Nitsan writes in and shares his YouTube Review for the Fancier 270 Bowl Mount Tripod. I haven't used this particular tripod, but he seems to have good things to say about the Counterbalance feature, Sturdy set of legs, padded bag, etc. Keep in mind you're looking for the 270A version for the higher quality metal legs. On eBay, they can run upwards of $220 dollars, but there is one USA seller who offers it at $159 via eBay (click here).
22 thoughts on “The Fancier FC-270A Bowl Mount Tripod Review”
Jim
I just got my fancier 270a yesterday. It really is a solid video tripod. I also just ordered a konova k2 slider but I'm trying to figure out the best way to mount it to the 270a tripod head. Is there a budget adapter I can put on the sticks to mount a 3/8" head?I would appreciate any help.
Peter
Hi, i would like to know how this tripod head will work with a Konova slider? Do you have any knowledge of it working well?
thanks
Kasey
Does anyone know where to find the 1.8m version of this? I was pretty excited until I saw it's only around 5ft, which is pretty useless to me...
Mike
I have the FC-02H and the knobs on the head have all come loose. I removed all the screws from the knobs and added a little lock-tite and screwed them back in. Vaola! I've had the head which came with sticks with the spikes and removable pads on Amazon for about a year. Great piece of equipment for the price.
Cody
I'm still curious if the head will work with Manfrotto plates if anyone can test it out for me. Thanks!
jeff
If you are a news video man or doing fictional work then yes, but definitely stay away from this if you are doing run and gun work or if you travel often... that bag looks huge, I wouldn't want anything over 24" long for travelling.
eks
is this the same with fancier FC-02H ?
thanks
DavidN4
I've been using this same tripod for a couple of years now. It is my go-to tripod for video, and has been the best value. It's available under several names, mine is Varizoom labeled, but they are all made through the same company. It's solid, but heavy.
Personally, I like the bowl head, as it is very, fast to level the camera - you don't even have to take your eye off the screen to look at a level bubble. Just loosen, adjust, and tighten in 2 seconds.
BTW - The 717AH heads are available in bowl mount or flat mount, and it's only 3 scress and a plate on the bottom to change them from one setup to another. I just had to change last night, as one of my heads started freezing up, and needs a cleaning, so I swapped to another one.
I have a Davis & Sanford 7518 bowl mount with FM18 fluid head. Bought in 2010, it was the tripod Kessler Crane recommended for their KC-Lite 8ft. crane before they made their own tripod. Nice bowl mount. Came with bag, extra cam plate and two pan bars. Drawback is that head locking lever is in an awkward spot. Max payload of 18 lbs.
LIke others in this thread, I shoot a lot of landscape stuff, so a PITA to lug around, as is the crane. Great value for the $189 price. Also works well as a single tripod for my slider. Bowl mounts rule, but I still use my light aluminum Manfrotto sticks and 701 fluid head more.
Fantastic tripod and great bang for buck. I've gone through a few $200 range tripods and this is by far the best. Seems to be designed for DSLRs and my search for the best low cost tripod is over.
DMaxPWR
This is so funny! I just recived this Tri-Pod this morning ordered it from ebay and now its on Cheezy Cam hehe! For those wondering, this thing looks is Nicer than I expected, perfect if your a cheezy-cammer!!!! 😀
Dinpenh
I ordered one and sent it straight back. The head itself was solid enough but the pan bar was attached by a very weak flap of metal that caused unacceptable amounts of flex. My ancient Manfrotto 055 with 128rc head feels absolutely rock solid in comparison.
Emm
Post author
@Duane - The 717 is actually available in both standard 3/8" thread mount, and a bowl mount. Sounds like you only have the bowl mount. The standard 3/8" mount will work on sliders and jibs too. They are just harder to find nowadays, but here's a link to one: Professional Heavy Duty Tripod Fluid Drag Head Kit WF717A
Cody
Will the manfrotto 577 (the plate that comes with the 501 or 701 heads) quick release plate fit on this head?? It looks like it has the same shape...
I owned this tripod and head for 2 years and it was a very good tripod. As noted by Jim, the rivets on the spreader break easily, but I was able to take the tripod into a local Home Depot and get a bolt+locking nut replacement that worked perfectly.
