Hama "Star 5" Tripod | Light Tripod with 36-105 cm Height | 3 Way Head | 1/4" Connection for DSLR and System Cameras | With Carrying Case | Champagne

Bought for: holding a laser level (electrician)Cons: Working in the construction industry I expect this stand to break fairly quickly as it will be thrown about and knocked from time to time. It uses small rivets to hold the struts and appears to be plastic on plastic rather than bearings for the rotation, etc, so alterations are a little jerky.Pros: The stand does exactly as described. Although flimsy, It doesn't wrobble and all the locks work fine. It is really light (same weight as a can of beer) and folds up small and neat. One of the cheapest stands at around £14Overview: If you want something tough & robust that can be treated roughly over time this isn't for you but if you want a stand that will be looked after and not thrown about then this will do the job fine.I would give it 2-3 stars if it was more expensive but at £14 (March 2023) I will give it 5 stars as it is good value for money

Great product

Good for small jobs, lightweight,easy to carry

Compact and lightweight. Perfect for laser level

I've come back to review this again, years after purchase, having used the tripod several times for various purpose, including as a mount for microphones, as well as small hand held video cameras, and for several still cameras, some of which also double as video cameras. I previously raised the star rating to 4, as some of the problems mentioned earlier can be overcome with care. Some of the problems remain, but to avoid them or overcome them might require much more expensive equipment.At the price I paid for this it seems reasonable value for money. Like many of the other reviewers here I have (had - slightly more now) little experience of camera tripods, so it is useful for finding out how a camera tripod works. One feature not mentioned by many are the spirit levels, which can be used to check that the rotation around a vertical axis is within a horizontal plane. In the earlier review I mentioned that there was only one - but in fact there are two spirit levels. One is a linear one for horizontal setting, the other is a circular one at the top of the legs.It's not perfect, but should be useful for some. One problem turns out to be not so bad - but needs a bit of care. In the earlier version of this review I wrote that there is play in the tripod, so that shots could be less than perfect due to vibration and movement. I took the tripod to a practical session at a local camera club, and one the members there pointed out that I'd not tightened up all the various knobs and joints. It works much better with everything tight, though it's quite easy to miss one. It's quite hard to tighten up the plate on which the camera sits if it's rotated into a vertical position, and this might defeat a heavy camera.It is also important to figure out how to tighten and loosen the various knobs and handles. Having tightened everything up it's quite easy not to notice that to do a vertical camera pan, that the handle itself needs to be twisted andti-clockwise to unlock the mount to allow rotation. The handle needs to be twisted (again) clockwise to lock it for static shots. To do a horizontal pan the wheel "nut" on the right should be loosened. It's really hard to do a smooth horizontal pan with this tripod.It is not easy to do a rapid rotation of the tripod head, which might be needed sometimes. It might actually be easier, for example, if recording video, to leave the video running, and pick up the whole tripod and rotate it manually - which takes one or two seconds. This might be needed if a rotation of between 100 to 180 degrees is wanted. The obvious problems with the resulting video can be sorted out in post production.The tripod would be much better if it had a head with smooth bearings in a clampable mount, but that would almost certainly move this ino a different class of equipment and a different price bracket.Of course the camera should be operated either with a remote control, or using a delay timer, or continuous mode or video mode in order to get the best shots. Some types of photo might be difficult with this tripod, such as portraits, or capturing image of birds or small animals. I have also tried to take shots of the moon, which have not been particularly successful, but so far this is probably due to inaccurate focusing and light metering. That kind of shot really does need to be done using manual settings, as many cameras will not get the focusing or metering right.The mount is quite neat, and comes off easily. However, large and heavier cameras may not work too well with this one, and may tend to drop on the mount. The retaining screw handles may need to be done up quite tightly,to avoid this. It is also important to remember to remove the camera mount from the camera, and store it with the tripod. It is easy to forget this which makes the tripod useless, though I now alo have a larger Hama model with a similar mounting plate, which at keast gives some mor flexibility. Some people may find having spare mounting plates which can be left attached to their cameras or other kit helpful.

This really helped me connect my camera and spotting scope to my stand as I'd broken the previous one and I'm really happy with this. It fits perfectly.

For a light-weight tripod this is ok for phones, point-and-shoots and DSLR with a relatively small lens.My canon 600d with a 300mm lens was too much for it.Maximum height is 106cm.Friction adjustment around tripod was good and didn't come loose.Quick release system is really quick.Quick release leg clips are really nice touch.Does hold camera still and steady.Packs nice and small.

Mine arrived yesterday. Typically, Amazon have reduced the price by another couple of pounds after I ordered it (d'oh!) but to be honest, I think this is a good value thing at anywhere less than £20. It's under £15 at the moment and so as long as it's OK what you want it for I wouldn't hesitate. It's a nicely made thing - the plastics are not as bad as some people make out, and the metal parts have a premium feel to the finish. It looks and feels properly made, and believe me I tend to be quite fussy on these points.It sets up very quickly thanks to the snap clamps on the extending legs. A couple of sections on mine feel a bit looser and tighter than others when sliding up and down, but they all seem to lock in place and hold firm OK.Once fully extended, and with the central section ratcheted up to its highest point, I can tell you it measures 152cm from the floor to the top of the quick release plate. It says 153cm on the box so that's pretty accurate. What this translates to, happily for me, is cameras almost at my eye level (I am exactly 6ft tall).I did, however, purchase the Star 61 with binoculars in mind. Using an adapter, my trusty pair of 10x50s are exactly at the same eye level as me. This is perfect for field and wildlife use - having the tripod at maximum height means you aren't carrying unnecessary extendable-weight for no good reason. What it's not so great for, though, is astronomy, because the binoculars need to point to the sky of course, and so the eye pieces are lower - you will be stooping if you are my height.If you're 6ft then and using for astronomy, or over 6ft an using for any reason - consider the Hama Star 63 which I believe is a bit taller.I am actually still considering the Star 63 myself for a new pair of heavier astronomy binoculars I am think of purchasing. I suppose it comes down to, would I trust the head on these tripods with a considerably heavier (and more expensive) piece of kit?I'll be honest, I'm not sure about that. The Star 61 and its slightly taller siblings are fine I think for field use with still cameras, light camcorders, roof prism binoculars (which tend to be lighter) and porro prism binoculars probably up to about 9x63 in size. I think beyond that you're asking a little too much from what is a very reasonably priced tripod. Bear in mind you cannot change the head on these either.There is also a question mark over whether this type of head is ideal for astronomy, or pure video for that matter - it is not a fluid or ball-joint type of head - it works on mechanical resistance. So you have to accept that you need to tighten screws on both axes if you want steady viewing once you have locked on to whatever it is you want to look at.There is a wee bit of flex in the head as well, not that bad by any means, but I've tried this with binoculars just under 1kg in weight and it is noticeable at 20x zoom, though it is quite quick to steady. The heavier the kit, the worse it will be. Hama claim a limit of 3kg but while that may technically be possible I think that is optimistic for satisfactory use.But honestly, all aspects considered, it's punching above its weight as is. It's such good value, as is the 63, that I would not hesitate to buy one either as a back-up, or for light duties, or for any situation where you are worried about security or damage and don't want to take your best kit.