The Nikon Coolpix B500 is a highly-capable camera despite its compact frame. It’s the perfect camera to have with you while you’re on-the-go in urban environments or while travelling the world. That’s because it’s smaller than a full-sized DSLR yet it can capture stunningly high-quality images and video. To get the most value out of your B500, you should include a sturdy, reliable tripod that you can take around with you on-the-go.
With the right tripod, your photo-taking will be much more stable. Plus, since you’re not holding it with your own two hands that’ll tire quickly, a tripod will give you all the time you need to frame your shots perfectly. You’ll be able to truly make the most of the B500’s long exposure capabilities. You could just mount your camera on a tripod and focus on the most critical element of photography: the actual picture-taking. Without a doubt, you can get all of these benefits and more from the best tripod for Nikon Coolpix B500, the ZOMEi M5 Aluminium Alloy Tripod.
In reality, the M5 is more than just a tripod. You could open up into a wide-based tripod, or you could use it as a monopod for more action-packed photography. That’s why ZOMEi brands it as a 2-in-1 tripod.
ZOMEi’s M5 Aluminium Alloy Tripod , especially when matched with the B500 camera, and that’s not surprising at all. So, let’s take a more in-depth look at this tripod’s qualities to see why it’s so popular.
Lots Of Functions And Great Performance On-The-Go
The popularity of ZOMEi’s M5 tripod comes as no surprise. It’s got a wide range of functions that make it suitable for using your B500 in a wide range of different situations and environments. That’s what makes the M5 such a great companion for photographers.
Let’s take a more in-depth look at some of the critical functions the M5 tripod has to offer.
From Monopod To Tripod
One of the coolest things about this tripod is how easily it can switch back and forth between being a monopod and a tripod. Let’s say you’re in a static position and need to become mobile for some reason. All you have to do is disassemble the central axis screw on the M5, and within seconds, you can turn it into a monopod. From there, you can move swiftly between people and objects to find your next perfect vantage point. Once you’re ready to fix yourself in a new position, transitioning the M5 over to being a tripod again is just as easy!
Three Options For Leg Angles
Even when you’re using the M5 as a tripod in a fixed position, you still have a lot of flexibility. With the M5, you can switch the leg’s angles to three different settings. Typically, the tripod opens up to the standard 20-degree angle that you’d find on most tripods. Still, if you need to get much lower to the ground while keeping your B500 camera stable, the M5’s legs can spread out further to 50- or 80-degree angles as well.
These leg angles are essential for shooting subjects that are closer to the ground, like children, animals, or even plant life.
An Invertible Centre Axis
80-degree leg angles still not enough for you? Don’t worry. The ZOMEi also designed the M5 tripod’s centre axis to be completely invertible! You can mount your camera upside and as close to the ground as you wish. That will come in handy if you’re doing macro photography, as it allows you to keep your camera steady even when you’re shooting super-tiny subjects like insects or plants.
Metal Ball Head
You see, one thing that separates tripods from each other is the tripod head. Some have ball heads made of plastic or metal, while others have 3-way pan heads instead. The difference? The type of tripod head affects how smoothly you pan and tilt your camera while it’s fixed to the tripod.
In the case of the ZOMEi M5, it comes with a metal ball head, which gives you the most flexibility and smoothness of them all. The ball head allows you to capture 360-degree panorama shots easily. Also, you can pan and tilt freely to capture images at whatever angle you can imagine. All that freedom of movement allows you to unleash your creativity to the fullest!
People who have bought these tripods for their Nikon B500’s have a shared love for these features. Check out any one of , and you’ll see them say only the best things about this tripod!
Plenty Of Hands-On Control
ZOMEi designed the M5 tripod beautifully. The company provides photographers with plenty of ways to control and adjust the tripod head to suit their needs. Still, the tripod isn’t overly-complicated to use! Here are some of the ways that users can control the tripod better while using it with the Nikon B500.
Adjustment Knobs
When mounting your B500 camera on the M5 tripod, you’ll have three different knobs to control its positioning. The first one is the Panoramic Scale Locking Knob. This one allows you to control the horizontal movement of your camera across 360-degrees. The Ball Head Locking Knob locks your camera’s position at the perfect angle, and you can use the Fine Adjustment Knob to adjust the tripod head’s position ever so slightly.
Altogether, you’ll be able to use these controls to aim your camera at a tiny target far away with high accuracy!
Flip-On Lock
Unlike some tripods which use twist-locks, the M5 uses flip-on locks instead. So, if you’re in a situation where you need to pack up and move quickly, all you’d have to do is flip those locks and ZOMEi’s M5 tripod will collapse quickly.
It’s easy to think that the type of leg locks on a tripod is not important. The truth is the opposite. A tripod like the M5 is only as good as its ability to extend and shorten its legs. As a photographer, it would be very inconvenient to have to fuss about with your tripod’s legs before you can use it, or before you can pack up and move on.
