Welcome to our ultimate Zomei Q666C review that we decided to publish after the success of our initial articles featuring Zomei tripods. Although the community has realized that the Zomei range offers an excellent product with a low price tag, we still like to cover them as much as possible to help make our readers aware that Manfrotto is not the only option out there when it comes to tripods!
Although a few years back, the Zomei range only had a small customer base, we are happy to report that this has changed and their customer base is growing at an almost exponential rate now. This rapid growth rate has also resulted in the brand earning an excellent reputation within the community and the Zomei Q666C also enjoyed a great reputation that is helping speed up its growth rate.
For those who are unaware, Zomei has become known as a more budget-friendly tripod brand while also offering some of the best quality available for their price points in the market. It is becoming a well-known fact that the excellent build quality, solid performance, and decent functionality of the Zomei products often allow them to compete with tripods at higher price points in the market while holding their own and the Zomei Q666C is no different.
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User Interface And Control System
On of the ways that Zomei are able to reduce the costs of their tripods is by sticking to the older tried and tested technologies on their tripod rather than striving to innovate the space. Once their competition innovates something on a tripod, Zomei is quick to reverse engineer it and then feature it on their next generation of tripods.
This system is definatley working to the advantage of Zomei as well as their customers as they are able to get modern advancements on their tripods without having to hike the price tag up. In our opinion, this is without a doubt one of the main reasons tripods like the Q666C are so popular within the community and show no signs of their growth slowing down anytime soon.
The ball head that comes with the Q666C shown in the image above is a great little tripod head that offers some solid performance while also being very easy to use. The control knobs on the head are very easy to turn to adjust the heads performance while the slight level of resistance allows you to accurately turn them as required.
Although the bubble level is in a fixed location, it has been placed in a location where it should remain visible even when you mount your camera rig on the tripod. This allows you to quickly and easily glance down during use to ensure that your tripod is still level without having to waste time or faff around. Although this may not sound like such a big deal, it can save you a fair amount of time both while capturing your photographs and in post-production.
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Depending on the niche you are working in, the included ball head may not be ideal as it does struggle with smooth slow pan video footage as well as capturing panoramic photographs. If you do plan to work in either of these niches then we would recommend that you pick up a pan head (Click here to check for product prices and availability) for the tripod. That said, this really is a very small niche and we would imagine that the ball head included with the Q666C will easily meet the needs of the vast majority of our readers.
The quick release plate that the head uses is solid too and allows you to quickly and easily mount or unmount your camera rig as required helping to save you time. Thankfully, the Zomei quick release plate (Click here to check for product prices and availability) is readily available unlike some competing brands meaning you can easily pick spares up to have one plate mounted on all of your camera bodies.
This can be a godsend if you are planning to use the tripod as part of a multi-camera rig as not only are the Zomei quick release plates cheap but they also let you save a bunch of time that would otherwise be wasted when swapping your active camera on and off the tripod. If you are involved in a niche like wildlife photographer where every second can count this can make the difference between capturing the photograph or missing the opportunity completely.
As the Zomei Q666C is a travel tripod, Zomei predicted that it would be as popular as it is with the YouTube travel vlogging scene. As many of these vloggers have to travel light, especially when it comes to their camera accessories, many of them will use their tripod for additional stability when vlogging rather than a gimbal.
Zomei took the time to ensure that the foam hand grips shown in the image above are comfortable enough to hold for extended periods of time without your hand cramping up. If you are planning on using the tripod for vlogging then this lets you hold the tripod with your camera rig mounted on it while talking into your camera for extended periods of time without issue.
The twist lock leg lock system shown in the image above on the Zomei Q666C is also very easy to use allowing you to quickly and easily get your tripod set up when on location without wasting time. We know that some people prefer to use tripods with twist lock legs but in reality, when it comes to the actual locking systems and the safety of your camera when mounted on the tripod, both systems are almost identical in this day and age and will prevent the tripod legs from giving way.
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Performance And Functionality
In our opinion, the main reason that the Zomei Q666C has proven such a hit with the community is that it offers some of the best performance available at its price point in the market without much real competition from other brands. In addition to this, as we touched on earlier, it also offers more performance than some of the higher price point tripods too.
