SIRUI SVT75 Rapid Tripod System Review – Affordable Quick-Release Tripod

by Nino LeitnerSeptember 6^th, 2023

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We all know that, nowadays if you want a good tripod, you will have to spend quite some money on it. Especially if you’ve been looking for an affordable quick-release tripod for medium-sized cameras, it’s very likely you’ve been out of luck so far. That’s why, the SIRUI SVT75 Rapid Tripod System quickly piqued my interest. Keep reading or jump right into the video to find out what I love and absolutely hate about this new tripod system!

For the longest time, there hasn’t been much improvement when it comes to tripod legs. That is until a few years ago when Sachtler introduced the flowtech tripod, which was innovative because it has three plastic latches just below the head that allow for quick release of the entire leg by just releasing one latch per leg. You are still able to keep your hands close to the head to stabilize the camera.

Latch patent

As the flowtech turned out to be a great success, the patented technology prevented competitors from releasing anything comparable. Fast forward to 2023, and I was pleased to see the announcement of the new SIRUI SVT75 Rapid Tripod System, which, at first glance, looks like a product that has the same concept but in a more familiar shape. According to the company, the SIRUI Rapid legs have their own unique patents but use a similar latch design close to the tripod bowl.

SIRUI Rapid adjustment latches

The latches are made from aluminum, while the legs are made of round carbon fibre tubes. On the other hand, one of the downsides of the flowtech is the unusual profile of the carbon fibre legs, as they aren’t round in shape, which makes them wider, and also, impossible to attach accessories like magic arms. 

The SIRUI Rapid legs have a nice rubber attached to them, which makes them easy to grip and carry – similar to Miller tripods. But let’s stick to talking about the latch system for a short moment: the latches take quite a bit of force to release, which is probably my biggest complaint about them, but the overall built quality of the mechanism and the legs overall seem very sturdy; as if it could really take a beating.

Size, weight and maximum load capacity

When you release a latch, the other two stages of a leg below glide out easily – which makes the tripod just as easy and quick to deploy and adjust in their height as expected. 

A downside is that the SIRUI Rapid legs weigh 3.5kg/7.7 lbs without spreader, and the Sachtler flowtech is only 2.9kg/6.4 lbs without spreader. The SIRUI ones have a maximum load capacity of up to 25kg/ 55.1 lbs, which you will likely never reach even with a specced-out modern camera setup.

Mid-level spreader & angle adjustment

Staying on this topic, this mid-level spreader, which adds stability to the entire system and the length of its arms, can be adjusted to fit many positioning needs. The mid-spreader is attached to the tripod in a clever way using a hook system. By removing the mid-level spreader, you can also lock the legs at wider angles to get closer to the ground, at 50 and 78 degrees.

The lever to lock the legs at these positions is much better than on the flowtech tripods, which is quite small and flimsy.

For the leg adjustment itself, you need to use a bit of force, so I would always recommend doing this with both hands.

Minimum & maximum height

The SIRUI Rapid legs can put the tripod as low as 20cm/7.8 in above ground without counting the tripod head, which is extremely low and great for low-angle shooting. While talking about how low it can go – it can also go quite high with up to 153cm/60.2 in, which is the same height the Flowtech 75 from Sachtler reaches. 

Accessory mounts & sturdiness

Right below the 75mm bowl that holds the head, there are 1/4 and 3/8 inch threads to attach accessories like monitors with Noga arms, which are always great to have. 

The legs have spikes at the bottom, which is great for muddy grounds, and rubber feet are solidly attached for flat surfaces. I can’t complain about the rigidity of the tripod – it stands very solidly on the ground at any height I tested. 

SIRUI SVH15 – fluid head

This review is mainly about the new legs, but for the sake of completeness, let’s also mention the SIRUI fluid head that fits the legs: The SVH15 Drag-Control Video Fluid Head was introduced during NAB 2023. Make sure you check out our gear news video.

The head offers a stepless adjustment of both the pan and tilt axis using the turning knobs that read “Tilt Fluid” and “Pan Fluid”. This mechanism works quite well and allows for very detailed adjustment, and the movement remains quite smooth in all the settings I tried.

Counterbalance

The counterbalance knob has 7 steps which you set according to the weight of the camera rig mounted on top. This is also similar to Sachtler tripod heads. I love this feature, because you can remember the setting depending on the rig you use – whether it’s a really light mirrorless camera setup or a heavy rig. Just note that the minimum weight supported by this head is 4kg/8.8 lbs, so super light setups are not ideal – but you can go up to 15kg/33 lbs.

I noticed that when loosening both of the “Fluid” knobs all the way – and with the counterbalance set to the minimum setting of 1 – there is still some resistance in the pan movement, while it’s almost completely loose in the tilt. Not a huge issue, but just something to be aware of when you use a very lightweight rig. In general, it’s great to have some resistance in any case in order to be able to make smooth pans.

Pan & tilt brakes

The locking levers for pan and tilt work great and solidly lock both axes in place with a slight turn. The head can be tilted down 90 degrees which is great for top-down shots. It’s nice that the head comes with two handles, which is useful for broadcast-style operation, especially when you are using remote zoom rockers and a follow focus on the handles.

Tripod plate quick-release system

The plate is a quick-release system that is very well executed and I actually like it better than Sachtler’s quick-release plate.

All parts are made of metal including the levers, and the plate they are using is compatible with DJI RS2 / RS3 quick-release plates, so you can easily move a camera from one of those gimbals to this head. The length of the plate allows for easy adjustment of the center of gravity on the head depending on your rig. The head itself also features quarter-inch and three-over-eight-inch threads for accessories, like the legs. 

Tripod head quick-release

I love the quick-release half-bowl handle at the bottom because it can be released so quickly for balancing, and taken off within seconds if you need to remove the head. Once the head is removed, the half bowl can be taken off easily too, so you have a flat bottom head that can be directly attached to sliders, without having to use any tools.

SIRUI prides themselves that the head operates smoothly between minus 40 and plus 60 °C (or 104-150 Fahrenheit), which is indeed a crazy range. Of course, we weren’t able to verify this but it’s definitely impressive even if the smooth operating range is a little smaller. 

SIRUI SVT75 – summary

So, to summarize: what are the two things I love about this tripod and what do I hate about it? Well, I am simply amazed at how inexpensive the legs are! In its current crowdfunding campaign, the price starts at only $399. You can get a full kit including the head starting at $879. I also simply love the build quality – you can tell that a lot of thought went into this system. It feels very high-end and sturdy, and I think this can give a lot of more expensive tripod systems a run for their money, it’s just a tad heavy. But what do I hate about it? That it was only released now, in 2023, when I already have a bunch of professional tripods for all my productions, most of which cost a lot more money! But what can you do…

Final note: 

Although there is an established company behind this campaign, we feel obliged to say this at the end of every crowdfunding-related article: Please be aware of the risks when backing a project on a crowdfunding platform. Please read Indiegogo’s terms of use – especially the section about “Backing a campaign”. Keep in mind that there can be significant delays when delivering the product. Some products even don’t get delivered at all.

Guys, thanks for reading/watching this review on the SIRUI SVT75 Rapid Tripod System. Make sure to follow our socials and/or sign up for our newsletter to not miss any of the many reviews/videos coming your way. Let us know what you think of this tripod system and which one is your current favorite – down in the comments below!