Magnus VT-4000 Tripod System with Fluid Head

I am not a professional. I am barely an amateur! I bought an inexpensive tripod at a big box store about 8 years ago and it finally broke on me. It was by a manufacturer that isn't around any longer so I needed to find something that would meet my needs. I shoot video for my wife's middle-school band concerts (she's the teacher.) I pan across the students during the concert. Now, I realize I'm shooting for a DVD for some middle-school students to watch and it doesn't need top quality panning, but I want quality. I also do some video shooting here and there for my kids, for my work, etc. Again, I don't need perfection, but I want it! So I have been searching a zillion reviews trying to find a decent tripod for video and all the reviews here on Amazon are all over the board! So I finally took the plunge and bought a mid-priced tripod for around $75. Although it claimed fluid head, it didn't have it. So I returned it and decided to spend the big bucks (for an amateur) on this one. First of all, this thing is sturdy. Very sturdy. It feels solid and is not some cheap plastic thing. I enjoy the height. It does not have a telescoping middle piece like so many of the other ones do. I thought I'd miss that, but it just adds to the stability and ruggedness of this. I'm 5'10" and it stands at about my mouth/nose level. My little Sony Handy-cam can barely be seen on the top of this thing! The tripod is a monster size for my little camera, but I'll tell you what, it is so smooth panning. Vertical and horizontal panning is the smoothest I've seen! I love this tripod so much! Pros: Very smooth panning vertical and horizontal. Easy to setup. Comes with an allen wrench to adjust tightness of leg closures. Quick connect is easy to use. Multi-positions available for panning arm. Rugged! The carrying case is a decent quality one! (Imagine that!) It's a monster! Cons: It's a monster! Large footprint for my tastes, but needs to be because of its height and ability to hold a decent camera. The price is high for someone who doesn't take lots of video, but it is worth it especially compared to what else is out there. I realize that many of you reading this are probably not the novice I am. But if you are a novice who wants quality in their videos, then get this tripod. I love it.

I'm a photographer. Make that second-rate. I'm a long-time journalist who started when we all shot black and white. But then I graduated to bigger newspapers and dragged around a full-time photog when I covered stories. However, the industry began to implode soon after I started in 1981 with papers closing or moving to morning publication. Of course, it got way worse. Toward the more recent past, I returned to small papers and shot all my own stuff again. I learned to shoot video and mastered some editing programs because of the call for social media presence. I got some outside jobs that required shooting events and had to get a tripod. After about a month of reviewing stuff and talking to my son and brother in law in the TV and movie business, they pointed me in this direction. I purchased the Magnus VT-4000 and wasn't let down. It takes a little getting used to, but the video quality is superb when the operator knows what he's doing. Granted, there was a bit of a learning curve to getting it set up quickly and making sure my Canon 7D Mark II was attached and functioning properly. There's a quick release so I can either get stills or if I need to chase down a particular subject. And the carrying bag isn't obnoxious so I have been able to get in and set up in the midst of big events with lots of people without causing too much disruption. I'm hard on my equipment but this has held up well, and I expect it will last a long time.

I shopped based on reviews, didn't look around much. But, this has been a fantastic video tripod. I use it mostly with a Sony Handycam. Nice fluid panning in all directions. I like the adjustable head from the know underneath, no more messing with each leg to get the tripod level. The only disadvantage to that design is that the head does not raise any further from the top. So once the legs are all the way out, that is it, you won't be able to go any higher. It is a little heavy, but just fine for what I do. The bag it comes with is very nice, seems durable, but has no padding. There is no adjustment in the spreader (?) in the middle, it simply folds out. The leg posts are very nice though and seem to hold just fine when I cannot put the legs all the way out. All that is just due to the design type of this tripod, so I still give it 5 stars, would buy again.

I just went out and shot some airport footage a few days ago. The quality of this tripod is a bargain for the price. It has a lot of plastic parts in places that could use rubber for better tactile feedback. But the head has smooth fluid action. It tends to want to go back to zero degrees when tilting up and down. And the tension is not very easy to adjust and make that a quick fix. But the panning action left and right is great. The plastic knob below the head for leveling is a bit cheap feeling and the handle and extension locks on the legs as well. But they seem to all work well. However it is a sturdy tripod and the feet are nice and easy to adjust to use spikes or rubber with the simple turn of the footpads. Overall, I am pleased and think it's capable of getting footage as good as a more expensive $300-$500 tripod. If you're not into the fanciest materials but you want something that still gives professional functionality and results then this should fit your budget and needs nicely.

I really didn't expect much at this price level. I am a 30+-year TV broadcast veteran and I spent a lot of years in the field using tripods such as Sachtler and other broadcast-level tripods. I am very, very pleased with this unit right out of the box. Every component appears to be meticulously manufactured and has a quality feel to the touch. I was forced to mount a 200mm lens on my DSLR for my first take - no vibration in the image (hands off) with full leg extension. Hands on with pan & tilt there was a slight bit of vibration when starting movement - moving the head with a more normal-range lens mounted and the legs at 1st stage there was no vibration. Pan & tilt were smooth - this model didn't have a control to completely release head pressure, so absolute balance couldn't be verified, though with the sliding QR adapter a tilt range in the 30-degree zone worked OK - because of this, not sure if this is a true fluid head or friction head. I would compare this fairly close to the performance of some $3,000 tripods I've used.

Very nice tripod for the price!!!!!!!! Perfect for film students and any DSLR users. Great craftsmanship and a nice size and build. Not too big, not too small, not too heavy, not too light. It takes a really good beating, it survived a run through the airport and remained intact. I currently shoot BMPCC but with a full rig my camera can weigh around 15-20 pounds, the Magnus holds it with ease. There are times when I wish it was a bit taller on days when filming really tall people, but hey, I'm still confident with my selection. I recommend this to DSLR users and smaller camera shooters (DSLR, BMPCC, BMCC, Sony) Not so good with bigger sized cameras like the Alexa or the full rig RED. I've owned mine for about 2 years now and I recently broke a nob (The good news is that the nob broke while mid tight so I can still use the head.) which is why I'm currently ordering a new one now as I write this review. -Brian Booker

I ordered this item on Dec. 4 and received it on Dec. 7, and this was with standard shipping. The tripod is perfect. It's intended more for an actual full size video camera, but I shoot with the Canon 7D, and it's really sturdy and supportive for my camera. The fluid head is absolutely smooth. It even has a spring loaded head for smooth balancing while tilting. The panning is very smooth and the locks work well for drag. The the tripod legs stack up in between each other and not into each other for added support. The tripod head has a nice solid feel to it and soft cork on top to protect the camera bottom. My favorite part i that its a ball based head, which means you can adjust the head itself for leveling on uneven ground without having to play around with adjusting the legs. Overall this is a very good tripod for the price range, the body is mostly metal especially the head. I would recommend this if your looking for a sturdy, professional tripod for your dslr or video camera. Check out the review for it on B&H's site: [...]

Very happy with the quality; great product for the money. And performs smoothly and is very reliable. Thank you, Gradus Group