Wow! Extremely pleased with this tripod. I have been looking for a lightweight alternative to my trusty Manfrotto 3205LC with Manfrotto 496RC2 head. I do a lot of hiking and backpacking as part of my landscape photography, getting off the beaten path, often times 10+ miles from the trailhead. The manfrotto always weighs me down, it is HEAVY! The problem is I needed a lightweight tripod that is relatively inexpensive (carbon fiber is out, great but WAY out of my price range), compact yet can handle the weight of my 5dmkii kit and L lenses. A friend recommended this to me and I must say, I am beyond pleased! It is a third less in size when folded up than my manfrotto and 2-3lbs lighter. It is light! This is huge for me. But, how is the functionality of it? Well, the legs extend via quick release tabs vs. the screw knob handle things on my old tripod (much faster to open). I also have more movements for when I want to get all the way down to the ground but have the legs out of the way, the tripod can be inverted (if this makes sense, just see the product pictures of better explanation). The head is different than the manfrotto head, in a good way. The manfrotto is quick release which is nice but the quick release plate never instilled confidence and I would be nervous the camera would come loose. On this tripod, you screw the plate into place. A bit slower, but instills confidence which I need when I have a 1k lens and full frame body being mounted to it. The movements are smoother too, much silkier with a built in leveler. Nice little touches like this. Just a refined tripod vs the utilitarian one I have been using. I took this tripod out for a good trial run over the weekend, 2.5 mile boulder hopping trail to a great waterfall, no issues carrying it. Not tired at all. K&F Tripod was stable in all shooting situations. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting a quality tripod at a reasonable price, especially to those looking for lightweight and compact.