I am not a professional photographer. I have had several Nikon DSLRs, and a few point-n-shoot cameras. I bought a Manfrotto three section tripod with my first DSLR about 15 years ago. It has been a great tripod and still is. It has been solid with never a bit of trouble, but it's rather big and heavy so I seldom took it on trips. I tried a couple smaller more packable tripods, but they were all so flimsy, that I resigned myself to using the big Manfrotto or nothing. I'm planning a couple trips after things open up from Covid, and finally decided to try to find a more packable tripod. I read tons of reviews and opinions, and finally decided to try the ProMaster 525 in aluminum.I can't say I didn't find any negative reviews of it, but I don't really understand why there were any. This thing is about the same weight as my Manfrotto, so I can't really say it's lightweight, but with 5 section legs, it folds down to nearly half the size. I'm sure the old Manfrotto could handle more weight, but I mounted my Nikon D600 with a 70x200 2.8 lens to the tripod, and hung a 30 lb bag from the weight hook, and the ProMaster didn't budge. This thing is rock solid, as solid as my Manfrotto.I got the twist lock legs on the ProMaster because I've had and seen too many tripods with the flip levers that snapped. The twist locks aren't as fast, but they don't break like the flip levers. These only require about a quarter turn to go from release to full lock, so it's not too bad. If you are shooting with more than a small point-n-shoot, I wouldn't recommend extending the second center section, or probably even the first center section beyond half way. Unless you are shooting from an uneven surface or are over 6 feet tall you probably won't ever need to.The ProMaster XC-MH30 ball head is quit a bit smaller than my old Manfrotto 486XC2, but seems to handle the weight a 70x200 2.8 lens quit well. My old ball head didn't have a pan lock, so I'm looking forward to having that. The three bubble levels seem like a nice touch, but I don't really see the need.I do shoot with a monopod occasionally. I was curious about the option to remove one of the trip pod legs to use as a monopod. The conversion is easy enough, and the resulting monopod seems to work well. I'm sure I will use it a fair amount.Prior to getting the ProMaster 525, I was planning to keep my old Manfrotto for times when I didn't need something more solid and didn't mind dragging my big old tripod along. After receiving this new tripod, I'm not sure I will ever drag my old Manfrotto out in the field again. I can't find anything to complain about with the ProMaster XC-M525.