Not only does the Q666C provide you with a reliable source of image stabilization for your camera rig but it also allows you to manipulate the tripod to ensure that you are able to get your camera rig in any position you require to capture the photograph or video footage that you require. With a maximum load capacity of 17.6 pounds, you can also rest assured that the Q666C is easily going to be able to support the weight of the vast majority of popular travel photography camera and lenses without issue.
When being used as a regular tripod, the Q666C offers you a maximum height of 61 inches and a minimum usable height of 20.4 inches as shown in the image below. This allows you to get some low angle photographs that could be an issue with some other tripods.
In addition to the low minimum height offering you some unique angles for your camera, the center column of the Zomei Q666C can be fully inverted as shown in the image below. Although some competing tripods do offer this feature, we just wanted to make our readers aware that it is also a feature of the Zomei Q666C and can offer some unique angle some tripods are unable to provide.
When fully collapsed the Q666C is just 14.5 inches while coming in at only 1.2 pounds including the tripod head. The ultra light weight and small size make it ideal for use as a travel tripod while also offering the functionality of a general tripod too. You can easily secure the Q666C in your hold luggage while traveling without it taking up too much space or weight meaning you always have a source of image stabilization while out on your travels.
In addition to this, the Zomei Q666C also has a fully detachable leg that can be used as a monopod as shown in the image above. Say you have traveled to your destination and need to hike to a specific location with a ton of heavy gear. You are able to quickly and easily detach the monopod leg from the Q666C to take the lighter and smaller monopod with you to get some great image stabilization when you get to your location.
The image below shows how you simply twist the detachable leg off from the main tripod body to prep the monopod leg. After that, you simply mount the easily removable center column of the tripod on the leg and you are good to go.
The Zomei Q666C also has a decent quality counterweight hook as shown in the image below. As travel tripods and travel camera rigs are often very light, they can be susceptible to being blown over when used in windy conditions. The counterweight hook allows you to quickly and easily mount some additional weight to the tripod frame to help increase its stability.
Although some people do purchase specifically designed counterweight bags for use with counterweight hooks. You are able to use things you have to hand like your backpack if needed. We have also seen people who simply use the carry case for the tripod and put a few rocks in it then hang it off the counterweight hook.
All in all, considering its price tag, we feel that the Zomei Q666C is an excellent quality tripod that is well worth the money. We can’t fault Zomei on the performance and functionality that it offers and can definatley see why it is such a popular product with such a great reputation within the community.
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Build Quality And Design
Although we were expecting the build quality of the Q666C to have been sacrificed as an easy way for Zomei to reduce their costs, we are pleased to say that this is not the case. The majority of the tripod is made from high-quality carbon fiber to ensure that it is as lightweight as possible while also being very robust and rugged.
There are a ton of travel tripods on the market that are pretty flimsy and can easily break when in your luggage traveling around so it is nice to finally see a reliable, cost-efficient tripod that can take a ton of punishment and work without issue as if nothing happened.
We have already covered the included ball head with the tripod earlier in the article but again, we feel that Zomei has smashed it out the park. As far as ball heads go, it does everything you would expect and performs very well and we feel it will meet the needs of the majority of our readers.
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FAQs
Question – Is the included quick release plate with the Zomei Q666C metal or plastic?
Answer – Although it has plastic on it, the majority of it is metal helping it hold its shape without warping and preventing issues of the plate getting stuck that are common with plastic plates.
Question – How does the Zomei Q666C perform on slippy surfaces?
Answer – The rubber feet at the base of each leg do a decent job of adding additional support for the tripod on a slippy surface but as always, take additional care with your rig when using it in these situations.
Third Party Reports
If you like, you can click here to read some independent reviews from third-party photographers and videographers who use the Zomei Q666C as their go-to tripod of choice. After reading a few you can easily see why the community hold the tripod in such a high regard.
Our Verdict
That brings our Zomei Q666C review to an end and we know that our article seems a little biased as it is overly positive but the Q666C really is a great carbon fiber travel tripod that offers some excellent image stabilization. We can’t think of any real negatives about the tripod, especially when you factor in how cheap it is. We feel that the Zomei Q666C will make a great addition to anyone’s camera accessories without you having to spend too much money or risk breaking the bank.
Click Here To Read Independent Third Party Reviews Of This Product!
