Cullman Magic II Tripod Review

[saturndb]

Review for Cullman Magic II Tripod

Oh how many post have we seen asking "what tripod to take to Disney?" and people say this one or that one. So after taking one down to Disney World, I dicided to give a short review.

For my upcoming trip to Disney, I wanted a small lightweight tripod to take with me. I do own a very nice, but heavy and old Gitzo tripod that would not work for me to take around the parks. So after searching the internet I came across the Cullman Magic II Tripod. It seemed to be what I was looking for. A lightweight, small, travel tripod that would not take up much room in the backpack I make my wife carry.
Here are some pictures of this tripod:

Here are some general specs:
Closed length 13.75 inches
Max height 56.00 inches
Min height 13.00 inches
Weight 2.5 pounds
Max load 7.7 pounds

Estimated set up or tear down time 20 seconds.

Includes 2 way tripod head and quick release plate.

Street price 70.00 on eBay or up to 150.00 new online.

Center column can be removed and used as a monopod.

I must say when I bought the tripod, I expected to try it down at the "World" and then return it, and I just did not believe it would work well for me. After using it for 2 firework shows and many night shots at the wilderness lodge, I was impressed. It is not to be used in very windy situations, as it is not sturdy enough but it worked great for me down at Disney. Set up it real easy just untwist the “plastic” quick lock leg locks and extend, then you need to unlock the center column and flip it from the bottom and move it to the top and then lock it into place. You can then extend the center column some more to gain more height if needed. Though the tripod head that comes with the tripod is not by any means the best, though it does do a decent job. I will be upgrading to a different ball head in the future for better versatility and support. I tested the tripod with a Canon 40D and a Sigma 70-300, Canon 50mm 1.8 and my Tokina 19-35mm lenses to see how it would hold up and I must say it did a fine job. I did not feel the tripod was unstable at all, but on windy days, this would not be my first choice to use.

What would I like to see changed about this tripod, if anyone ever updates it? First a better ball head, the one included is just not adjustable and sturdy enough. Second they should definitely change the quick lock joints from plastic to rubber for better ease of use. Other then that this tripod rocks!

If you are looking for a Disney tripod to take to the parks, this one is hard to pass up. I would definitely recommend taking one for a Disney “test drive”.

I give this tripod 3 out of 4 Mickeys...

Dave

Oh and my DW says -I’m Dave’s wife and I approve this message.

 

[C&B Young]

Hmmm... we were just starting to try and figure out which tripod to take to Disney World! The light one we currently have isn't compact, and the compact one we have isn't very light. This might be just what we're looking for. Thanks for the review!!

 

[NateNLogansDad]

I've just started looking around at tripods and monopods. Thanks for the review! This is def going on the maybe list.

 

[saturndb]

It is worth at least giving it a try..... very light and portable

Dave

 

[saturndb]

Hmmm... we were just starting to try and figure out which tripod to take to Disney World! The light one we currently have isn't compact, and the compact one we have isn't very light. This might be just what we're looking for. Thanks for the review!!

what compact tripod do you have??

Dave

 

[C&B Young]

what compact tripod do you have??

Dave

Our compact tripod right now is a Velbon Ultra Maxi F. We actually got a fantastic deal on it at a camera show, it was supposed to be on sale for $79.99 but they had a whole skid of them marked at $7.99 and didn't catch their error until much later in the day! We didn't realize how underpriced it was until we got home, otherwise we would've bought a dozen of them and put them on eBay. Although it is compact, it's not very sturdy when fully extended.

 

[saturndb]

Our compact tripod right now is a Velbon Ultra Maxi F. We actually got a fantastic deal on it at a camera show, it was supposed to be on sale for $79.99 but they had a whole skid of them marked at $7.99 and didn't catch their error until much later in the day! We didn't realize how underpriced it was until we got home, otherwise we would've bought a dozen of them and put them on eBay. Although it is compact, it's not very sturdy when fully extended.

That is one big savings

Dave

 

[Groucho]

A lightweight, small, travel tripod that would not take up much room in the backpack I make my wife carry.

For shame! Is she available to rent for upcoming trips? That might come in handy.

On a serious note - one trick to add a little extra stability is to hang some weight off the tripod, as close to the center as possible. The flat tops of the legs may come in handy for that.

 

[saturndb]

For shame! Is she available to rent for upcoming trips? That might come in handy.

I always say she is my assistant and if the price is right, she is availble for short term rentals

On a serious note - one trick to add a little extra stability is to hang some weight off the tripod, as close to the center as possible. The flat tops of the legs may come in handy for that.

I have tried that with a packpack and it does help some


Dave

 

[fitzperry]

Thanks for the review. I've been intrigued by this tripod because it is so compact and lightweight but claims to be able to support my D300 with an average size lens and is relatively inexpensive. I'm too lazy to carry a heavy tripod and my husband and kids refuse to be my sherpas when we're out and about. And carbon fiber is sadly not in the budget. I may give this a try.

 

[saturndb]

it is very lightweight and I had my 40d and a sigma 70-300 lens on it and it was more then stable (just sold that lens, I am going to upgrade to a L lens 70 -200). I got mine from adorama and they do have a 14 return policy. You would just have to pay shipping cost.

Dave