The centre column has a notch so it won't rotate which is a surprisingly annoying issue I have had with other tripods. There was a shard of carbon fiber on the centre column which did give me a small splinter when I first extended it but it must have been a one off issue as I could find no other sharp points anywhere on the tripod - the finish is excellent. If you are looking for similar tripod solutions and options, the Anvil-30 Shooting Ball Head from Really Right Stuff and the Innorel RT80C Tripod should be considered. If you have a higher budget, you can look at the TVC-34L SOAR tripod from RRS. I have clips and twists and the finger screws on my old Manfrotto 3001 tripods. I DEFINITELY prefer the clips, at least the Manfrotto clips.

INNOREL RT75C Carbon Fiber Tripod 172cm Professional 2-in-1

Heavier and more expensive, oh well, but I think the Innorel 90 maybe might be the better choice (mainly thinking about the 40mm diameter of the top leg segments and the bigger bowl diameter).

The response from Innorel was fast, professional and they took the time to break down some of the pros of the RT85C vs another model they sell themselves which was more expensive. I liked that honesty. This is a tall tripod. I'm 190cm and without a ball head, it extends to my height, with the centre column raised. I prefer not to use a centre column for stability so with it down, and with a ball head and camera attached, it's almost at my eye level - no more stooping down for me (for fully extended tripod photos at least). That said, with the centre column extended, stability is extremely good. I wouldn't use it like this in high winds but it's very solid.

INNOREL RT90CM Systematic Tripod 63in/160cm Professional INNOREL RT90CM Systematic Tripod 63in/160cm Professional

and Dovetail adapters to the bottom of all my heads for easily switching heads. This makes Attaching and detaching heads easy. The legs are carbon fibre, reducing the weight to less than 3kg and, with the leg sections measuring 40mm at the top and 29mm at the bottom, there is excellent stability. As a rough guide I would say avoid things like filters, filter holders and lenses on there. Definitely consider LED lights (Godox), Flashes (Yonguo) and things like the cheap collapsible photography studios. I have recently been searching for a new tripod and just wanted to post my experience having chosen the Innorel RT85C.Folded, the length is a compact 59 cm (23″) with a weight of 2.9 kg (6.3 lb). With full extension, the RT90C reaches 160 cm (63″). The tripod can go low as well, the minimum height is 55 cm (22″). Just remember that normally you have some kind of ball head or other attachment systems on top of this. I would dearly love to own a Gitzo but budgets right now don't allow for it. Therefore, if anyone is thinking about a high quality, full size carbon fiber tripod that is also good value, I would highly recommend considering the RT85C. It would also be a worthy 2nd tripod for people too. I'm really impressed! What’s your favorite tripod setup? How do you like this one and do you have any suggestions on how to improve it? Let us know in the comments below. The Innorel tripods are Made in China. I know some people will have issues with that, the decision is yours. The ball head from Really Right Stuff is Made in the USA. I think it’s interesting to combine these two solutions and see where it leads to. High-end meets low-end.

Tripod-INNOREL ST344C Professional Heavy Duty Carbon Fiber Tripod-INNOREL ST344C Professional Heavy Duty

JP Rifles PCS-12 in 6.5 Creedmoor in Magpul Dark Earth with B&T Suppressor and cover from Cole-Tac. Sight is a Schmidt & Bender 3-27×56 PMII with an Aimpoint ACRO C1 in a Spuhr mount. Magazine from Oberland. Top Tip: to get a sense of how professional a company is on Aliexpress, ask questions before you buy and judge the responses. Table comparing tripods of similar type using manufacturers information (* prices available online at time of writing) Cost and Major Differences

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About the weight rating, hmm, I don't know if 20 kg actually means 20 kg. But even if these 20 kg are closer to 10 or 12 kg, I think it still would be enough for most camera/lens combos plus a ballhead/videohead. I remain extremely happy with this tripod. It has gone through an extremely challenging winter of photography here in Iceland with me and looks almost brand new. I've had to clean it a couple of times after using on the beach and it's easy to do and works perfectly after.