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.

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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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Read our review conclusions on page 3 of this review.Finally, there is a list of product specifications on page 4.

Conclusions

Overall, the Velbon Sherpa 750R is a reassuringly solid tripod that is compact and versatile. It’s competitively priced, too, though we found that its price did vary widely. The pan and tilt head won’t satisfy ball-head fans, though, and we don’t see the point of the wind-up mechanism for the centre column.

But with these caveats in mind, the Velbon Sherpa 750R gets a DPNow Recommended award.

Find more in the rest of this review article:

Don't forget our pictorial tour of the Velbon Sherpa 750R. Finally, there is a list of product specifications on page 4.

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.