Manfrotto 190XDB 3 Section Aluminum Tripod

I love my Manfrotto 190XDB tripod. It's stable. It's solidly built. It's light weight (3.5 lbs). The legs easily extend or retract after loosening the wing locking knobs which are easy to use. I have another tripod with quick release brackets for the legs. I wish this tripod had that feature, too, but for the price, it's not a deal breaker. I love the fact that you can invert the stem and hang the camera below the tripod, too. With the head attached and the center column raised, it rotates smoothly with zero vibration. I've purchased lesser tripods and have experienced annoying vibrations as I pan my video camera. That doesn't happen with the Manfrotto. My students and I use this tripod for video projects, and we all love that the tripod can raise or lower the camera from 13" to almost 58" to vary the angles. Note to buyer: The price of the tripod is a bit misleading...This tripod does NOT come with a head or quick release plate. To use the tripod I had to purchase a head (I chose the Manfrotto 128LP Micro Fluid Head for its smooth action and no-frills at about $70) and the Manfrotto 323 RC2 Rapid Connect Adapter with 200PL-14 Quick Release Plate (at about $30). With all the pieces in place, this is a tripod that I'll be able to use for years with both HD video cameras and SLRs. I'm happy with the purchase and love the Manfrotto brand.

Manfrotto among other great tripod manufacturers (Giottos) always rank high among fellow photographers. This is my entry level tripod - at a very reasonable price - that has yet to let me down. It feels very sturdy and is light to carry around. The more expensive Manfrotto models have quick release latches to extend the tripod legs; this one uses a screw-in system. I don't mind it the least bit. It is quick to setup and performs extremely well. I am 6 ft tall and along with a quality ball/joystick head mount reaches all the way to my eye-level. I highly recommend this tripod to anybody seeking their first tripod for a DSLR but don't want to spend a grip. The setup I have is the Manfrotto 190XDB along with the Manfrotto 322RC2 Joystick Head Short joystick tripod head mount I used both with my D3100 and D90 during the holiday home party. All shots were made in low light without flash. Results were excellent. Excellent products!

This tripod was recommended to me from a professional photographer as a good "starter" tripod. The box it was delivered in was basically destroyed...they just don't "ship with care" anymore, do they?...but the tripod was fine, which demonstrates the sturdy construction of it. I've had it now for around a month and have used it quite a bit as I'm learning photography. So what have I learned? It's very sturdy, solid. Even though it's aluminum, it's not the lightest thing in the world so lugging it around probably wouldn't be fun...you may want a lighter, more compact one if you plan on carrying it a lot. There is no level on it so if you're using it on uneven ground you may want to have a small hand-sized level handy. Maybe the more expensive tripods or mounting balls have built in levels, but this one does not. But if you are just planning to use it in a studio or just a flat surface for portraits and such, then this tripod is perfect.

I'm happy with this tripod except for the leg release mechanism: I wish I bought the model with the levers to release the legs instead of the knobs. The knobs take too many turns to release - it takes too long and it's awkward to release the legs. The levers are much easier to use. It also didn't come with a tool to tighten the nuts. I'm having a difficult time finding the correct tool. The only tool I found is too large and heavy. The other model tripod comes with the tool attached to the tripod leg. The rest of the tripod is nice. I wouldn't buy this model.

I used this tripod for a few years on and off (I have other tripods, larger and smaller, for other uses) and yesterday the clasp snapped in two, sending the tripod on a fast path to the ground. I have several vintage tripods which I have been much harder on, for much longer, and they are still as strong as they were the day I got them (and when I got them, they were already 40 years old. Since I am out of warranty, Manfrotto didn't care at all. Nearly every support in my studio is made by Manfrotto (light stands, auto poles, tripods, clamps, etc.) and I have been a very loyal customer. Manfrotto didn't even say "sorry to hear that your tripod broke" and didn't seem to realize that I trust their product to hold my $5,000 kit. Anyway, spend the extra money and go with another company like Gitzo whose tripods are known to last a lifetime.

Wish I would have paid more attention and seen that it has screw extenders instead of the clip kind. Takes to long to set up. Spend an extra 50 bucks and save yourself alot of time.

This tripod is excellent, it is really well built and solid but not too heavy. The build quality is superb. Its very stable even when you extend the legs all the way. Although you need to tighten the legs by screwing the bolt, it is not bad at all, it kind of gives you peace of mind that the legs won't slip. The best part of this tripod is the price, you cant beat it. Anyone who is an amateur looking to get a bit more serious about photography or doing video, should definitely go with this. I would also recommend that if you are going to buy a manfrotto tripod go with one of their heads.

For all but the heaviest cameras, this one is great. The movement is smooth, the tripod is none too heavy, but is still very sturdy. I do notice some play in the rotation, as you begin to turn left or right, it slides without any resistance for a degree or two. This can cause some judder as the rotation starts too fast before slowing down. Either way, I've shot hundreds of hours of footage on it, it's my go to tripod of choice.