The product looks good, excellent performance, but the tripod has only one screw fixing the camera on the release plate which - for the camera that I have - is too big. How do I get the right screw, the 3/8" screw?

I'm a tripod guy - I have at least a dozen. I have compact ones for travel, big rugged ones when I need a heavy duty model, carbon fiber, aluminum and combination. If you use this tripod a few times you'll realize that whomever designed it took the best features from several tripods and combined them here - although they missed a few.

So I'll start with the misses. The feet - strictly rubber feet. They can be spun out and removed, but there's no spikes to replace them. Spikes are fantastic for dirt, sand, etc. The feet spin out easily - you'll want to tighten them and leave them all the way in - or I guarantee you'll lose them. The ball pivot. It's straight or at a 45 degree angle. I'd prefer if there were locking options with inbetween angles. You can accomplish these varying angles by changing the length of the tripod legs and adding a weight to stabilize it, so that's kind of a wash. There's no place to stash the included hex key. This can come in really handy, but it's not needed when making a monopod out of the tripod.

The legs lock in three fixed positions. This is a feature I have used many times on tripods. Hiking in Utah and shooting from boulders I could angle the legs as needed for a secure perch. The wider the legs, the more stable the tripod, making it exceptionally good for timelapse and long exposure. There's a center column hook for a sandbag - it's pretty light duty though - a steel shaft in a plastic housing with plastic threads. I would not go more than 5 lbs. If you really need weight, open the legs more and use sandbags. I've also used tent stakes with a paracord loop around the feet.

All of the dials and knobs are aluminum, not plastic. That's really nice and increases the life of the tripod by years. Plastic knobs eventually break. They snap if bumped too hard. Aluminum bay dent or scratch, but it won't break like plastic.

All the hardware (connecting screws, nuts, bolts) are stainless.

The included ball head is also darn nice. It has the thicker 3/8-24 thread which is typical for a tripod head. The plate is an Arca-Swiss style sliding plate, and the camera screw has a built-in thumb-catch for hand tightening. No tools (or coins) needed. The plate can be loosened and slid back and forth but will not slide off the head. You need almost two full rotations of the locking knob to fully release the plate. Nice. There's also a built-in bubble level. The ball mechanism sits in a Teflon pocket - so it's smooth.

The top of the tripod (where the head attaches) has a reversible screw - 1/4-20 for cameras or 3/8-24 for tripod heads. The top orange collar locks it in place. It's all hand tightened, so it is possible to start spinning off the ball head without realizing it - there's no locking screws to lock the tripod head in place. The best way to attach the head is to remove the dual sided screw and collar. On the tripod head, loosen the big locking dial and move the plate to the 45 degree position (so it's tucked in the notch.) Thread in the tripod mount screw until it stops - it's actually pressing against the ball at this point. Now spin on the orange collar. Loosen the screw 1/2 a turn. Tighten the collar as tight as you can (without tools!) Now spin on the head and tighten. You'll find it's much more difficult to accidentally spin off.

Anyway, great tripod, a little on the heavier side when compared to compact or carbon fiber models, but a good choice for all-around use. Plus being able to convert to a monopod in under a minute is really handy.

I'm a tripod guy - I have at least a dozen. I have compact models for travel, large rugged models when I need a rugged model, carbon fiber, aluminum and a combination. After using this tripod a few times, you'll find that whoever designed it took the best qualities of several tripods and combined them here - although some have escaped them.

All dials and buttons are aluminum, not plastic. This is really nice and adds years to the life of the tripod. Plastic buttons eventually break. They break if bumped too hard. Aluminum has dents or scratches, but it doesn't shatter like plastic.

All hardware (connecting screws, nuts, bolts) is rust-free.

The included ball head is pretty damn nice too. It has the thicker 3/8-24 thread typical of a tripod head. The plate is an Arca-Swiss style sliding plate and the camera screw has a built in thumb lock for hand tightening. No tools (or coins) are required. The plate can be detached and slid back and forth, but will not slip off the head. It takes almost two full turns of the locking knob to fully disengage the panel. Kind. There is also a built-in soap scale. The ball mechanism is in a Teflon pocket and is therefore smooth-running.

At the top of the tripod (where the head attaches) is a reversible screw - 1/4-20 for cameras or 3/8-24 for tripod heads. The top orange collar ensures it stays in place. It's all hand tightened, so it's possible to twist the ball head off without realizing it. There are no locking screws to fix the tripod head. The best way to attach the head is to remove the double ended screw and collar. On the tripod head, loosen the large locking wheel and move the plate to the 45-degree position (so it sticks in the notch.) Turn the tripod mounting screw until it stops — it's actually pushing against the ball at this point. Now turn up the orange collar. Loosen the screw half a turn. Tighten the collar as tight as possible (no tools!) Now twist and tighten on your head. You'll find that it's a lot harder to accidentally spin off.

