Experience with Slik 700dx?

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I know everyone and their brother seems to swear by Bogen 3021 tripods, but does anyone out there have any experience using a Slik 700 DX? It's less expensive than the 3021 with a 3047 combination, but, more importantly there are no Bogen retailers in the area for me to check out their tripods. Slik seems to be in every store. Any comments?

-- Mike (michael.kear@ey.com), November 25, 1998

Answers

Yeah, Slik is everywhere. Because their tripods are cheaper and produce higher profit to the store owner than Bogen's, who wouldn't want to sell them.

-- Hiroshi Shigematsu (pooh02@earthlink.net), November 25, 1998.

Hi Mike,

I had a similar problem. At least I got to see the 3021 legs and the 3030 and 3047 heads, but my final set-up decision was made by feedback from the photo.net and and internet research (Bogen & Manfrotto pages).

Compared with Bogen the low end (because they were so cheap) Slik's (I don't recall a #) in my local store, the Bogen was a clear winner.....

See my Bogen thread here on the equipment page for more details and may be helpful insights.

-- Marcus Erne (mcerne@evansville.net), November 25, 1998.


I do not have experience with slik 700DX but would like to share my bad experience with tripods. In my country, India, availability is big problem. I started using a Taiwan made JAUNT tripod. This was a solid looking Al tubed one with Plastic joints. Saddled with my FM2 & 80-200 f2.8 the head used to shake even if you breath lightly. The reasons that I could find out was that the Plastic hinges are flexing and the rubber foot supplied was very soft. I then decided to change to a better tripod and in the mean time came across an advertisment of SLIK 900DX and asked a friend of mine to get it for me. He has nothing to do with photography let alone tripods. The black beauty was a big let down, it is as shaky as that of my Jaunt. After all these bad experience and going through the threads on photonet I decided to go in for a Gitzo or Bogen. I found an used GITZO INTER PRO STUDEX in mint condition. It cost me slightly more than that I had spent on my earlier tripods. The experience was different, it is very stable and assuring even with my 300 f2.8. IMHO please try out the tripod mounting your gear on it before buying. Check out its stability, ease of seting up and do not bother about brands alone. I still belive that a decent tripod could be made at a resonable price by most of the manufacturers. So if you can, please do look out for them. If I have to buy without trying out I would stick to a known model from one of the brands even though they cost more.

-- Anil.N.S (anilns@hotmail.com), November 27, 1998.

The 700DX is Slik's answer to the Bogen 3021. If there are no Bogen dealers in your area, The U212 is probably the biggest tripod they will carry in the Slik line. It (the U212) is a long way from being a match to the 3021. As for the 700DX, if they do carry it, make sure all of the joints are metal. As someone below points out plastic will become flimsy, even if it feels good at first. Also make sure the head is attached with a standard 3/8 inch bolt so it can be changed if you decide to.

As for the price, the B&H sourcebook lists the 700DX at $174.95. The 3021 is $95.95 + $59.95 for the 3047 head = $155.90, or for black 3221 $108.90 + $59.95 = $168.85, so either is less expensive. Did you see a price for the 300DX instead? It is the Slik equivalent to the Bogen 3001, and is a little cheaper than the 3001 + 3047.

Since I have never seen any of the high end Sliks I can only recommend the Bogen 3221, which most people seem to agree is the best VALUE of any tripod made. Read Bob's review in the Nature Photography section of photo.net.

-- Brad (reloader@webtv.net), November 27, 1998.


Since I don't have any experience with Slik 700DX, I can't comment on that one. However, I do own Bogen 3221W for about a year; and I can recommend it, without hesitation, to anybody who can afford it. Unless you put a really heavy stuff (600mm f/4 or 500mm f/4 etc.) on it, the tripod should handle the load with ease. Also, the black-finish, spiked feet, and foam padding on the legs are well worth paying the extra for. I think Bogen 3221(W) is the best value you can possibly find anywhere. If you want lighter or steadier tripod and willing to spend several hundred dollars, you can consider Gitzo tripods (especially, carbon fiber ones are nicer), too. It all depends on how much money you are willing to spend, though.

-- Hiroshi Shigematsu (pooh02@earthlink.net), November 30, 1998.


Yes, I have a Slik 700DX and I am using it in combination with Minolta alpha 807si (Japanese naming, same as Dynaxx 800) with 28-105/3.5-4.5, APO 100-300/4.5-5.6 and Tamron 90/2.8 Macro 1:1.

I got Slik 700DX rather than Manfrotto 55 (Bogen 3021), mostly because of the sheer price difference (cheaper), with both the pod and head put together. To make a long story short, overall, I am quite happy with it.

Several comments. First, some pluses.

1. It is quite tall when I fully extend the legs, i.e. it comes to 1900 mm, for its weight (3.2 kg, including the head), without resorting to pulling up the center pole. This means that most of the time I don't have to fully extend the legs. It's sturdy, stable and solid.

2. You lock the length of the legs with snap-on levers. You can expand and collaps the legs pretty fast as you get used to it.

3. The three-way head comes with a round-shaped quick-release, which is handy. The head has a pair built-in bubble inclinometers for levelling.

Some minuses.

4. I preferred the legs be painted black but they are shiny silver- colored.

5. The center pole height is not controlled by an elevator gear. You have to hand-slide it up and down, if you want to change that.

6. The center pole that comes by default is long and it won't split into two pieces. Thus the minimum pod height goes down only to 620 mm. You have to get an optional replacement pole to get to 400 mm. Actually you can invert the center pole so that the camera is supported underneath the head. This configuration is Okay if the lens is pointing straight downward (i.e.looking down vertically). However, if you want to point the lens horizontally(-ish) in this case, I find that this configuration is not too stable; I mean it feels kinda flimsy a little bit.

In conclusion, if you are into macro shooting and want to support the camera in very low positions, I suggest you try out both Slik 700DX and Bogen/Manfrotto and decide which one feels better with you. In practical Macro shooting you'd have to control the camera height AND angle at the same time, plus the Macro lens gets elongated pretty long for increased maginifications; so by adjusting the opening angles and lengths of the legs in non-uniform ways, I have been able to manage most cases; but still sometimes I feel like having a smaller, sturdy pods for shooting small, short flowers on the ground.

For most other scnenic photos, portraits, etc I have no complaints whatsoever. Slik says that 700DX is good for SLR cameras with lenses up to 300mm zooms. Definitely OK with 80-200mm/F2.8-class lenses. According to them, it starts being problematic with 300mm/F2.8.

-- Nobu Toge (toge@lcdev.kek.jp), April 19, 1999.


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