JTL ET-11B Black Tripod with Quick Release 3-Way Pan Head & Case, #6114

Rating:
Summary: Obvious design flaws and poor workmanship.
Review: This is a review of the JTL Studio Systems ET-11B Tripod (model 6114 tripod with TH-33 head).

Despite of the "Designed in America" on the little keychain-like tag attached to the tripod, it is actually made in the Peoples Republic of China. And perhaps this alone goes a long way towards explaining the obvious design flaws and poor workmanship.

First, the tilt of the head does not rotate a full 90° to allow for truly vertical pictures. This is caused by the upper section of the head hitting the lower section as it tilts. It is an obvious design flaw that should have fixed even before the tripod reached the factory, much less store shelves.

Second, there was significant play in the quick release mount. Part of it was caused by small protrusions where metal was injected into the mold during the manufacturing process that prevented the quick release from fully inserting into the well on the tripod head. Even with these removed with a rotary grinding tool (along with the paint), there was still significant play remaining. Further study showed the quick release was also not entirely flat, rocking back and forth on a flat surface. After everything I did, I could not entirely eliminate the play in this mount, leaving enough to allow a 200mm lens to easily wiggle a full eighth of an inch without any movement of the tripod or tripod head.

Finally, the lower leg sections are too narrow to offer firm support. With my camera attached (a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 7 with zoom lens), even a gentle touch caused this tripod itself to wiggle significantly and the camera even more so (especially with the quick release play mentioned above). This might not be too much of an issue with very lightweight cameras, but will certainly impact heavier 35mm or larger format cameras.

The remaining complaints have to do with cosmetics and ease of use. The first is with the ugly case included. It is medium gray with white straps and white trim, which obviously does not fit well with my black camera equipment or black camera case. The second, more serious, is with the knobs on the head, which must be removed to even fit this tripod into that case. While I would rarely take a heavy tripod out of the studio, the combination of having to remove the knobs to fit it into an ugly case would virtually assure this tripod never left the studio.

After all that, I obviously cannot recommend this tripod to anyone.