Velbon Videomate-438 Video Tripod Height 153.5 cm Black

I haven't had this long at all, but have already put it to some good use. I didn't know what to expect as the price was quite low for a tripod with a fluid head. I have read many comments saying it is not a true fluid head, but for me that technical point doesn't really matter as it does give a very smooth pan and tilt action. I will still find it hard to dispense with the heavy-duty rubber band use to pull the handle, but that is more down to habit than any shortcomings with the fluid head itself. There are quite a number of plastic parts on the tripod, but that doesn't detract from the quality feel of it. The tripod certainly seems sturdy and the legs do give a good spread and hold my DSLR with telephoto very well. There are thumb screws on the head to enable it to be locked off on position which works well, although they could do with a more positive action, but this is a minor issue and maybe me not being fully used to it yet. There is also a small bubble level built into the tripod to enable it to be positioned horizontally. The adjustable height slider has a nice smooth action too, and this can also be locked off. EDIT - I have had three of these tripods now. The first one ended up with a broken leg clamp, so the leg wouldn't lock in position. Fortunately, I returned it within the one-year time frame and Amazon replaced it. The second tripod, was bought to match the first so I could mount a motorised slider on them both, and it works fine still. The replacement for the first tripod has now failed again, exactly on the plastic leg lock too. The tripods are great, but probably not up to sustain hard use. I have now replaced all my video and DSLR camera mounts etc with the Swiss/Arca system so have full compatibility with all my cameras and fluid heads. I now have twist-lock Carbon fibre tripods and the remaining Velbon is relegated to the cupboard as a spare.

Brilliant tripod, light weighted for a fluid head, amazingly fluid and solid. Really easy to use, not wobbly at all, I absolutely love it! I used to use Manfrottos and this is a great low budget alternative .

Great video tripod with fluid head Pros: -Very smooth panning -Fairly light weight and compact -Very sturdy and stable Cons: -The bag that came with the tripod is kinda cheap

A sturdy, stable and lightweight aluminum tripod. The tripod is mostly aluminum, but it has some plastic parts, I don't find this an issue but some may. It is very lightweight and easy to carry, especially with the bag that is included. The tripod is stable when set on the ground. The quick release plate can just be clipped on and it holds well. The bubble level was a positive surprise that I wasn't even aware of. I bought this tripod to do videography, and I'm very pleased with the smooth panning capabilities, but I don't find the tilts as smooth and they're a bit harder to achieve, but still doable. The tripod can be extended with the handle on top of extending legs, and it can also be used for cool slider-like videography shots. The fluid head is not detachable, which was a bit of a letdown, but I don't feel the need for separate legs so it doesn't bother too much. I use this tripod for videography, and I'm very pleased with the smooth panning capabilities, but I don't find the tilts as smooth and they're a bit harder to achieve, but still doable. The tripod can also be extended with the lever even further on top of extending the legs, and it can also be used for cool slider-like videography shots. The fluid head is not detachable, which was a bit of a letdown, but I don't feel the need for separate legs so it doesn't bother too much. All in all, great budget tripod, especially for videography because of the fluid head's great panning and tilting capabilities.

A great tripod. A very practical size, light, easy to move around when the legs are spread out. It pans & tilts very smoothly, has it's own bubble level and comes complete with a case. I use it for wildlife photography/video, solar & planetary astronomy. If you want to get up & go and when you get there set up & look this is ideal.

Bought this but have only used it a handful of times. It's very light and very sturdy, which proved itself one evening during strong winds. However it's now showing signs of wear and considering I've not used it much I'm a little disappointed. The rotating head is now stiff. There's a circular piece of plastic at the base of the arm, this has now started to break off - probably linked to the rotation sticking. There is also a vertical extending arm to the tripod but I really wouldn't advise using it. The recommended loading weight is 2kg and my camera is 1.7kg, the arm cannot support it. When using the crank to move it up/down the movement isn't smooth and keeping control of the movement is incredibly difficult because it wants to just shoot straight down. I also extended the arm and tightened the nut on it to stop it being cranked up/down. It held the camera up for a few seconds before shooting straight back down - not great if you've got some expensive kit!

Easy to use. I had used a slightly smaller velbon model before and it was very lightweight, this one (understandably) is heavier as it’s a much stronger build than previous. Perfect for filming and photography too.

