by Jeff Casto

Created on: November 22, 2009

Pros: Lightweight, inexpensive, easily portable, securely stable.
Cons: Too light for professional use.

I've had my Ambico tripod for about six years, now. It has served at birthday parties, dance recitals, plays, swim meets, opening presents at Christmas, and the occasional "no special reason, just wanted to video the kids playing." I've used it with two different video cameras, but never with a still camera.

Description:

The Ambico V-0555 Deluxe Video/Photo Tripod is a lightweight, easily portable, general-use tripod suitable for indoor or outdoor use. It is made from lightweight brushed aluminum and high-density plastic. It has a 3-way pan head, a center column lock, 3-section legs with quick-release locks, and a quick-release shoe for easy camera mounting. Fully extended, it stands 54 inches high. Its folded length is just 21 inches long, and it weighs about 2 pounds.


Experience:

Let me first say that my video sessions are never in extreme conditions, and I don't use any heavy-duty equipment. I mostly use a small, lightweight video camera to record memories. For those who have more drastic requirements, this is probably not the tripod for you.

This tripod small enough to easily to take to special events. My daughter performs in the community childrens theater. She usually has 8 to 12 performances of whatever show she's in, so I record two or three of them each time. The Ambico raises to enough height that shooting over the audiences' heads from the back of the small theater is not a problem.

In one of the small theaters she performs in, the seats are bleachers, which doesn't leave enough room for the legs of the tripod. It isn't a problem, though. Since the legs are easily adjustable, I just put two of the legs on the floor of the bleachers and adjust the third to the height of the bleacher seat and rest it there.

The legs are held extended by strong, but easy-to-operate plastic flip locks. When the tripod is folded, just hold it upright and release one of the locks and the leg quickly slides right out. The legs have three sections so there are two locks per leg. It only takes a few seconds to extend the legs and set the tripod on it's feet.

The quick-release shoe is also easy to use. Pull a lever on the head of the unit back and the shoe pops right off, ready to be mounted to the camera. The shoe has the usual mounting screw and guide pin for the bottom of the camera, and is easy to attach. Once mounted, the shoe with the camera attached slips easily back

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