K&F Concept TM2235 DSLR Camera Tripod

This "K&f Concept Compact Tripod 50 Inch 2.69lbs Lightweight with Professional Ball Head Quick Rlease for DV Canon Nikon Sony DSLR Cameras" (note that this is the 50" compact aluminum version, not one of the other models) is an OUTSTANDING tripod for the price (~$75). In fact, I'm truly impressed by its quality compared to other tripods costing two to four times as much. Even better, it is easily one of the most compact, portable, and functional tripods you can find at any price without getting into uber-expensive carbon fiber options (and even then, very few of those high dollar $300+ tripods are this compact, nor do they offer substantially more stability). At 2.7 lbs. with a folded length of less than 12", this is about as "travel friendly" as a tripod gets. Yet it is capable of extending to a 50" height and providing surprisingly good stability at its fully extended setting. Obviously, no tripod of this size will ever offer the rock solid stability of a much larger, heavier tripod; however, in still conditions up through a fairly strong breeze, you can get tack sharp photos and far-better-than-hand-held-steadiness video from this tripod. For stills, I recommend that you use your camera's self-timer to trigger the shutter to avoid shake from depressing the shutter manually. And for video you will find yourself limited to panning (which is surprisingly smooth thanks to the decent pan feature of the head), without any great option for smooth tilting (vertically). Nevertheless, if your expectations for a travel/compact/hiking tripod are realistic at all, this model competes well with almost anything else on the market.Note for context: I am using this tripod with my Fuji X-T2, which pairs with it brilliantly. Users with larger, substantially heavier DSLRs may find that their experience varies. But for users with mid-size mirrorless cameras (or anything smaller or comparably light), all of my observations should hold true.WHAT I LOVE:- Surprisingly good ball head. Seriously, at this price, I am really impressed how smoothly the ball head operates and how securely and easily it locks into position with a moderate twist of the ball locking knob. It works great, and I have noticed no creep or slop in the operation of the ball head. Likewise, the tolerances seem milled very accurately. For example, when I level the tripod with the camera in landscape format, my camera's digital level shows true level. And when I drop the ball head to the side for portrait orientation, my camera again shows true level.- Surprisingly nice pan operation. I have no idea if it will last or "break in" and deteriorate over time, but when new, the pan movement of the head (which uses a separate locking knob from the ball head) is maybe the biggest surprise here. It feels great, with just enough drag/tension that you can pull of surprisingly smooth horizontal pans when shooting video, in spite of the lack of an extended arm like you typically have on a true video head. The locking knob can be left entirely loose, and the head still exhibits a smooth, consistent tension through its entire 360 degree range of motion. If you tighten the knob down slightly, you can increase that tension noticeably (although it does not offer truly "micro-adjustable" tension like on a nice fluid head) yet the drag still feels pleasantly smooth through the entire range of motion. And if you tighten it down hard, it locks the pan movement securely enough that you will have no worries about bumping/moving the camera out of alignment during multiple exposures or bracketing. Seriously, I expected I might have to replace the head but I like this one so well, I see no reason to do so unless you're wanting to switch to a true fluid video-style head. As ball heads go, you would have to spend quite a lot (more than the entire cost of this tripod) to get a substantially nicer head, and the improvement would be small. Nothing about this head makes it unworkable or inconvenient for any normal photography use I can think of.- Good coatings and traction on controls. The knobs for operating the head and, especially, the joints for extending the legs all have a nice feel to them. In the case of the joints on the legs, there is a very nice rubberized texture that frankly gives an almost "premium" feel to the tripod. They're pleasant to use and easy to operate. Likewise, the rubber tipped feet seem durable and secure on a variety of surfaces, and the coatings on the aluminum leg sections and the (presumably cast metal) connections all feel smooth and refined, like a nice factory finish should feel. Seriously, nothing about this tripod screams "cheap." If anything, it screams "made with pride" much louder than I would've expected from a lesser-known brand at a considerably lower price point than recognized market leaders (in fact, a lower price point than many similarly-designed generic/knock-off brands as well!).WHAT I DON'T LOVE, BUT DON'T HATE EITHER:- Twist-style leg locks. For those who don't know, flip-style leg locks are unquestionably easier and surer to operate, especially in colder weather or with gloved hands. However, these twist-style joints are nearly as fast to deploy once you acclimate to using them. The only issue is that it is easier to "miss" one when snugging them up. Reviewers who consciously focus on their operation will tell you that there is nothing wrong with them--and they are correct, they work just fine. But photographers who actually use them in the field, and whose attention can easily be distracted by the shot they're setting up, will tell you that if you are distracted, it is very easy to twist them and THINK you have secured them, but then suddenly have a leg section collapse on you. With expensive camera equipment riding on the mount, this can be scary and deeply unsettling. Thus, I recommend that you always deploy and PRESS DOWN on the tripod firmly BEFORE mounting your camera whenever you first extend the legs. After that, if you move the (erected) tripod around between shots, you can trust that properly tightened locks will remain tight. It's just in the initial deployment--each time you deploy the tripod--that there is no question the twist feature is less "sure" than flip-locks which you can tell at a glance are, or are not, secured properly. I fretted over this because of my strong preference for flip-lock joints, but I find that I am acclimating fine to the twist-style, find it to be user friendly, and have no qualms about trusting them as long as I test the supportiveness of the tripod when I first deploy it.