Jessops carbon fibre tripod £30 off - is it worth a punt?

[Ken_Moffat]

Subjuct says it all really but I just saw Jessies are selling this tripod for £99. I only found 1 favourable mention searching the forum so is it worth a go? Jessies

[Malcolm_Stewart]

I remember being at last summer's Birdfair and over hearing the Manfrotto rep saying that there were big differences between the better and the lesser carbon fibre tripods. (he would say that, of course!) Seem to remember something about the number of lays of fibre, the angle and the amount of and type of filling. Weather proof?

I'd suggest that you do some unbiased research (is that possible?!) before buying. Me, having had a tripod blown over by a gust of wind, and ruin both a lens and SLR, I now stick to heavy Benbo Mk 1s for my needs.

[nimbus]

In my experience the bulk of Jessop own brand products are not of the highest quality, simply you get what you pay for.

[zx9]

'PhotoMark' was singing the praises of Jessops carbon tripods earlier, it might be worth a PM to him to find out which model he is using.

[Mark]

I got myself this very thing. It has survived numerous trips to London and several to the seaside (slung over my shoulder), in winter sun, snow, rain and storm - totally unscathed [says he, touching wood!]. I have often put a very heavy camera/lens combination on it, with occasional varying results (it is not as rock solid when fully loaded - with over 4kg! - as I would have liked), but (as has been said) my view is that it is built to a price, not a performance/spec. It works for me in the snow, when my hands are so cold I can bearly trigger the shutter release. My opinion is that it has been good value for money, even without the £30 off, as it comes with a reasonable bag etc - but I do accept it is still relatively new.

If you do get one, it is worth knowing that the short bit of extra centre-column that you get with it is in fact a replacement short column so that you can get low, not an extension piece as the 'manual' calls it.

I now take these legs out with me when I go walking at random, as they do the business with a heavy-ish camera and standard lens, and let me practice my macro...

If I know I'm likely to be shooting with a 70-400 lens at the tight-end, then it gets swapped for the brute - a pro-video tripod.

Would I buy another one if this one was nicked? Without a moment's hesitation! Hope that helps.

[Ken_Moffat]

Thanks for the replies. I had a look at one in store. The legs seem fine and great for the money, but I felt the head was the weakness.

Anyway I bought one and have fitted a Giottos head. Looks and feels better for it.

[Nanette]

Slightly off topic but i would not by Jessops own branded products as i bought a flashgun from them and its the worst bit of photography gear i have ever bought.
In my experience, have a long think of what you need the tripod for, might sound like a stupid question but think later down the line.

How much weight will it have to hold?
Will i use a telephoto lens?
What tripod head do i need?
Will i be carrying it for long distance?
How many sections do you want?
Do you want to use it for low ground macro?

I have had a few tripods over the years and ended up with a manfrotto 055CXPRO4, not the cheapest, not the most expensive, but works well for me

[dangie]

As the man from Manfrotto says, there may well be different grades of carbon fiber, as there are different grades of steel and aluminium. However we are talking tripods here, not fighter jets or Formula One racing cars. I looked at the Jessops tripod myself a few weeks ago and thought it ok. Then it was at £129 so I bought the Giottos MTL9351 at £99 instead. Now the Jessops carbon fiber is at £99, I think it's a good buy.

[clairewadey]

Managed to get this tripod for £67.15 today by ordering online with 15% discount code. It's the first tripod I've owned and it will do for me.

Only major problem for me is that the spirit levels are in awkward places and don't actually help to get the camera level, just the tripod itself.

[dangie]

I've found that the spirit level built into a tripod is usually a waste of time. Far better to get a hotshoe mounted one like this below. Probably even cheaper on Ebay.
Hotshoe Spirit Level

[Malcolm_Stewart]

Managed to get this tripod for £67.15 today by ordering online with 15% discount code. It's the first tripod I've owned and it will do for me.

Only major problem for me is that the spirit levels are in awkward places and don't actually help to get the camera level, just the tripod itself.

Sorry to come in a bit late, it is very useful to have spirit levels on the tripod as this allows you to get the tripods axes truly vertical and horizontal, and this helps when tracking birds-in-flight using a gimbal head, or even a normal head mounted on your tripod.

[NosamLuap]

Managed to get this tripod for £67.15 today by ordering online with 15% discount code. It's the first tripod I've owned and it will do for me.

Only major problem for me is that the spirit levels are in awkward places and don't actually help to get the camera level, just the tripod itself.

Sorry to come in a bit late, it is very useful to have spirit levels on the tripod as this allows you to get the tripods axes truly vertical and horizontal, and this helps when tracking birds-in-flight using a gimbal head, or even a normal head mounted on your tripod.

Also it's critical if you're doing stitched panoramas to have the tripod axis level - correcting for leaning legs with the tripod head will not give you a level 'spin' and you end up with leaning images from frame to frame...