I shoot with a Really Right Stuff 34L tripod and Arca Swiss B1 ballhead (all RRS and Kirk clamps/plates). While preparing for an international trip to Spain, I decided to forgo the 34L for a smaller and lighter tripod. I selected the Sirui N-2205x which came with the Sirui K-20X ballhead.
Bottom Line: The quality, features and effectiveness of this package was very good and cost about $400. I suspect it will be the last travel tripod I ever buy. I would not recommend anything thinner or lighter (less stable) so I would forgo the 0 and 1 series tripods from Sirui. It performed well enough that my friend is chunking his manfrotto to get one.
Folded (legs fold back 180 degrees like most travel pods) it is about 16.75" long. One leg unscrews and converts to a monopod (included is a 2nd apex, screw and strap and I used a Sunwayfoto tilt head so I never had to mess with moving the ball head from the main column.) The tripod has round 1/4 twist leg tightening like most high quality tripods. Legs and column tighten down firm. The bottom segment of legs had distance scale so if you are trying to setup level at close to full height, it makes it a little easier. The center column is 2 piece so you can get pretty low to the ground by removing the bottom part of the column. In both modes there is a hook to hang weight for stability. The hook is a little small, but works fine. I hung a fully loaded Thinktank Streetwalker HD (w/o laptop) without issue. The center column also reverses to get even lower if you are willing to go to that extreme. This model has rotating rubber feet that expose about 3/8 inch of spike. Downside is that you are forever screwing down the rubber feet because the act of screwing the leg segments means you also catch those tips with them.
The tripod also comes with a very nice and reasonably durable carry bag and a separate tripod strap. My only complaint here is I wish it was a little more spacious. I was able to jam the RRS panning clamp into the bag (off tripod), but not the Tilt head.
The ball head was smooth and competent. Like all ball heads, it has a very minor amount of sag when tightened down. But no more than any other ball head I've tried. Like my B1, you can dial in the tension with a thumb wheel to prevent over loosening and having the camera flop over accidentally.
Sirui NX Series Tripods
