GEEKOTO79 inches Carbon Fiber Camera Tripod Monopod with 360 Degree Ball Head 1/4 inch Quick Shoe Plate Professional Tripod Load up to 26.5 pounds

Would definitely recommend this tripod as it can hold a heavy camera and lens steady. It also has many features which allow for multiple camera movements. Tripod and monopod in one.

I'm extremely impressed with the flexibility of this tripod. It is tall enough to be used in crowded events; it is light enough to take on a hike. It is stable enough (with use of the hook and so long as the center column isn't extended) for long exposures. As an amateur on a tight budget who still cares about quality photos, I wanted this to be the only tripod I'd need. It fits that perfectly.The build quality is good--sufficient for my needs. It may not stand up to a severe beating like a Manfrotto, so if you need a tripod that you're going to pull in and out multiple times a day for years on end, you may want to look elsewhere. But for my use several times a month in concerts, nature hikes, and family, community and church functions, it will do just fine. I'm actually impressed. The ball head is heavier than I'd like, but it is built to last...unlike a Zomei that I brought to Iceland with me that literally fell apart on me while there. I don't worry about that with this Geekoto.I was drawn to this tripod for its combination of low weight and stability, owing to its carbon fiber frame, and its height. And when I first fully extended it, I was surprised at how remarkably tall it is. My camera mounted on top easily shoots over the heads of a crowd, and even more so as a fully extended monopod (in which case the included wrist strap is essential for stability).Weight was an important consideration. I appreciate that the center column can be swapped out for the short column, saving about 2.8 oz when weight is important. The actual weight of 3.47 lbs is close to the advertised weight of 3.4 lbs. Adding the short column and adapter screw gives a total kit weight of 3.608 pounds (not counting the tote bag--which is decent quality, though I wish it had an interior pocket for the short column). Ideally you want a hiking tripod under 3 pounds. When using the short column rather than the full column, the tripod weights 3.286 lbs. Happily, the hook for adding stabilizing weights can also be screwed into the bottom of the short column--so you're not giving up function beyond height (which you probably don't need in the wild) if you want to leave the long column home--and you can still get a tripod height of 55.25" using the short column! For me, the extra 1/4 pound over an "ideal weight" hiking tripod was worth the tremendous flexibility in other situations. And when weight is really a big deal, you can create a "small" monopod that still extends to 56" by screwing the ball head directly into the monopod leg without having to use any center column at all and weighs just 1.52 pounds!The carbon fiber is remarkably light. Most of the weight for the tripod is actually in the ball head--which weighs 0.95 pounds just on its own--and the yoke. Both are made of cast metal alloy. The short column appears to be made of aluminum--certainly not carbon.The ability to invert the central column and have the ball head be under the yoke, combined with the notch in the ball head facilitating portrait orientation in a standard setup, means that you can have your lens pointed directly at the ground. The height of the inverted arc swiss plate then ranges from 0-52", allowing everything from macrophotography to document photos to taking shots of maps or ground features (I wish I had this feature when in Iceland--there was a narrow chasm of ice crystals I wanted to photograph from directly above but couldn't because I couldn't get the right angle.The legs can be locked at three angles, offering additional flexibility between a severe splay that looks to be about 75 degrees that keeps the yoke almost at the ground (useful when using the short column and you want a ground-level view) a very stable 45 degree angle, and a tall 30-degree angle (measuring the angle between the center column and the leg).Although the rubber feet don't retract to reveal a metal stud like you would want if using the monopod as an alpenstock, they are adjustable and can be extended about 1/4 inch. Besides, I'm not sure you'd want to put that kind of repeated stress on the tightening joints of the leg by using it as an alpenstock anyway.Minor drawbacks: The wrist strap cannot be attached when using the short column. t's not the most stable--if you're fully extended and panning and don't have weight on the hook, you'll notice. But given that this thing gets to 77" tall, that's not surprising. It is sufficiently stable when the center column is retracted to capture sharp detail in astrophotography.Overall, for its price, this Geekoto 77" carbon tripod would be really hard to beat! It's not a manfrotto or high end piece of equipment. But for the vast majority of prosumer photographers out there like me, this is an excellent balance of features and value. I've wasted money on cheaper tripods before. The little extra will save you money in the long run by buying what you should have bought the first time.I really couldn't be more pleased! And I'm a bit of a crusty critic... :)Thanks, Geekoto. Well done.

I can't believe this tripod is priced so high. I was buying what I thought was a professional tripod. On my 4rth time using it, the bushing inside the leg broke. The tripod was always "babied" never mishandled in any way, and the cheap flimsy plastic that is used to keep your expensive equipment safe is not safe at all. It rendered one of the legs useless and could not use the tripod anymore. I can just imagine if it broke while my equipment was onboard. It would've fell over, then who knows what damage I would've had. Also when you turn the dials on the legs you get a clicking noise that doesn't seem right. It feels like you are forcing something that you're not suppose to do. But they all do it so I guess it's normal for this type of tripod. Actually stay away from any tripod that has the same leg assembly as this one. Buy a tripod that had a thumb press button instead. (don't know the actual name of those fasteners.) I am very glad I was dealing with a good store here on Amazon , "Botley Store" they were very nice to deal with from the beginning, and refunded me for my purchase without any problems. DO NOT BUY THIS TRIPOD.... you've been warned.

I have a tripod for my camera that I like, but when trying to use it for videoing school events and shows my kids are in, I found it was much too short. After one too many cases of being frustrated at people walking in front of the camcorder, I did a search and found this tripod. It was on sale and I had a gift card, so I got approval from my wife to go ahead and get it. ("It's for the kids!")I've used it a number of times now and am very happy. It works perfectly with the arca-swiss compatible plates from Peak Design (I have their capture clip gear for everything) so that is a definite bonus. It's fairly easy to set up and and folds up compactly. It comes with a nice bag that seems to be fairly good quality. Note that I have not tried using it as a monopod (I have a bunch of those; they're cheap) so I cannot comment on that.I will say it is pretty tall -- I ended up getting a small folding stool to bring with me so that I could put the camcorder up as high as possible and still be able to work it. I don't know if it is truly "carbon fiber" or not, but it is fairly light and yet still sturdy.For video, I think a tripod with a "fluid head" and handle might be preferable, but if you tend to start your camera recording and not muck with it (as I do), this works great. If you want to pan and tilt as you film, zooming in on this kid or that and zooming out to get them all, this might not be the right choice. I just set it up to see the entire stage/event and let it run, however.Anyway, to sum up, it seems to be good quality at a reasonable price. If it looks like it suits your needs in terms of functionality, I recommend it.

My tripod came with a broken latch which allows the legs to spread. I am trying to get a replacement part. We'll see how that goes. Overall it's lightweight and sturdy, but a camera with a long lens is difficult to position given the head controls. If you shoot with a 100-500 or 600mm lens for wildlife, you might want to consider a sturdier tripod. It works better for landscapes with single or shorter zoom lenses. The monopod is not easy to put together as you need a two-headed screw to join the legs. A better design would allow the two pieces to screw together by themselves. 2 outa 3 ain't bad. There is also no telephone support, only e-mail. The instructions are bare bones, but readable.