Ravelli ATD Professional Tripod Dolly for Camera Photo and Video Reviews
Ravelli ATD Professional Tripod Dolly for Camera Photo and Video
- All Metal Ball Bearing Casters with Rubber Wheels for Ultra Smooth Roll
- One-Step Easy Lock Locking Wheels
- Universal Fully Adjustable Leg Locks
- Easy Folding Design with Carrying Handle
- Heavy Duty Construction for Professional Tripods
The Ravelli ATD Tripod Dolly is an excellent dolly for use with your professional camera and video tripods, light stands, and background stands.
The most important feature of a good dolly is good wheels. After all, the point of a dolly is to be able to smoothly move your tripod from one place to another. Unlike less expensive models with smaller plastic wheels, our dolly uses large 3″ diameter wheels with all metal ball bearings and a rubber outer surface for an ultra smooth roll.
The Assia ATD
Rating: 
(out of 13 reviews)
Price: $ 33.95
Ravelli AVTP Professional 75mm Video Camera Tripod with Fluid Drag Head
- Professional 3-Segment Interlocking Crutch Type Legs
- Supports Video Cameras/SLRs up to 27LBS
- Dual Handled Head with Continuous Drag Fluid Movement for both Pan and Tilt Axis
- Universal 75mm Mounting Bowl
- Maximum Operating Height: 54.5″
The Ravelli AVTP is a complete Professional 75mm Video Tripod including legs, mid-level spreader, dual fluid head and carry bag.
The legs are a 3-Segment Interlocking Crutch-Type design with a mid-level spreader providing oustanding stability for Video Cameras up to 27lbs. The legs utilize large ergonomic lock adjustment knobs and rubber feet for stability. Interchangeable heads connect to the legs using a standard 75mm bowl with a separate lock adjustment providing pan and tilt adjustment in
Rating: (out of 16 reviews)
Price: $ 129.99
Review by dmm for Ravelli ATD Professional Tripod Dolly for Camera Photo and Video
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Wow! The Ravelli AVT Professional Tripod Dolly for film and video is perfect for any project requiring truly smooth dollying and tracking. Furthermore, the dolly adjusts to receive absolutely any floor tripod, from the most economical aluminum to the most elaborate fluid head model.
Review by gonzoriffic for Ravelli ATD Professional Tripod Dolly for Camera Photo and Video
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This thing is easy to use, sturdy, complies with even the cheapest tripod, folds up nice and comes with its own little carrying case. Rarely do you see dolly shots in no-budget films, so this item is your chance to cheaply achieve a professional camera effect. It’s got thick rubber on the wheels and rolls smoothly on carpet and bare floors. If you’re using it on asphalt or uneven surfaces you’ll want to put down cardboard as a “track” to even out the bumps. Coolest of all, I was able to pull off a Hitchcock-style dolly out/zoom in shot. Get this and have fun.
Review by Mancel A. Nunis for Ravelli ATD Professional Tripod Dolly for Camera Photo and Video
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I bought this and was very pleased with it. The dolly is a great affordable addition for any DIY video enthusiast. I use my Silk 9000 tripod with it.
Review by Daddy V for Ravelli ATD Professional Tripod Dolly for Camera Photo and Video
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First, gotta give praise to CheetaMounts for their extremely fast order process & delivery. WOW! All my orders from them have arrived within 3-days, including the day of the order!!! Fast!
Here’s what’s in the box:
* Dolly
* Canvas bag
Fit & Finish:
The frame of is all metal. The tripod attachment points are a combination of hard plastic and metal. The wheels are hard rubber with steel hubs. The canvas bag is cheap, but it’ll do the job…
Form & Function:
The attachment points can slide in & out to accommodate any tripod stance. You may have to adjust your tripod to get a good alignment & fit – this is good practice anyway to prevent binding and bending of your tripod legs & cross-members. The wheels have push-down locks to prevent them from rolling.
Summary:
I’m using this with the Ravelli AVT Tripod. This addition actually has helped to make that tripod more stable. The dolly wheels are good and roll with ease. However, the smoothness of these wheels could be better. But for the price, they are good.
