We have decided to publish this article on what we feel is the best Zomei tripod for Nikon d3400 cameras on the market after seeing the exponential growth in the Zomei range over the last few years. We have noticed a steady increase in people reaching out for advice on the tripod range and hope that this article can help any of our readers who own the d3400 and are looking for a new tripod.
In our opinion, the Zomei Z818 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) is without a doubt the best Zomei tripod for your Nikon d3400 available at the time of writing. It is very budget-friendly, offers some excellent performance, has a great build quality, and has managed to earn itself an excellent reputation within the photography and videography community over the years.
On top of all of this, the tripod is also extremely versatile and can be used for pretty much every photography and videography niche you can think of. Although it is officially classed as a travel tripod, the Z818 has also proven its ability as a general use tripod too. We feel that all of these factors make it ideal for your d3400 and feel the reputation of the Z818 will just keep growing over the coming years.
User Interface And Control System
Zomei really has done an excellent job of putting the Z818 together and have managed to pack an absolute ton of functionality into it without making it difficult to use. The ease of use of the Z818 makes it an ideal first tripod for your Nikon d3400 whereas its massive range of features and excellent performance make it an ideal upgrade for any entry-level tripods you may have purchased for your d3400 too offering you the best of both worlds.
Take the leg angle adjustment clips for a great example, they are very easy to use allowing you to quickly change the angle of the tripod’s legs to meet your needs while also offering some of the best protection available at this price bracket. We have never seen a single report from someone who owns the Zomei Z818 saying that either the leg angle adjustment clips or its twist locks have failed them during use causing their camera to fall to the ground. This should give you the confidence in the tripod to know that your Nikon d3400 will be saved during use while mounted on the tripod.
The image above shows the head of the Zomei Z818 and the various adjustment dials on the tripod head allow you to easily adjust it as required. One of our favorite things about the ball head on the Z818 is the location of the bubble level. Even once you have mounted your Nikon d3400 on the tripod you can still see the bubble level by glancing down to ensure that your tripod rig is level.
At this price range, this is a common feature that some competing tripods totally make a mess of. They put their bubble level in a stupid location that easily gets covered as soon as you mount your camera rig to the tripod. This then leads to problems further down the line when you want to check if everything is level. Thankfully, Zomei planned ahead and ensured that this will not happen with their Z818.
As we mentioned earlier in the article, the Zomei Z818 uses the twist-lock leg lock system as shown in the image above. Although we personally prefer twist locks on our tripods, we know that some people still prefer to use flip locks. That said, in this day and age, the both provide very similar locking mechanisms but twist locks like the ones on the Z818 offer a speed advantage over flip-lock tripods.
When the tripod is compressed as shown in the image above, you can grab all leg locks at the same time with your hand and loosen them at once. The reverse is also true when compressing the tripod, you can quickly tighten all locks up at once when in the position shown in the image above. Although this may not matter for the niche you work in, if you are required to change location multiple times per session, this time can actually add up and save you a surprising amount of time.
Click Here To Check For Prices On The Zomei Z818 Tripod!
Performance And Functionality
As we mentioned earlier in the article, the performance that the Zomei Z818 can provide your Nikon d3400 is outstanding when you take into account the price tag of the Z818. We have created the bullet list below showing some of the key points we feel most of our readers will want to know:-
- Maximum Load Capacity – 33 Pounds.
- Tripod Weight – 3.7 Pounds.
- Maximum Usable Height – 65 Inches.
- Minimum Usable Height -18 Inches.
- Compressed Height – 18 Inches.
The versatility lets you use it for the vast majority of tasks you can think of while providing its excellent image stabilization. You can use the Z818 as a regular upright tripod as you would imagine but you are also able to inverse the center column on it as shown in the image below to get the tripod as close to the ground as possible.
If you are involved in a niche like macro photography then this is an excellent feature to have on your tripod of choice. It provides you with some excellent image stabilization for your d3400 while allowing you to get your camera as close to flowers or bugs as possible to get the best possible image quality.
Another popular use for inverting the center column on the tripod is to get some unique angles for your camera. For example, say you have a wedding photography gig, it lets you get some low snaps of the group with optimal stabilization. You can also use it to get some decent unique angle photographs of popular landmarks that will stand out on social media.
The quick-release plate for the Z818 is shown in the image above and thankfully, spare or replacement plates (Click here to check for product prices and availability) are readily available for the tripod. This can be rare with some other tripod brands that use their own quick release plate design making it a nightmare to replace a lost plate or to buy enough to mount on all of your cameras.
Another solid feature of the Z818 that you may be able to use to your advantage when using your Nikon d3400 is the fully detachable monopod as shown in the image above. If you need to reduce the size and weight of your camera accessories while still getting some image stabilization then this feature is perfect.
Although a fair number of tripods on the market at this price point do offer a removable monopod leg, the system on the Z818 couldn’t be easier. The image above shows you exactly how to debuild the tripod and turn its detachable leg and center column into a monopod. With a little practice, you can get it done in less than a minute too!
Click Here To Check For Prices On The Zomei Z818 Tripod!
Build Quality And Design
Rather than build the Zomei Z818 out of carbon fiber that would hike the price tag of the tripod up, Zomei has chosen to go with an Aluminium alloy that keeps the price tag of the tripod as low as possible while also keeping its weight down while also ensuring that it is robust. This allows you to easily carry the tripod with you or pack it in your hold luggage if you have to fly to your location without it taking up much of your baggage allowance.
The Aluminium alloy used for the majority of the tripod also ensures that it is robust too. We have seen a number of reports from photographers and videographers who use the Z818 as their go-to tripod of choice saying they have had some total nightmares with their photography kit bag but the Z818 stood up to the punishment and worked fine.
For its price tag, we really can’t fault the build quality of the Zomei Z818 and feel that it actually does much better than most of the competing tripods at this price tag.
Click Here To Check For Prices On The Zomei Z818 Tripod!
FAQs
Question – Does the Zomei Z818 have metal spikes at the base of its legs?
Answer – Yes it does but they are housed under the rubber feet to allow you to use the tripod in-doors without scratching your flooring. If you need to use the metal spikes simply remove the rubber feet and crack on as required.
Question – How many shooting angles does the Zomei Z818 support?
Answer – It supports Four official angles but you can adapt the tripod to meet whatever your Nikon d3400 needs out of it.
Question – Does the Zomei Z818 have a counterweight hook?
Answer – Yes, and it is a simple to use system to allow you to increase stability when using the tripod in windy conditions.
Third Party Reports
Our Verdict
That brings our article on why we think that the Zomei Z818 is the best Zomei tripod for Nikon d3400 cameras on the market right now. We feel that it will make a great addition to your camera accessories due to its low price tag, excellent image stabilization, and impressive feature list.
Click Here To Read Independent Third Party Reviews Of This Product!