- Durability. For a compact travel tripod, reduced durability just goes with the territory. Building something bombproof means it also will be heavier than one typically wants in a travel tripod. However, that means you will need to be delicate with this tripod. No, it isn't going to break if you breathe on it wrong or even lean on it a little harder than you need to while composing a shot. But especially with regard to the lowest two leg sections, I suspect even a single hard step down onto, or collision against, the legs (a tumbling child, a tripping adult, a tumbling dog, or a sports ball hurtling wildly toward your direction...) would easily bend or break them. So don't expect this tripod to survive high drops or sudden hard pressure or collisions against it. It just won't. That's where carbon fiber would have a distinct advantage, though even if this were made of carbon fiber, the smaller joints and diameter tubing would still be susceptible to damage, I think. I don't mind this and understood it even before I bought and used the tripod. I just thought I should mention it as an unavoidable compromise for a tripod of this kind of compact, light, slender design.- Limited maximum height. For its size, the 50" height is more than acceptable and increasing that height would undoubtedly mean reducing its portability and compact folded size. So I think this is the ideal compromise, but of course, I would gladly take more height if I could get it.- Decent camera mounting plate. The plate that screws to the bottom of the camera is nice and compact, and unlike some of the larger rectangular mounts used on other tripods I've tried, it does not block the battery door on my Fuji X-T2 regardless of which orientation I mount it in. It also has a D-style "handle" built into the mounting screw so you don't need a screwdriver or coin to torque it down snugly on the camera, which is great. One improvement I'd prefer here, however, is a push-button style safety release for the mounting plate. As it stands, there is only the screw knob that tightens or loosens the mount on the tripod. Other ball heads I've seen with this kind of screw knob attachment system (which I really don't mind, even though some people seem to dislike it) include a separate push-button release so that, after you unscrew the knob and the mounting plate is sitting loose atop the tripod, it cannot accidentally release and drop your camera. This mounting plate does have two little feet that serve as "stops" to help prevent the plate from sliding off too easily. Obviously, you just need to make sure you always have one hand on the camera grip while you release the mounting plate and you should never have a problem. I just would prefer the added safety of a push-button release. The downside of the two little feet--and my real pet peeve about this setup--is that they prevent the camera from resting flat on a surface (i.e. they tip it upward or downward slightly) unless you physically unscrew the plate from the bottom of the camera. I often set my camera on a tabletop, wall, etc. to compose a photo, so I really wish the bottom of the mounting plate were perfectly flat to allow for this without removing the plate every time. (I may grind off the little feet for this reason, but be warned that if you do this, you also lose the moderate security of they provide as "stops" to keep the plate from sliding off if you ever neglect to tighten the mounting attachment screw sufficiently.)WHAT DISAPPOINTS ME:- Frankly, there's not much to disappoint here, especially at this price point. The only one that springs to mind is that this product is advertised as having a monopod feature and even comes with instructions that attest to that fact. However, after careful inspection, I see no way to convert this to a monopod. The instructions state that one of the legs should be engraved to indicate that it can be unscrewed/detached (and then combined with the center column/head to form a monopod). However, none of my tripod's legs bears any such mark/engraving. In case it was just an accidental omission, I tried very forcibly to unscrew all three of the legs. None would budge, despite the fact that I torqued as hard as I dare without risk of damaging the tripod. If a leg does unscrew, mine came so tight from the factory that the idea of any normal-strength adult unscrewing it is unrealistic. I do a lot of work with my hands, so I can grip and torque pretty hard, but nothing budged. Thus, either the product came with its monopod leg so hopelessly cross-threaded so that it simply will not unscrew or, more likely, the maker omitted that feature from this smaller compact version and just neglected to clean up the marketing copy and/or instructions to avoid misunderstanding. It's not a deal-breaker, but it is kind of a bummer since there are times when the convenience of a monopod (especially long-distance hikes where less weight is always better, or in crowds where deploying a tripod can be difficult) would be greatly appreciated.All in all, this is an OUTSTANDING compact, travel-friendly, and affordable tripod that I recommend highly. The quality per dollar is quite high, and I see no reason to spend considerably more unless you need substantially higher durability because, for example, you'll be shooting sports or in some other context where the tripod may get collided with or otherwise damaged and thus, needs to be built like a tank.Note that this tripod is virtually identical to the "SIRUI" brand tripod that several YouTubers have reviewed and praised as the most compact tripod in the world (and in the case of the carbon fiber version, the world's lightest also, though I'm not convinced that is accurate). In fact, the only differences I can detect are that the SIRUI-branded version is in a slightly different color, has a push-button release on its head to keep the mounting plate from accidentally detaching when the mounting screw is loosened, and costs more money. Compared with SIRUI, my vote is still for this K&F because you get virtually identical functionality and portability, not to mention great quality, at a lower price.

