This is a pretty good tripod. It is certainly very light and rather sturdy. Compared to my more expensive CF tripod, I find this tripod to be more versatile. I like that it has rotating locks on the legs which is especially helpful in cooler weather when I am using it with gloves. For normal photography work, it's weight (or lack thereof) makes it very easy to tote this thing around.I do have two issues with it, however, that make it less than ideal for true professional work:-This first is the ballhead which drifts when you tighten it. In real estate work getting the head lined up for ideal framing is crucial. But, then when you lock it in you find that the framing has shifted. I have observed this every single time I have tightened the ballhead. I do want to point out that this behavior is not unique to this tripod. My significantly more expensive CF tripod also has this problem and it is one I wish I knew about before buying any tripod. But, oh well. I make it work.-The second is the curious choice of using a friction knob as the mechanism for locking the mounting plate. I imagine this was done to save cost but it is a bad idea. Basically, you have friction knobs both to lock the ballhead and to secure the mounting plate. These two knobs are only an inch or so apart. So, when you are focused on framing your shot and you think you are loosening the ballhead to reposition the camera there is a slight chance that you are indeed losing the mounting plate as well. If your camera is tilted downward when you mistakenly loosen the mounting plate you better hope your reflexes are good because your camera will come loose.These two issues aside, I find that I use this tripod for the majority of my work because it is so light. I have learned to account for its design deficiencies.