ZoMeiM5 Camera Tripod,Lightweight Travel Aluminum Tripod Monopod Compact Portable Photography Tripod Stand with 360 Degree Ball Head and Phone Clip for DSLR Cameras, Smartphone

Tripod is very good with quick release, However the supplied cell phone holder is not compatible with quick release. It is short of width to be tight inside quick release. I have built a small metal with bolt to adapt phone holder ( shown in brown color)

I bought this to replace an exceptionally old pan-and-tilt tripod I'd bought almost 20 years ago. I wanted something that could support the weight of my camera (Nikon D850) and lenses (no telephotos, just wide-angle). This seemed to fit the bill and it was well rated. The legs are stable and well made, they collapse down easily and lock in place well. It's very compact when stored away and it's much lighter than my old tripod. But the ball head drifts several degrees down (and often at an angle) after locking the screws in place and removing my hand from the camera.I realize the D850 is a heavy camera, but it's well within the advertised weight for the tripod. I primarily only shoot landscapes, so being able to lock the camera position down and not worry about it drifting is critical to me. I played around with it for a few days to see if I could make it work out but in the end I sent it back for a refund. If you have a mirrorless or smaller DSLR, it'll probably be fine.

I have been looking for a tripod to take with me on vacations when space is limited. I have a three hundred dollar aluminum and steel tripod that I take with me sometimes but it can take up so much room and every time I bring it on a car trip my wife gets annoyed at the inconvenience of having me pack and lug around the awkward thing. I found a few under $150 that packed nice but one fell apart when I needed it most, and the other just didn’t pack small enough and wasn’t tall enough for me, I’m 6’2”. So I took a shot on the Zomei M5 Travel Camera Tripod, and I have to say it was exactly what I was looking for. The aluminum frame makes it light weight, and it folds into the size of a small travel pillow. I could fit maybe 5 of these comfortably in a standard size book bag to give you an idea on its size. The plastic or composite locking leg clips are strong but I’d rather see metal, but then again the recycled metals these days seem to break more than the composites. Overall I am impressed with it, I’d say go ahead.

I'm usually too lazy to write reviews but was so happy with this purchase I wanted to pass it on. I compared several different tripods to the one I really wanted (Peak Design travel tripod) but couldn't afford. I needed something compact and light for hiking and climbing. It has just about the same weight as the peak design and same length! The width is a bit bigger, but is that worth an additional $290 for the PD? This tripod folds in on itself to pack up nice and small and has a really cool system for adjusting the expanse of the legs as shown in some of the images. Using this with my XT3 and plenty of stability and height. I also compared to a few of the other similar Zomei models and this one is by far a better deal. TO be fair, I've only had it for a week or so and I can't speak to longevity but it does really seem durable. If I see any durability issues, I'll post an update here. You can't go wrong with this one.

Edit:After seeing that the item I had purchased had malfunctioned and broken the seller contacted me right away and sent me a replacement item free of charge. I've taken it out for a spin and it seems to be functioning well, without the same issue I had previously. I'm hoping it stays solid over time.I'm revising my rating to 5- 4 stars on the item itself and a 5th star for the customer service, which was excellent.See below for my original critical review:Extremely disappointed in this tripod. It arrived and seemed sturdy and well-featured if a little heavy. I wasn't sure what to expect given the price, but found out that it wasn't worth it. One of the legs broke off just after the first use, which is ridiculous. If this had been sturdy and lasted longer I would have had no problem recommending it and giving it a high rating as otherwise it seems functionally sound. But based on the fact that it fell apart right away just goes to show that it isn't worth it. What is even dumber is that the other legs are solid and haven't had any issues, which means this is entirely due to negligence and bad quality control. I recommend spending a little extra for a more reputable brand.I tried to fix the issue myself but the pieces would not go back together again - irregardless I shouldn't have had to in the first place.