Hama 4178, Monopod Star 78 Mono Tripod, Up to 176cm, Includes Carry Bag, Silver

I bought this product over two years ago when I was first beginning my interest in photography. I did not want to spend a lot of money on a tripod as I was not sure how seriously I would get into the hobby. A friend recommended this tripod and for the price, I felt there was no reason not to give it a try.Fast forward over two years and this is still the main tripod that I use. It is relatively light, I do a lot of hiking and climbing, so weight is an important factor to me. I do not want to have to carry around a 5kg tripod whilst already carrying a 20kg rucksack. At just over 1kg this tripod is great for travel.Despite the low cost and low weight of the product, it is remarkably durable and versatile. I have used the tripod at the top of mountains, and so far have had no issues whatsoever with wind. Occasionally I have had to hang a weight from the hook at the bottom to keep it upright, but of course, that is why it is there. The tripod extends to pretty much any height you could ever need (from about a foot from the ground to almost head height).It is very easy to attach your camera to this tripod. I use it with my Canon EOS 1100D and have had no issues in this regard. It is also very easy to rotate the camera - whilst attached to the tripod - from portrait to landscape and vice versa. Tilting the camera up and down or from side to side is also easily achieved and can then be secured in place once you are happy with the set up. The tripod even comes with a couple of small built in spirit levels, if having the camera level is a concern.I would highly recommend this camera to any beginner who does not wish to spend a lot of money. Do not let the great price fool you, though. This would be a great tripod for anyone.

Well impressed with the quality of this for the money , pretty solid and sturdy. Just what I need for when I'm out and about , folds to a small enough size to fit in rucksack . Nice colour too, like a pale bronze matt finish . Top marks

Looks good, appealing quality. Lasted 30 seconds, and broke at the top swivel point whilst removing my £500 Camera. Certain amount of quality is expected for every product, but this is worse than a Christmas cracker toy. I've repaired it to a much better standard than original - at that price u won't get cheaper n can't be bothered to send it back

This product is way to filmsy. I just unpacked and is in no way appropriate for using with my binoculars as it isn't strong enough to adequately sustain the weight, providing very low stability and feeling as if constantly is on the verge of breaking. I guess for a very light camera it might do and one cannot ask much for the price, but had I known how cheap it feels, I would haver ordered something more sturdy.

This is the second time I ordered this product. The first one broke after a month and I thought it might be bad luck, but the second one broke again - this time it lasted three months. On the first one, it was one of the legs, this time the main lever at the top just came loose and fell off. It's a flimsy design and quite frankly a waste of money!

I wanted another tripod, and thought about buying another Hama Star 61, but this was only a few pounds more expensive, so I decided to give this a try. It is sturdier than the Star 61, and it should be capable of supporting heavier cameras more reliably, though the top end is very similar, so maybe there isn't much in that.A noticeable difference is in the weight. This isn't much of a problem if the tripod is to be used in a fixed location, such as a studio, and left there, but for more mobile use the weight difference can present a disadvantage, at least as regards carrying it for even moderate distances. Hikers/backpackers would certainly feel the difference.Both the Star 61 and the Star 63 have spirit levels, which can be useful in some situations, and the tripods can be tightened up to make them fairly rigid. If some of the clips or screw thread tighteners are loose, then the tripods may wobble a bit. It is worth practising a bit with these. The extra weight of the 63 may be helpful in some locations, to avoid the tripod toppling over.There is also a hook for hanging a weight on to give greate stability. The weight could be a sandbag, or a plastic container filled with water.The exchangeable base plate for the cameras is very useful, though make sure it doesn't get left on a camera which is left at home if taken out. It is very easy for the plate to become separated from the tripod, which renders the whole thing useless until they are paired up again. Don't pack them in different bags or boxes!I haven't bought a Star 62 - yet! I don't know if that would make sense - what are the differences? I suspect it's between the two models 61 and 63 in terms of weight, sturdiness and size. Is there any merit in having a complete range? I don't know.For sturdiness, robustness, stability and carrying capacity the 63 shoudl be better than the 61.For cheapness, and ease of carrying the 61 is better, but may compromise shots due to more vibrations. I have found both of them useful for my purposes, which have included videos, though panning hasn't been something I needed to do much. For fixed head use these are good, but I note that others have commented that they might not be suitable for more dynamic video usage.It would be useful to have spare base plates, as it is easy for these to be separated from their tripods. Whether it's worth buying yet another tripod including a base plate, or simply a spare base plate is a matter for each to decide - probably based on costs at the time. Spare base plates are available.