- Compact And Light Yet Still Supports Cameras Up To 16LBS
- Geared Center Elevator With Hand Crank
- 3 Channel Quick Release Locking Leg Sections
- New Horizontal Quick Release Latches. (allowing you to release all leg locks at once)
- Padded Foam Grips On Two Of The Three Legs To Safely Grab And Move Your Tripod
Product Description
The Ravelli AVT is constructed of pressure treated aluminum and is unrivalled in
stability. This geared tripod incorporates a unique center brace strut system, reliable
quick-action leg locks, non-rollback center column, and rubberized feet with retractable metal spikes.
The Ravelli AVT is a high performance fluid drag video head that provides continuous drag control and operates on both pan and tilt axis with independent pan and tilt locks. The Ravelli AVT tripod head features finely machined parts for greater positioning with smooth, definite action. An easy to use fluid head comprised of titanium-line components for up to medium format and utilizes full two-way action allowing you to isolate the plane of motion and make precise adjustments to your compositions.
B. Sanders @ 3:56 am
This is a professional-quality tripod that far exceeded my expectations. I was ready to spend up to $300 on a viscuous-damped semi-pro quality video tripod. The Ravelli AVT cost a small fraction of that amount, and has every feature on my wish list.
The Ravelli AVT’s materials, machining and finish are high quality. The ergonomics are excellent. *Everything* on this tripod is adjustable! The handy carrying case (with shoulder strap) and *extra quick release plate* were unexpected bonuses.
A few details: The legs do have turf spikes and nice large rubber feet. The geared height adjuster works smoothly; but it needs to be manually locked or it will back off. Not too surprising. The tripod I received was labeled “ASSIA”, not “Ravelli.” That’s fine – I assumed it was made in Asia, not Italy. Just take a look at the price.
But you want to know: “How’s the fluid damping? Can I pan smoothly?” Yes; but with a slight caveat.
I agree with others that the Ravelli AVT’s tilt damping is smoother than the pan damping. Here’s why: The AVT’s legs are fairly lightweight, and twist slightly under the load applied by the viscuous damper as you pan the camera left and right. This can be alleviated somewhat – at the expense of some damping – by backing off the pan damper adjuster a bit. There is a sweet spot, and it’s pretty good. I also tried holding onto one of the legs with one hand, and doing the pan with the other. It worked nicely – silky-smooth pans every time, even in telephoto. I can live with this, no problem.
The solution to the twisting problem is simple: Get heavier tripod legs. There is a Ravelli model with stiffer legs. It probably has the same video head. If you do a lot of panning at extreme telephoto range, buy the heavier Ravelli model. If you want a (relatively) light, totable, highly portable tripod with a pro-quality oil-damped head, lots of adjustability and an unbeatable price, get the Ravelli AVT. You won’t find a better deal. I’ve looked.
At this price, it deserves a 5-star rating all around. There are better tripods out there. Some of them cost 30 times what this one does.
Daddy V @ 6:12 am
[UPDATE]
More praise for CheetaMounts! I was able to return the original Head which I believed to be defective. I spoke with the service rep and he was very help and understanding. I RMA’d the Head and got the replacement very quickly… now for the important info:
The replacement head is much, much better at panning than the original. It is as smooth as the Pro model (AVTP) that I also own. However, the Tilt action did suffer from a “bump” almost right at the level position. But, I did work the head for about an hour to break it in and the “bump” seems to be gone or at least very minimal.
Both the AVTP (Pro) and the AVT models have very good fluid style Heads, especially for the price range. I will say though, that there seems to be a consistency issue with the Ravelli heads. I have 2 AVTP tripods plus this AVT model and they each require a different tension setting to get an approximate/same panning & tilt action. Not a problem, just not consistent.
Again, for the price you get a very, very good value. I would highly recommend either model to anyone looking for a bargin – great bang for you buck!
[ORIGINAL Review]
First, major praise for CheetaMounts for their really, really fast delivery! WOW! I don’t know how they do it, but they get their orders out fast!!!!
What’s in the box:
* Tripod
* 2-way fluid head
* 2 handles/arms (to attach to the head)
* 2 base mounting plates (one already in the head and an extra one)
* 1 carrying bag
* 1 hex wrench
Fit & Finish:
* The Head: It is solid and very heavy, not what I expected at this price. The only plastic piece is the handle used to adjust the tension for the tilt. Looks like other “pro” heads and has the same features. The two included handles attach to the head and can be adjusted for proper angle.
