Home > Consumer Reviews > SLIK 615-315 Professional Photo/video Tripod with Panhead

I bought this tripod based on reviews I read on the net, and was not led astray at all. The Pro 700DX is well made, very sturdy, very tall, and light for it's overall size. It is made with high quality, black powder coat castings. The main casting tying the legs together is built with very clever, well made 3 position leg angle locks that are all metal in construction, lock in place with authority, and are simple to operate with with one hand. There is nothing in the way of cheesy parts anywhere on this tripod. It reeks of "pro-gear" quality and feel.

The pan head is rated for 15 pounds of equipment, and though the tripod itself can carry much more weight, the combination is a nice one. The pan head has nice controls, has two useful bubble levels built in, is built to high standards, and utilizes the Slik "Quick Shoe" system to full advantage. I have used many tripod systems over the decades, and have used many quick release plates as they came to market. Nobody has come up with a system that can beat the round plate system that Slik has on the market now. Not even the expensive European brands. It is secure. A camera or flash can be mounted in seconds even in total darkness,and the camera or accessory can be rotated on the head a full 360 degrees while securely locked onto the head, and before snapping the position locking tab shut. I bought 3 additional quick shoes that now live on my camera bodies, and long lenses. There is nothing else like it.

Ball head fans (I'm one) can swap out the pan-tilt head for the Slick ball head 800, or any other ball head on the market in about a minute. Both the standard and short center columns come with reversible threaded studs to handle most heads that might interest you.

The legs and center column are rather large diameter round units that have two lengthwise grooves built in to securely locate the leg sections, and keep them from twisting. It's an elegent way to get the strength and light weight of round tripod legs, as well as the twist free virtues of box section legs. The legs and center column are made of a titanium alloy, and seem to be much more rigid, stronger, and lighter than common aluminum legs. The finish is nicer as well, and I expect a better service life from this alloy over aluminum parts.

One thing that the photo here does not show is the replaceable black foam sleeves that cover the top leg sections. They make for a nice feel, offer protection to the tripod when it's bouncing around in the trunk of a car, probably damp a little vibration, and just plain look nice. The leg extension locks are typical high quality Slik quick action lever designs that are a pleasure to adjust. They are made of tough plastic, and if history is any indicator, they will last forever.

The best feature of this tripod for someone tall (I'm 6'5") is it's height. With the legs fully extended, and center column down, it is solid as a rock, and I can look through the viewfinder without bending into an uncomfortable position. With the column extended, I'd need a stepladder to look into the viewfinder. Based on internet reviews, I ordered the short center column when I bought the 700DX. It offers enough height to do any field work, is reversible like the standard column, and allows the tripod to get real low for solid macro work at ground level.

I simply can't think of another tripod at twice the price that is built as tough, offers as many features, or anywhere near as much value as the 700DX for an SLR shooter. Carbon fiber is lighter, but costs more, and isn't as durable. This tripod is an awesome value.

My favorite part of this tripod system has to be the simple but clever "Quick Shoe" it is round and pops in and out with a flick of the locking lever. Mounting the shoe to the camera is simple with the mount screw that is fixed to the center of the shoe.. just tuist untill it is tight. I have no problems leaving this mounted to my cameras all the time. Some other brands stick out so that you can not set the camera down without making it unstable... and other shoes are nearly impossible to mount firmly to the camera.

This tripod has two handy bubble levels, a max height of 74 inches (great for us taller photographers) and an optional short center colum for low level shots.

Buy this tripod and it should outlast your camera.

I purchased the Slik Pro 700DX seven or eight months ago and have only used it a dozen or so times since then, for a couple of weddings, and a couple of other events. It does appear very solid, the height is good, and I like the way the head words pretty well, too. A week ago I would have given it 4 or perhaps 5 stars.

But my enthusiasm has waned just a bit after what happened this last weekend. I was setting up for an outdoor portrait shoot. When I pulled one of the legs out in the same way I've always done, the end segment of the leg simply came all of the way out of the rest of the leg, as if I were taking my shoe off and my foot came with it! Some little pieces of white plastic fell out on the ground. It was clear that these little pieces were critically important to the locking mechanism but I played with it for several minutes and could not figure out how to fix it immediately, so I wasn't able to use it that day. Thank goodness it wasn't a wedding where this would have been a fairly serious problem - and an embarrassment as well.

I contacted support at THK which provides support for this tripod here in the USA. I'm happy to report that I got a rapid response from a knowledgeable support person. I'd asked if I could fix it myself and he helpfully sent me a parts diagram. I haven't been able to fix it yet, but if I can't I'll send it in for warranty repair.

Still, I didn't expect this to happen. I simply haven't used the tripod that heavily and even if I had, it looks and feels so sturdy that I never would have expected a leg simply to break. I need a tripod this coming weekend once again and I'm either going to have to fix this one or buy another to use while this one's being repaired. Having two tripods is of course not a bad thing. But I'm not sure I'll buy another of this same model.

I bought this model because I too saw the many good reviews it's gotten. Perhaps I got a bad one. That can happen with any mass-produced product.

Really solid tripod. Nice finish and features, and no complaints about any pieces seeming like they're going to break any time soon. I like the quick connect that allows the camera to be rotated, and the three-position legs are a cool feature. The Slik large tripod bag fits it well, though it would be nice to have some padding in the bag. It's not light (7.05lbs) or short when collapsed(29.92"). You'd want something lighter and shorter as a travel tripod, but that's the tradeoff for a rock solid tall tripod.

This is a sturdy, solid tripod that is a great value for the money. As detailed in other reviews, it can easily immobilize a big SLR and telephoto. So in use, it's a very nice piece.

Mine came with a "free" tripod bag from Slik. It's nice to have, but the tripod only fits into it with one or both of the pan-head handles detached. The handles, for some reason, are slightly different lengths, but both thread into the up/down and the right/left hinge for the pan-head. If you use the wrong one, it will bottom out before it tightens the connection so you end up having to take it all the way out and put the other one in. I ended up using colored tape to mate the right handle with the right hole, and that works OK. The tripod only fits in the case with the handles off (as best I can tell) so you end up taking them on and off, and once off, they are loose in the tripod bag, or worse, somewhere else when you go to use your tripod. If anyone from SLIK reads this, I'd suggest you just put a 25 cent bolt into the bottom of the extension tube plug, and that way the handles (which mate together) could be stored attached to the tripod. My only other issue is the instructions, which should be better. There is actually no clear diagram of how to mount the camera on the head, so you're left to figure that out.

Still a good unit for the money though. I can live with the other stuff, just suggestions that wouldn't seem to take much work and could make a very good tripod a great tripod!

2/9/08 UPDATE: I figured out that if you nest te two pan head handles and attach them to the "up/down" part of the head, it is possible to store the tripod in the bag that way and have all the parts together. In use, the tripod is rock solid and a great value for the money.