One of the camera accessories that can be described as a 'must-have' is the tripod. I love taking the best photos possible, but I highly dislike blurry photos. Although modern digital cameras have anti-shake feature (example: Sony's SteadyShot), there are times when the photo appears blurry, even with the anti-shake feature switched on, due to shaky hands. In fact, I have to admit, my hands tend to tremble whenever I took photos, making some of my photos appear blurry when viewed in full resolution.
And so, in this new blog post, I am making a review of the Johoyo JY-22 Tripod.
LOOKING FOR A NEW TRIPOD
I used to own a tripod for photography, a Sakure TR-32. The said tripod was originally included with the purchase of my Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W1 camera. Unfortunately, it broke due to an accident in late 2015, neccessitating me to look for a new one. In fact, ever since my old tripod broke, I have stopped taking night-time photos and figurine photos.
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| Johoyo JY-22 tripod's box, wrapped in plastic. |
THE PACKAGE
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| The tripod's box, bag and the tripod (plastic sheath removed). |
The tripod comes packed inside a long yellow box. Inside the box is the tripod itself, placed in a black tripod bag with no decals, and the tripod is also protected in a plastic sheath. The tripod is black in colour and has its brand and model name decal printed on one of the legs.
FEATURES
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| The tripod, with its legs spread. |
Unlike the Sakure TR-32 tripod I used to have, the Johoyo JY-22 has a number of features that are different from my old tripod:
Firstly, the centre column height adjustment uses a crank handle to increase or decrease the height, and a locking ring (as in the photo above) to lock it in place.
Secondly, the arm guide has a locking ring that can be twisted slightly to lock the brace arms in place, thus preventing the tripod legs from closing.
Thirdly, it has two spirit levellers: one tubular leveller at the panhead, and one bulls-eye leveller, shown above.
And finally, the quick-release plate housing has a small, spring-operated protrusion that stops the locking lever from retracting when the quick-release plate is removed.
All other features, such as pan and tilt adjustment and tripod leg extensions, remains the same.
USAGE, HANDLING AND OPINION
After getting to know the new features of the tripod, I started using it right away. As mentioned earlier, the tripod uses a crank handle to adjust the centre column height.
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| Cranking the handle to adjust the centre column height. |
I also liked how the quick-release plate can be placed in any position, be it horizontally or vertically (as shown above). By comparison, my old tripod can only be placed on one position only. The pan-handle's tilt adjustment is smooth and well-lubricated. The side tilt adjustment was okay, although I have to be careful not to twist the locking nut too tight.
Unfortunately, the pan adjustment is the biggest drawback here. The one I had here has its pan adjustment being tight and unlubricated. In fact, loosening or removing the panning lock nut (knob) doesn't work at all, and I have to pan the tripod's panhead somewhat forcefully.
As for the tripod's build quality, it was good, for a tripod priced at RM59. I personally loved the black finishing for the aluminium parts, and the aluminium legs feel sturdy. I also liked the quality of the rubber soles for the tripod legs. The plastic parts used for the tripod was okay too.
CONCLUSION
After testing and using the tripod, I can say that I am happy and satisfied with it, and I would recommend it. I loved the black finishing of the tripod, the build quality is good, and the aluminium legs feel sturdy. I also liked the cranking feature of the centre column height adjustment, the small protrusion at the quick-release plate housing, and also the quick-release plate's interchangeable positions.
The bad thing about this tripod? One, and only one: the pan adjustment's lack of lubrication.
RemainUnknown522 Out.
