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Manfrotto 718B Digi Tripod with Integrated 3-Way Head and Carrying Bag (Black)
From Manfrotto

The 718B is a compact tripod with a built-in hybrid video/photo 3-Way head. It is similar to the 718SHB model, but with longer leg sections for greater extended height. The 718B has a "dovetail" quick release camera plate (which can be locked in place one-handed), separate pan and tilt locks, and a short pan/tilt bar for more ergonomic use while panning or tracking moving subjects. The leg pivot system uses a unique single hinge design in aluminum, which both keeps the cross section smaller and allows the leg to fold shorter than conventional tripods. The tripod is built with "D" profile tubular legs for extra torsional rigidity and quick flip leg locks for ease and speed of set-up. A quick action lever also blocks the reversible center column extension.

• Brand: Manfrotto
• Model: 718B
• Released on: 2006-04-14
• Dimensions: 4.00" h x 4.00" w x 21.00" l, 4.00 pounds

Manufacturer Description
The Bogen-Manfrotto 718B is a compact tripod with a built-in hybrid video/photo three-way head. It is similar to the 718SHB, but with longer leg sections for greater extended height. The 718B has a "dovetail" quick release camera plate (which can be locked in place one-handed), separate pan and tilt locks, and a short pan/tilt bar for more ergonomic use while panning or tracking moving subjects. The leg pivot system uses a unique single hinge design in aluminum which both keeps the cross section smaller and allows the leg to fold shorter than conventional tripods. The tripod is built with "D" profile tubular legs for extra torsional rigidity and quick flip leg locks for ease and speed of set-up. A quick action lever also locks the reversible center column extension.

Features include:

• Leg sections use three-faceted tubing for greater anti-torsional resistance.
• Compact yet solidly-built three-way head allows versatile use with both photo and video cameras. The short pan bar helps keep movements smooth.
• Part of the DIGI series of lightweight, compact supports for small digital point-and-shoot cameras.
• Anti-rotation tubing and leg collars make for a tripod that's easier and faster to open, position and close. Manfrotto uses several different types of anti-rotation system -- on Magfiber and Digi series tripods, the elliptical or three-faceted shape of the concentric tubes means they cannot rotate, while on round-tubed tripods small protrusions down the length of the tube keep sections perfectly aligned.
• Materials, design and construction techniques have been carefully selected to help save weight without sacrificing stability or strength.
• Tripod with built-in head -- unlike most Manfrotto models, this tripod is pre-fitted with an unremovable head. This ensures compatibility and keeps weight and size to a minimum, but means the head cannot be interchanged in the future.
• The rubber feet on DIGI series tripods are angled for a larger, more stable point of contact with the ground.
• The DIGI design uses a single-sided pivot between the tripod leg and the shoulder casting to keep the tripod's cross section even more compact and to reduce overall weight.
• The "dovetail" camera plate is Manfrotto's most compact quick release system, suitable for compact up to light SLR cameras. Its advantage is that it is pushed inwards and upwards on the tripod head, ensuring a rock-solid grip.
• The features of this product make it ideal for both photographic and video applications
• Three separate axes of movement -- panoramic rotation, front-back tilt and side tilt.
• By keeping the head and camera mounting plate as low as possible, the camera is kept safely closer to the tripod's center of gravity for more stable support.

What's in the Box:
Tripod, rucksack-style bag.

This tripod has problems
After five months of intensive use in New Zealand, I'm pretty unimpressed with this item. On paper, it seems to be a great comprimise - light enough for backpacking, but sturdy enough for a decent shot.

Unfortunately, this doesn't stand up to much real use. The tripod clamps seem to have an intrinsic fault that causes the plastic around the clamp arm to snap off under any real use. This has already happened on 2 of my 3 legs, and I haven't used it nearly as much as many would.

Not recommended for any serious use.

Great budget tripod for travel purposes
I have used this tripod on many vacations, including extensive hiking in Yosemite park. This is a light and durable tripod for travel usage. I have found it to be fantastic, with a few limitations.

1. The tripod is light for travel, but too light for serious photography in windy conditions. Don't put a SLR w/ a large lens on this tripod. The longest focal length I'd go is 200mm.

2. The head will limit your ability to take great shots. It's the typical consumer head that will sometimes move a little between shots. Don't expect miracles.

3. If you're not careful, you can break the plastic things that hold the legs.

Having said that, you'd have to spend way more $ to overcome these limitations. It's a great budget tripod.

Good enough for its intended use
After using this tripod to hold up my dSLR camera (Olympus E-500) for almost two years, I am finally ready to relegate it to the use for which it was designed, holding up my point'n'shoot camera (Fujifilm E900). I knew when I made my selection that it was not enough tripod for my intended uses, but it was lightweight and it fit my budget, so I figured I could get along with it for a while. That while is over now, as I finally have another tripod for the dSLR camera. (The new tripod is another Manfrotto rig, a Bogen-Manfrotto 055MF3 3-Section MagFiber Tripod without Head paired with a Bogen-Manfrotto 488RC2 Midi Ball Head with RC2 Rapid Connect System (3157N), coming in at almost 4x the price of the Digi tripod and almost twice its weight.)

The 718B tripod is a somewhat taller version of the Bogen-Manfrotto 728B Digi Compact Tripod with Integrated 3-Way Head and Carrying Bag (Black), with a slightly different head configuration and a different quick release plate. I appreciate the extra inches of tallth. While nicely constructed, this tripod is lightweight and will not take the same abuse as sturdier models. The enamel on the cast metal parts chips easily (should have been powder coated), and my unit was damaged by a drop of about a foot (while in its storage bag!).

The head is controlled by a single lever for both pan and tilt, with the pan loosening slightly before the tilt. The head motions are viscous damped to smooth out video pans. The center column and the legs are anodized aluminum, with triangular cross sections for added rigidity. The fourth sections of the legs look awfully skinny. I carry a hex key along to keep the leg pivots tight.

One of the things I used the tripod for was taking panorama sequences, to be stitched together in Photoshop. In order to stitch panoramic images easily, one of the requirements is that the camera remains level throughout the pan. After repeated attempts, I have concluded that this is largely impossible using this tripod.

In gusty conditions, this tripod shakes the camera like a leaf. An aspen leaf. There is no hook on the bottom of the column to add stabilizing weights, which would have helped.

For all of that, I am not ready to consign this tripod to Craigslist. I am sure it will be quite satisfactory holding up my digicam, or the odd camcorder for shooting the odd birthday, etc.