I recommend the dolly in combination with the Ravelli AVT Tripod. This combo is a great bargain and provide features that cost hundreds more. For those on a budget, this is a great deal!
(Note: I have a Canon HF-S100 w/ a Rode VideoMic mounted on the AVT tripod. This dolly and tripod combo works great w/ the camera well.)
Review by Patricia B. Gallagher for Ravelli ATD Professional Tripod Dolly for Camera Photo and Video
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This dolly, is pretty cool. Well worth the purchase. It’s pretty much the best you can get for a cheap purchase. It’s fairly smooth and quiet when rolling slowly and steadily. However it is pretty loud when rolling fast. But no cheap dolly will be completely quiet anyaway. It wasn’t as smooth as I thought, but like I said for the money I paid it’s amazing.
Review by Some Day I’ll Have a Boat for Ravelli AVTP Professional 75mm Video Camera Tripod with Fluid Drag Head
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I have always been a Bogen fan and I think Bogen makes the best tripods. Was shopping at Amazon for a Bogen 501 and saw this model at the bottom of the ad. The text said it was comparable to the 501. The 501 cost $499 and this model was $169. Given that price difference, I decided to give it a try but to be honest I wasn’t expecting much. But this is actually a very good tripod.
My video setup with lens and accessories weighs about 20 lbs. That weight is not a problem for these legs – very stable. And the head is very smooth. At one point in the middle of a pan from right to left there was a slight “bump” in the panning movement. But I was able to fix this by adjusting the tensioning screws. It is true that the head is not as good as a Bogen 501, but for 1/3 the price it is more than good enough. You would really have to be a high end user to appreciate the differenece.
Comes with a decent bag too. You could get a nicer one, but this one should last for at least a couple years of road trips.
Review by Daddy V for Ravelli AVTP Professional 75mm Video Camera Tripod with Fluid Drag Head
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As an owner of both the AVT and AVTP (Professional) models, I can say that the Pro model (AVTP) I received has a much, much better Fluid Head. I’m not sure why. Physically, both Heads look the same and seem to be of the same construction quality. The only visible differences are cosmetic: the handles on the Pro model are longer w/ different grips which are longer as well; the level bubble color on the Pro model is white, while the non-Pro model is yellow. The obvious difference is the way the Heads are attached to the tripod. The Pro model has a bowl attachment and the non-Pro has a traditional screw-mount attachment point connecting to the top of the center shaft.
Although the differences seem obvious and minor, the quality of the pan movements are significantly different. For some reason, the AVT (non-Pro) model exhibits random “sticky” points during the pan. I’ve tried everything to get it to smooth out, but because of the inconsistency, it is an exercise in frustration to get a nice smooth pan for every shot – it’s a gamble! The Pro model (AVTP) is a completely different story.
First impression of the AVTP was, in a word, “Stiff”… both the pan & tilt were really, really stiff. In particular, the Pan was actually difficult to move without grabbing hold of the tripod legs first. Even with the tension knob completely loose, the Head would not pan with out putting some serious force into it. I’ve since fixed it by loosening the large retaining bolt that runs through the pan mechanism. (Looking at the underside of the Head, you’ll see hole which shows the top of a large slotted bold. I loosened this by a 1/4 turn – which was really tight and required lots of force to budge it…) This act made a significant difference. The pan action is now glass smooth! It now matches the tilt action and I’m able to pull off really consistent & smooth pan & tilt combinations with very little or no backlash at full zoom!!! (Practice, Practice… I’m not a pro at all, but I really impressed with how easy it is to pull off professional looking pan & tilt moves now with the AVTP… Wow!!!)
The non-Pro model (AVT) is probably going to be returned. I’ve been emailing CheetaMounts and they are trying to help resolve the “sticky” problem with the AVT Head… but I don’t think it can be fixed.
Here’s what’s in the AVTP box:
* 1 set of Sticks/Legs (the tripod)
* 1 2-way Fluid Head
* 2 Handles/Arms (attach to the head)
* 1 Canvas Bag
Summary:
After making an adjust to the pan mechanism, the Head on this model is really, really good. I was surprised with the difference between this model (AVTP) and the non-Pro (AVT) model. Personally, I’d skip the lower-end model and avoid the spotty performance – just get this model instead.
