Vanguard Alta Pro 264AB 100 Aluminum Tripod with SBH-100 Ball Head for Sony, Nikon, Canon DSLR Cameras

For the past 20/25 yrs., my go to tripod has been the a long discontinued Bogen 3020. It’s a tank and trusted friend; but I’ve been needing a good multi-functional with a lateral arm that could also second well for video, and travel was starting to be an issue. Spent a long time researching, but kept coming back to the Vanguard Alta Pro 264AB with the SBH 100 Ball Head. Its reviews were strong and the promise of, “Outstanding stability and loading…..to 18 lbs.” put it in play with the big boys, all at half the price.. with a rebate no less.Out of the box, this is stunning tripod that’s clearly very well thought out and engineered. Their MACC (Multi Angle Central Column.) system sets them apart. But despite the lure of this pod’s innovations, it was soon clear that while this might truly be the ‘cat’s meow’ for most, it was not the one for me. If you use your tripod fully extended as much as I do, and know what solid feels like, this one is not of “Outstanding stability…18lbs”. Way too much twist/vibration with 4 sections out. Sure, it gets better at 3 and pretty sweet at 2; but when you flip the column to 90, with a full frame/decent lens on it, the leg twist/vibration with the legs extended 4 is just scary. Again, it gets better as you retract, so I’m sure the 3 section 263 version, or the carbon fiber 283 are no doubt more stable, but they’d still have the same MACC parts, and regardless of how truly innovative I find their design, in my opinion their brilliant ‘MACC’ system has a flimsy feel and lacks the strength/stability for confident professional use.Upshot: Love this things bells and whistles, still think it would make a nice travel pod; but I had to admit that I’d soon be pushing its limits and would always be in fear that one of its niceties would fail and I’d break something really expensive. Couldn’t get beyond feeling that I’d ultimately come to regret keeping it, so I’ve somewhat reluctantly sent it back.Final Part OneThis is a great prosumer pod, but it’s just not ‘pro’ enough for me. However, if you like cool gadgets, you’re not going to use it too hard (don’t go over say 6-8 lbs.) and can stand the motion at its extents, this could be the pod for you. I still want to take it out on dates; just can’t see marrying it.If you want more, here’s most of my specifics:Legs• The 25-50-80 angle options are nice, and the Leg Angle Locks and their release are super smooth with silent detents; but getting that smoothness had to come at the compromise of strength. I just have no faith in a leg lock that doesn’t ‘click’ in hard between angles. I’m too indelicate to trust these and I’m pretty sure I’d they’d wear out fast under my use.• Leg Section ‘Flip’ clamps are plastic, but they’re very smooth, quick and easy, and they can be re-tensioned if (when!) they fatigue.• Leg sections don’t start at in the 28mm, as mislabeled in Amazon’s blurb, though the legs would have been so much better if they had!! They’re 26mm, and the smallest is only 17mm! I’m just not buying the 18 lbs. claim.• Retractable spikes might seem like a nice idea for feet, but these have no positive lock; if you move a pod around as much as I do, they’re going to loosen, so you better make checking them frequently a part of your routine.Center Column & Swivel• I really love the versatility of the MACC (Multi Angle Central Column.) I’d say that Vanguard arguably has the most ingenious approach to the column flip; but sadly, I think they sacrificed too much strength for weight and style. Again, I’m too indelicate for this piece of art.• Column up-down feels smooth, is solid when clamped and there’s sound logic to the octagonal shape. Kudos!• The brilliance of their MACC engineering starts here; there’s actually 2 column locks: the inner locks the column at a vertical height, or at its extension when it’s in a flipped/rotated position. The outer is a swivel bearing centered in the canopy that allows the entire column mechanism, when flipped and/or vertical too, to rotate 360, and that bearing has a fluid feel, so it makes its horizontal rotation act as a mondo fluid pan head. You can even reasonably adjust its degree of ‘fluidity’ with the locking screw.• This makes fine tuning a shot with the column rotated a joy and I can only imagine how cool this could be for horizontally sweeping a video (i.e., with the column horizontal and a camera out at its end), and I’m also sure that the less aggressive angle of its outboard pivot point would make for much less ‘bowl’ when sweeping/stitching a panorama! Way cool!• However, the initial motions of the actual column flip are not as easy as they should be and made me fear for my camera. The detent on the bottom of the column has to be pushed to click over the canopy base, and then pulled to click a second time into the portion of the column lock that privets, and at that point everything is loosey-goosey with the column is at its limits. I’m sure you could learn to do this dance step fairly well in time, but I’d still say be safe and just pull the column.• Regardless, once you have the column secured into its vertically pivoting lock, you can rotate and lock it anywhere in its full 180 degrees of vertical motion. This gives you the option of fine tuning the height by pivoting the center column instead of raising/lowering the legs.• The indexed locking system they devised to accomplish this a really great idea, but I think it’s a disaster waiting the happen. When you’re rotating the column, you’re effectively swinging a lever bolstered by the weight of a camera at its end. That puts tremendous stress on the cogs/teeth of its inadequately sized bearing (a mere 30mm OD (+/-) with its housing). I’m betting that this is the most commonly broken component point. Definitely tingles my ‘spidey sense and a killer for me. Would that its OD was only half again as large!SBH 100 Ball Head• Really like this head; magnesium was a great & light weight choice for the housing!• It only has a single ball tensioner, but with its large, smoothly-moving ball, I didn’t miss having the secondary at all; rather, I welcomed it; less felt like more!• The pan is equally good and even better as it’s got a fluid bearing; nice for a quick DSLR video pan without changing heads!• The main drawback for me was the mounting plate; just felt cheap and I hate having to carry a quarter. This pod was brand new, but other Vanguard I saw have 1/4x20 hex head screws (with a wrench to loose), so maybe there’s a newer version that might also have a beefier plate.• I wasn’t so warm and fuzzy about its ‘Quick Release’; there’s a lot of pressure on its little plastic button.• Didn’t like the levels either. Unless you can see them both at once, single axis vials levels are worthless on a camera. Both need to be bulleye’s with the second at off 90.• I might actually buy one of these, ‘cause I like the ball/weight/pan so much; but if I do, I’ll put a Manffrotto quick release base on it so I could use their plates.Final Part 2:The ‘MACC’ system, with its mondo & fluid swivel bearing in the canopy and full 180 sweeping center column, was both the hardest thing for me easiest thing for me to give up in this tripod; it was definitely a love/hate thing. While the great innovations in this pod are probably adequate for a more casual user, innovative or not, I was pretty sure I’d break it.

