Manfrotto Mk190X3-2W Aluminum 3-Section Tripod Kit With Xpro Fluid Head,Black

UPDATED: (Owned for over 1 year)So, it's been approx 1 year and 3 months since purchasing. Here are the key points:- One leg fell off when first used- Fluid Head was not tightened when first used (basically came off)- Mounting Plate has BROKEN (Screw has fallen out)(OLD PART OF REVIEW)This review is based on not only the the tripod itself (190X) but also the non existent packaging.First off, arrived in its own box, simply wrapped in a single sheet of plastic, two 1 1/2 inch foam blocks on either side (top bottom) and that's it...So when it arrived I saw a massive dent on the middle. Now there was no obvious damage whatsoever to the item itself, so this isn't important (or is it)..Anyway, so I head down to London to shoot my first photo/video shoot. Open the tripod legs and BAM! the ENTIRE LEG falls out crashing onto the floor of the car park... What do I do? There's nothing I can do, so I made the most of the situation by closing the legs and just extending the centre column to as high as possible to get shots of a car. That's all I could do.Now, I use the fluid head after mounting the DSLR and lever head. Easy enough, however I went to smoothly pan, and what happens? the fluid head becomes loose, so this wasn't tightened well, I had to manually tighten the head onto the tripod before I could use it again. But when it worked, it was great, nice and smooth. The tripod has good weight to it, supported my DSLR with a heavy flash light on it. The legs are fine but the way they are secured to eachother is not. I noticed it was these plastic brackets with a start shaped screw to keep them connected. I have a cheap £80 chinese tripod that holds itself more secure than this!I am requesting a partial refund or full refund after I read other reviews.... Safe to say I DO NOT recommened this tripod for £199....It's not made well at all. The fluid head itself if good as is the way the mount plate secures. The clips are also plastic but they are tight and the centre column is flimsy. The lever is fine.Packaging 2/10 (Non-existent)Build Quality 5/10 (The mounting system plate is great though)Fluid Head 7/10 (Works well, but the way it's secured doesn't make it feel long lasting)Do not expect this to last long at all...

FALSE ADVERTISEMENTTripod is VERY GOOD. recommend as your first tripod for film making. Very smooth. easy to use.high quality.the head can be removed and has a flat base so can be attached to other tripods/ mono pods etc.HOWEVER is a previous model as it does not come with the newly introduced vertical column horizontal adjustment (as it advertises in the description) !!!!I will not return as this function is not crucial to me. but still. FALSE ADVERTISEMENT

So the first thing i want to point out is this is not the model with the creative setting option (Horizontal Column) as advertised in the "from the manufacturer" section. The tripod you receive is the one in the picture! This is annoying as it would have been a nice option to have but its not necessary for me!However the tripod itself is a great build, good and solid and quite heavy. It doesn't wobble and the ability to spread the legs out so you can get really low angles is great. It states that its max height is 160cm? Well im 6'6'' (200cm) and at its max height (Vertical column up) my camera is eye level with me.The fluid head itself is also great, very smooth to pan the camera in all directions. Nice solid feel to the whole thing.I am happy with the price i paid for what i have received but im just a bit annoyed about it being advertised with the horizontal option.

What can I say. I have wanted a manfroto tripod for years never had the courage or the money. One day I took the plunge and I'm so glad I did. I've had what can only be called cheep tripods in comparison at around £40 so when this arrived I was well pleased. It's so easy to put up and take down. I felt it was a bit mean not to include the bag - I had to fork out another £20 for it but I would highly recommend doing so.I use it for video and still and I bought an extra camera attachment from Amazon. I can't recommend this highly enough it is the Rolls Royce of tripods without a doubt. If your on the fence reading this, buy it you won't be disappointed.

i expected better from Manfrotto. The quick release clamp that holds the camera is awful. It gives no confidence that it will hold expensive equipment and it also moves when clamped shut. I expect a solid mount not one that jiggles about. Until this is sorted out it will be 1 star only.