the locking as was evident on other tripods. The small plastic button by the locking mechanism gets depressed when the plate is replaced and the lock springs round to hold the plate in. This makes releasing and fastening quite fast and easy.
Underneath the head plate, there's the spirit level (Slightly awkward to have it here as you have to tip the camera backwards or forewards to see it). The head is fluid bearing and has graduations as can be seen in both pictures. The head has tension adjusters, although be warned, they are quite stiff. Some of you may want a little more tension on the tilt as it doesn't seem to be as tight as the pan, but that's a subjective point. Pan and tilt have locking screws, one of which can be seen in the left picture.
Moving on to the middle part, it has the geared shaft and a strong metal handle. The legs are also fastened with meaty bolts for stability and rigidity. The feet are rubber, there are no spikes. The rubber feet shouldn't damage any surfaces and if you need spikes, I'm sure you can come up with a solution, but for me, spikes are unneccesary.
Lastly, the tripod folded up. Weighing in at about 3.5 kilos, it isn't light, but that does mean it's more stable and solid. So far, no parts rattle, the only noises coming from the tripod are from the head. When panning and tilting, you can sometimes hear the goo inside. I can't really describe it easilly, it's kind of past-ey? It's very quiet though, you wouldn't hear it when filming normally and it's quieter than other tripods I've tried (although they didn't have fluid heads). To sum up then:
Pros:
Stable, strong, good value for money, smooth pan/tilt action due to fluid head, good quick release plate design.
Cons:
Heavy, spirit level is in a strange place, tension adjusters are difficult to adjust (I'd question the suitability of this tripod for heavy cameras), no spikes.
For me, the pros far outweigh the cons, but as with most things, you should try before you buy. At £80, it's not bad considering others in the same price bracket.
