Prompter People Tripod Review: HD300 vs HD500

In this quick video, I’ll give you an honest review of the Prompter People HD300 & HD 500.

Let’s face it; Tripods are like linemen in Football. They do most of the heavy lifting and the Quarterback (AKA the camera) gets all the credit. But a tripod is a fundamental part of a videographer’s kit, and we should give tripods more attention.

Many videographers get a bit of sticker shock when seeing the price of a quality tripod, which is typically $2,000-10,000. But tripods can outlast cameras, lenses, and many other parts of your great kit. Many solid tripods will last around 20+ years, so investing in a good tripod is necessary if you’d like to save time, money, and energy in the long run.

That’s why I thought it’d be fun to review two solid tripods that give you a big bang for your buck. Prompter People is a company known for affordable Teleprompters. It makes a lot of sense for a teleprompter company to expand their product line to include tripods rated to hold their 12-25lb teleprompters, and these both models perform well with or without their counterparts attached.

Recently they’ve released 2 new tripods that check many boxes for me the HD300 and HD500. There’s a lot to say about these incredible tripods, but instead of reading about them, why not watch this Prompter People tripod review video.

Prompter People Tripod Review Video

Prompter People Tripod Review

Below is my review of the HD300 and HD500. I hope you find this information to be helpful.

The Process

To give both tripods an equal footing, I purchased both tripods with wheels (more on that in a bit.) I also borrowed a few tripods from my church and a friend, so we’ll compare these tripods to some competitors as well. Here are my initial thoughts on each tripod.

The HD300 Initial Thoughts

The HD300 tripod is rated for 30lbs and fits into a category that I’d describe as light duty pro. This tripod currently has a few extra features that the HD500 doesn’t have (light for bubble level, larger tilt lock, and better teeth for the arm bar). It does have some drag settings, even though it’s a simple plus or minus to increase or decrease the drag.

The tripod come’s with a pretty nice camera bag, and the plate is around 2x5inches. (pretty standard for this weight class). There is a threaded hole for a screw located under the plate for a spare 1/4 20 screw.

The HD500 Intial thoughts

The HD500 tripod is rated for 50lbs and fits into a category that I’d describe as a ‘medium duty pro’. This tripod adds the ability to set resistance (AKA Drag) for the pan and tilt. It’s a bit different than your traditional head because it has a setting for both pan and tilt. The drag affect’s both the tilt and the pan for this tripod. It sounds a bit strange, but if your camera is properly balanced, the combo works.

The camera bag has a more premium feel, with better zippers, padding, and is slightly larger. The plate on the HD500 is significantly larger, which helps create more stability for the head. There is also a threaded hole for a screw located right under where the plate would sit.

Tripod Class (My Tripod Marketing Rant)

Some would think that this tripod would be considered “heavy duty”, but I believe “Heavy Duty” should be reserved for it’s weight/size-class. Take the Vinten 30 or the Ultimate O’connor 2560 for example; both these tripods have a 150mm ball head and can carry camera packages well over 70lbs. I’m aware that in today’s DSLR and Mirrorless craze most camera’s weigh less than 5lbs. Even the HD300 is HEAVY duty in the eyes of probably 90% of our clients.

Most marketer’s would rather have “Heavy Duty” on their advertisements and write-ups. After all, if you’re looking at 2 tripods with a similar weight class and one says “Medium Duty” and the next says “Heavy duty” you’ll probably lean towards the heavy duty tripod even though that “Medium duty” tripod may outperform its competition.

The 75mm, 100mm, and 150mm head sizes are the most commonly used in tripod heads. As you’d think, the larger the head, the heavier its payload generally speaking. That’s why I’d reserve most of the “heavy duty” titles to the 150mm head size, but that’s just me.

