The tripod is two pounds lighter than the one I had been using and much shorter when collapsed. I really like that! However, when I tilt the camera head towards the locking nut, there can be interference with the base of the quick release plate. I've discovered that you can pull out the spring loaded handle to reset its location but there are two issues with doing that. 1. Its tedious and with my big hands, hard to get in there, and; 2. I'm right handed and it seems like the handle was placed on the wrong side. I have to work it with my left hand. Turning the camera around to swing the handle to the right puts it ahead of the camera where it's difficult to see, not to mention that the ball slot (used to clear the ball stem and tilt the camera forward) is now at the back of the camera. Pretty much useless there unless you take photos of the sky. I considered swapping out the Manfrotto ball head from my other tripod as it has the tightening handle at the rear, easily accessible but I felt like I would lose the weight advantage. So, I probably wouldn't have bought this if I had know how inconveniently placed all the control/tightening handles were, but again, I do like the weight savings.

WEEKS LATER: After using this tripod for awhile I’m getting used to avoiding the design issues that caused the interference. However as a product designer myself I recognize that “workaround” should not be in a design engineers vocabulary. K&F contacted me and told me they have discussed the design issues with the team. As a result I’ve added a star to the rating.

I own several tripods. Hands down, none of them even comes close to the quality of this finely engineered, precision instrument. EVERY moving piece on this tripod is SOOOO smooth – even the screw cap locks for the leg extensions just effortlessly loosen and tighten, and the ball head rotates like the finest telescope. If you’re serious about your photography or videography, this tripod will not let you down.
It’s a fantastic tripod of superior quality and comes with everything you need to start shooting right out of the box