This allows the legs to be extended easily in any order. Although the leg locks are of the twist type, the sections do not rotate when loosened. The legs operate smoothly with little effort required to extend, collapse, and lock. The included bag, strap, and tool kit are attractively constructed of high quality materials.

One item of note: while the name sounds Italian, Giottos is headquartered in Taiwan with manufacturing facilities in the 'special economic zone' of Shenzhen, China. The lock knobs are of high quality plastic and all rubber parts are made of a thick high quality material. The exterior surfaces have a polished, dimpled, gunmetal finish with the leg sections and center column sporting a satin black anodized finish. Every piece and control has a rugged, massive feel. All legs have dense foam padding on upper section.Top plate has set screws to lock against the head base.Short center column allows the top plate to function as a basic three-way pan head.Center column doubles as lateral arm with 360 degree rotational and 180 degree vertical movement.Minimum height: 10.2' (using short column).I finally settled on the Giottos MT 9360 as a good compromise of weight, rigidity, features, and price. I also began to lean strongly towards designs that allow placement of the center column as a lateral arm. I determined early-on that while carbon fiber would be nice, the expense would be just a little too much for my budget. Able to support a medium-sized ball head E.g.Able to support at least 10 lbs of camera/lens.Relatively lightweight (less than 6 lbs).Minimum height or other provision to allow photos of ground-hugging plants.Maximum height enough for my 6' 2' person.In addition, I had a continuing need to photograph subjects that were closer to the ground than the Slik could accommodate. My old Slik U8000 works well enough with the Canon G2, but is not really up to the task of supporting the K10D. You won't be disappointed.For some time I have been in need of a better tripod. If you're looking at tripods, give the 210 or 212 some serious consideration. There is a built in ball level, and degrees of swivel are marked to allow panoramic shooting. The pan head has adjustments that permit swinging the camera on it's side,crank up and down, 360* swivel, pan up and down, and allows you to shoot nearly straight up or down. The rubber feet can be screwed back revealing pointed feet- useful on hard surfaces or if you need to achieve finer adjustment. The adjustment lock knobs hold your position firmly. The legs will adjust to almost flat on the floor.

These are made in Japan, and the quality shows- no sloppy hinges, no loose mounts, no ill-fitting legs. Matter of fact, the only real difference between the 212 and the 210 I see is the 212 is anodized black, and the 210 is clear aluminum anodize. I've had a U212, so I knew this 210 would be a terrific value (I did buy this one used). The quick-release mounting post means I don't have to struggle with dismounting my camera from the tripod. It's everything an amature photographer wants :well made, lightweight, stable, and almost limitlessly adjustable. Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde Islands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Gabon Republic, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, Western Samoa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Slik u8000 review