I was looking for an extra tripod. I researched a TON for a good tripod that wouldn't break the bank but was made of cheap plastic. I stumbled upon this one with good reviews.Stop reading now and buy it!! It's so great! It's good a good weight to it to really re-assure the build quality, the aluminum seems very durable. I haven't used it extensively yet, but when I have it works well. Easy to extend and collapse and sturdy frame. I was also very interested in the horizontal center column. This feature works quite well and I am pleasantly surprised by that. One can also get the camera away from the legs a bit. I like the fact that the legs go out to just shy of horizontal. One can get the camera close to the ground for macro work is actually on the ground. The rotating bubble is also a nice feature. It is a solid tripod and has no problem holding my Canon with battery grip.Everything is solid and works well. I'm very comfortable it will hold additional lighting or an umbrella or whatever off the extra threaded outlet for a shaft on the head.I recommend this tripod as it is very sturdy and easy to manipulate. It is well put together and will hold up for a long time.