The Sirui ET-1204 carbon fiber tripod weighs 2.4 pounds and has a load capacity of 17.6 pounds, plenty for most camera and lens configurations. If you anticipate needing a higher load capacity, it’s worth noting the similarly designed, slightly more expensive–and slightly less portable–ET-2204 supports up to 26.5 pounds to accommodate bigger lenses, although it’s also half a pound heavier.
This model is one of the few we found that includes both standard and short center columns. The inclusion of both makes it easy to use one tripod in a variety of different scenarios and environments. The short column lets this tripod go down as low as 5.1 inches. Keep in mind, however, that when it does so the legs splay out, which means the ET-1204 requires a larger footprint than a dedicated tabletop tripod. It can also stand up to 55.1 inches tall.
The tripod’s legs fold up in reverse to 16.5 inches, which is a little large for most backpacks. The tripod’s legs have four sections, each independently adjustable using an unusually wide flip lock. Two legs have padding, too. The rubber feet also integrate metal spikes for further stability.
You can buy the Sirui ET-1204 for $200 at B&H Photo. If you like this tripod’s design and are willing to trade weight for money, Sirui has an aluminum version that weighs half a pound more but saves you $60 on B&H Photo, where it retails for $140. Finally, the higher capacity Sirui ET-2204 sells for $250 at B&H Photo.
