lightweight
versatile
quick release
reversible center post

sticky vertical tilt

After going through several less expensive tripods, all of which were entirely unsatisfactory, I settled on this one as the perfect tripod for my purpose--mainly outdoor photography of flowers, landscapes, wildlife, and livestock. It is lightweight and telescopes small enough for carrying in the woods (and comes with a carry case), is easy to use, and has a quick release when I need to ditch the tripod in a hurry for a hand-held shot. The advertised one-hand quick release is not always one-handed for someone with small hands (compared to my Slik monopod, which I have no trouble releasing one-handed).

The tripod is easy/fast to extend or telescope for getting the right height (although the clips sometimes pinch fingers). The center post is reversible for close-ups (such as of small flowers near the ground), although it's a bit cumbersome to reverse and not something you want to do in a hurry or under adverse conditions.

The fluid head worked great when I first got it, and the horizontal (pan) is still smooth, but after a few months the vertical tilt got sticky and cannot be adjusted easily (such as when trying to follow the movements of an insect on a plant). I sent it in for repair and the head was refurbished, but is still sticky and therefore frustrating for situations requiring fine-tuned vertical tilt.

Customer Service

Rapid turn-around, but problem not resolved.