Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This arm is a high quality, well thought out accessory. It comes with a medium ball head with locking quick release camera plate. The plate clamp has the usual secondary locking lever to prevent accidental release. The camera mounted release plate is a Bogen-Manfrotto style plate, which is nice if you already use this QR system or have more than one camera. The included ball head is a simple single lever design, and operates smoothly, locking in position where you set it without shifting. There a 90 degree notch in the base that allows you to angle the head all the way over, but (like other ball heads) the top plate can hit the base when angling it all the way depending on the camera/position/adjustment/etc. It screws on to the arm end, so you could replace it with your own if you want. I like it the way it is.
The whole package is well though out, and the free end of the arm is weighted somewhat to help stabilize camera loads on the other end. The arm screws to your tripod at a right angle with the attached mounting plate. It comes with a brief user guide if you can't figure it out how to use it.
I like the arm adjustment, which uses nicely finished large diameter tubes in 2 sections, with solid clamps that are smooth and tight so it doesn't wiggle, shift or move when set. The weight of your camera, and the stability of your tripod will dictate the amount of safe extension you can use without unbalancing everything, but you get lots of adjustment here. It seems strong enough for any camera setup, within reason. I have a quality Bogen tripod with adjustable center column, and it's very stable.
Depending on the camera load, you could mount the whole rig directly to the column, to a tilt/swivel head, or to another ball head as I do. This is a fast way to get just the right angle, just be aware that the included ball head has no real tension feature, so even though it releases smoothly enough, keep one hand on the camera before loosening.
This Photek arm is a nice addition for macro or studio product shooting. It's nicely finished in all black, and It comes fully assembled and ready to go. If you shoot with a light tent, this is a must have accessory to get the camera positioned just right. You could easily spend more on a compact ball head alone. I've been using this arm for about 3 weeks now, and gave it 5 stars because I think its a good value, and more importantly, is a quality piece of gear that will last a long time.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Photek The eXtender, 38" Telescopic Horizontal Tripod Arm with Ball Head.
The purpose of this invention is to provide a device that frees the camera from the restraints of the traditional camera tripod, allowing the camera to be set in any fixed position necessary in the making of a photograph.Supplied with a quick-release ball head, the eXtender is designed to function easily with digital, 35mm and medium format cameras.Its telescopic design, total length of 38", allows the camera to be placed well apart and beyond the support legs of the tripod itself
