Manfrotto 290 Tripod - XTRA

I was pleasantly surprised how stable it is even at full extension, and the closed length of 59.5 cm makes it easy to stash in my camera bag. The 88-degree leg angle option really helped on uneven ground during a recent landscape shoot.

The leg angle adjustments make a huge difference on uneven ground; I set it to 46 degrees on a rocky hillside and it stayed perfectly steady. The twist locks feel solid and reliable, no slipping at all during a long afternoon shoot.

Carried this thing through a muddy field all afternoon and the 1.7 kg weight barely registered on my shoulder, plus the quick-release leg locks saved me when I had to drop it to 30.5 cm for a low-angle shot on the fly. The 59.5 cm closed length slips right into my carry-on, which is exactly why I gr