I compared about a dozen tripods, many with the articulating center column, and even bought the two I thought best fit my needs. I needed something compact but still tall enough for my 6'1" size. I really wanted the height offered by the Benro a2970f, but the folded length was just to long. Needed light weight and small size for backpacking. I've been playing with this setup for a while now and I love it. I sent the 263AT back to amazon (kinda ordered it by mistake anway.) The height difference between the two is far less than advertised. I measured them both with the column down, legs fully extended. I was expecting almost 2" of difference, but they were less than 1/2" apart. The compact size of the 264at instantly sold me. I could tell no difference in stability, flexing, or rigidity. I'm sure some will argue that there HAS to be a measurable difference, and maybe there is, but I couldn't detect anything that made me believe the 3 section (263at) had a real world advantage that would make me deal with the extra folded length.The center column, articulating arm works VERY well, and I was able to put it to use on my first trip out. The bag is well made and holds the tripod with the head attached. The flips locks are well made and adjustable. The leg release buttons take a minor amount of time to get used to, but again are better than the pull-type that the benro and induro models use.The ball head....it does what it should. The ball head is not quite as smooth as I was expecting, but the panning action is pure silk. I would rate the ball head by itself at 4-4.5 stars. I pulled it off and installed my (heavy) manfrotto 3265 pistol grip, which I also love. The SBH-100 (sold with the kit) will be reserved for longer hikes due to its lighter weight. Both hold my D90 with a 80-200 2.8 with no problems.All in all, I bought this after struggling with the pro's/ cons of several other competing models and brands. This tripod is worth every single penny, hands down. I'm a very picky person and usually find all kinds of things that could have been better engineered, but I really, really like this tripod, and would by it again in a heartbeat.Highly recommended for serious backpacking photographers that can live with 1 extra pound of weight for less than 1/2 the cost of carbon.

This tripod is sturdy and well made. The ball head is tight and easy to use.The killer feature however is the multi angle centre column that with one lever you can adjust from straight up all the way to 180 degrees straight down, in addition to any angle in between. I have been having a great time using this tripod for my long exposures with my D3200. Ordered a filter kit so I can make some interesting photos, as I know this tripod will keep my camera perfectly still!You won't retreat getting this tripod, more features then a Manfrotto which can cost twice as much!

Equilibrada relación entre peso, fortaleza y altura que alcanza el tripié. es estable, da confianza utilizar una cámara réflex. el cabezal es ideal para fotografía, tiene movimientos precisos, amplios e interesantes, por ejemplo es posible hacer un buen encuadre cenital. no se recomienda para video, es difícil conseguir paneos limpios con ese tipo de cabezal.-la gabu-

Had for about 2 years now and can't complain at all. It does exactly what it should. It isn't too heavy, is very sturdy, and easy to carry around and set up. For anyone looking for a decent tripod, I would recommend this in a heartbeat.

Initially i thought the price is high , but after using it i have realised its worth . Its very strong and every element on this product is of high quality. I have dropped this tripod on natural stone a lot of times but it didnt break !

This tripod is solidly built and is more flexible than the equivalent Manfrotto, which is much more expensive. The ball head has separate pan and tilt knobs making it easier to use on some shots. The only downside is the instructions that are too brief, but it doesn't take long to figure out the controls.