On one hand, the panning motion is smooth and decently dampened. However, I found it very hard to keep the panning speed consistent. With practice and even using an elastic band, you can improve a little, but you will never get smooth, buttery pans like you can with more expensive heads. When I pulled the AD-01 out of the box, the first thing I noticed was that the tripod has quite a bit of plastic on it. That being said, the tripod legs themselves are aluminum and feel sturdy. The SmallRig AD-01 has many plastic components – including the main connection from the legs to the head mounting base The head plate slot has built-in screw holes and the bowl base comes with 1/4”-20 threaded holes for accessory attachment. The built-in damping and balancing system enables 360° horizontal and +90°/-75° vertical movements. There are also 3/8″-16 threaded holes in the head base to support most tripods, arms, sliders, and other accessories with 3/8″-16 screws.

Would you consider SmallRig’s new tripod? Let me know what you find important in a video tripod and fluid head in the comments! Where to Buy Thus, it is not surprising that this tripod has some compromises. The question is whether these compromises are acceptable or not if you’re in the market for a budget tripod. I was pleasantly surprised by the overall build quality. It is decently made despite a lot of affordable and lightweight materials being used. The tripod legs are made out of Aluminum Alloy.You can still use the tripod on uneven terrain and it still works well on stairs if you have the tripod at a certain height. Because the spreaders don’t adjust out you do have a limited ability to use the tripod at its lowest height on uneven terrain. Switch your camera from the tripod to a gimbal Panning and tilting are a little easier because you can use the momentum of the pan to help with the tilt. While there is still some rebound effect it isn’t as noticeable as when you are just tilting. SmallRig Universal Tripod Dolly 3986 If you have both stages of the legs adjusted and use the tripod at height then there is certainly a lot more flex, especially towards the bottom of the legs. When it comes to tripods, I definitely don’t recommend getting the cheapest tripod you can find. And while the SmallRig AD-01 is not the cheapest, it is certainly one of the cheaper video tripods on the market.

The overall operation of the tripod is good considering its price point. The pan and tilt adjustment knobs don’t offer a lot of finite adjustment. There are no counterbalance steps or setting adjustments. The SmallRig Heavy-Duty Fluid Head Tripod is claimed to weigh 4kg / 8.81 lbs. This does make it pretty lightweight considering its payload capacity and the height it can go. I thought it felt lighter than that and when I independently weighed it I found it was 3.6kg. Build Quality Lightweight Carbon Fiber】The camera tripod is made of carbon fiber legs, which is lightweight and load-bearing of 25kg/55lbs, making it more suitable for carrying and traveling. Also comes with a customized handbag for better storage, protection, and portability.SmallRig also advertises that it comes with an anti-slip carry handle. While it does have three of these on the tripod legs, you can only fit three fingers inside and I personally found that it wasn’t that comfortable or easy to use. How is it to use with a Digital Cinema Camera? The spreaders do their intended job, and again, you can’t complain much considering how much this tripod system costs. Operation Stable and Adjustable Tripod：Heavy duty aluminum double-tube tripod with built-in bubble level, 75mm bowl bottom, which can provide better stability for the video tripod. The adjustable height of the travel tripod is: 85-186cm/33"-73", and the maximum load is: 8KG / 17LBS.

The tilting mechanism also has an additional problem. If you let it sit for a while without usage, starting it up again gives a bit of additional resistance and a distracting sound. I also found a noticeable rough spot in the tilting range that I felt as a vibration through the handle. The Fluid Head: Other Features The centre spreader’s three arms have units of measurement on them so you can ensure that the legs are spread evenly and with precision. (Image credit: George Cairns / Digital Camera World) While the tripod does feature a built-in bubble level indicator it isn’t illuminated so you can’t see it in darker conditions. I wouldn’t recommend using the tripod with both stages opened all the way up and the spreaders collapsed in. This doesn’t offer very good stability. What are the feet like?

How high & low can it go?

When you consider this, it’s no surprise that the SmallRig AD-01’s fluid head is one of its biggest weaknesses. Perhaps the best thing I can say about panning and tilting with the SmallRig is that it will give better results than trying to pan with a ball head – but it’s definitely not fun. The fluid head of this tripod is its biggest weakness A tripod can have decent enough build quality and good features, but if it doesn’t actually perform well then none of that really matters.