- If you're doing anything video related,
a reliable tripod is something
that you definitely need in your kit.
In this video we're gonna take a look at what may be
the best budget tripod for video,
the Takama Flip-Zip tripod
and everything you need to know before
deciding if it's right for you.
(upbeat music)
Hey, it's Justin Brown here from Primal Video.
We release a ton of content to help you
get better results with your videos, faster.
If you're new here then make sure
you click that big subscribe button,
and all the links to everything we mention in this video,
you can find linked in the description box below,
so let's jump into it.
A good tripod is an absolute must
for anyone producing video.
These days there are some great,
cheap tripod options available,
and you can get your hands on something
that will do the job for almost every
non-professional shoot without breaking the bank.
Previously for me, my go to all rounder tripod,
the tripod that traveled with me everywhere,
was the Slik Video Sprint II,
which is a solid tripod and reliable tripod,
at around the $80 price point.
It was good enough for me to recommend
and it didn't enough wrong to warrant
me spending any more time looking for alternatives,
but now that's changed.
Adorama recently reached out to me
and said "We've got something better."
So, they sent us out a free tripod to test
and it's the Takama Flip-Zip tripod,
and after using it for a while,
I've gotta say that I do agree with them.
It's a great all rounder but there's a few things
that anyone that's considering purchasing should know about,
and that's why we put together
this Takama Flip-Zip tripod review.
To help you decide if this is the
best budget tripod for your videos,
and while you're watching,
make sure you let us know in the comments
what your favorite camera accessory or tripod is,
that you can't do without.
So let's take a look at the tripod.
It's made of aluminium, or aluminum.
It's got four leg sections,
it includes a quick release camera mount,
it's got a full pan and tilt head,
and it's really designed for both still photography
and video with smaller or lighter cameras.
So this tripod easily converts into a monopod
and also into a selfie stick.
The actual tripod handle flips out into a phone holder,
so you can actually use it as a selfie stick or a monopod,
and it is a tripod all in one, so pretty crazy.
Now if someone told me they created
a tripod that was a decent tripod,
that would also convert into a monopod, and a selfie stick,
then I'd probably be a little bit skeptical as to how well
it would actually do all of those three things,
but all I can say is that they've really nailed it,
and this is the complete package,
and this is a really awesome tripod to travel with
because it is literally everything that you would want
all in one small package.
This thing folds down to a mere 18.5 inches,
and will extend all the way up to 58 inches,
which is just under 150 centimeters.
So this not only makes it perfect for travel
but it also makes it perfect for use
if you're gonna be sitting down at a desk
or right up to standing height as well.
It also only weights 2.5 pounds, or around 1.1 kilograms.
So again, making this a great travel tripod.
Another couple of features this tripod has
is a counter weight hook,
so that you can add counter weights
and hang them underneath your tripod,
and it's also got a removable and flippable head.
So that you can take the head section off the tripod
and put it on underneath for any top down videos.
Now we do actually have a video talking about
how to create top down videos, if you're interested in that,
this was one of the ways that we suggested,
was to get a tripod that had this ability,
but if you're after more ways to create top down videos
then check out the video linked on the screen now,
and when I first opened up the tripod box,
the first thing I noticed obviously was the size.
This is the entire tripod,
it's pretty small, it's really well built.
As I said, it's aluminum body, or aluminium body.
It's got the padded section here,
which is the primary leg for the monopod as well,
and it's also the main pole for the selfie stick as well,
but overall I was pretty impressed with the build quality.
The actual head on it is probably
what feels like the cheapest part,
all the rest of it is really solid and really well built,
but the top section is all plastic.
Now it is still built really, really well
but that's obviously the cheapest feeling part
of the entire tripod,
and the actual pan and tilt handle here
is what opens up into the cell phone holder.
So it's also got the quick release plate
for easily getting your cameras on and off,
and it's also got a basic spirit level as well,
to help you get your shots level.
The clamping system or the locking mechanism
on the tripod legs for setting
and adjusting the heights works really, really well.
Again it's decent quality,
and it's definitely not gonna adjust or move
once you've locked it in place.
So to convert the tripod into a monopod
or even a selfie stick,
all you need to do is unscrew the primary leg,
which is the leg with the padding on it.
Then you just need to loosen the thumb screw
holding the tripod head section in place
and pull that totally out,
and then you can screw that tripod head section
onto the top of the leg.
So that's how you setup the monopod,
now if you wanna convert this to a selfie stick,
all you need to do is to fold out the handle,
mount your phone in that section,
and rotate the handle around,
and tilt the head of the tripod
so that it is set up like a selfie stick.
So that's how easy it is to setup and use this as a tripod,
and then quickly convert it into a monopod
and also to a selfie stick as well,
and that's probably the biggest benefit of this tripod,
Is that it's really three things in one,
to give you the most flexibility
and versatility while you're traveling around,
this is amazing.
So the biggest strengths that this tripod has going for it,
is how small and compact it is,
that it is actually a three in one,
tripod, selfie stick, monopod.
That it will go down to really low heights
and it will go right up to standing height as well,
that's just amazing.
The downsides of this tripod, as I said,
the build quality of the actual head of the tripod,
it's fine for most smaller camera use,
even up to the DSLR that we use,
the Panasonic GH4 works well enough on this,
and I think we compromise with our travel tripod
than the tripods that we would normally be using,
so normally we would use a big Miller tripod
for any professional shoots.
Whereas for anything travel we're compromising
'cause we don't wanna carry the big gear around.
Like this tripod will fit perfectly into a suitcase,
into a backpack, into any sort of carry bag
because it is so small, and it's gonna hold the camera
still and stable.
You will still be able to get some professional looking pans
and shots out of this tripod
but it is definitely not a fluid head
that you would find on a professional tripod,
and the other thing that you need to be aware of
is that this isn't designed for big
heavy professional cameras, it's designed for smaller,
point and shoot cameras, DSLRs,
or even small video cameras as well.
Anything though that is on the professional side,
big heavy camera rigs, or even if you've pimped out
your DSLR with some decent lenses
and the full cage and a lot of weight to it,
then this tripod definitely won't be suited
for those scenarios.
So now looking at the price you can pick up
the Takama Flip-Zip multi function tripod for just under
the $40 price point on adorama.com,
and when you look at the competition
and look at what I was using previously,
the Slik Video Sprint II,
which sells for around the $80 price point,
it makes it an absolute no brainer.
The build quality between the two, the size, the weight,
and now throwing the price in the mix as well,
for $40 versus $80,
it's an absolute no brainer for me to switch
to using the Takama tripod over the Slik Video Sprint II,
and this is actually something
that I will personally be using quite a lot as well.
So this is now my go to travel tripod,
but if you're looking for a really decent tripod,
whether it's for your point and shoot camera,
your smartphone, your video camera, or even your DSLR,
something that is gonna be stable
and small and light to travel with,
then this would be my recommendation.
I really love that it's also a monopod
and that it's also a selfie stick,
although I probably don't use the selfie stick much,
but it's awesome to have that ability there
if I do wanna use it,
but just having having the ability there
is really, really awesome,
and also I just really love the price.
I can't believe that you're getting all of this
for around the $40 price point,
and again this isn't a sponsored video.
I'm just pumped because I've been recommending
an $80 tripod that does half of what this does,
and now I've got a better one to recommend to you guys.
Now before you go if you're keen to get the most
out of your DSLR or even your point and shoot camera,
then make sure you check out the video
that's linked on screen that runs through
the key settings that you need to know
to start using manual mode for your videos,
and it's not as hard as you think,
and the results are definitely worth it.
I'll see you soon.