$89.99 Newell Carbon Fiber Tripod
Jan 24, 2020 15:41:37 #
Got my Newell Carbon Fiber tripod today from Amazon and am blown away! Build quality seems excellent and is 8 ounces lighter then my Manfrotto BeFree. Never could afford a carbon fiber tripod before. Has twist lock legs which I don’t really like but seems firm. The tripod legs just have a rubber end without spikes. Very nice ball head with plate but will replace it with my Manfrotto ball head due to plate compatibility. I’m impressed!
Jan 24, 2020 20:46:29 #
markwilliam1 wrote:
Got my Newell Carbon Fiber tripod today from Amazon and am blown away! Build quality seems excellent and is 8 ounces lighter then my Manfrotto BeFree. Never could afford a carbon fiber tripod before. Has twist lock legs which I don’t really like but seems firm. The tripod legs just have a rubber end without spikes. Very nice ball head with plate but will replace it with my Manfrotto ball head due to plate compatibility. I’m impressed!
Give us a post honeymoon report also please !
.
Jan 24, 2020 20:57:53 #
Jan 25, 2020 06:39:08 #
Jan 25, 2020 07:29:28 #
I wonder how many of these Neweer carbon fiber tripods were sold as a result of the post in the last week. I bought one, delivered Thursday. I haven't used it yet, but it looks really nice, especially for the price!
Jan 25, 2020 09:19:56 #
billmck wrote:
I wonder how many of these Neweer carbon fiber tripods were sold as a result of the post in the last week. I bought one, delivered Thursday. I haven't used it yet, but it looks really nice, especially for the price!
Yes I meant Neweer and I did buy it from reading the post last week. Took mine on a honeymoon walk with my heaviest lens the Minolta 70-210 f4 and the tripod was rock solid! Very Satisfied!
Jan 25, 2020 13:49:01 #
amfoto1
Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA
Thanks for letting us know what you think of the tripod.....
A couple quick comments from an old photographer with some equally old tripods:
- Get accustomed to the twist type leg locks. For tripods used in the field (as opposed to in a studio), they are the best type. They're low profile, less likely to catch on branches and other things when carrying them around. Also less likely than a lever or thumb screw to accidentally catch a cuff or sleeve when working with the tripod, and can't be accidentally (and possibly catastrophically) released the way a lever can. And, they are largely self-adjusting, not prone to wear and resistant to moisture or dirt getting into the mechanism. Twist type leg locks can be a little slower to set up.... Some tripods use "anti-rotation" shaped legs. Plain ones you can end up with the wrong section loosening or tightening. If the tripod uses plain round tubing, you have to get in the habit of working from the top down.... loosening, adjusting and retightening the larger sections first... evenly tightening without over-tightening. It soon becomes second nature. I've had lever locks get worn to the point they won't hold or even break.... and I've nearly lost thumb-screw type locks when they loosened due to vibrations, such as when riding in the trunk of a car. Never had any of those problems with twist type locks. They are the best type of leg lock for tripods, out in the field. If it were me, I'd be happy that tripod uses them!
- I've had tripods with spike feet, tripods with spikes and rubber feet combined, and tripods with only rubber feet. Never had any problem using any of them. The spikes are pretty much "outdoors only", may not work very well on concrete or rock. The combo type, I virtually never needed the spikes. The rubber feet never hindered me. None of them work well in mud or snow... Not conditions I shoot in often or at all now, but in the past I used special tripod feet with large pads in the snow.
- Before you give up on the provided ballhead and replace it with the one from your Manfrotto, you might consider that the Neewer ballhead appears to use the far more universal and versatile Arca-Swiss style QR system. Even Manfrotto is slowly converting to that and gradually giving up on their proprietary and more limiting QR systems (they actually have at least two different ones, which aren't compatible with each other).
There are literally hundreds of manufacturers making a huge range of products compatible with the Arca systems. In contrast, the Manfrotto system is patented and only they use it. Manfrotto is owned by Vitec, which also owns four or five other tripod manufacturers, including Gitzo, Sachtler, Joby.... none of whom use the Manfrotto system. Gitzo had their own proprietary system, but is also converting to Arca-compatible.
I used the Manfrotto QR for years... both types. Trashed them all and converted to the Arca system a dozen or more years ago. I even kept and converted several Manfrotto heads to the Arca system. It's much better... more versatile... and far more standardized and widely available than the Manfrotto. Give that Neewer ballhead a chance, before you replace it. Also, depending upon the diameter and protruding controls of the Manfrotto head, with it on the tripod you also may not be able to reverse fold the legs to make it as compact as possible.
