290 Xtra Aluminum 3-Section Tripod Kit with 3-Way Head (MK290XTA3-3WUS), Black

After using a cheap SunPak tripod for 10+ years, I can’t believe the difference! I should have coughed up the money for this upgrade a long time ago. Very, very sturdy, rock solid! Obviously made with very high quality materials. Think Ferrari of tripods! Just a little heavier than I expected, but still 5 STARS all the way!

I bought this for digiscoping with a spotting scope but could not mount my scope to the unit. I wound up returning it but it is a nice unit that is very stable. I would recommend for standard attachments.

Review of the 290 XTA 3-Way Kit: Legs: This has outstanding legs. They are very small, compact, yet they are so sturdy and can get exceptionally tall! I own several Manfrotto tripods and I have used many in the bast, and I am telling you that these are my favorite tripod legs I have ever used hands down! Head: The 3 way head is okay. Its built well and will probably last a long time, mostly metal and strong plastic. The only thing is, when you are adjusting the angles, its kinda jerky and hard to get in the right spot. Unlike my other, nice, fully metal Manfrotto tripod heads that smoothly adjust the angles. Its bearable, but I found it to me a little annoying on architectural shoots, as it was hard to get my "lines straight." Also it only has one bubble for leveling which I found made it even harder to level (vs a 2 bubble leveling system. A bubble for each plane of axes.) The plus side to the single bubble system though is that you can see it when you are in a tight situation, such as being in the corner of a room when photographing a house. Conclusion: If you are looking to buy your first tripod, buy the whole kit, its awesome and a great price! If you have a little more money, I would recommend that buy the legs on their own and then buy a tripod head of your choice to attach to them. (Its easy to do) Side note, if you want to film video with nice smooth pans, this tripod head will not do the trick. You will want to look into the Manfrotto 502 Video Head MVH502AH. I hope this helps! Thanks.

I love this Manfrotto Tripod. It was a replacement for a cheaper plastic one that was given to me, because it was so light that more than once I had concerns it would tip over with my Canon on it even in light wind. Someone I had met who was into photography had recommended the Manfrotto brand, and I decided upon this model. The Manfrotto 290 delivered exactly what I wanted, with great balance between weight and the stability that additional weight provides. The tripod is light enough to bring along on hikes, and easy to keep in the vehicle when not in use. There's enough weight to provide stability, without being too heavy itself.

I would not order this pan head again. I ordered 2 of them and both are loose/wobbly after 2 weeks of use.

I'm amazed with this tripod, with its sturdy design, great height, and angle indicators. However, there are a few minor hiccups, mainly with the quick release only fitting one way and tilt (altitude) axis being so narrow. The legs are very sturdy and don't easily move from outside forces providing a very steady mount. While I like the 4 leg angle positions, spaced 22.5° apart, and the fact that the center column raises a lot to almost lay the tripod on ground level, it's not suitable for macrophotography (I expected this as there are dedicated macro tripods) short of the subject already being raised on, say, the top of a box. The tripod is also a bit taller than I expected, but that's a good thing as I was looking for something tall. Fully extended, with the head on top and camera mounted on it, it's about 74 inches tall where the camera sensor is when level. By lifting the tripod up from about a foot above the bottom in this fashion, for which the tripod is very sturdy to allow for that, I could get views from about 13 feet above, great for general scenic views above the crowds. The latches are very sturdy and strong. Likewise, they also take a lot of force to manipulate, as for adjusting the height of the legs. I also love the angle indicators on it as well. If you know your lens's field of view (determined with "atan((SensorWidth÷2)÷FocalLength)×2" for the horizontal), you can use the angle guides to create panoramas with a predictable overlap. Although the quick release is definitely secure, the click is very faint, the first hiccup. The main problem with the tripod involves the tilt (altitude) axis and the quick release. If used as indicated by the arrows pointing to where the lens is pointed, I can only get about 30° upward. Because I use this tripod for wide angle astrophotography, that upward tilt is not enough. Because the quick release can only go in one way, I have to rotate it around on the camera bottom, backwards, to get the sky coverage I need (but not much downward tilt). Rotating it isn't easy as the ring on the bottom of the quick release is quite stiff, to the point it requires skilled finger work (costing time) or even tweezers to get it picked up enough so I can grab it. If the quick release worked in 2 different directions instead of just 1 way only, and/or the tilt axis had more of a range, such as -45° or even -60° going to +90°, this tripod would've gotten 5 stars.

Solid and smooth. While not light like the carbon fiber version, it is not heavy. Very well made. Legs extend with flip of the switches. The controls are smooth and moves buttery smooth. I did put a ifootage Q1S QT attachment and plate on top to make it faster for my uses when I’m hunting. The accessories for manfrotto QD was not as good in my opinion, because the plate did not have that pin although it showed it. So I opted for the ifootage one and it’s wonderful.

For me the best there is, it’s the second time I’ve bought their product and it’s a amazing quality

This thing is solid, easy to use and versatile. I tried two different tripods before getting this one, they all had good reviews, but were a pain to work with. This one is really really stable, it doesn't shake even with heavy load, the height is just right; it's not light, but also not heavy. It works super with other Manfrotto heads (I've got a nice fluid video one). Comes with a bag, the camera-part is rubberized for maximum grip, everything is logical and well thought-through. I would buy this thing again in a heartbeat, cannot say the same with all the noname knock-offs with good reviews.

وصلني الموديل القديم جيد بالنسبة للسعر ثابت بشكل جميل صراحة

Overall, I love this new piece of gear. I only have two issues with this tripod, both with the head. 1. While it can point directly down, it cannot point directly up. While maybe I'm missing something simple, I think you'd have to turn the quick release plate around to do that. (see photo for how far it does go) 2. The highest levelling handle doesn't have much range with tension. It's stiff and takes a good crank to get it to be totally tight. Thoughts: - I love how fast this tripod sets up; the leg locks are excellent. - It's a nice upgrade from shorter travel tripods. I'm just over 5'10" and when it's fully extended, the camera sits just above my head. Handy for situations like heavy brush in forests, etc. - The rubber grip on one leg is solid and a nice upgrade from cheap foam ones.

سيء الراس تبعه يهتز وما يتصلح ابداً ما انصح تخسر فلوسك عليه

This is a solid and well built tripod. It does not have the ability to become a monopod, which would be nice, but I willingly sacrificed that capability for the solid build. I especially wanted to have metal leg locks, as my previous experiences with plastic leg locks has been poor. Plastic leg locks break, rendering the tripod useless. Better to pay more up front that have to make repeated purchases. I bought this item on sale, but it was still more expensive than many similar(but with more plastic parts) tripods available on amazon. I am happy with my decision.