I need a decent tripod and this is about as much as I can afford. It's down to the D&S or the Weifeng 717 for me at this point. I like the look and feel of the D&S but have read conflicting things about how well it works with the size and shape of the XHA1s. Any experience?

FWIW, I am not in a position to buy a more expensive tripod at this moment. I can't wait until I can afford a better tripod. PLEASE don't leave any of those, "if you aren't spending $_, it ain't worth a crap" comments - it does me no good.

There are User Reviews here:

Davis & Sanford FM18 Fluid Head FM18 B&H Photo Video


John

Royston, did you end up getting the D & S? I'm looking for a cheap tripod for my 2nd camera and I've also narrowed it down to these two. I think I'm really leaning towards the D & S at this stage.

Hi John:

I did wind up with the Davis & Sanford, and so far I think it's really quite nice. I get very smooth pans and tilts, and it handles my XHA1s with no problem. After a few tries getting the camera on and off is not an issue, nor do I find the pan and tilt controls to be in the way. I wish the leg clamps were metal instead of plastic, but they feel substantial and the tripod feels very secure and stable when extended. All in all, I like it very well. I'll be saving up for something more sophisticated, but for now it's great.

Thanks Royston.

I actually already ordered one last week. I paid $170 for shipping (almost as much as the tripod cost from B & H!) but it still worked out a lot cheaper than anything that is available is Australia. I made sure I filled the parcel up with SDHC cards and other goodies to get my value out of the shipping.

I think the amount I saved on all the items compared to the prices in Australia almost cancelled out the shipping cost. I saved $100 on the Zoom H4n alone, so even if the tripod is a dud then at least the whole process will not have been in vein.

does this head have an adjustable weight spring that allows it to stay tilted without locking ?

How well does it work with very small and light video cameras ?