VELBON MAXi 343E Lightweight Photographic Tripod

Product Description:

The travel and hiking tripod camera guru Herbert Keppler challenged the industry to produce! For Film, Video and Digital cameras
Product Details
  • Feature:
  • Four compact sections
  • All metal construction
  • Champagne Gold finish
  • Binding: Electronics
  • Brand: Velbon
  • CompatibleDevices: Camcorder
  • EAN: 0017915303584
  • Label: Velbon
  • Manufacturer: Velbon
  • Model: 343E
  • MPN: 343E
  • PackageQuantity: 1
  • ProductGroup: Photography
  • ProductTypeName: CONSUMER_ELECTRONICS
  • Publisher: Velbon
  • SKU: VNM343E
  • Studio: Velbon
  • UPC: 017915303584

Customer Reviews

Nice concept, poor quality2007-11-25
I bought the Velbon 343E when it first came out a couple of years ago. It was not long before the leg mechanism broke (internally). I had a very hard time getting the Velbon address to mail it back to for warranty work. I finally found the address after contacting the VP of Marketing at Velbon and mailed it back.

After receiving the repaired unit it worked again for a few weeks and then broke again. It has been sitting in my drawer since. I am going to return it one more time.

My advice: It's a great concept, but is of no value if it breaks this easily. I would avoid this product.
Ballhead solution2007-08-25
Medium Ball Head with Quick-release Plate
The one thing that kept my Velbon MAXi 343e tripod from being perfect was the lack of quick-release on its PH-243 ball head. Money flows fast enough into the hobby that I made do until recently switching to Velbon's QHD-41Q. I wish I had done it years ago!

The ball is very steady; it's rated for up to 5 pounds but my equipment hasn't been more than 3. The QR mechanism slides out after flipping the lever and snaps back into place for quick deployment. It came with an adapter for a larger tripod screw, but it wasn't needed for the MAXi.

For the money and weight, this was my perfect solution. The tripod and ball head now weigh less than 2 lbs, 2 oz, and are easy to carry anywhere.
Occasional use and it broke! Don't waste your time or money!2006-06-13
I agree with someone below who said, "the clamp that allows extension in one of the legs broke, making it impossible to extend and lock the leg. It turns out the the inside pieces are cheap plastic!"

I owned mine for less than a year, with maybe once a week use, and it busted the same way for me. Never again. I guess people buy Bogen for a reason, and that's the direction I'm going.

The 343 does come with a lifetime warranty, so I'm enforcing the warranty coverage and will sell it on eBay once its returned to me from service.
Ok, but there is a better alternative - Bogen 724B Digi Tripod2006-04-14
I have had this Velbon tripod for a couple of years, but I rarely use it. Instead I use a Bogen/Manfrotto 724B Digi Tripod with ball head. The Bogen is 1 pound heavier. It is also 5" taller at 64.6" with the column raised. The Bogen is a much stiffer tripod with a much better ballhead on top. Both tripods claim to support cameras up to 7.5 pounds, but I find that more believable with the Bogen than the Velbon. I actually bought the Velbon first, and found the Bogen to be so much more of what I wanted, that I bought that second. I am keeping the Velbon for those occasions (e.g. backpacking) where that 1 pound makes a difference and I will only be using a light digicamera.
Has done exactly what it is supposed to do, for four years now2006-03-28
I use this tripod with my film SLR and now with my newly purchased digital SLR. I have carried it to the tops of mountains in ten states, and dragged it through the Canadian Rockies and the Japanese Alps. For such a small and light tripod, it does a stellar job. It's very quick to set up and easy to adjust.

Remember that this is a lightweight tripod, not intended to support a long telephoto lens in a heavy breeze. If you use it as intended, you will be delighted with it.
See all 12 customer reviews...

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