* The legs (sticks): They are a mix of metal, aluminum, and plastic. The overall construction is metal & aluminum. The plastic pieces are used in the locking sections to secure the position of bolts in the flip-locks. (I’m a little concerned that with heavy use, these may not last… but with care, I’m sure I’ll get a lot of mileage out of them.) The feet could have used a bit more design improvement, but they do provide basic function – rubber or spiked, just spin the foot assembly to expose the spike. There is no locking nut so if you pickup and move the tripod there’s a chance a foot will spin out of position, thus requiring a re-leveling. (I solved this loose-spinning problem w/ some generous amounts of plumbers tape to give the threads some bite to allow the foot assembly to stay in place.) Speaking of leveling, there’s one circle-bubble level at the base of the head.
Form & Function:
Once all pieces are assembled and the legs are locked off, the stance of the tripod is very solid. (I only have a Canon HF-S100 w/ all the accessories, so I can’t say if it can support heavier rigs…) The tension of the pan and tilt is very stiff. On mine, the tilt is very smooth through the whole range. It is consistent and I’m very pleased with its capabilities.
[UPDATE: I've since recieved a replacement from CheetaMounts for the AVT Head. After a short "break-in" period on the new head to try to get rid of a "bump" that is evident right at the level position, I'm now able to pull very smooth pan action and almost the same level of smoothness in the tilt as the Pro version (AVTP). I'm not sure why the heads are different between the 2 models - they look the same other than handles & the bubble level, but I suspect the internal mechanism must be different some how. The problems I describe below for the pan action of the AVT head are no longer present with the replacement.]
The pan, however, is not as consistent. There are times when I get very smooth starts, stops, & continuous pans. Then there are other times when it feels like a bargain head. I’ve tried all the adjustments without much success. If your constantly moving the head, like following a sport from the sideline, it works great. However, the moment you stop the head and try to start again, your taking a gamble whether or not you hit a “sticky” point. This is probably fixable, but I haven’t it figured out yet…
Summary:
For all the features you get, you can’t beat the price. If you are looking for a bargain on pro features and you can live with what you’re getting, then this is the tripod for you. I like mine, I added the Ravelli tripod dolly as well. The combination is great and makes the tripod even more sturdy yet portable. I can live with the panning issues especially for the price. It’s a good buy for amateurs!
Ryan n. @ 7:00 am
I got this tripod because i had a cheap 20 dollar one before that constantly broke, i debated saving up for a fm18 head and legs, but then i found this. In my media arts class we have a fm18 head and a manfrotto 501, if i was blind folded i would not be able to pick out the difference between this and them except for the manfrottos single handle.
I’m a skateboard filmer, so portablity is a must, at least until i can drive (im 14), the bag it comes with is great, i throw it on my backpacks skatestraps with my non filming board over it and it works great. This head is the smoothest i have even used for the price, other plastic pan heads with legs that cost 50 more than this preform worse. My only pet peeve is the pan adjustments, you cant have them too tight or you run into bumps when panning, but thats it.
BILLUKE @ 7:31 am
I like some other people was a little hesitent about buying this for the fact that it is so cheap.However,I am totally impressed with this tripod.Yeah,it might not compare to a $400.00 tripod,but it’s a quater of the price.The construction is pretty solid and the tilt/pan are very smooth.As far as holding weight,I have a SONY HVR-HD-1000u that weighs around 12 lbs with all accesories and the AVT holds it easily.Bottom line is if your on a budget this tripod will do the trick.
Ethan Illfelder @ 9:40 am
Its a very good tripod, the panning is very smooth, not perfect but awesome at the price. The build quality rivals far more expensive models, the head is built like a tank! Above all the customer support is beyond anything you would expect… It is a small company, they manufacture in china but are based in the US and they are fully responsive to an issues you might incur. I had a manufacturers error on an early model , thought I was just going to live with it considering the company I bought it from, and left a review reflecting the error within the next day I was contacted and they replaced it, payed for shipping and were extremely courteous on the matter. Will buy from them again, cant wait to see there next generation tripods- They will be amazing