SLIK Pro-340EZ Tripod (Titanium Alloy) with 2-Way Pan/Tilt Head (Quick Release) - Supports 8 lbs (3.6 kg), for Mirrorless/DSLR Sony Nikon Canon Fuji Cameras and More - Black (613-034)

If you're anything like me taking a picture without a tripod; that is, always looking for surfaces to put the camera on for long exposures, for group photos that include you, for macro shots under lighting conditions that are anything but enlightening, and folding camera shoulder straps to tilt the camera; then this tripod, or for that matter of fact, any tripod, is a godsend!Okay, so I have only ever owned those 6" mini-tripods before this, and have nothing to compare this tripod to, for a first full-length tripod this little thing satisfies my need for a tripod and my review will be about finding that satisfaction more than "buy this as opposed to whatever else is on the market".The requirements I had for a tripod were to have a short tripod when collapsed, with decent max height when extended, and for it to be lightweight but durable. If that is what you are looking for, this tripod is great! With my heaviest lens on my camera + camera hood (Rebel XTi + 17-55mm IS USM), fully extended, the tripod is plenty steady without any bending in the feet. This tripod stands just under 1.5m when fully extended and weighs just over 1.5 kg.Forget the instruction booklet. As soon as I got the toy I began to explore it on my own. The first thing I noticed is that just about every piece of this tripod is adjustable. You can extend the feet at three sections, the center column, you can rotate the pan 3-way pan head, or hold it steady and move the top along one direction (e.g. rotate along the horizontal without moving the pan-head), you can shorten the center column or completely remove it and reverse it (have the pan-head hanging up-side down.) The legs can be spread to three different stops, setting up the camera to different heights but also increasing stability as the center of weight gets lower.For the legs:Changing the leg heights is a snap. Literally. It's that easy. In fact, with the exception of the center column, every bit of this tripod is childishly easy to change.For the rest:The sponge covering on the tripod legs looks cool and makes carrying the tripod nice and comfortable. On the pan-head there are two bubble level columns built in. These are awesome, and were unexpected.I'm not sure I would change anything about this tripod. No, not that I don't know what to change, I could change a few things, like have the maximum height be higher and the weight lighter, I'd also have liked a light carrying case to come with it. What it is, is that knowing the specs in advance and having accepted them for the price range and overall weight, there is nothing I can think of to improve on this tripod. It is exactly what the specifications indicate, and it is also a pleasure to handle.If you want something with a higher maximum length, that tripod exists from Slik. But you will have to sacrifice weight and a longer collapsed height to the tripod -- an exchange I am not okay with, considering I travel and hike extensively.I would highly recommend any tripod for anyone who is into photography. While I don't have any reason to recommend this tripod versus any other one of similar specs (especially knowing this is my first), I would highly recommend it just for the fact I am far from disappointed with it; In fact I am very pleased. And it's not so much that I love the tripod, but that with the tripod, I love using my camera much more! The ease with which the tripod can be used just makes taking pictures that much more of a pleasure, it takes little time to setup and adjust everything to just how I want it.*Note: You can also begin to experiment with HDR, panoramas, and other cool camera techniques with a tripod among your camera equipment*If you don't have one, go get a tripod!If you want one that has the specs of a Slik 340 EZ and are not sure about how user friendly it is, rest assured, this thing extends to your will.

This is the most stable head of any of the budget conscious tripods I have seen to date. Because it is designed as a 2-way head, it does not have the lateral instability of most 3-way tripod heads. The high quality head is BEEFY by design and really works very well. What you don't understand by the description is that there is a secondary "pan" feature, allowing perfectly smooth and aligned panning without loosening anything that will cause instability or wobble. Adding the stability of the head to the nice set of sticks that have received great reviews all over the place, and you're basically getting either a free head with the purchase of the sticks, or free sticks with the purchase of this head...that's the way I see it anyway as the value really is great.The tripod is compact, very well built, easy to adapt to different heights, and has a quality look and feel that makes me happy that I made this choice. To make it even more compact than most travel type tripods, you can remove the head, getting the size down even more.I'm currently using a Canon 60D with 18-200mm lens and for sure, could go up in lens size and weight without any real issues. I went thru 4 different tripods from the big box stores and returned every one of them after trying to make them work. I ended up spending $30 more for this one than the others I had tried and it made a HUGE difference. The only downside to this tripod is that it does not come with a storage case. Currently, I'm using a sling backpack for my camera gear and it has tripod straps that eliminate the need for a case...but when not using that sling pack, I'd prefer to have something to keep the tripod in. That being the only downside I found with this tripod, I'm very pleased with this purchase.

After a lot of research looking for a high quality tripod that folds very compactly yet extends to a usable height, I chose this model. This Slik AMT model is compact enough to throw in a backpack; a major plus for hiking and other outdoor activities. This model's metal construction doesn't feel flimsy yet it is not burdensomely heavy either. Legs are very steady when locked. I use this tripod with a small camcorder or DSLR with primes so I cannot testify as to how stable it is with long heavy zooms. The legs can be spread out at wide angle and center post can be separated in half for low ground or table shots. The tripod extends to a decent height. For a six-footer, it may not be at eye level fully extended but the compromise isn't too bad considering its compactness, stability and cost. Foam leg coverings look cool and are nice to hold when moving the tripod around. The pan head is average and does not lock as stable as I would like. It is very sturdy and somewhat heavy and would be suitable for a larger tripod. The bubble levels aren't accurate. For the price this is a very good and compact product suitable for medium to light devices. I really enjoy this versatile little tripod and I think you will too.