Leofoto LS-224C Ranger Series Tripod and Ball Head Set

Love this tripod for going backpack hunting. I bought it from RentOutdoorGear.com because I got to try it first before buying. The leg locks are very secure and lock/unlock in 1/4 turn. They're sealed against dust and grit. The little LH-25 ball head is surprisingly smooth and allows me to pan/tilt with the single lever lock when I roll the ball over into the drop-slot.

One draw back is that you have to make sure the screw knob that locks the arca plate is pointed up or to the front/back when you're using the drop slot or you get interference with the legs hitting the knob when panning because the head is very low and compact. If it was 3 - 5 millimeters taller, there wouldn't be an issue, but that would probably add some weight. If you get contact when panning, just rotate the plate 90 degrees and you should have clearance.

The head has a single tension locking lever to control the ball and it surprisingly gives good control. It releases the panning action before the tilt which is perfect for glassing. The whole setup with the head is under 2 pounds which is crazy-light and it still works well for a 65mm spotting scope. I think you could run an 80mm scope off it, but it wouldn't be ideal. The next size up tripod would be a better choice with larger scopes.

The add-on center column is super lightweight, but I usually don't bring it along. Moving the ball head back and forth between the platform and the column is tedious and I don't usually mind raising the whole tripod when I'm using my binoculars. If using the center column is an important key feature to you, then I would get the LX-224 where the center column is built in... or buy another LH-25 head and keep it on the column at all times so you don't have to swap the head back and forth.

Really happy with this tripod overall. Great stability and function in an ultra-lightweight package that's built right with high end materials and excellent fit & finish quality. Rent Outdoor Gear was awesome to work with and helped me choose the perfect tripod for my needs. They credited 100% of my rental toward my purchase.

Yes, I bought an LS-224c a few weeks ago, but I also have 7 other LeoFoto tripods. As the leg diameters are shared between all of the tripods, I can mix and match legs to make the system do what I want. My 36 series tripod uses the CEX leveling head from a 365CEX, 2 legs from a 364c with the bottom sections from 284 monopods, bringing the height to 8’. The other leg is from a 362, so it’s super short. This allows me to shoot over walls and fences. My new 224 gives me a longer leg option for my 223CEX, and I just got the LO apex to add to that kit. LeoFoto doesn’t push the interchangeability of the parts, I think that’s the real selling point.

This is a delightfully compact tripod and ball head. I am using it which a Nikon Z7 and lenses like the Z24-120/4S. I do not use the little QR plate that comes with the tripod, but instead an L-bracket.
As I expected using that size a camera on this compact a tripod/ball head is a compromise. I visually measured yaw settling time using the 24-120 at 120mm. This setup without using the column extension took about twice as long to settle as a 3.5 lb tripod/ball head setup. On the other hand, this setup settled twice as fast as a 2 lb aluminum tripod/ball head setup. To me that means this setup is doing as well as one could expect for such a lightweight/compact setup. Using the column extension at full height doubles the settling time and would probably be a no-go in a stiff breeze as a result. The column extension at half height is much more manageable.
The ball head itself is very good for its size. It has a reasonable amount of dip when locking with as large a setup as I'm using. The leg locks are smooth and easy to use.
One concern is that if you aren't using an L bracket then portrait orientation shooting may be constrained without using the column extension. There may be interference between the camera and the legs in portrait. This is not a unique problem to this setup, but given how compact everything is it may be a more frequent problem than will other setups.
Overall I'm very happy with this as a compromised lightweight tripod for when I'm out hiking and taking photos in dark canyons. It is too small a tripod to be rock solid with a FF camera in all conditions, but it will work well in sheltered areas or mild breeze days. For taking a telephoto shot from a windy ridge line you'll need a different tripod. Again, I can't imagine a tripod of this size doing any better.