I ended up selling it and ordering a lighter set of legs with the same head. It's a heavy tripod and lugging it around was a major PITA. Now that I have a lighter tripod, I'm missing my old one. The lighter tripod is great when I'm in the field (literally running around corn fields and such), but it sucks when doing pans and tilts because the tripod is too light. The lighter tripod also shudders in high winds and my old one was rock solid steady in a heavy wind.
Suffice to say that I'm ordering another one (thanks for the link!) and I'll have both for whichever situation arises.
and its the same company just as good looks the same ... really good head ... the only thing i dont like is its little to short sometimes ... other than that its dope ...
ohh the leg nuts loosen up little and the legs fall down sometimes you have to really tighten them ...
other than that i had it about a year and works great ... unless you need a tall tripod i would recommend you buy this one best bang for the buck ...
Duane
I have a 717... but sometime wish I had just regular old stick legs. Any good cheesycam approved sticks out there? The 717 is great for studio/urban type stuff, but I shoot out in the woods a lot and would appreciate something simpler at times. Plus the bowl can be a bother, especially when wanted to use the head on a jib or slider. Are there any standard flush fitting heads out there anyone could recommend?
Jim Chisholm
I have these legs with the 717 Head, and they are great - but the rivets in the spreader have broken with long term use. I used a few cable ties to replace the rivets, and it has been performing well.
Other than that they have been great, even with the problem, they've been a great value.
Mwerkz
Contacted a amazon seller regarding these sometime back.
The difference with the 270 and 270A are not the higher quality sticks. FC-270 has ET-75 sticks which has quick release and spiked feet while the FC-270A comes with ET-70 sticks without the spiked feet. Alot of listings have the descriptions jumbled up.
The FC-270A also comes in 3 height configurations (1.3/1.55/1.8m), of which carry different pricing.
All uses the same FC-02H Head and the weak points are the pastic connectors.
Hope the info helps.
Dan Nguyen1
Has anyone ordered this from Amazon? I am a little hesitant because the only review says that the product is mislabeled?
Fancier 270A Bowl Mount Tripod - via eBay
Jim
I just got my fancier 270a yesterday. It really is a solid video tripod. I also just ordered a konova k2 slider but I'm trying to figure out the best way to mount it to the 270a tripod head. Is there a budget adapter I can put on the sticks to mount a 3/8" head?I would appreciate any help.
Peter
Hi, i would like to know how this tripod head will work with a Konova slider? Do you have any knowledge of it working well?
thanks
Kasey
Does anyone know where to find the 1.8m version of this? I was pretty excited until I saw it's only around 5ft, which is pretty useless to me...
Mike
I have the FC-02H and the knobs on the head have all come loose. I removed all the screws from the knobs and added a little lock-tite and screwed them back in. Vaola! I've had the head which came with sticks with the spikes and removable pads on Amazon for about a year. Great piece of equipment for the price.
Cody
I'm still curious if the head will work with Manfrotto plates if anyone can test it out for me. Thanks!
jeff
If you are a news video man or doing fictional work then yes, but definitely stay away from this if you are doing run and gun work or if you travel often... that bag looks huge, I wouldn't want anything over 24" long for travelling.
eks
is this the same with fancier FC-02H ?
thanks
DavidN4
I've been using this same tripod for a couple of years now. It is my go-to tripod for video, and has been the best value. It's available under several names, mine is Varizoom labeled, but they are all made through the same company. It's solid, but heavy.
Personally, I like the bowl head, as it is very, fast to level the camera - you don't even have to take your eye off the screen to look at a level bubble. Just loosen, adjust, and tighten in 2 seconds.
BTW - The 717AH heads are available in bowl mount or flat mount, and it's only 3 scress and a plate on the bottom to change them from one setup to another. I just had to change last night, as one of my heads started freezing up, and needs a cleaning, so I swapped to another one.
Cory
So this is not the same quick release as the 717 is that correct?
