This is long, but the gist is that the ET-1004 is good-to-go (especially for the price!). If you are curious about what I thought compared to other tripods, then read on.
Here’s my experience with the three tripods currently in my possession. I tried to include specs to the best of my knowledge; however, I got the height and weight specs online and haven’t verified them. The specs are without a head installed, and should be fairly close. Note: I used my Cabela’s Euro HD (Meopta S2) at 70x looking 5 miles away to judge how stable these tripods are. The tripods were all at fully extended / tallest settings. I noticed they all had a different feel while focusing, and took a different amount of time to “settle down” or stabilize after I let go of the focusing wheel and stepped back. I counted how long each tripod took to stabilize after I tapped (or loaded and let go of) the eyepiece of my spotter, as that was one of the most interesting differences to me.
Sirui ET-1004: Tripod alone weighs 2lb 14oz, has a 55.1” max height, 17.6lb load rating, and 16.5” folded length. This tripod is a little bit short for standing, even with an angled spotting scope (I’m 6’1 barefoot), but did include a short extension that would bring it up another 3”. It’s definitely too short to be used with binoculars or straight optics while standing. This ET-1004 seemed a little bit wobbly while I was touching my spotter and focusing, but held pretty solid once I let go. It took 13 seconds to settle down after I gave the spotter’s eyepiece a good tap. It’s a very well built and usable tripod, and certainly a spectacular value. I paid (after rebates, valuation for the VA-5 head I was already planning on purchasing, etc.) around $40.
Sirui ET-2004. Tripod weighs 3lb 8oz, has a 57.1” max height, 26.5lb load rating, and 16.9” folded length. This tripod is probably more like 1” taller than the ET1004, but maybe the 2” difference factors in the retractable foot spikes? Fully extended this tripod is at a decent height for angled spotters, but is too short for binoculars or straight optics while standing (I don’t have an extension as I bought it used). It seems super stable while focusing (less jitters or wobble while trying to find optimal focus), and it took around 8 seconds to stabilize after springing my spotter’s eyepiece. Once everything settled down it provided me with the best view – it took my spotter to a different level. All around it just feels real solid, and I’ll keep and use it with my spotter and when weight isn’t a factor. I paid $80 on the used market.
ProMaster XC525C. Tripod weighs 2lb 1oz, has a claimed 59” max height (it’s actually quite a bit taller than the others), 13lb load rating, and 15.75” folded length. This tripod is a sweet little rig. It’s lighter and smaller (when folded), yet taller (when extended) than either of the above. It works great, but my personal preference is to have 4 leg sections and folding levers (like the above two) vs this ProMaster’s 5 sections and twist locks. The XC525c does it all though… It’s tall enough for me to use with binoculars while standing (I might have to hunch just a tiny bit). It feels pretty stable while focusing (it kind of has a jitter to it while I’m touching the optics) and it only took 7 seconds to settle down after tapping the eyepiece. I thought this tripod was the clear overall winner… but then I noticed something strange: while it settled down the fastest, it never completely got as ‘rock solid’ as the ET-2004. What I mean by that is the picture quality couldn’t get quite as locked down because it almost had a very minor vibration to it – something I never would have noticed if I didn’t have other tripods to compare it to. I did not hang a weight underneath it, which would have helped, but I wanted to keep conditions the same across the board. I also know I usually use this tripod while sitting and with the top neck lowered and bottom leg section retracted, and it’s obviously more stable like that. If I could just keep one, this would be it for sure. It cost me $275 with ball head a couple years ago.
Summary: If you’re considering the Sirui ET-1004 (especially with the VA-5 combo deal going on right now) don’t hesitate to get it. I do think a guy (especially a Roksliding gear junky) would eventually want to upgrade tripods from the ET1004, but I can’t imagine a better tripod at this price to get them by in the meantime. I’m going to probably just keep all three tripods for now, and I have a feeling the ET-1004 will be the one my son will end up packing around into the backcountry this summer and fall.
