Great little tripod—but I'd recommend a different
If you're not familiar with Sirui (pronounced "SUE-ray", believe it or not), they are a high quality Chinese tripod brand. I use two other Sirui tripods and they are well built, reliable, smooth to operate, and use quality parts. The AM-223 is no exception. It is a nice set of legs that is robust and easy to use. I was particularly impressed with the excellent angle adjustment mechanism on each leg and the fact that the feet are removable. The tripod comes with a set of rubber feet for indoor use and a set of spikes which use a 3/8" thread just like full size tripods. If you've got rock claw feet for your full size sticks, they will work on the AM-223 as well. The AM-223 also features a metric scale on the lower leg segments. I'm not sure why it is there. Maybe to make it easier to adjust the lower leg segments to the same length? Or perhaps it is intended as a sort of ruler to provide scale when shooting macro subjects. Either way, nice to have but I don't know that I'd ever use it.In use, the AM-223 performs well although when I mounted my R5 and RF100mm F2.8 L MACRO on it using the included B-00K ball head tilted into portrait orientation, the system would get tippy in certain configurations (e.g., legs open to first detent only with no additional segments extended). Of course, this is just physics. Extending the leg directly under the camera and changing its angle will solve the problem, as would using an L-bracket and not tilting the small ball head to the side.So far, I've described a five-star product. Where this combo really suffers is the B-00K ball head. Normally, a separate panning knob and a safety mechanism built into the clamp of a ball head would be advantages. In this case, both just interfere with the operation of the head. The red safety release on the clamp can make contact with the body of the head and gouge it. My experience with the B-00K was frustrating enough that I returned this set in favor of a different model that I would recommend instead.What model would I recommend instead? The Leofoto LS-223C with LH-25 ball head. Note the similar model number of the legs. The Leofoto legs are identical to the Sirui except for a couple minor cosmetic differences. The Leofoto angle adjusters on the legs are silver instead of blue, something I prefer. And the Leofoto lacks the printed metric scale on the lowest leg segment. The Sirui version comes with a thin nylon bag that is closed with a drawstring. The Leofoto version comes with a better, padded, zippered case with a pocket inside to store accessories. And, speaking of accessories, the Leofoto comes with a special multi-tool that can be attached to your pack straps, your keychain, or kept in the pocket of the tripod case. Best of all, the Leofoto LH-25 ball head has a single control positioned opposite of its notch that assures it will stay out of the way. (As an aside, normally the knob that opens and closes an Arca clamp is positioned out of the way under the lens. With either of these tripod heads, Sirui or Leofoto, this knob should be positioned behind the camera to avoid interfering with the tripod legs.)The bottom line is that you can't go wrong with the Sirui AM-223 leg set though the Leofoto LS-223C offers a superior accessory package. It is the Sirui B-00K ball head that is problematic and makes the Leofoto LS-223C + LH25 package a far better choice than the Sirui AM-223 + B-00K ball head.