Anyway, a great tripod, a little heavier compared to compact or carbon fiber models, but a good choice for all-round use. Also, it is very convenient to switch to a monopod in less than a minute.

I'm a tripod guy - I have at least a dozen. I have compact ones for travel, big rugged ones when I need a heavy duty model, carbon fiber, aluminum and combination. If you use this tripod a few times you'll realize that whomever designed it took the best features from several tripods and combined them here - although they missed a few.So I'll start with the misses. The feet - strictly rubber feet. They can be spun out and removed, but there's no spikes to replace them. Spikes are fantastic for dirt, sand, etc. The feet spin out easily - you'll want to tighten them and leave them all the way in - or I guarantee you'll lose them. The ball pivot. It's straight or at a 45 degree angle. I'd prefer if there were locking options with inbetween angles. You can accomplish these varying angles by changing the length of the tripod legs and adding a weight to stabilize it, so that's kind of a wash. There's no place to stash the included hex key. This can come in really handy, but it's not needed when making a monopod out of the tripod.The legs lock in three fixed positions. This is a feature I have used many times on tripods. Hiking in Utah and shooting from boulders I could angle the legs as needed for a secure perch. The wider the legs, the more stable the tripod, making it exceptionally good for timelapse and long exposure. There's a center column hook for a sandbag - it's pretty light duty though - a steel shaft in a plastic housing with plastic threads. I would not go more than 5 lbs. If you really need weight, open the legs more and use sandbags. I've also used tent stakes with a paracord loop around the feet.All of the dials and knobs are aluminum, not plastic. That's really nice and increases the life of the tripod by years. Plastic knobs eventually break. They snap if bumped too hard. Aluminum bay dent or scratch, but it won't break like plastic.All the hardware (connecting screws, nuts, bolts) are stainless.The included ball head is also darn nice. It has the thicker 3/8-24 thread which is typical for a tripod head. The plate is an Arca-Swiss style sliding plate, and the camera screw has a built-in thumb-catch for hand tightening. No tools (or coins) needed. The plate can be loosened and slid back and forth but will not slide off the head. You need almost two full rotations of the locking knob to fully release the plate. Nice. There's also a built-in bubble level. The ball mechanism sits in a Teflon pocket - so it's smooth.The top of the tripod (where the head attaches) has a reversible screw - 1/4-20 for cameras or 3/8-24 for tripod heads. The top orange collar locks it in place. It's all hand tightened, so it is possible to start spinning off the ball head without realizing it - there's no locking screws to lock the tripod head in place. The best way to attach the head is to remove the dual sided screw and collar. On the tripod head, loosen the big locking dial and move the plate to the 45 degree position (so it's tucked in the notch.) Thread in the tripod mount screw until it stops - it's actually pressing against the ball at this point. Now spin on the orange collar. Loosen the screw 1/2 a turn. Tighten the collar as tight as you can (without tools!) Now spin on the head and tighten. You'll find it's much more difficult to accidentally spin off.Anyway, great tripod, a little on the heavier side when compared to compact or carbon fiber models, but a good choice for all-around use. Plus being able to convert to a monopod in under a minute is really handy.

Good stable tripod and like the phone mount plate that's class !!

I bought the carbon tripod because I finally wanted a ball head :-). The tripod is incredibly light and yet very stable. The screw caps are easy to open and then tighten again. The camera sits great on the ball head and is then super adjustable. The fixing screws are smooth-running and yet very easy to fix. 1.: Unfortunately for me there are 2 small weaknesses in the product: The clamps for adjusting the tripod feet rattle incredibly. I always have to worry that the clamps will fall off. 2.: When the camera is attached to the plate on the ball head mount, the spirit level is on the side of the display, which I think is ok. BUT the knob for attaching the plate is then on the side of the lens. With my Sigma, however, the rotary knob is almost on the lens. There are only 10ths to 100ths between the rotary knob and the lens. I find this ugly.Otherwise, the tripod is a recommendation.Positive:-Weight-Stability-Size-Flexibility-faster useNegative:-Clamp to adjust the tripod legs rattle-Setting screw for attaching the mounting plate camera/ball head very, very, very tight to the Tripods from SigmaNevertheless a clear recommendation on my part.

Suitable for M42 screw on lenses for Pentax DSLR mount.

As the title says it is light and sturdy. Materials seem to be good quality (haven't had it long so I will update if it breaks unexpectedly) the rotating ball is a very nice touch, makes for some unique shot set ups.

Overall it seems as if it was actually designed by someone that wanted a tripod capable of being used in plenty of rugged situations.

If I was to harp on something it would be the camera mount. Most parts are made from high quality aluminum so I would like to see the mount done the same rather than plastic. As well (this is probably me not mounting it right) but the mounting plate that goes on the camera doesn't seem to fit like others do and it feels loose. I fixed it with a bit of craft foam to get it tight but I would like to see a mounting plate that fits an older camera a bit better.

Solid buy especially for the price.