Tilt up / down - yes, this works. Excellent. Pan side to side - works, but very, very stiff - far too stiff to be useful. Loosening the knob has no effect. Up / down gear - doesn't work at all. Rigid, Immovable. have ordered replacement but not hopeful.

使いやすさ 高さ 共に満足です 携帯ケースの底の 縫い目がとれて穴が開いていた のが少し残念でしたが 補修の範囲でした。

The order was delivered ahead of schedule, and all items as ordered. I have been teaching video and photography in a public high school for over a decade, and this is the best model of tripods we have had. They are sturdy and stable and stand up to handling by students.

Es gibt in dieser Preisklasse wohl kein vergleichbares Stativ mit Fluid-System. Die drei Modelle des Velbon Videomate unterscheiden sich ausschließlich in ihrer maximalen Endhöhe, wobei die Staffelung vom 438 als kleinestes, über das 538, bis zum größten Stativ 638 verläuft. Neiger, Schwenker, und das Stativ an sich sind gleich aufgebaut. Ich bemerkte anfangs ein Spiel im Schwenker von ca. 2 mm womit ein anschlagloser Schwenk nicht möglich war. Dies gab sich jedoch nach wenigen "Trockenschwenks". Ich vermute, dass sich das Fluid nach dem Transport erst wieder überall verteilen musste. Jetzt funktionieren Schwenken und Neigen anschlagfrei. Alles läuft sehr weich, auch beim gleichzeitigen Schwenken und Neigen. Überrascht war ich von der beiliegenden Tasche aus stabilem Cordura mit Umhängeriemen. Soetwas muss man sonst zusätzlich kaufen. Das Gewicht des 438 ist aus der Dreierreihe erwartungsgemäß am niedrigsten, weshalb ich es auch gekauft habe. Die Endhöhe spielt für meine Verwendung mit Schwenkdisplay nur eine untergeordnete Rolle. Nur zu empfehlen für Leute die keine Lust haben für Markennamen zu bezahlen !

Hin und wieder filme ich mal eine Hochzeit oder eine Schulaufführung und es hat mich schon oft gestört, dass ich keine gleichmäßigen Schwenks hinbekommen habe. Meine Ausrüstung ist eher aus dem niedrigen Preissegment (SD-Camcorder Canon Legria FS200), also habe ich ein günstiges Stativ mit Video-Kopf gesucht. Zuerst hatte ich ein Video-Stativ von AmazonBasics gekauft, war damit aber nicht zufrieden. Die seitlichen Schwenks gelingen damit ganz gut, aber die Kamera zu neigen hat nicht sauber funktioniert. Nach viel rumprobieren habe ich es dann zurück geschickt. Nach gründlicher Recherche habe ich mir dann das Velbon Videomate 638 bestellt und am letzten Wochenende eine Hochzeit damit gefilmt. Ich bin total begeistert! Sowohl die horizontalen als auch die vertikalen Schwenks sind butterweich. Auch sehr langsame Schwenks sind absolut sauber. Und für ca. 85€ habe ich hier ein komplettes Stativ mit Fluid-Kopf bekommen, wo man bei anderen Herstellern typischerweise nur für den Fluid-Kopf schon über 100€ bezahlt. Was kann man sonst noch über das Stativ berichten? Es ist im ausgefahrenen Zustand recht hoch, was bei meiner Körpergröße (1,95m) nicht unwichtig ist. Die Konstruktion mach einen stabilen Eindruck und ist wertig verarbeitet. Fazit: Eines der besten Video-Stative in der Preisklasse unter 100€.

Premetto che è il mio primo treppiede con testa fluida. Tuttavia, avendone provati altri, posso affermare che non c'è miglior modo di spendere una cifra sotto i 100euro. Considerando poi che il velbon costa molto meno di 100 euro, la convenienza aumenta considerevolmente. Altezza eccezionale (non ci sono nella stessa fascia treppiede così alti), stabilità accettabile; purtroppo alcuni parti sono in plastica apparentemente non di estrema qualità che potrebbe far pensare a problemi di tenuta a lungo termine. Punto forte dell'oggetto è la testa, fluida su entrambi gli assi e perfettamente funzionante. Probabilmente non è un treppiede che possa reggere un uso intensivo a livello professionale, ma per un uso amatoriale ma con funzionalità di pregio, difficile trovare rivali per questo Velbon 638. Consigliatissimo!!!