Welcome to our ultimate Zomei Z888C review that we have been planning for a while now and finally managed to get the spare time to type it up. If you are a regular reader of ours then you may know we have been slowly working our way reviewing all of the Zomei tripods and today is the turn of the Z888C.
As you may have seen, over the last few years, Zomei has managed to carve out a reputation for themselves as a great budget-friendly tripod brand that offers some excellent quality products. This has helped both photographers and videographers save money while still getting a great product without having to fork out for the more expensive tripod brands like Manfrotto.
The great build quality and excellent functionality of the Zomei range has helped them quickly grow a solid reputation for themselves within the community while consistently growing their core customer base month on month. Due to Zomei keeping the quality of their tripods consistent, we can’t see this changing any time soon and feel that their reputation will continue to increase over the coming months.
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User Interface And Control System
No Zomei Z888C review would be complete without covering how you actually tweak the tripod to get exactly what you need for your photography session out of it so we decided to start our review with this. Being a regular ball head tripod it is ideal for anyone who does not plan to do any slow pan video or panoramic photography. That said, if this is something that you plan to do then you are able to pick up a third-party panhandle head (Click here to check for product prices and availability) for the tripod to achieve this.
Although some may see this as a downside, we feel that the majority of our readers will be totally fine with a regular ball head on the tripod. In addition to this, the lower price point compared to most of its competing tripods also allows you to pick up the panhandle accessories if required while still coming in cheaper than a tripod from Manfrotto.
The plate uses the tried and tested design that you would probably have used on other tripods allowing you to quickly and easily mount and unmount your camera. In addition to this, some popular gimbal brands have adaptors available for the Zomei plate. This means that if you do use a gimbal system, you can easily unmount your camera from your tripod and mount it to your gimbal within seconds.
Although this may not sound like a big deal, if you are a videographer on a tight timeline it can actually help save you a decent amount of time. The ease of use of the plate also helps photographers save time too by not having you faff around with the screw head to get your camera on and off the tripod.
The image above shows the twist lock leg locks that are on the Zomei Z888C. Now, we are fully aware that some people prefer to use the flip lock system on their tripods but in reality, in this day and age, there are very few differences between the stability provided by either system. In addition to this, due to being able to control all three of the twist locks at once on a twist lock system like the one used on the Z888C, you can save time during your set up.
This lets you get to your photography location and set up within seconds. If you are planning to change your location multiple times per session then this can also save you a bunch of time over the course of a working day too. The leg locking system is decent, especially when you factor in the lower price tag of the Z888C and we feel that it will serve you well and protect your gear.
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The feet on the bottom of each leg that you can see in the image above also helps to keep your gear safe as it prevents the Z888C from accidentally slipping on slippy or wet surfaces. If you usually use your gear in a studio with ideal conditions then this is a none issue but if you are out and about then this is an essential feature to have.
That said, we feel like we have to mention that the lack of a counterweight hook on the Z888C may be a problem if you are in a windy location as you are unable to mount counterweights to the tripod to help increase stability in windy conditions. On the flipside of this, we have seen both photographers and videographers simply hang their backpacks or others stuff off their tripods to add counterweight when required.
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Performance And Functionality
Next up we want to cover the performance and functionality that the Zomei Z888C can offer you. Although it has been designed to be more of a lightweight tripod for general photography and videography use, there are a few reports of people using it as a travel tripod without issue. The small, compact, and lightweight nature of the Zomei Z888C ensure that you can easily add it to your photography kit bag without issue. On top of this, it takes up less of your luggage allowance for air travel than many competing tripods at this price point too.
Although it is a more budget-friendly tripod, it boasts a ton of features that are common on only the higher price point products. For example, the Z888C comes with a fully functioning angling adjustment button to allow you to quickly and easily adjust the angle the tripod sits at the get exactly what you need out of it. The system is easy to use and lets you independently control each individual leg to sit your tripod at some unique angles.
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The Four section center column on the Z888C also allows you to lower to tripod for some low angle upward photography or videography too. Although less popular in the more common photography niches, this may be beneficial to you depending on what niche you work in as well as your own personal style.
Although the Zomei Z888C does have some dampening technology on it as standard to help support the weight of your camera rig during use, it does not compete with that of the higher price point tripods but can hold its own against its competition in this price bracket.
In addition to the above, the Zomei Z888C also comes with a double check secure clip to add a second layer of security to your camera rig during use. That said, we were unable to find any reports of the primary hold failing during use and people ever having to rely on the secondary mechanism to kick in to prevent their camera rig falling to the ground.
Unlike some competing tripods at this price point in the market, the Zomei Z888C also supports a fully included monopod kit as shown in the image above. It is quick and easy to detach the monopod from the body of the main tripod allowing you to quickly reduce the size and weight you have to have with you to get the image stabilization that you may need.
Again, if you usually work out of a studio then the monopod functionality is probably useless to you but if you are usually out and about it is handy. Leaving your main tripod body in the car and detatching the monopod to take with you not only reduces the weight you have to carry but also the some times the awkward shape of the tripod while still providing similar levels of image stabilization for you.
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Build Quality
Moving on to the build quality of the Zomei Z888C and we really couldn’t find a single grip from the reports we read from other photographers and videographers who use the Z888C as their go-to tripod of choice. The majority of the tripod is made from carbon fiber to ensure that it is as robust as possible while still keeping its weight right down.
This ensures that the Z888C is going to be able to take all the punishment coming its way over the years to come during use without breaking. The anti-rust technology on the locks of the tripod legs ensures that they will stay smooth and easy to lock and unlock as required too. The quick release plate does have a slightly cheap feel to it but in all honesty, this is not a core factor when choosing if a tripod is for you or not.
The foam hand grip on the leg of the Z888C is also comfortable allowing you to hold the tripod for extended periods of time when required. If you want to use the Z888C as a sort of budget gimbal to at least offer some image stabilization while vlogging or something like that then the foam grips are ideal.
The spirit bubble level on the head of the Z888C is put together well and placed in a location where it is easily viewable even when your camera is mounted. On top of this, we were also unable to find a single report from anyone using the Zomei Z888C saying that their spirit level had leaked or broken since purchasing the tripod.
FAQs
Question – What is the max height of the Zomei Z888C?
Answer – The tripod comes in at exactly 1590mm when fully extended.
Question – How much does the Zomei Z888C weigh?
Answer – The tripod is around 1500g.
Question – Does the Zomei Z888C use a 360 degree swivel fluid head?
Answer – Yes, the default head on the Z888C is a 360 degree swivel fluid head.
Third Party Reports
Our Verdict
That concludes our Zomei Z888C review and we hope that you have found it helpful. Although it is not the best carbon fiber tripod on the market, it definatley holds its own for its price point in the market while also challenging some of the more expensive tripods too. If you are on a budget or need a cheaper end tripod then we feel that the Z888C could be the tripod for you. It offers some great performance while being half the price or less as some of the Manfrotto tripods on the market right now.
As we touched on earlier in the article, it can also be used as a portable professional tripod if needed and its carbon fiber construction and lightweight will allow you to quickly and easily pack it up and take it anywhere. Off the top of our heads, we can’t actually think of anything that we would change about the Z888C but we do know that some people prefer the flip lock leg locking system on their tripods of choice.
If you do prefer to have the flip lock leg locking system on your tripod then it may be worth checking out the Zomei Z666 (Click here to check for product prices and availability). It is a lower end tripod that offers decent performance for its price tag while also coming with the flip lock leg locks as standard.