Emm
Post author@montego51 - You're right about Bowl Mounts 'ruling', so if you need a quick way to level with a standard tripod, check out these leveling heads https://oliviatech.com/manfrotto-438-compact-leveling-head
montego51
I have a Davis & Sanford 7518 bowl mount with FM18 fluid head. Bought in 2010, it was the tripod Kessler Crane recommended for their KC-Lite 8ft. crane before they made their own tripod. Nice bowl mount. Came with bag, extra cam plate and two pan bars. Drawback is that head locking lever is in an awkward spot. Max payload of 18 lbs.
LIke others in this thread, I shoot a lot of landscape stuff, so a PITA to lug around, as is the crane. Great value for the $189 price. Also works well as a single tripod for my slider. Bowl mounts rule, but I still use my light aluminum Manfrotto sticks and 701 fluid head more.
MikeyMike
Fantastic tripod and great bang for buck. I've gone through a few $200 range tripods and this is by far the best. Seems to be designed for DSLRs and my search for the best low cost tripod is over.
DMaxPWR
This is so funny! I just recived this Tri-Pod this morning ordered it from ebay and now its on Cheezy Cam hehe! For those wondering, this thing looks is Nicer than I expected, perfect if your a cheezy-cammer!!!! 😀
Dinpenh
I ordered one and sent it straight back. The head itself was solid enough but the pan bar was attached by a very weak flap of metal that caused unacceptable amounts of flex. My ancient Manfrotto 055 with 128rc head feels absolutely rock solid in comparison.
Emm
Post author@Duane - The 717 is actually available in both standard 3/8" thread mount, and a bowl mount. Sounds like you only have the bowl mount. The standard 3/8" mount will work on sliders and jibs too. They are just harder to find nowadays, but here's a link to one: Professional Heavy Duty Tripod Fluid Drag Head Kit WF717A
Cody
Will the manfrotto 577 (the plate that comes with the 501 or 701 heads) quick release plate fit on this head?? It looks like it has the same shape...
Dave Navarro
I owned this tripod and head for 2 years and it was a very good tripod. As noted by Jim, the rivets on the spreader break easily, but I was able to take the tripod into a local Home Depot and get a bolt+locking nut replacement that worked perfectly.
I ended up selling it and ordering a lighter set of legs with the same head. It's a heavy tripod and lugging it around was a major PITA. Now that I have a lighter tripod, I'm missing my old one. The lighter tripod is great when I'm in the field (literally running around corn fields and such), but it sucks when doing pans and tilts because the tripod is too light. The lighter tripod also shudders in high winds and my old one was rock solid steady in a heavy wind.
Suffice to say that I'm ordering another one (thanks for the link!) and I'll have both for whichever situation arises.
stanperry
I purchased this one https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Heavy-Video-Camcorder-Tripod/dp/B003UOMWOK/ref=pd_cp_p_2
and its the same company just as good looks the same ... really good head ... the only thing i dont like is its little to short sometimes ... other than that its dope ...
ohh the leg nuts loosen up little and the legs fall down sometimes you have to really tighten them ...
other than that i had it about a year and works great ... unless you need a tall tripod i would recommend you buy this one best bang for the buck ...
Duane
I have a 717... but sometime wish I had just regular old stick legs. Any good cheesycam approved sticks out there? The 717 is great for studio/urban type stuff, but I shoot out in the woods a lot and would appreciate something simpler at times. Plus the bowl can be a bother, especially when wanted to use the head on a jib or slider. Are there any standard flush fitting heads out there anyone could recommend?
Jim Chisholm
I have these legs with the 717 Head, and they are great - but the rivets in the spreader have broken with long term use. I used a few cable ties to replace the rivets, and it has been performing well.
Other than that they have been great, even with the problem, they've been a great value.
Mwerkz
Contacted a amazon seller regarding these sometime back.
The difference with the 270 and 270A are not the higher quality sticks. FC-270 has ET-75 sticks which has quick release and spiked feet while the FC-270A comes with ET-70 sticks without the spiked feet. Alot of listings have the descriptions jumbled up.
The FC-270A also comes in 3 height configurations (1.3/1.55/1.8m), of which carry different pricing.
All uses the same FC-02H Head and the weak points are the pastic connectors.
Hope the info helps.
Dan Nguyen1
Has anyone ordered this from Amazon? I am a little hesitant because the only review says that the product is mislabeled?
Thanks,
Dan