I'd buy another one in a hearbeat.
I waited for my first photo outing (a 4 day trip along the north shore of MN) to review this tripod (Vanguard Alta Pro 263AT) so I could give a good review based upon experience. In short...I love it.
I recently bought this tripod after reading several reviews on it, as well as reviewing other similar-model tripods by other manufacturers. I figured if I was going to spend upwards toward $150-200 for a tripod, I wanted one I could be happy with and not be disappointed in the end as I had been with my recent experience with a Sunpak Ultra 7000 tripod (~$100...which I bought on a quick whim). I am an amateur but avid photographer after recently getting back into photography after a 30 year absence (from SLR's and film). I like to watch my money, but I'm willing to spend a little extra on something that will work and last long. I generally also like to research details myself...and I am careful to weed out the reviews which are the one or two sentence "this is a great tripod" reviews since you never really know how much use of the product was behind the review.
One thing I want to mention...I also bought a TBH-100 ball head (comes with the QS-60 quick release) at the same time. I wasn't sure having not used a ball head before (my two previous tripods were the typical pan/tilt style) if I would like a ball head, but now that I've used it, I love it. I think the BBH-100 would be a nice step up, but it is notably more expensive. In any case, what I really like about the ball head is I can set the tripod and camera up, and without turning or moving the tripod, I can simply rotate the ball head around to any direction without moving the tripod. The ball head is also nice since you can level your camera (relative to the horizon) so easily, and you can also point your camera forward and down...all the while leaving the tripod alone. I'll never go back to a common pan/tilt mount again.
The tripod...it is sturdy and built of great quality. It has rubber feet which can be rotated upward to expose the pointed spikes for use on soft surfaces such as dirt/grass (a feature which I completely forgot about on my 4-day trip). It's quick and easy to setup and use, and can be set up to put your camera into positions of which are much more flexible than my 55-yr old body can do. One thing I was really IMPRESSED with is the carry bag which came with the tripod. It is a very nice heavy duty quality bag with an adjustable shoulder-carry strap. Even with the ball head on, it just fits in the bag and you can pull the two drawstrings tight and push down the little finger knobs to keep the mouth close and the tripod inside. The bag also has a nice bright orange rubbery-ribbed "plate" on the bottom of the bag so you can set the bag down upright on a surface without it "slipping" away on you. It also helps keep the bag clean in case the ground is dirty, etc. The only "wish" is I think a smaller grab/carry handle somewhere on the bag would have been a nice plus. But, other than that, it's a great bag.
I used the tripod along some very windy shores of Lake Superior on my trip, as well as with the heavy 300mm zoom lense on my Nikon D5300, and the tripod was good and sturdy. The quick-release latches work very well also. In an ideal world, it would be nice to have a lighter and shorter tripod, but that's not to speak against this tripod. It's true...like any other good product...you can always find something to gripe about if you really wanted to. However, I believe this tripod is one of the best values and quality I could find for being an amateur photographer. I hauled this tripod around Gooseberry Falls (MN North Shore), a number of creeks and rivers, and other various natural landscape areas. I highly recommend it to anyone from amateur to pro who wants a great tripod. I also found a (used) Vanguard monopod on eBay of which I purchased, and will soon be looking for another ball head with the QS-60 mount so I can use the same "system" between pods.
Randy in MN, review posted 30 Mar 2016Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