The M5 has four leg sections in total. With the total length sectioned out this way, the tripod not only has added stability, but it also allows you to go from 16.14 inches to the full 55 inches much more quickly. No more fussing around with your tripod legs!
Quick-Release Plate
At this point, you’ll notice a pattern with the M5 tripod. ZOMEi has designed it with speed and flexibility in mind. You can see both of these qualities in its quick-release plate on the tripod head.
First and foremost, this part isn’t just compatible with your Nikon B500 camera. The quick-release plate allows for multiple device mounting. You could use it to mount your smartphone (with the smartphone clip that comes with the tripod), or better yet, you could use it to mount any lighting you have with you. That’s right! If you decide to carry your B500 camera manually, you can use your M5 tripod as a lighting mount instead!
Second, the quick release plate allows you to mount and dismount your B500 camera within just one second. That way, you can reposition yourself quickly in the environment you’re capturing without missing any of the action!
Dual-Centre Axis
‘Sturdiness’ seems to be the M5’s middle name. You see, many manufacturers design their tripods with a single axis. So, when you stretch it out entirely, the top half becomes somewhat flimsy. All it takes is a gush of wind to shake the camera, taking away your control over the shot you’re trying to capture. That’s not something you want when you’re mounting an excellent camera on top like the Coolpix B500.
That’s where the M5 beats most competing brands. ZOMEi has designed it to have two axles, giving it a dual-centre axis. That axis allows you to maintain control of your camera and the shot you’re framing by keeping its position steady at all times, even when you extend it to the full 55 inches!
High-Quality Build And Design
All of the functionality and control that we’ve explored so far is only possible with good quality and design. Even though the M5 is probably the most basic tripod in ZOMBie’s lineup, it’s easy to see that the company didn’t cut any corners when designing it.
Height
Firstly, the size difference is astonishing. When you’re storing the M5, it only measures 13.78 inches in height. Let me put that into perspective for you: a standard backpack measures about 17 inches. So, you could fit this tripod in your bag and take it with you everywhere you go.
When fully extended, the whole tripod stands firm at about 55 inches, or about four and a half feet tall. Despite its small packing size, the M5 deploys into a full-sized tripod that’s useful for many different situations.
Weight
If you move around a lot, this is going to be a blessing. Even with its outstanding stability, the M5 tripod only weighs 2.73 pounds! You won’t tire yourself out carrying this tripod around from one spot to another. The M5 gives you the stability you need for your B500 camera without sacrificing your mobility.
Materials
What gives the M5 tripod all that stability without making it heavy? It’s the material that ZOMEi has chosen to build it with, which is aluminium alloy. It’s durable, it’s light, and it keeps the M5 tripod affordable! That was a great choice of material on ZOMEi’s part as it makes the M5 accessible not only to professional photographers but also to enthusiasts looking for something a bit more affordable to use with their Coolpix B500 cameras.
Load Bearing
Last but not least, the M5 tripod has a maximum load weight of 17.6 pounds. That’s fourteen times more than the weight of the Nikon Coolpix B500, which is 1.19 pounds! With that high of a weight capacity, you don’t have to worry about mounting attachments to your B500 like an external flash or even a microphone. The M5 tripod will still stand firm and keep your camera steady.
If you think about it, not only can you use this tripod to hold your B500 safely, but you could even hang your equipment bag on it to keep it clean and off the ground!
To Summarize
Using a tripod requires a lot of trust on the photographer’s part. Essentially, you’re trusting your beloved B500 with a tripod that you hope won’t break or fall over. With ZOMEi’s M5 2-in-1 tripod, your trust is in the right place.
The aluminium alloy M5 tripod is light, which makes it easy for you to carry it wherever you go. It’s also incredibly compact, so you can fit it in a standard backpack and never have to worry about leaving it behind.
It’s quick to deploy and even faster to pack up. Just a few quick flips of the leg locks and you’re on your way to your next location! And when you have the tripod fully-extended with your gear all set up, the M5 tripod stands firm and steady at 55 inches tall, ready to help you capture your perfect shots!
Even though ZOMEi built all of those positive qualities into the M5 tripod, they didn’t sacrifice any functionality whatsoever. They’ve made this tripod so versatile that I can’t even imagine a single photography situation where you won’t find it useful!
360-degree panoramas, weird or unusual angles; heck, you could even invert the axis and have your camera upside down to capture macro shots of insects on the ground!
You can use the M5 to mount your B500, or you could use it to mount lighting kits, your smartphone, or even just to hang your equipment bag on it. Remember: the maximum weight on this tripod is 17.6 pounds, that’s the weight of a small puppy (but don’t put your dog on this thing, obviously!).
The photography community, especially those using the B500, loves the M5 tripod. That proves this tripod is the best companion for your Nikon Coolpix B500.
