This is a huge upgrade from my old tripod. It's very versatile! Perfect for my needs as an amateur photographer. All moving parts are smooth and solid. I haven't tested it's capability to hold heavy cameras, as I only have a Sony a6300, but I feel it can take anything. I plan on taking this when I travel and it's compact enough to fit in a carry-on. It's definitely not the lightest tripod to fly with, but I can deal with that as I travel fairly light and minimally anyway.I will say that as perfect as the tripod currently is for me, it may vary for you. After reading a few bad reviews, I'll assume quality control isn't the best. And I can confirm that, as this is my second (replacement) tripod. My first had a badly machined baseplate for the pan/ball head. It practically made 360 panning useless since it was crooked. Also, the middle pan/ball of the main shaft felt rigid and grainy compared to the main head up top.Since I was beginning to like the tripod aside from its defects, I decided to contact the seller to see if I can get some replacement parts, rather than ask for a refund/return outright. And the seller was more than helpful! They gave me a whole new tripod, and I didn't even have to return the defective one! Customer Service is great to say the least.I have not used a professional tripod so I have no base of comparison to say this is better or not. But overall, I really like this tripod and hope it'll last.