SmallRig AD-01 Video Tripod
Fluid Head, 75mm leveling ball, 17.6 lb/8 kg Load, 33-73"/85-186 cm high, 35"/89 cm folded, weighs 8.8 lb/4kg
SmallRig AD-01 Video Tripod with Included Fluid Head (model number 3751, supports 17.6 lb/8 kg, 33½-73⅕"/85-186 cm high, 35"/89 cm folded, weighs 8.8 lb/4kg, $159). bigger or fit-to-screen. I'd get mine at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
The little clips you see coming from each leg are to keep the legs collapsed — but not banging into each other — when in the included case.
This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.
July 2022 Better Pictures Canon Nikon Sony Fuji LEICA Zeiss HASSELBLAD All Reviews
SmallRig 3457 Compact Fluid Head - a smaller head.
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
The SmallRig AD-01 is a full-size, full-featured fluid-head video tripod that costs next to nothing.
Its fluid head makes it ideal for smooth pans and tilts as you're rolling video. It's not for still photos; there is no way to rotate the camera for vertical shots.
It has a counterbalance spring that, with the correct camera weight, means the head stays balanced at any angle of vertical tilt from -90º to +75º without needing any friction. For cameras lighter or heavier than optimum, simply turn the drag screw (the big one on the side) to add friction so the camera stays put vertically. Even my Nikon Z9 and Z 100-400mm VR lens combo are still on the light side; you'll have to be shooting a much heavier camera and lens combination for it to balance without friction. No big deal; the friction adjustment works well to allow smooth tilts that stay where you put them with any lighter camera weight:
SmallRig AD-01 Video Tripod. bigger.
The 75mm leveling half-ball and spirit level makes it easy to set up on random surfaces and then level the head with one motion:
75mm Levelling Half Ball. bigger.
This is important; an unlevel head won't pan properly.
Its split legs make it very sturdy for panning; the single legs of still photo tripods are more wobbly panning left or right.
There are no spikes, just self-leveling rubber feet.
It's a good mix of aluminum and plastic. All the legs and tilt arms and the mid-level spreaders and structural parts of the head are aluminum while most of the grips and handles and the big gold-colored flip levers are plastic. Laugh all you want, and there are plenty of six-figure luxury and sports cars with plastic door release levers and handles.
The big flip locks make it very fast to set up and strike.
It goes taller than almost anyone would need, with the top plate a maximum of 6' 1" (185 cm) off the floor, meaning once you plop a camera on top you'll want to be about 7 feet (213 cm) tall to look through the finder and see the top of your camera.
¼″ × 20" TPI Accessory Thread. bigger.
It includes this 501-type plate, and is compatible with both Manfrotto-style and the original DJI RS 2 quick release plates.
The plate is keyed so it won't slip off the front or back unless you release a lock.
It's easy to try to put it on backwards, in which case it doesn't sit flat or lock properly. Be sure the index line on the plate is next to the scale on the head as shown.
The included plate has a brilliant magnetic Allen-wrench holder that keeps the tool always ultra-handy for attaching and removing the camera with the grub screw. I wish all my plates had this tool attached! It comes with both ¼″ × 20" TPI and ⅜″ × 16" TPI screws.
It includes a padded case:
Included case. bigger.
And it even includes a padded cover to protect the head:
Included Padded Head Cover. bigger.
It's made in China.
You can pay over $25,000 to get a heavier-duty system, but it won't balance as well with modern lightweight cameras. For the typical cameras used today by those who read this website, they'll balance better on this lighter AD-01 tripod. Not bad for $159 complete — and the $26,780 OConnor doesn't go as high or include a case as this $159 SmallRig set does.
This is a great way to support and shoot video and mirrorless cameras for video shooting, at a bargain price.
I'd get my SmallRig AD-01 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
© Ken Rockwell. All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Ken Rockwell® is a registered trademark.
Help Me Help You top
I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.
The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places always have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.
If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.
If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!
If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.
As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Thank you!
Thanks for reading!
Ken.