Commonalities between The Prompter People HD300 and HD500

LEGS

The legs for both of these tripods are identical except for the label. They have a twist locking system which is a bit slower than a latch system. The twist locks have a hard stop at the end of the spin that felt solid. I was a little disappointed that the 500’s didn’t have upgraded leg’s, but apparently they are sturdy enough for 50lbs. The legs are a bottom level spreader, and Detach with the feet. Speaking of feet, these legs had something I’ve never seen before. The teeth rotate, which can be slightly awkward when setting up the wheels.

WHEELS

The wheels have brakes on each wheel that lock both the wheel itself and pivot of the wheel. This is a great little feature, and I spun the wheels away from the center of the tripod (to maximize it’s stability) before locking the wheels.

RESISTANCE

Both tripods are incredibly smooth, and the first camera I tested on the tripods was a Sony PXW-Z150 that has a payload of a little over 5lbs. I could hardly tell the tripods apart as far as smoothness goes in my first test. After spending a little more time with the tripods, I put my Sony FS5 and a Sony Zoom 28-135mm F/4.0 lens with a total Payload of around 7.5lbs on. I noticed the HD500 was a bit smoother at the end of my focal range. Both tripods are fun to use, and having the 2nd arm on the HD500 allowed an even smoother feel with both hands on the tripod.

I know what you’re probably thinking; Why didn’t I test the tripod’s with a full payload?Teleprompter system, counterweights, etc? I’ve noticed tripods become more stable when adding more weight to the tripod. It’s like shaking an empty water bottle vs a full water bottle; the empty bottle is easier to shake and move, while the full bottle has a bit more stability. Most of the time, I’ll be using tripods without the Teleprompter setup, but I would like to have tripods with the ability to handle the heavier loads. These tripods give that flexibility, and the support weight is the primary differentiator between the two tripods in my opinion.

Both tripods have a 100mm ball head, which made the size of these heads very similar. I did a comparison to every tripod I could get my hands on to show the differences between each tripod and it’s competitors, and the Head’s are kind of in a sweet spot between prosumer head’s like Manfrotto/Benro, and pro-grade heads like O’connor, Satchler, and Vinten.

HD300 & HD500: Things to KNow

I was surprised how similar the two tripods are. I’d expected the HD500 to have a little beefier legs and possibly an even beefier head. It’s hard to recommend the HD500 over the HD300, the only feature you’re really missing from the HD300 is the 20 extra pounds of payload, and the extra drag settings. Hopefully they’ll come out with an HD700 with a 150mm ball head that will look the part. The teeth on the bottom of the tripods moved, and this was a little concerning because they shifted on me once during operation. I’d like to see an updated HD500 with the light for bubble level, larger tilt lock, and better teeth for the arm bar.

HD300 & HD500 Buying Guide: WHICH ONE SHOULD YOU BUY?

Currently in Summer of 2020 both tripods are on sale. It’s probably because the tripods are so new, there’s not many reviews out there, and COVID-19 has effected many small businesses. However, with that being said I have the following recommendations for these tripods:

HD300 - The HD300 is great for churches, schools, and most videographers who don’t expect a payload above 30lbs. I’d order the heavy duty wheels ($150) and an extra arm ($40). The tripod is going to be $795, but is currently on sale at $399. That means you would walk away with an incredible tripod/wheel/2 arm combo for just under $600.

HD500 - I recommend the larger HD500 for corporate companies and videographers who don’t expect a payload above 50lbs. The tripod is going to be $1,750, but is currently on sale with wheels and a 2nd arm for $990.

HD300 & HD500: My recommendationS

I’m personally buying four of the HD500’s because I frequently use a gear package above the 30lb limit of the HD300. I’d love to look at a 150mm version of this tripod, but am very happy with these tripods so far. I’ve recommended my church to purchase three of the HD300’s.

With sales prices in consideration, these tripods come in around 1/4 of the prices of competitors, which makes these tripods very exciting for videographers. Only time will tell if these tripods will last the 20+ year’s many other tripods last, but with all good things, if you take care of them and maintain them well, they’ll stick around for a long time.

Have any gear or streaming questions?

If you ever have any gear or streaming questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to me and the team at CorporateStreams. We love working with passionate videographers and storytellers.