Velbon Videomate 638

I bought this based on B&H's recommendation and was not at all disappointed. It's in a price range accessible to beginners but allows for smooth pans and easy transport.

best I've seen for the money. This is not the best tripod out there, but it has a smooth pan/tilt & works for my needs. It's in a sound booth with a camcorder on it to record/stream church services. Glad I bought it!

If value for your money is what you're looking for then this is the one you want. This is the sweet spot for price and reliability. Lightweight, easy to use, lots of features. This is the one for me! I could start spending a lot more on a tripod and I could justify it in various ways. But I don't need to. It works equally well for cameras and camcorders. It's rated plenty high for heavier cameras. You can even mount a flash on there in a pinch.

Great tripod for beginners. The fluid head is amazingly smooth with no jerkiness even with very quick starts and stops. I got this to video soccer games. My only issue is that you cant lock the legs into different positions if you would want a smaller foot print. I have not had any issues with the feet sliding when I keep it narrow but it would be nice to have this feature. Other than that I would recommend this product.

The tilt and pan work very smoothly, no backlash, no sticking and the tripod is quite stable except when I accidentally kick it (I have to stop doing that). I use it with a camcorder so I am always panning and tilting and it is just as good as my old Velbon tripod. It is a great buy for modern camcorders.