SIRUI A Series Aluminum Tripod with Y Series Ball Head (A-1205+Y-11)

Reason for Purchase and what I was looking for =>I was in the market looking for a tripod to upgrade to from my AmazonBasics (60 inch Lightweight ) Tripod. It was too long when folded, to carry it around on hikes, or on domestic flights, that I mostly ended up leaving it at home. It was also too high at its minimum height (>2 ft), that I couldn't shoot lower angles.I was looking for something compact, that would go in my daypack/dayhiking-pack, something that had a lower minimum-height so that I could cover low angle shots and if possible, a little lighter so that I can carry it around more often.In short, I was looking for a Travel tripod that was Sturdy-enough to not let my gear fall in some wind.Prices and BrandsI was stunned by seeing the prices of Tripods. The cheapest was BONFOTO $67 and the most expensive was SLIK Pro $230. (Note: There were $500-$800 tripods as well, but I didn't even look at those insanely expensive tripods). The brands I checked out were, MeFoto, Sirui, BonFoto, K&F Concept, ReallyRightStuff, Benro, ManFrotto.Why I chose this tripod:It fits the budget, has all that I need, has additional features that I wasn't really looking for but they are great to have. I bought it for $100 Open Box (as Used-LikeNew). Felt like a great deal in a market of super expensive tripods.I also went to a local camera store to checkout all Sirui Tripods A-1005, T025x and T-005kx. The T series seemed quite light + Compact and On paper seemed to be more easy to carry around. But when I put my hands on them in the store, they seemed very sleek and not strong enough to hold the camera still in medium to strong wind. I have a Nikon D7200 Camera body and Nikkor 18-140 Zoom lens. When I put my hands on A-1005, it seemed like a more sturdy choice and wasn't heavier than my AmazonBasics tripod. Was compact for sure. Folded length was just about half of the AmazonBasic Tripod's folded length.What I like about this tripod after buying1) The minimum height for this is 10 inch. Works super great.2) You can even reverse the center column, to get even lower angle shots. I tried it at home and it's great.3) It is 2.6 lb in weight without the ballhead and with the ballhead it is 3lb (which is roughly the same weight as that of my Amazon Basic Tripod) So no profit no loss, weight-wise, personally for me. Your situation might be different.4) Folded length is 13 inch. Yes 13 inch. It perfectly sits in the side pocket of my Lowepro Fastpack BP 150 AW II. I carried it on a day-hike in snow at Mt Rainier, and I didn't feel it was there the whole time. Swung the bag 20 times to take out my camera from the easy access of the bag, and the tripod hung perfectly fine in the side pocket on the opposite side. Never fell or came out that I would have to worry about it falling without my knowledge.5) Maximum height it achieves is 55 inch on paper. When I set it up at full height at my home, it was close to my nose (I am 5' 8''). In my photography experience, I haven't found myself setting the tripod that high.6) It can hold upto 10 kg of camera gear weight. I weighed my camera body and lens, and that was just 4 kg. And I don't shoot wildlife, so I don't have super telezoom heavy lenses that I needed it to support. I am into landscape photography, so I'll most likely have wide-angle lenses or basic zooms upto 200mm. Not more than that. So weight-wise this tripod is good enough for next few years.7) Bonus feature: One of its legs can detach and can work as a monopod for those situations where you don't have enough space for all the three legs or if your camera is heavy enough to hold for long, you can just put it on the monopod and wait for the moment to happen to shoot it.8) Sirui covers it for 6 years in Warranty.9) In terms of features it offers, it stacks up against ManFrotto/MeFoto/SLIK Pro's premium tripods but has a reasonable price. I put it up against the following==MeFoto Classic Aluminum Roadtrip, $149==MeFoto Classic Aluminum Backpacker $115==ManFrotto MKBFRA4-BH BeFree Compact Aluminum $170== ManFrotto 190 Aluminium 3 Section Tripod $167== ManFrotto MT190GOA4TB 190go! Aluminum 4 Section $160==SLIK  Pro 724 CF 4-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod $230==Benro Slim Aluminum Lighteweight Travel Tripod $100==BONFOTO  B690A Lightweight Aluminum Alloy $67==K&F Concept TM2324 Black Aluminum Tripod $80==Sirui  T-025x Carbon Fiber Tripod $200==Sirui   T-005KX Aluminum Alloy Tripod $100Considering the price, feature and my needs, this tripod is a true winner. I'll update my review, if it turns out that it doesn't work in some situations. Or if it gives me a bad time. I've only used it for 3 days (1 during a hike, 1 during a VLOG shoot set it up at a low height and 1 day some random experiments at home).------ Update 01/23/2019------------Still loving and recommending this tripod.- Took it to Vegas on a Delta flight. Fit perfectly in my carry-on luggage- Fits perfectly in my Lowpro FastPack 150AW II, that I don't feel its presence.- Tried the inverted center-column shooting a couple of times. Works like a charm.- Very easy to carry around from one spot to other, using foam grips on two of its legs. Even my wife carried it for half a mile without complaints.- Used it in Death Valley National Park and Redwood National Park. Very satisfied.

