Great Tripod, Sturdy, Easy to Use, One Drawback
Pros:
Very easy and quick to set up.
Cons:
Oil covered upper legs, can get on your hands.
The Bottom Line:
Get it if you want a sturdy well-made tripod that is quick and easy set up. If not for the oil issue, I would have rated this tripod as excellent.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I bought this tripod about a year and a half ago, but have been resistance to using it. When I have used it, I have enjoyed how easy it is to set up. When they say, "Just pull out the legs, no buttons, knobs, levers or twisting" they mean it.
So it set up quick and very sturdily, as sturdy as the Manfrotto/Bogen 3021Pro I had prior to purchasing the Neotec 458B. I use the level built in to my ballhead to make sure everything is level when needed.
The lower section of the center column can be detached allowing the column to be removed and placed in the horizontal position. The leg can also splay open widen for more stability and for a lower camera angle (great for eyeball level mushroom pictures in the forest). The Neotec 458B also comes with a nifty carrying strap that attaches and detaches easily from two convenience attachment points.
The tripod is heavy 5.3 pound (8 kg), but that is to be expected in a sturdier than usual tripod. The weight of the tripod is not the drawback I want to discuss.
The drawback is this:
Extending the legs is easy enough, but doing so uncovers the upper legs. On the upper layer there is a layer of oil.
So you can imagine the following scenario. You set up a shot. After a couple of exposures a.k.a. captures, you decide your composition would be better if the camera was slightly more to the left or right. Without thinking you full handedly grab the tripod by near the top of one of its extended legs. Bingo! You got a hand covered in oil. I know it has happened to me. Fortunately the times when I have done this, I was wearing older jeans that could be sacrificed if needed. I wiped my hands on my pants leg. (Note to self: Grab tripod on lower part of leg to move it.)
All in all if speedy set up is your thing, this is a good sturdy albeit heavy tripod. I jokingly call it a weapons-grade tripod, good for fending off thieves and other undesirables. If being careful is not your thing, you may end up with oil on your hands that gets transferred to your more sensitive photography gear.
