Jeepers, this thing is a wonder!
I've been into photography for about 35 years, the last 5 of which in a semi-professional capacity. I've gone through a LOT of tripods of various levels, but never one to spend $500+ on a tripod. Photographers today have a lot more economical options, and this one is at or near the top of that pyramid.
Wow, where to start... I read some of the other positive reviews and it seems like they're pretty much covered it, so I'll just throw in my agreement: you'd have to spend a LOT more to get a better tripod than this.
It's at an awkward position in the tripod range - pricey for the beginner, and too inexpensive for the seasoned pro who wants only the best. If this is perhaps more than you wanted to spend, but CAN afford this - don't go through the pain of constantly moving up every few years like I did, jump ahead and buy this one. When I was starting out, to get a tripod anywhere near this quality, you'd have to spend MANY hundreds of dollars (in 1990's money).
The quality and materials are all Good/Excellent. I recently reviewed a similar tripod that was a bit cheaper, but not nearly as flexible as this one and it had a few cheaper-feeling pieces. I felt it deserved 5 stars for value, so this one definitely qualifies for a 5.
First off - this is the TALLEST tripod I have ever seen!!! In addition to having one more leg segment than most, the vertical extension tube in the center has TWO telescoping segments as well! (With two ball-head joints) This can stretch higher than I could even reach. Crazy!
And, as you can see in the description, the center tube can be made to swivel and tilt. I tried it in the (almost) worst-case scenario - my heavy Canon with a mid-size lens in the fully-extended horizontal position with the camera aimed in a "normal" horizontal position. Admittedly, it struggled to hold this position, but it did. It might not have been able to do it with one of my heavy telephoto (100-400) but that would be an odd scenario anyway.) WIth the tube only halfway extended, it should be able to hold just about anything you can throw at it.
The ball head works really well. Smooth and no free play, and no matter what angle you have your camera at when you lock it down, it will stay without any drift. (Okay, maybe a millimeter or 2 of drift, but that's probably just from releasing the upward pressure your own hand was exerting on the whole rig - not the ball head itself that's moving.)
You can flip the center stack so that you can mount your camera on the bottom for a low perspective. I did not actually test this feature yet so I'm not sure how difficult it is to flip the mechanism. Suffice to say, this tripod can probably do any oddball position that you've ever seen any tripod do.
All the legs and latches that matter are aluminum. The plastic and rubberized parts are well above the average.
Being aluminum, it's surprisingly light for its size. That said, it's not hard to get a quality, lighter tripod, even in this price range, but it will be a smaller tripod. When you consider the size and flexibility of this one, it seems pretty light.
Most photographers have multiple tripods, and this one makes a good case for that as well. This is a wonderful "does everything" tripod, but it might be a bit bulky and overkill for long-distance hiking. (However, one of the legs can be detached and combined with parts from the center stack to be used as a monopod - so with some effort, this could truly be an all-purpose tool.) Personally, I would have a quality, low-frills, light tripod for travel or hiking, and this one for all staged, commercial, or studio work. It's a great studio tripod - the flexibility lends itself well to product photography.
OK, I feel like I'm rambling without adding a whole lot of new info. EXCELLENT product, excellent quality especially for the price, can go ridiculously tall, lightweight for the size. No hesitation in recommending it.
Hope this helps!
