Velbon Videomate 638 video tripod with fluid head

Consumer review of the affordable video tripod with fluid pan-and-tilt head Velbon Videomate 638

Velbon Videomate 638 video tripod with fluid head

We haven't reviewed any photography accessories recently, even though we use plenty of them. So it was time to take a look at one very capable and quite affordable fluid head tripod - the Velbon Videomate 638.

Velbon Videomate 638 box

To be honest, for our work purposes at Test and Review we use the Velbon Videomate 638 for couple of months now and it has been doing quite well.

Of course it has its flaws but we will share more about that shortly. Let's get it on and start with our first hand consumer impressions and feedback:

Velbon Videomate 638 - build quality
The Videomate 638 looks and feels sturdy and very well made. Even though it is made mostly of aluminium it is not the lightest, but it feels very solid in the hand and on the ground. That is quite important for a video tripod as it only needs to move when turning the fluid head and be very stable on the ground.

From our experience with lightweight tripods, they are only good for taking photos and mostly when travelling.

    

Velbon Videomate 638 stretches quite high over 140 cm so it would be comfortable to use even by taller video producers. Minimum height is around 67 cm.

Videomate 638 comes with simple carrying bag / pouch

Videomate 638 and the PH-358 fluid head
The Videomate 638 is quite comfortable and easy to use. That is thanks to the 2-way PH-358 fluid head with reversible handle. Unfortunately, just like many other entry-level video heads/tripods you cannot tilt it for full control of your picture.

Here you can check the most important specifications of the Videomate 638:

Main features and specs

That is a major downside if you plan to use the Videomate 638 tripod for photography purposes. The tripod can carry load of up to 6 kg which is quite a lot and would easily handle any DSLR or mirrorless camera with some heavy telephoto lens.

Quite stable thanks to the rubber "shoes"

Meanwhile the QB-6RL quick-release plate hosts our Panasonic Lumix GX9 camera quite stable and is also easy to operate with.

Velbon Videomate 638 price
You can easily find the Videomate 638 in online tech stores for $120 or less.

Overall consumer feedback
We are definitely happy with our choice for basic video tripod. We believe Velbon Videomate 638 is well made and is going to last for quite some time. The price was also adequate, so definitely a good purchase.

Another accessory that we use with our mirrorless camera is the Rivacase 7450 camera bag.