Broke in a week, the plastic inside the leg screw joints breaks super easily

Expensive for this quality, it’s just ok,

Very nice compact travel tripod overall. This is pretty much the most compact reasonably sized tripod I could find after doing some research. The weight and size are ideal for carry-on and the tripod is very nicely finished. The head supports my A7 and 24mm 1.4 just fine and the tripod is stable enough for long exposures as long as there isn't a very heavy wind. If that's the case, hanging your camera bag from the center hook should suffice. Now for the negatives: The pan on the ball head is a little tight on mine to the point where it will start to unscrew the ball head from the tripod when I pan but I think this will break in shortly as it's becoming easier to turn already. As an ultralight tripod, it's to be expected that it's not very heavy duty and you have to be a little careful when pulling the legs out. I managed to break the tabs off the shim collar on one of the smallest leg sections by pulling the leg out too hard. As a result the leg would no longer retract. I have a 3d printer and managed to print a replacement otherwise it would have been a return. The plastic piece is a little delicate but machining it out of metal is probably not really feasible so it is what it is. Pics of the part attached. The green one is the replacement I made out of flexible filament.

Given that I'm flying to SanFran soon I wanted to get a new tripod under these requirements:1. Compact folded up2. Under $1003. Highest height and quality and load-bearing that higher priorities allowThis K&F Concepts tripod met all 3 requirements! Had considered the Slik Mini II. It has good rep and the leg lock levers I like. But this K&F tripod folds more compactly yet has higher working height. Its made of high quality aluminum alloys. The screw locks have a short turn to confident tightening. The actual working height at the locking clamp is 51". Folded up for travelling its just 12.5 inches. The ball head feels solid and I have no concerns with a 5lb DLSR loaded. The Clamp works find with my Peak Designs arca plate (that I keep on DSLR all the time). Now I can fit everything into my into my LowePro sling pack for my trip. Highly recommended.

You get what you pay for.Not a sturdy tripod for your heavy equipment

I read so many different reviews about this tripod....... and I have to say, not very many gave this tripod the justice it deserves..... it’s small yet strong, extremely versatile and very well constructed....... if I were to loose it, I would definitely buy it again

I wish it was a little sturdier the bottom legs already bent