Review on 📷 ProMediaGear Pro-Stix 4-Section Long Carbon Fiber Tripod, 42mm Legs, 125 lbs Capacity, 77" Max Height by Chris Mickens

I bought this tripod as a possible replacement for a discontinued Feisol I have been using for 10 years. I've recently started taking long exposure landscape/waterscape photographs, both digital and on film. When shooting with the tripod set up in either choppy water or very strong winds, I noticed a decrease in image sharpness at slow shutter speeds, so I began looking for a tripod with better anti-vibration properties. Based on my very positive experience with RRS ball heads, I was ready to buy an RRS tripod but was a bit hesitant given the prices. I had never heard of PMG until I watched some Youtube videos comparing RRS to PMG. Although the prices were comparable, I decided to give PMG a try. As a very unscientific but very practical test, I set both tripods to a height that allowed me to see my Canon 5D IV's LCD screen at eye level. I then mounted a 70-200mm 2.8L Non-IS lens on the camera and switched between my old Feisol and this new PMG, focusing on the wall at 200mm to fill around 85% of the viewfinder frame. After installation, I turned on the live view mode and observed the target on the wall, tapped the middle leg of the first tripod several times, mounted the camera on another tripod and tapped again. I thought this method would come close to the effect of setting up a tripod in running water. Considering the difference in age, weight and build quality of the two tripods where the PMB significantly outperformed the Feisol, I would have expected some difference in the amount of vibration transmitted to the camera. What I didn't expect was the difference I could see in these live images. The wall target appeared to dance just seconds after tapping Feisol's leg. There was also noticeable vibration with the PMG, but exponentially less than with the Feisol and only for a very short time. I switched cameras back and forth several times, repeating this elementary experiment, and each time the results were the same. As for the real anti-vibration of the PMG, in terms of the sharpness of the resulting images, after 15 months of continuous use I have no complaints about the images obtained with this tripod. But if you're looking for a lightweight tripod for camping or hiking, this might not be for you. With the leveling base and ball head installed, the weight approaches 9 lbs.