Sirui ET-2004 4-Section Aluminum Tripod with E-20 Ball Head

2018-06-15T21:00:48

I have a Sirui K30 head for my Manfrotto 190xprob tripod. I really like the Sirui quality, so I decided for a Sirui travel tripod versus an equivalent Manfrotto. The ET-2004 is very comparable to the Manfrotto Element Big model. But the Sirui is rated for 26lbs weight vs 17, has 4 sections vs 5, flip lock vs twist lock, 6 yr warranty vs up to 5, 2 foam covered legs vs 1. The Sirui has an extra short center column, shoulder strap with the case and metal knobs vs rubber coated. The 17” folded length, 57” max height, 3.5lbs weight, reversible center column are the same. The only extra Manfrotto feature is 1 leg can be used as a monopod with the ball head that this model Sirui does not have. The E20 ball head is solid with pan and ball tension knobs. Sirui heads have an extra safety button that depresses the safety pin under the Arca plate which takes some patience to learn to use. The plate and head can easily hold my 70-200 with lens collar and Nikon D750 with grip or even my 200-500mm with lens collar. There is a spike at the bottom of each leg that can be exposed for use on outdoor surfaces. The flip lock tabs are buttery smooth. Some may debate more sections means more compact, but in this case not so, just more effort to extend to full length. Some may prefer twist lock but I like flip locks since they deploy faster though they can be noisier. I have 2 minor gripes however. There’s lots of friction on the legs and they don’t fall freely to extend or collapse. Perhaps over time they will wear in and loosen up. The tab to change leg angle needs is a bit difficult to depress usually requiring a downward motion to engage and held down to skip over other locking positions. Aside from that there’s enough added features/higher specs on the ET-2004 and E-20 head to make it a better buy.

Leland C.

2017-06-20T08:54:56

Works great, ball head helps getting the shot framed quickly, the L plate helps with quick changes to horizontal and vertical formats.

Lynd S.

2017-05-09T15:46:20

I already owned 2 cheap tripods but wanted something with a little more heft to it. I'm doing moon and night sky shots with the Tamron 150-600 on a Nikon 750 mounted with a 7" monitor so I needed something sturdy. I'm 6 feet tall and with the center column extended it's at the perfect height for me. It's worked great so far, but with the lens fully extended and aimed skyward the tightener on the ball head still didn't hold the camera and lens tight enough. It would continually try to aim higher. I changed the tripod mount from the lens collar to the camera mount and it was balanced much better. 4 stars because it's difficult to really tighten down the ball head with the knob tightener that's on it. Other than that it's a very sturdy tripod with the lever leg locks and seems to be very well made. I recommend this tripod.

PETER S.

2017-04-21T17:20:15

The sirui ET-2004 with the E-20 Ball Head is just the tripod I have been looking for. With my recently purchased Tamron 150-600mm lens, the ball head handles the weight of the lens and camera just fine. The legs are sturdy and the compact fold of the tripod makes it easy to carry. I would recommend this tripod to anyone using a bigger lens. I will also be switching the ball head to a Gimball head when shooting wildlife.

THOMAS F.