Slik F630

Perfect product – I found this slik 630 a great buy. I purchased one off Ebay that was flimsy and a waste of money. This one is well built and can hold my dslr no problems at all. It cost me $19 at target.I would recommend it to anyone on a budget. Go out and but one :) Cheap but good quality

Best tripod for value and quality – I am reviewing the SLIK F630 Tripod, which I purchased from Target about a month ago for $30, however they are even cheaper than that now! I purchased the tripod for my Olympus SP560UZ Digital SLR which I have owned since 2007, however never had the time or cash to purchase a 'proper' tripod for it. I have looked around and found some from as cheap as $20 to the Manfroto price spectrum of $250 and only ever purchased a Monopod for outdoor escapes with my camera - but from now on I may take either?

I went into Target and noticed that the SLIK tripod was $29 (elsewhere MSRP - $50), opened it up and set it up for an in store fiddle and general strength test which I basically put my hand on it and tested it for general stature and stability. It passed the in store test with flying colours and I purchased it.

When I went home I took my camera and put it onto the tripod via the quick release base and tested it, SLIK suggest that the camera not exceed its weight limit which my camera weighs about 2/3's the weight limit. I found that the set-up of the tripod was extremely quick with simple paddle clamps to be flicked open and the legs drop out quickly. The centre spire had a locking mechanism to reduce the chance of the legs being closed inward and the tripod falling over. The legs themselves are a box type aluminium and are very sturdy when finally locked into their position.

I used the tripod on a lumpy / bumpy grass terrain at the local park and was easily assured with the eye glass spirit level bubble that the tripod was level, once this was done I was guaranteed a level shot. With the viewing gradients on my camera on, I noticed that it was as near perfect as one could get when in the outdoor environment.

The SLIK head, has a 3 way pan and tilt function and includes a rack and pinion elevation feature for height (upto 1.5meters total) which are all governed by locking screws and a large well designed turning handle. Once you find your preferred angle of the dangle you simply lock it all in and press the button on your camera and it'll come out just perfect! Another great feature is the quick release camera bracket!! You literally remove the tripod's plate, screw it to your camera and click your camera to the tripod and secure it with the lever - this means that when you move a large distance you dont have to continually attach and take off your camera via a small fiddly screw, you just pull a lever and take your camera, and pop it back in 'simple' and very secure!!

I found that the head of the tripod was sturdy enough and moved smoothly enough that I could panorama video the environment without any jerky movements and found that the plastic moulding is as good as I have seen it for a tripod and in this super cheap bracket! All metal parts are anodised black and all plastic parts feature a soft feel coating or are just soft feel?

I personally find that the SLIK F630 tripod an extremely good buy for the budget conscious or the quality buyer, however they state that larger SLR's with large telephoto lenses this product will not tolerate the weight. For those with point and shoot or mino DSLR or just compact SLR like my own, its a excellent choice!

Happy Snapping :) Very functional, Quality product, well built, sturdy, price!, did I mention quality, features, quick release head, height, weight, materials. Nil with the tripod, but would like to see a better strap on the supplied bag. Could come in different colours?