Review on 📷 ProMaster XC-M 525K Silver: The Ultimate Professional Tripod Kit with Head by Jennifer Miller

I am not a professional photographer. I had several Nikon DSLRs and several compact cameras. About 15 years ago I bought a 3 piece Manfrotto tripod with my first DSLR. It was a great tripod and still is. It was solid with no issues, but it's quite large and heavy so I rarely took it with me on trips. I've tried a few smaller, more compact tripods, but they were all so flimsy that I've resigned myself to using the big Manfrotto or nothing. I am planning some trips after things reopened due to Covid and have finally decided to find a more compact tripod. I read countless reviews and opinions and finally decided to try the ProMaster 525 in aluminum. Can't say I didn't find any negative reviews about him but I don't really understand why they were. This thing weighs about the same as my Manfrotto so I can't say it's light, but with 5 split legs it folds about half as much. I'm sure the old Manfrotto could handle more weight, but I mounted my Nikon D600 with a 70x200 2.8 lens on a tripod and hung my 30 pound bag on the hook and the ProMaster didn't budge. This thing is as strong as a rock, as strong as my Manfrotto. I have twist lock legs on my ProMaster because I've seen too many swing arm tripods click. Twistlocks aren't as fast, but they don't break like folding levers. It only takes you about a quarter turn to go from release to fully locked, so it's not too bad. If you're shooting with more than a small "firing point" I wouldn't recommend extending the second riser, or maybe even the first riser, beyond the halfway point. Unless you're shooting off rough ground or are under 6ft tall, you probably won't ever need it. The ProMaster XC-MH30 ball head is a bit smaller than my old Manfrotto 486XC2 but seems to hold the 70x200 2.8 weight. the lens came out fine. My old ball head didn't have a swivel lock, so I'm looking forward to it. The three bubble levels seem like a nice touch, but I don't see the need for them. Sometimes I shoot with a monopod. I was curious to be able to remove one of the tripod legs to use as a monopod. The conversion is pretty easy and the resulting monopod works well. I'm sure I'll use it often. Before I got the ProMaster 525, I planned on keeping my old Manfrotto for a time when I didn't need anything more reliable and didn't mind lugging around my big ol' tripod. With this new tripod, I'm not sure I'll ever take my old Manfrotto into the field again. I can't fault the ProMaster XC-M525.