SIRUI T-2205X Traveller's Tripod Height 144 cm/Maximum Load 1.2 kg/Weight 12 kg/with Case and Strap/Carbon

I am so happy with this tripod. I have owned and used many from the top brands and this tripod is such a bargain. The most impressive features are how compact, how low, how tall and how light it is. Even the padded bag that comes with it is very nice. What a bargain package. I bought this with the Sirui K-20X Ball head. Great combination. Also using a Manfrotto MVH502AH fluid head with no issues.

High price but great quality.

ProsBuild quality (excellent. ?light-weight spring on leg extension locks)WeightStabilitySpikes (although takes time to retract)Reasonable heightConsLocks (too easily un-locked when handling)Slow operation (un-folding, unlocking legs, changing to short column)The build quality of the T-2205X is excellent. It feels both light-weight but solid. The carbon fibre legs and column keep the weight down and allow comfortable handing in the cold (although with two of the legs having warmers, that shouldn't be a problem anyway). I wanted a traveling tripod and expected it not to reach as high as my larger one. As it is, it extends to about 124cm (without a head) and 143cm with the column extended. It's quite stable at full extension, but I try not to use the column on any tripod to maintain better stability. That said, there is a handy hook at the bottom of the column to hang extra weight to (a camera bag etc). I like the retractable spikes on the feet very much. They look like good quality spikes, although it's quite tedious twisting the feet to retract them. The legs and column also use a twist lock design which requires a 1/4 of a turn. They don't need to be tightened very much to lock the legs tight. I found that, when handling the tripod, I kept catching the knurled locks and loosening them slightly as they do unlock with ease. Also, be careful that you don't trap your fingers when retracting the legs though (I managed to do that and it hurts!). Much as the twist lock works though, it's not the quickest of locking methods. My Manfrotto has a leaver lock, which seems much quicker to set up. The design allows for the legs to fold back on themselves to shorten the folded tripod for travelling. To be honest, that also takes longer to do than just closing the legs in the normal way, so, saving an extra 14cm might not warrant the extra time. If you are packing the tripod for walking or carrying it in it's (rather nicely made) bag, then I can see the point of folding the legs back. The T-2205X comes with a short column too. This allows you to spread the legs so that the top of the (short) column is about 13cm from the ground (your tripod head and camera will dictate the final height of course). In order to used the shorter column, you have to unscrew the hook and remove the head from the long column, remove it from the legs and slot the short column in its stead. Then you'll need to replace the hook (if needed) and the head. Not exactly a swift operation, and you'll need the supplied allen key to unlock the head. Now, if you use a tripod, one could argue that it's a considered way of composing your shots, so a slower set-up should be expected. Having used the Manfrotto 190X Prob and it's larger brother, the 055CXPro3, I can say that they are both much quicker to set up and they have the horizontal column feature. I bought the T-2205X for traveling with a Sony RX1, so I think they are a good match and overall extremely happy with it.