Magnus VT-4000 Tripod Review

I wanted to create a 2-minute review of the Magnus VT-4000 tripod now that I’ve had it for a few years. I know I love to do my homework and watch reviews before I buy any of my filmmaking gear, so I figured I’d add my voice for anyone deciding what to buy.

I bought this tripod on Amazon in September 2013, so I’ve had it for just under three years now. With any tripod, the durability is going to be a question, and I want to point out that it’s still going strong for me. I’ve used it almost weekly – both indoors and out – and it hasn’t failed me yet.

I mainly use the tripod for simple video work, but I have also used it for photography and it works perfectly well for that. I also wanted to point out that I use both a Nikon DSLR and a larger prosumer Panasonic HPX-170, and it’s really great for both. In fact, the fluid head is even slightly easier to get smooth shots out of with the larger, heavier camera. It feels very sturdy and not at all cheap.

I know when I was in the market for a quality but reasonably priced set of sticks there were a ton of options, and it was difficult to choose a specific model. All I can say is that I’m happy that I went with the VT-4000 – primarily because it can take the weight. It’s rated for 8.8 pounds, whereas the VT-3000 is only rated for 6.6 pounds, for example. When you start adding on-camera lights, a shotgun mic, a wireless mic receiver, an external monitor, et cetera, it’s nice to not have to worry about your tripod handling it all.

Also, I really like the quick release plate that the VT-4000 comes with. It slides on and off really easily but also secures nicely to the head. Practically, this is important to me especially when shooting with my DSLR camera because I often have to swap out batteries, and that’s something I have to take the camera off of the tripod to do. This way, the entire camera and plate can pop off, I can flip over the camera get to the battery compartment, swap in the fresh battery, and put the camera back exactly where it was before – with everything still locked down as it was.

Finally, when I was looking into buying a tripod, I found that a lot of reviews mentioned an issue with the carry case that it comes in. Many people have stated that the bag is too small or a pain to use. I almost didn’t buy the tripod for this reason, but I decided to risk it, and I see that those same complaints are still circling around. I wanted to clear up that the bag fits the tripod perfectly.

It’s snug so that the tripod doesn’t bounce around inside when you carry it, but that’s a good thing. The trick is to make sure that the length of the tripod head is oriented parallel to the zippers. You can leave the head loose if you want to let it have some play when you insert it into the bag. If you try to place the tripod in the bag with the head going sideways, it makes the whole thing fatter, and it won’t zip up properly. After you realize this, you’ll have no problem taking the tripod in and out of the case quickly.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick review, and I fully recommend buying the Magnus VT-4000 tripod if you’re in the market and trying to decide. If you do decide to buy, I’d appreciate you using this link: