[Flip Lock] Love the flip locks. Fast up and down.

[Carbon Fiber] This is the best tripod I have ever owned. It's light, easy to set up, and has nice smooth operation. A lot of thought and experience went into designing this, and it shows.

[1x 1/4"-20 Male] I use this with a mirrorless camera. Often I ride a bike to the location where I will photograph, and this is totally portable. Likewise for a walk in the hills and mountains. Easy to set up and to carry, and it holds my camera steady.

[Yes] I had this tripod for over a year. Finally took it to a demanding trip. One week of winter photography in Iceland. Cold weather, wind and iced ground supporting a Canon 5DIII with a 24 70 2.8 II, a 16 35 f4 or a 70 200 2.8 II. Impeccable performance. Very easy to set up and solid. Shooting HDR and long exposures most of the time, these qualities are a must. Side by side with other heavier and more expensive tripods no difference in image quality and much quicker set up. The lever locks are excellent. Really enjoyed working with this tripod. Made things a lot easier in harsh conditions

[Yes] This carbon fiber compact tripod is a true performer and handles up to 18 pounds! Not only does it fold up easily , it is quick to set up and deply. Plus they include a very nice carry case with shoulder strap. The ball head and included arca-swiss compatible mount was ready to go, right out of the box. A true value for a very decent price! Plus at the time of this writing, Sirui offered a nice rebate. Quality, performance and price - it hit all my marks!

[Yes] It has a similar weight as my Slik Pro 340DX which is made from aluminum, magnesium, and titanium alloy, but it feels more sturdy with a larger load capacity. It's also shorter when flipping the legs 180 degrees. It will be my top travel tripod due to its size and overall quality.

[Yes] Excellent Tripod and Ball Head at a good price. Especially like the flip lock tabs. Experience has taught me that flip locks' are much better then twist type. Opening and closing 9 tabs or more every time you set up or break down can be very bothersome, especially on twist tabs, if you forget the sequence because you can't see. Doing this over and over on a full day of photographing can just be one more little irritant that you don't need. The 'Devils is in the details'. Good thinking Sirui.

[Carbon Fiber] I purchased this tripod for our teenage grandson who's interested in learning about photography. This will give me an opportunity to do some field work with him to develop his skills.

[Ball Head] I needed a small profile tripod for travel. After looking at a variety of small aluminum tripods, I realized I had to go with carbon fiber to really keep the weight down, especially for air travel. This Sirui is perfect for that. The quick release snaps for the legs are easy to deploy and snap locked with a satisfying click. The included ball head is ideal for travel and easily accommodates a Nikon D4s with a Nikon 80-200mm lens. The center hook adds the ability to hang a camera bag for even steadier setup. Granted, it is a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for and this is definitely a tripod that you won't hesitate to travel with anywhere you go. It even comes with a short center column to switch out for macro photography.

[Yes] Our grandson is getting into photography. We got this tripod for him to use in order to understand when, where and how to use one. Recommend it to others looking for a solid beginners tripod.