Mantona Scout Max tripod, 157 cm (incl. ball head with quick-release plate, in-built bubble level, max. load-bearing capacity of 6 kg)

I bought this with trepidation having some experience of flimsy tripods. I have a Nikon D7100 and did not want to balance my beloved camera on a wobbly tripod so I worked on the basis that the camera needs a tripod at least close to it's own build. Having said that I am an amateur hobby photographer so I dont need the best and did not want to spend hundreds on a tripod if avoidable. A couple of the reviews I read here (particularly the one from the pro photographer) gave me the willpower to go ahead with this order and wow - I am delighted with my buy. Absolute gem of a tripod. Sturdy and oozes decent quality (not fantastic quality but decent). Anyone seeing or touching it will think you spent more than the price on this. It has excellent sturdy legs and comfortable clips that allow you to open and close without losing a finger nail. The legs are tubular and not the cheapie hollow type that you get for £10 and this makes them even more sturdy. It also has a level which is great for telling you if you are set up on flat ground. However that is a bit useless without an indicator on the head to tell you when the camera is level set too. However that is a minor grips as I tend to shoot in RAW and can easily level off my photos with my Nikon software that came with my camera.The on off ballhead mechanism which some people claim to have found complicated is actually a breeze to learn. The tripod comes with no manual which is a bit of a surprise given that not everyone might now how to use the ballhead mechanism however nothwithstanding this it took me all of a minute to work it out. Basically release the brass lock by pulling it toward yourself and then pull the black plastic lever above it to release the camera foot. Once released you can screw the foot into the base of your camera and you are good to go, with or without tripod as you need.Another thing that the seller fails to tell you is that the main tripod column is reversible. This means that you can hang your camera upside down to take micro and macro photos if that is your scene etc. The swivel ballhead also allows for the camera to be flipped over a full 90 degrees which is handy. Like any tripod or new piece of kit you need to spend time with it to get to know it before you take it out for an important shoot. I am still getting to know my camera as well having upgraded from an entry level D40 beforehand.Finally an important consideration that made me buy this was the weight of the tripod. I considered the option of lugging this around, even if only in luggage from country to country and I was wary of buying a 3, 4 or 5 kilo tripod. This little think is a perfect weight providing just enough stability and security without breaking your shoulder on a walk. The tidy bag supplied makes it all the easier to carry too.When buying a tripod ask yourself one key question - am I happy to balance £2k worth of camera and lens on that tripod and walk away to take a photo? That is really why you do need to choose carefully and dont assume that everything is the same as they are not. This tripod is probably the ideal entry level tripod for amateur photographers or as an additional extra for a pro...

I got this tripod because of all the other reviews and I'm glad I did. It's well built and very sturdy, even fully extended. I tried some long exposures with it and as long as you extend the legs and not the middle pole it does the job just fine. In strong winds even with my strap on the camera there was no shake in the end pictures. It even stood up to the challenge of my Canon 5D3 with a 300mm f2.8 L lens on it.There is another setting for the legs which isn't in the description. You can have them set out flat and upright like in the pictures, but there is also a middle setting which gives it a nice wide stance and very stable. In this setting the tripod is the same height as the middle pole if you don't extend the legs, I find it more stable than laying the legs flat and extending the pole. Also it would have been nice to get a shorter pole with the tripod for super low down shots. If you want super low down shots the only way is to flip your pole upside down and rotate the pictures in post processing.The only downside I found is the weight. It's not a light tripod but for the price you can't complain. If you are concerned about weight then buy a carbon fibre one. Also there was no hook on the pole to hang weights from, this didn't bother me too much because it wasn't in the description. I made my own DIY one out of a wine bottle cork and a hook from my local DIY shop, just put the cork in the bottom of the pole and screw the hook in...sorted!There is no panning function with the ball head like said in other reviews. The only way you can do panning is if you loosen off the middle pole and that will allow you to pan the camera, Or just loosen off the ball head and hope you have steady hands.Everything else about the tripod is great. The clamps are reliable and the QR plate for the camera is nice and secure once fitted.All in all I'd highly recommend it. It's up there with a lot of higher priced tripods and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

I have been using this for almost a year now. Very happy with my purchase, I use a D90 with the below lens combinations and so far have produced very stable results using the following lenses - 24-70mm, 70-300mm, 105 mm.I won't compare this to tripods which cost 5-6 times, as that would be unjust. But this is an excellent product which should serve everyone well as long as you are not planning to support a super heavy lens weighing above specified limit.Pros -1. Stable in 90% positions. 10% less due to some issues with the ball head(refer cons).2. Light weight3. The center column can be reversed completely and used for close up macro shotsCons -1. The rubber covers attached to the foot of the tripod won't last long. Mine have already started wearing off after a year's heavy usage.2. The holder of the quick release plate became wobbly after 7 months of usage but I fixed it easily after tightening the concerned screw. This is common with most tripods.3. There are some issues with the ball head, you have to ensure that you have really tightened the screw so that the head doesn't move if you are shooting with the lens and camera body pointing downwards. But even after you have tightened it completely, it does move a bit and then become stable, so you have to get used to it and adjust accordingly.