Great features at a great price!
Review by photoscrooge for Ravelli AVTP Professional 75mm Video Camera Tripod with Fluid Drag Head
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Bought this to hold a 4×5 calumet, weighs about 10 pounds, an SLR with large zooms and an 8×10 plate camera.
LEGS:
I find the legs to be more than adequate for my 4×5, and also the 8×10 which is a hair heavier, around 12 -14 pounds. I think it would be stable up to around 20#. If you don’t extend the legs all the way – you can probably get quite a bit more. No place to hang a sandbag. When extended all the way, the legs have a slight wobble, about the same as the $200 model made by another manufacturer. Not extended all the way = totally rock solid.
HEAD:
As stated in prior reviews, the pan is stiff. Take care if you disassemble the head to adjust the slip ring, as there are steel screws into cast aluminum, which makes it easy to strip out the screw holes. The tilt is fine for still photography. The bowl – leveling knob turns easily and tightens fast and tight easily. The tilt adjustment lever was in an odd place as shipped, it takes about 45 seconds to move, so no biggy. The bubble – and – ring level is adequate. For stills, it’s important that errant vibration settle down quickly and this tripod dampens vibration quite nicely. It does weigh 14 pounds.
Any gripe I have with build quality is a little picky. There are some plastic pieces I would have preferred to be metal, but nothing I’m worried will break. I generally get irritated with steel holes in threaded aluminum, but if you are careful in disassembling it, then it will not matter.
All in all, I’ll buy another if this one gets stolen. I recommended it to freinds who shoot LF. I think it would work fine with an XL1. Probably overkill if you are shooting an SLR unless you are using a big telezoom (probably good for MF). Heavy, stable, tall, and a great buy.
Review by R. T. Crabb for Ravelli AVTP Professional 75mm Video Camera Tripod with Fluid Drag Head
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The tripod seems to be reasonably made and not too much plastic. The fluid head works like you’d expect it to. The bag holds the tripod with the head atached.Lets see how it lasts over time but so far so good.
Review by Xerxes J. Sangco for Ravelli AVTP Professional 75mm Video Camera Tripod with Fluid Drag Head
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Pros:
*The legs alone are worth the price!
*Heavy and supports my Canon XHA1 no problem.
*Pans are nice and smooth.
*Gives off a professional look to impress clients.
*x2 sliding plates! Plus my Manfrotto 357 Plate fits the head perfectly!
*Pretty good carrying bag.
Cons:
*The head sticks when trying to tilt up and down slowly giving you the snap most cheap heads offer. I’ve tried all tension settings and I get the same result every time.
*Even with the screw taken off completely, panning left and right is so stiff, panning the tripod quickly can pull the entire tripod off it’s legs.
*The Tripod Head and the Ball leveler are reversed, which means if you wanted to replace the head, you’d have to purchase a ball leveler as well which goes for at least $50.
*Wish I could do something to replace the cheap rubber feet.
Other Thoughs:
*Buy this tripod for the legs as they are very well worth the price alone. I plan on replacing the head as I feel it’s causing more problems than solutions.
*Ravelli is very generous with their tripod accessories.
*I have to mount my XHA1 backwards because the tightening knob on the head gets in the way, but I have this same problem with my other mount as well.
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Product Update:
After posting this review, I was contacted by Cheetah Mounts about the product. Let me just say that they offer some of THE BEST customer service a company can offer. Less than a week after I posted this review, the friendly Cheetah Mount representative immediately sent me a new head without hesitation as he feared I may have received a bad tripod head.
The new head preforms slightly better. The snap in the tilt action is caused by the weight of my camera. I’m assuming it’s because the tripod head’s comfort zone is less than 8 lbs. Without the camera, the snap is gone which means lighter cameras should have no problem tilting and panning.
This is an excellent tripod with an excellent company to back it up. Do not hesitate to purchase this tripod, especially if you’re on a budget.