Manfrotto Elements- Aluminium Small (Black)

PROS:Quality fitment, clean lines, good operation of moving parts, free spares and tools included, good tote-bag included, nice and tall, can use as monopod, separate camera and pan screws.CONS:One leg shorter than the rest, a little heavy.REVIEW:Needed a taller tripod to replace my $20 cheapo model. Found this Manfrotto and I am very satisfied. It is clearly a quality product and I feel like I will be using it for the rest of my life (or until I lose it). The operation of the twist locks and leg position locks is clean and easy (though you may need to loosen the leg screws for quicker angle adjustment). The camera foot fits well and is easy to mount. There are two bubble levels for positioning at upright and at 90º angle for the camera. The ball joint works well and I really like the speed of the adjustments for height.This seems best suited for ‘local’ shooting and is a bit too heavy for a back country hike due to the weight, but being aluminum it should stand up for many a year to come. Additionally, it seems that one of the legs is shorter than the rest at the fully extended position. This is easy enough to compensate for, but should have been noticed in QA.SUMMARY:For the price, I don’t think you’ll find a more capable tripod. Fully recommend to anyone who wants something significantly better than the ubiquitous cheap Chinese knockoffs found in the “Amazon Preferred” category.

Overall, I've had a great experience with this tripod so far. It's easy to pull out of my bag and quickly assemble. Likewise, disassembly is a breeze. Converting to a monopod takes no more than 45 seconds. I wish it was maybe a pound lighter, but you get what you pay for - I'm pleased with my decision. I chose this over the Element Traveler Small because of the detachable monopod leg on this model and the sturdier build (though the small is very well built too).Pros:- Legs have enough tension to stay collapsed if carrying by holding just one leg- Sturdy with Canon 6D and 16-35mm lens (~3.1 lbs) at full extension- Foam grip on one leg (monopod leg) for cold weather- Easy assembly/folding- Fits in a Camelbak bag (just barely though)Cons:- Probably too heavy for true backpacking- Carrying case it comes with is too big- The ball head comes loose very easily- When converting to monopod or back to tripod, you have to ensure that there's enough threads in both the center shaft and the head and not too many in the other. It doesn't automatically stop halfway on each.

Manfrotto is one of those great tripods. My first impressions, light weight, solid construction, not very stable in some windy conditions or irregular terrains, it shakes a little on those conditions, tightening and shorting the legs may help, I've noticed this with a Nikon D7200 with a 70/300 zoom, with some patience I could take the shots I wanted. You can't expect to use this as a Studio Tripod of $300 or more... It is what it is, an affordable, light, traveller tripod, for taking some pictures or videos that requires a tripod for an optimal result, if you are looking for that then you wouldn't be disappointed. Easy to deploy and easy to store, also it is easy to dissamble one leg to make it a monopod, of course it is something that you can't do constantly, it seems that this feature was thinked only for those cases where with just a monopod were usefull instead of the whole tripod.

I now have 4 travel tripods, sadly. Finally with this one I have one that doesn’t fall apart or tremble in a mild breeze. Slightly heavier than the super lights, but that’s what I’ve been needing. Fits in carryon, legs lock nicely, sturdy overall, ball head is acceptable, though I changed mine out for a minimally lighter one I took off a MePhoto tripod that fell apart at a critical moment with a very rare owl. That shaved a few ounces and gave me a slightly better head. I think w this one Manfrotto got the weight/portability ratio just about right.Carrying this in a pack long distances with a bunch of other gear might not be the most pleasant experience, but for general air & car travel & reasonable portability on foot, this one’s ideal. I’ll soon take it to South Texas for a birding trip (w a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 & Canon 5D M4 & 6D II w shorter lens)), where I’ll walk 5-8 miles per day for 5 days, then to NYC (biggest lens there a 70-200mm f4), where I’ll carry it part of the time & put in approx. the same mileage for 3-4 days. I believe it’ll work fine for both.

I was skeptical because this is a 5-section tripod. But it's not your father's compact tripod, to borrow from the old Oldsmobile commercial. If you don't know what an Oldsmobile is . . . never mind.Anyway, I have used full size Manfrotto tripods in the past and they were made in Italy and very sturdy. I was also skeptical because this one is made in . . . you guessed it, China. In any case, this tripod is very well made and stable. It is not really light weight, being made with substantial tubes, but of course much lighter than a full size tripod.Came with a heavy-duty drawstring bag. Other nice touches are has a 2-section center post, and a hook to hang a weight for additional stability when the wind is up. Very solid feeling ball head with two bubble levels, degree marks, and quick-release plate.