Benro75mm Hi Hat Video Tripod, 75 mm Shell

I had previously read some positive reviews of this product but having now had the opportunity to use one, I can thoroughly endorse what other reviewers have said. This high hat is well engineered and extremely robust. I have used it with a Canon XL2, sporting a matt box, follow focus etc, all mounted on a Manfrotto fluid head and this very heavy rig performed impecably. I have even attached a slider to the Benro with the same rig and the results were silky smooth. I would thoroughly recommend this product to anyone seeking to use their camera in places where a normal tripod would be impossible.

If you are a filmmaker/videographer/cinematographer and you do not owe this product... then serving coffee is likely what is best for you to do!

This for the 75mm version.I’ve wanted one of these ever since I saw one being used on a videography training video. But this costs more than my full size Manfrotto MT055XPRO3. The Manfrotto tripod does allow its legs to splay out close to the ground, but the centre column is then in the way and although it can be moved up and folded out to the horizontal it’s such a faff and can’t be easily done with camera attached.I’m primarily a flower photographer, but I dabble with videos. On a recent excursion into the garden to photograph some hardy cyclamen (about 4” tall) I realised that the little tripod I had was rubbish and the legs just moved under the weight of the camera (Canon R6 with Ef 100mm macro). My birthday was coming up so I treated myself - and it’s not just the cost of this Hi-hat, I needed to add in the cost of a short half ball. The half ball is what the tripod head attaches to and it allows the camera to be easily and quickly levelled independently of the tripod position. You can get long and short half-balls but you need the short ball for this so that you can position the legs horizontally and still be able to level the camera.When I opened the box I was immediately impressed with the build quality. This was so much higher quality than anything I’d bought with a Manfrotto label. It is very heavy and comes with three sets of feet, a tool kit, and a carry bag.The legs have the simplest to use locking mechanism I’ve come across and it’s so much easier to use than the mechanism on my big tripod. A solid clip pulls out, you open up the leg to the desired position, push the clip back into place and move the leg slightly into the locked position. There are three leg positions, and the legs themselves have a short extension. Rotate the rubber sleeve, pull out the lower part of the leg, re-tighten the rubber sleeve and it’s out and locked.I took it out for a play the day after I got it to my favourite gardens, and it was a joy to use. I was able to get my camera really close to the ground and have rock solid stability. I could even lean on it to help me get back up again which is a big bonus at my age. I’ve added a couple of pics that I took using it.One thing is, as well as the half-ball, you will need a tripod head. I used my Manfrotto MHXPRO-2W and found it it was perfect, but being a video head, there is no ability to take portrait oriented shots - but that’s down to the head and not the Hi-hat..The carry bag is good quality and a nice touch, but, with a video head attached, the tripod will no longer fit in the bag, which, to my mind, makes it a bit useless. The spanner is for when you change the feet, but when I tried to tighten up the articulating feet the slot in the spanner was a touch too small for the nut, again making it useless. I could have forced it but then I would have removed the paint from the nuts on my nice new toy. Also the articulating mechanism on that set of feet is so tight they need a considerable amount of effort to align them to the terrain. They may work loose with use, but out of the box, it’s easier just to leave on the rubber feet that come attached. The third set of feet are just spikes. I like the ability to choose feet for the terrain, and the articulating feet have screw holes so they can be securely attached to a wooden board for greater stability.Despite the few niggles this a high quality bit of kit, I’m sure I’ll get value for money simply from the pleasure of using it, but it wouldn’t be my first choice if I needed other kit. I’ll get value for it simply because so much of what I enjoy photographing is low down.I bought this direct from Benro since Amazon were out of stock.