Velbon’s 4-section Sherpa 750R semi-pro tripod has much to commend it

Typical prices: UK£89.95, US$119

Velbon is a long established tripod brand from Japan, harking back as far as 1955. The Velbon Sherap 750R that we’re looking at here is categorised by Velbon as a semi-professional model. It’s a compact design, with four section legs and lever-style locks. The legs can be locked to a near-horizontal position for very low shooting and the centre column can be split in half to maximise the low position afforded by the legs.

The centre column is raised and lowered by a folding lever wind mechanism. These are useful for larger tripods designed for carrying hefty cameras and lenses, but as the Sherpa 750R has a recommended 4kg limit, the usefulness of a wind-up mechanism for the centre column is rather outweighed by the limited speed at which you can change the height of the column.

Three way pan and tilt head

The Velbon Sherpa 750R is supplied with a matching three-way pan and tilt head, with a cork-finished quick release plate. This head is a video camera style design, with a control arm that can lock and unlock both pan and tilt movement in one single-handed twist of the handle. It’s particularly useful for following moving subjects.

Each leg section is independently locked using a plastic lever-type leg lock. These proved easy to operate, weren’t excessively noisy and proved sturdy in use. At the base of each leg is a rubberised plastic foot. There is no indication that alternative style feet, like retractable spikes, can be used. It’s usual for metal tripods to feature one upper leg section covered in a foam sleeve, which avoids having to hold cold bare metal, but Velbon hasn’t provided this luxury with the Sherpa 750R.

Find more in the rest of this review article:

Read our review conclusions on page 3 of this review and don't forget our pictorial tour of the Velbon Sherpa 750R too. Finally, there is a list of product specifications on page 4.

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Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod review

DPNow Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod review
Here is a summary or excerpt from an article that has just been published on DPNow: If you are look... (more)

Ian Re: Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod review
This is the first of a series of reviews of affordable tripods that are in the pipeline for the next... (more)

Stephen Re: Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod review
Nice one Ian, I look forward to your reports on the others. As regards this one, I agree about th... (more)

jojo Re: Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod review
I've got one of these and that centre column is well-wobbly (as discussed previously with Pol!) I t... (more)

Stephen Re: Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod review
Presumably the column separates in some way from the head or otherwise it won't go down as far as t... (more)

jojo Re: Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod review
Splendid suggestion Sir ;) Ian.............?:D... (more)

Stephen Re: Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod review
Ah, he has already mentioned the way.......[url]http://dpnow.com/PHPcode/bigpic.php?filenum=14&arti... (more)

jojo Re: Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod review
Uh oh, guess I gave Ian's post "a little boys look" :rolleyes: ;) jo... (more)

Pol Re: Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod review
Jo, look down at the base of the centre column and you'll see a black knob. It's a sort of wheel ... (more)

Pol Re: Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod review
I have to agree the long arm can sometimes be a tad 'in the way' - but I also find my Manfrotto p... (more)

Pol Re: Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod review
Jo, I've just been away adding a red arrow to one of Ian's pics (hope you don't mind, Ian). The ... (more)

jojo Re: Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod review
Gawd bless ya Pol, done it! Also just worked out how to get the legs to splay :rolleyes: Well, ... (more)

Pol Re: Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod review
I just happen to be married to a bloke who has a room cluttered with loads of these things and ... (more)