Should you decide to keep and use the head with the Arca style QR, I would recommend fitting cameras or lenses with "anti-twist" plates. The "generic" plates included with most heads don't have anti-twist features... maybe just a rubber pad. With those, torque can loosen the plate too easily. There are "fitted" plates available for many cameras, as well as ones with various, effective anti-twist features for lenses. Just search for "Arca plate xxxxxxxxxx" where you list your specific lens or camera.
Please do a followup post here after you've used the tripod for a while. Let us know, too, what gear you're putting on it.
A couple quick comments from an old photographer with some equally old tripods:
- Get accustomed to the twist type leg locks. For tripods used in the field (as opposed to in a studio), they are the best type. They're low profile, less likely to catch on branches and other things when carrying them around. Also less likely than a lever or thumb screw to accidentally catch a cuff or sleeve when working with the tripod, and can't be accidentally (and possibly catastrophically) released the way a lever can. And, they are largely self-adjusting, not prone to wear and resistant to moisture or dirt getting into the mechanism. Twist type leg locks can be a little slower to set up.... Some tripods use "anti-rotation" shaped legs. Plain ones you can end up with the wrong section loosening or tightening. If the tripod uses plain round tubing, you have to get in the habit of working from the top down.... loosening, adjusting and retightening the larger sections first... evenly tightening without over-tightening. It soon becomes second nature. I've had lever locks get worn to the point they won't hold or even break.... and I've nearly lost thumb-screw type locks when they loosened due to vibrations, such as when riding in the trunk of a car. Never had any of those problems with twist type locks. They are the best type of leg lock for tripods, out in the field. If it were me, I'd be happy that tripod uses them!
- I've had tripods with spike feet, tripods with spikes and rubber feet combined, and tripods with only rubber feet. Never had any problem using any of them. The spikes are pretty much "outdoors only", may not work very well on concrete or rock. The combo type, I virtually never needed the spikes. The rubber feet never hindered me. None of them work well in mud or snow... Not conditions I shoot in often or at all now, but in the past I used special tripod feet with large pads in the snow.
- Before you give up on the provided ballhead and replace it with the one from your Manfrotto, you might consider that the Neewer ballhead appears to use the far more universal and versatile Arca-Swiss style QR system. Even Manfrotto is slowly converting to that and gradually giving up on their proprietary and more limiting QR systems (they actually have at least two different ones, which aren't compatible with each other).
There are literally hundreds of manufacturers making a huge range of products compatible with the Arca systems. In contrast, the Manfrotto system is patented and only they use it. Manfrotto is owned by Vitec, which also owns four or five other tripod manufacturers, including Gitzo, Sachtler, Joby.... none of whom use the Manfrotto system. Gitzo had their own proprietary system, but is also converting to Arca-compatible.
I used the Manfrotto QR for years... both types. Trashed them all and converted to the Arca system a dozen or more years ago. I even kept and converted several Manfrotto heads to the Arca system. It's much better... more versatile... and far more standardized and widely available than the Manfrotto. Give that Neewer ballhead a chance, before you replace it. Also, depending upon the diameter and protruding controls of the Manfrotto head, with it on the tripod you also may not be able to reverse fold the legs to make it as compact as possible.
Should you decide to keep and use the head with the Arca style QR, I would recommend fitting cameras or lenses with "anti-twist" plates. The "generic" plates included with most heads don't have anti-twist features... maybe just a rubber pad. With those, torque can loosen the plate too easily. There are "fitted" plates available for many cameras, as well as ones with various, effective anti-twist features for lenses. Just search for "Arca plate xxxxxxxxxx" where you list your specific lens or camera.
Please do a followup post here after you've used the tripod for a while. Let us know, too, what gear you're putting on it.
Jan 25, 2020 19:08:57 #
amfoto1 wrote:
Thanks for letting us know what you think of the t... (show quote)
Wow! Thanks for your valuable information Sir! I only have 2 cameras and they are fitted with the Manfrotto plates...didn’t know they were specific to Manfrotto but work well. I’m a lightweight Hogger. I don’t own big ass heavy lenses but use a Sony a77ii and a Sony RX10 M4. The heaviest lens I own is the Minolta 70-210 f4. So far this cheap carbon fiber tripod is exceeding my expectations! How can ya go wrong for $90 bucks?
Jan 25, 2020 19:57:07 #
Jan 25, 2020 20:03:21 #
markwilliam1 wrote:
Basically I’m not really testing the tripod...my setup is lame 😒
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