Leofoto LS-324C PRO Ranger Series Tripod | Water-Resistant and Improved Carbon Fiber

I had been lugging around a Bogen I bought years and years ago. Solid as a rock but heavy. I finally asked myself why do carry this 7+ tripod sometimes miles? There’s got to be a better way. A year ago, I purchased a L-bracket from Leofoto, I’m on the “mailing list.” I scanned the tripod section and noticed the LS Ranger series. Left the webpage but got a reminder email from Leofoto shortly after. I went back but the tripod I 2as looking at was out of stock, but I quickly found the PRO series and liked what I saw, so I ordered along with the center column extension (just in case) and went back a day later and ordered the custom strap. I’ve taken the tripod out a couple times since purchasing. It is rock solid, the legs operate smoothly and secure, and when a body and lens are attached, it’s the lightest part of my carry. I’ve bought my last tripod. Kudos to Leofoto for offering an awesome tripod for a totally reasonable price.

So I have couple tripods including a smaller light RRS. I see others compare the Leofoto to RRS and let me say you are not getting RRS tripod for 1/3 of price. There is a reason why RRS cost three times the price of this Leofoto and it's because they have hands down the highest strength to weight tripods made. My smaller 4 section RRS tripod with 28mm legs and weights only 2.4lb is actually more stable than this one. But since it cost more than twice as much, I would expect it to be better. For those you might think I'm bias, just test it. Put on you camera with larger telephoto lens (like 400-500mm), then zoom (100%) on the LCD screen o
n a subject and lock it down with a good ball head (this is best method to see any shake or vibration in your camera). Then tap the side of the camera and see how long it takes for the camera shake (vibration) to stop. On my RRS it was 4 seconds, on this Leofoto it was about 6-7 sec. But I bought this for my wildlife photography and since I don't ever shoot at really long and slow shutter speeds that extra stability you get with much more expensive tripods is not needed. So I think it is great for what it cost and worth every cent. I don't regret buying it because I wanted a smaller lighter tripod that would be taller than my lightweight RRS that only gets to height of 49". Having the extra 6" in height is exactly what I need. I also own one of their monopods and their LH-40 ball head which I love both of them. Really great value, but please know you're not getting a $1000 tripod for $350.

Leofoto LS-324C PRO Ranger Series Tripod | Water-Resistant and Improved Carbon Fiber

This little beauty was the most recent addition to my gear. I had the chance to use it in Yosemite this past week and it did not disappoint. The twist locks are quick to release the legs and easy to compact again. It was sturdy and sure footed even when I placed it on a rock in stream. Highly recommended!

I have a few Really Right Stuff tripods and was looking for something with similar specs as this one. I expected to receive this tripod and then understand why it's 1/3 the price of a RRS one. But I've been really impressed. I recently took it on a trip to Olympic National Park where it saw a lot of rain and salt water. And it held up perfectly. The twist locks work really well (although I wish there was a chamfer on the top part of them like there is on the bottom), it's very stable, reasonably tall, and the overall function is great. The snow peak pattern looks very cool and almost indistinguishable to the RRS tripod. This has to be the best value tripod out there.