ZOMEi Q666C (Updated Version) Professional Compact Travel Portable Carbon Fiber Camera Tripod Monopod with Ball Head Quick Release Plate and Tripod Bag

If you decide to buy this tripod, the very first thing you should do when you get it is throw away the base plate to the ball-head! It is junk and no matter what you do, it loosens -- continually. (hint, using a quarter to tighten it works best, but still not for very long). Next thing: be aware that if you have a 2.8 lens (I was using a 24-70mm -- so forget anything larger) you can never shoot in the vertical position; it does hold it very steady in the horizontal position, though, with tack sharp images [only if you use a timer, though] -- thus, the 3 stars).I bought this for an upcoming trip because my Gitzo would not fit in my luggage. The Zomei fit great in my luggage, and for the most part it did the job during a 3 day shoot. It was lightweight and nice to use, for a consumer tripod, but the loosening of the base-plate and no vertical shooting was very frustrating. The fact that Zomei immediately sent a set of instructions on what not to do -- or the legs will fall off! - was a red flag. I followed their instructions and the legs did not fall off (but I missed my Gitzo).Overall, for the price, it's a nice carbon fiber tripod, and is fine for general photography if price is a major factor -- it is especially good if you do not use a tripod often.UPDATE-9/jun/2017: I've upped the rating for this tripod setup; I had such a good experience with the Zomei folks and they wanted to make it right. I actually came up with a way to make the QR plate work better -- so the experience with this tripod set-up has improved. The ball-head is not perfect but for the price, weight, and size (the whole set up fits so nicely in your carry-on) this package it is a great value!! Recommend!

For the money, I think this may be the best tripod on the market. The head is solid, smooth and easy to use. The tripod is light and works extremely easily. Only wish I had was that I could get either a shorter center post or that the center post could be changed to horizontal. The tripod gets very low very nicely, but the center post keeps you from getting the camera down as low for those ground level shots. Last minor gripe is that the feet come unscrewed very easily and can be lost. Order an extra set.This is really an excellent tripod. (I shoot a lot of macro so that's the only reason I didn't 5 star it!)

Here is the actual folded length in inches. I was looking for a very compact tripod to fit inside a motorcycle trunk. I had assumed that the 470 mm was the shortest position as in the middle picture. Since the package length is described as 15.7 inches- it is not, it is 20 1/2 inch, I had assumed the folded position must be shorter than 15.7 inches. This tripod can fold to no shorter than 18 inches. Haven't even tried the tripod yet. My initial impression is that it feels sturdy. Just wanted to give clarification to it's folded length and despite not fitting in my motorcycle storage it is still pretty compact so I am going to keep it.

It's stable and works great!I have one gripe about it, and deducting one star because it's the reason I bought it: The monopod removal is annoying. I have trouble screwing the head into the single leg and transform it into monopod. It's definitely not possible to do this quickly if you need to change it during your shoot.But the tripod works great, feel a bit loosey after usage but nothing too bad.

ok for the money, but not what i wanted so i returned it for a higher quality and more expensice tripod

Was leary about this product based on some of the reviews but decided to take a chance. My fiance used it during her first sunrise photo shoot and everything went well. This aluminum version looks just as sturdy as my carbon fibre model.

Not as heavy duty as I'd hoped. I think it's a nice tripod.

Love this tripod... strong (even holds my 200-500mm Nikon zoom lens (very heavy) with no problem. Even as sharp angels. Arms move smoothly and lock securely into place. Have no problem recommending this tripod!