Tiffen Tripod with FM18 Head

This is an excellent, high quality piece of equipment. It has what I would characterize as about 95% of the quality of a tripod costing ten times the price. The fastenings aren controls are well made with each having hex screws to adjust the tension. The various elements of the tripod are all adjustable and in some cases can be removed from the instrument to facilitate the configuration of the equipment mounted on the tripod. I was able to mount a device on the tripod that must be aligned perfectly with the polar north position though an internal telescope, and then will rotate a camera to offset the earth's rotation in order to make wide-field images. The images were excellent and the tripod held its head-position perfectly through a series of camera's movements over several hours. More importantly, the smooth movement of the fluid head enabled me to precisely set the position to within less than a degree of error. At some levels of friction adjustment the head has a small "jump" as movement is started, but the issue is easily resolved with a slight adjustment in the friction control. The only significant drawback is its sensitivity to very cold weather. The fluid in the head becomes something approaching a solid if the tripod is used in below-freezing temperatures.