Dolica GX650B204 Proline GX Series 65 inch Aluminum Tripod and Ball Head Combo for DSLR, SLR

I purchased this tripod in October 2015 and have been using it on a regular basis. I'd been using my old tripod, Velbon Victory 450 for the last 20+ years. It was still a solid, reliable tripod, but I was looking for something a little lighter and more portable. I selected the Dolica GX600B200 Proline GX Series 60-Inch based on the features, price and reviews. My typical work is done outside shooting flowers, nature and still life, or indoors with natural or soft box lighting. Telephoto, fixed macro lenses or extension tubes are my go-tos, shooting anywhere between f1.8 and f11 depending on the situation.The Dolica GX600B200 Proline GX Series 60-Inch has been a great tripod for all around use. I've found it light to carry and fairly sturdy. I miss the three-way brace for added leg stability, but that's the tradeoff for being able to angle the legs as far as these will go. I prefer flip lock legs to the screw type. They are fast and easy to extend evenly with the built in level bubble or to adjust to different angles when my terrain is uneven. I can get nice and low with this tripod with the legs angled almost flat. Although not unique, the spikes in the feet are nice for bracing or digging into the ground for added stability, while the rubber feet are slip resist when screwed out. The head it comes with is pretty fluid and adjustability is nice and tight when locked down in various positions. I can hang my camera bag/backpack (or sandbags) on the hook in the center column for additional stability. It also comes with a really nice carrying/storage bag.I've started a new project of photographing agate slices in macro on a light box. While I'm well versed with macros, this project requires that I shoot straight down in order to get the flattest focal plane possible. I was able to easily reverse the center column. It took a little fiddling with the leg lengths and center column height adjustment in order to be able to straddle my US ART SUPPLY Lightmaster Jumbo 32.5" Diagonal Extra Large(A2) 17"x24" LED Lightbox Board- 12-Volt Super-Bright Ultra-Thin 3/8" Profile Light Box Pad with 110V AC Power Adapter & Dimmable LED Lamps. Now Includes for FREE: 1 Measuring Overlay Grid & 1 Circle Template/Protractor 1-Year Warranty for the correct focal length (pictures attached). I didn't want to put the tripod on top of it. This is setup on a 24"x40" table. As with manual focus macro work, unless you have delicate touch, cable release and rock solid support your focus will be off and can be difficult (and frustrating) to achieve. I've since purchased a ME456 A4 LED Light Box 9x12 Inch Light Pad Only 5mm Ultra-thin USB Power Light Table for Tracing which is more than adequate and much easier to work with. It's allowed me to shorten the legs for more stability. I will probably purchase a copy stand at some point, but this tripod will work great until then.I recommend this for anyone who is looking for an affordable, lightweight, stable and versatile tripod for studio work, outdoors or travel.

I'm not a photography expert by any means so I'm sure theres people more qualified to remark on its quality compared to the more expensive ones, but as an amateur I am very impressed but the quality of this tripod. It looks and feels like a quality item, and works as well as I would hope/expect. I had bought a cheaper $20 one and quickly figured out that I should have just spent the extra money on this one right away. The $20 one felt and looked cheap, and had no way to stabilize it so even light winds would blow it over, which since it felt cheap was a concern that it would break every time. That and the legs were so flimsy feeling it felt like any weight at all on it would crumple the thing. I like that this one had some built in features to keep it in place such as the built in retractable spikes on the feet and the stabilizing hook. Those two features alone were worth the extra money. The item itself also feels like it is good quality and durable. I'm not concerned that it is going to easily break if it happens to take a spill for some reason. I also like that the legs are adjustable in so many different ways. It makes it a very versatile tripod. And the mount/ball joint seem to work perfect. My only complaint that I can think of is that I wish it had a bubble level on the camera mount. It hasn't been a problem, but I do think that would have been a nice feature to have since even my cheap one had one. I ended up just buying a little mini one at a hardware store to throw in the bags pocket and put it on it if I really need to make sure the camera is level, but it really hasn't been an issue so that is not enough of a problem to fault this item. I'm impressed with the item and think its probably the best bang for the buck of all the tripods I looked at on Amazon. I highly recommend it.

this is a good tripod for small, light, entry level dslrs. though not as stable when extended completely and loaded with a medium(70-200d) telephoto and a D3, but then that isn't the target market for this tripod. at the current price, 47$, its a steal. go get it! anything short of a top end pro grade dslr with a heavy lens will be okay on this tripod. even my manfrotto wasn't as stable with that combo so you get the drift... build quality is nice, carry case is good, it does not seem like it will break with moderate (outdoors 3-4 times a week) usage. I've used this in rain, wind, slippery conditions. it was a joy because it's so light. the feet hold BETTER my manfrotto. I've taken a time lapse 4 times since i got it. it fits very snuggly in crevasses which is good for outdoor usage around water and where it's sandy or there's gravel. i like it. the only reason why I'm giving it 4 stars is because i think it's a little too wobbly when extended fully. that is solely when using a 150-500mm on ad3