I am quite disappointed in the weight of this tripod. It felt a bit heavier than I expected when I took the box out of the outer box it was shipped in. I then looked on the label of the Sirui box and noticed that the weights shown there are not what is described in this article or on other web sites. I attached a photo of the label.The label says the legs (including center column) weigh 1 kg (2.2 lbs). On my kitchen scale they weigh 1,074 grams (2.4 lbs). I guess that 1,074 rounds down to about 1 kg, but while 1 kg is about 2.2 lbs the legs certainly weigh more than 2.2 lbs. I assume this is down to somebody converting the 1 kg to lbs and adding a decimal of precision that made it inaccurate in imperial units.The head shows a weight of 0.3 kg (0.6 lbs) on the label. On my kitchen scale it shows as 290 grams (0.64 lbs) so we actually get a little back there.So the total weight is about 1,364 grams (3.0 lbs). This is quite a bit higher than the 2.2 lbs listed in the description.The description states "The A1205 Carbon Fiber Tripod with Y-11 Ball Head from Sirui is a 5-section tripod that weighs 2.2 lb." That is completely inaccurate.Unfortunately for me I was interested in a light weigh tripod for hiking and I was excited by this one being listed as only 2.2 lbs.Other than the weight the tripod appears to be well made and nicely configured. You can separate one of the legs to make a monopod. You cannot eliminate the center column and just mount the head on the legs (that would have been a nice feature to eliminate the weight of the aluminum center column).

Good tripod for the money, very solid, trustworthy construction. A bit on the heavy side for a travel tripod but it folds down fairly small which is useful for cramming into the side pockets of daypacks on hikes.

I needed a small travel tripod because my manfrotto tripod was too big to be considered a carry-on. I have also attached it to my camera bag when I go on bike rides. This particular tripod and ballhead fit my needs perfectly. I’m very pleased with the quality and operation of this tripod and ballhead.

Light weight but low quality.

A quick web search found this happens frequently with this product. Until they fix it, I suggest avoiding.

My tripod came apart while in use. The threads holding the ballhead mounting plate to the tripod are made of plastic, and they pulled apart. Luckily I had my camera and lens in hand when it started spinning due to the threads pulling out, but for over $200 this should be a metal part. Might’ve been better off with a $100 MeFOTO.

High, low, macro, portrait, landscape, inverted, stargazing, overhead, tilt, panoramic, uneven surfaces, hiking, traveling, events, monopod only, heavy set up, whatever your need is, this tripod fits the description.It's heavier than any carbon fiber tripod that I've ever handled has been but incredibly durable. Metal swivel joints and lock downs make me confident that I can sit my expensive photography equipment on it. Very versatile for any event or environment. Not a fan of a joints for the legs but that's just personal preference. Sure, it costs a bit more than your average tripod, but you spend lots of money on your camera. Wouldn't you want something you can trust to hold it?Very worth it and I would say I'd but it again, but I don't think ill ever have to.

I did extensive research on similar products and when I saw a' SIRUI' demo video in YouTube, I felt it the right brand. I was fed up of the cheap quality Chinese tripods which break away so easily in the past. I was looking for one which a pro can have a hassle free use. It is a wonderful product which delighted me in features as well as manufacturing quality. Well done designer. This is the benchmark for all tripod manufacturers.

Poor quality... I tried removing one leg to make it a monopod and internal parts came falling... It took me 20 minutes to join it again... More plasticy. Also does not carry weight as described, it's carrying capacity is hardly 5kg to 6kg... I mounted A7iii with Tamron 17-28 f2.8 lens and it was vibrating.... The locks also seems to be of poor quality... Not a value for money product...

Product is very good and hence giving full points. But the seller - Atlantic Shoppee delivered this product which is 2 year old.. Bought product in May 2020 and the product is of August 2018. Wanted replacement but there is only return option as seller doesnt have this item anymore.

Amazon should take care of it's packing and the adjacent parts. Mine one had some problem with the plate below the Ball Head.

Very nice product.