AM-284 Carbon Fiber Tripod for Travel, Professional Camera Tripod with 4-Section Legs, Twist Leg Locks, Detachable Metal Spikes, Loads up 33LB, Max Height 47.2“

I own several tripods already, including Gitzo, Velbon, and Leofoto . But I am still very impressed with Sirui AM-284, which is slim, lightweight, and great for travel. Compared to its competitor Leofoto LS-284C, they are very similar in design, specs, and quality. Leofoto LS-284C ranks very high in TheCenterColumn.com's travel tripod rankings while Sirui hasn't been tested by the website. However, based on my own non-scientific test, Sirui seems to be even stiffer than Leofoto, probably due to its larger diameter of its upper two leg sections. This is one of the major reason I picked Sirui in the end. On the other hand, Sirui is slightly bulkier and heavier because of that. Sirui also has bigger rubber ring on its twist locks, which should make them easier to grab with gloves. Its build quality and finish are very good, close to my Gitzo tripods, which is 3 times more expensive. It has a glossy finish on the aluminum parts and the sky blue accent on its angle lock looks beautiful. Overall, this is a great tripod and I really like it.

I have only used them 5 or 6 times, but so far no sand or grit has gotten in even though I have stuck them in mud, sand, and partway underwater. Solid, more so than you would think by the size and price. thankfully NO SHAKY CENTER COLUMN (I cant stand center columns!) they can made great tripods average and average tripods junk. Its easy to unlock all the leg sections with one twist, plenty tall considering how easy they are to pack, haul around strapped to my camera bags. Really happy with these, I was starting to think I was doomed to only use my massive Gitzos. These work great with my Nikon 24-70 and 70-200 2.8 with my Z8 and Mamiya 645, 45mm 2.8, 80mm 1.9, 150mm and are ideal for mid and smallish sized mirrorless cameras... I have shoot with wide angle lenses for several minute exposures and 1/15th-1/30th with the longer lenses and macro.

I have a Manfroto tripod I've been using for years, but I needed a smaller tripod that I could tuck in my carry-on for a Hawaii trip, and didn't want to spend Manfroto prices. This tripod fit the bill perfectly. It's super light, and does compress down to about 17.5 inches as it states, so it fit inside my pelican case just fine with the ball head removed. I'm not a huge fan of the twist to tighten type of legs, but they work well enough most of the time. Overall, would recommend as a small travel tripod.

I bought this in 2023 and for the last two years it has been my primary, go to, tripod for hikes and backyard photography. Because its small, it packs easily for the longer distance walks or hikes I take. Im 5’10” and I have to crouch down a bit in order to look through the viewfinder of my camera. So I normaly just sit, or kneel and keep the camera low while using it. The legs extend and retract easy and the entire design feels SOLID. If you want a tripod that wont break the bank and will give you maximum value, look no further than the Sirui AM-284.

This is a great tripod, both in the absolute sense, and especially for the money. I paid a hundred sixty bucks for it, and it's worth it. But lately in 2024 I see that it often is a hundred thirty. And its lighter brother the 254 sometimes is just over a hundred. At those prices, these tripods are an absolute steal. Probably 20 years ago I bought a Gitzo 1548 when they were almost a thousand bucks in the US, and I paid over half that from a dealer in the UK. While the Gitzo is extremely well made, so is this Sirui. There is simply no reason to spend more, if this diameter and load capacity meets your needs.

As described

Exactly what I was looking for, it works perfectly with my iOptron astrophotography mount. The tripod is rock solid, light and portable.

I am using it for a small telescope (SeeStar 50). It works great. sturdy and at a good height. Highly recommend it.