The Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 is a large but light professional tripod designed for general-purpose use. It's one of the tallest and strongest models in the range, but surprisingly light thanks to its carbon fiber construction.

I;ve been shopping for a lighter, sturdy tripod for landscape photography. Many of the comparable featured tripods were significantly more expensive. This tripod has all the features I need and is the lightest weight one I have owned.

lightweight; sturdy; features

would have preferred a little shorter minimum length when closed

This is a tall, lightweight set of legs. The 486R2 adds weight and with the Sony A700 + Tamron 200-500 tele, it's top heavy. However, the carbon fiber legs are built for this and expand in four slots all the way to 90 degrees with respect to the center column. It's built for 17 lbs.

Easily Adjusted; Good Footing; Lightweight

I've used many tripods over the years for photographic use. This is the best when taking all considerations into account. I bought this to use with a spotting scope and it works a treat. The centre column can be a little fiddly to remove with cold fingers or wearing gloves but that is a small gripe.

Durable; Great Features; Lightweight

I bought these legs and paired them with a Vanguard arca swiss ballhead and they are a rock solid combo even with my Nikon, battery grip and a 70-200vr. I don't think they would have any trouble supporting a 400mm lens solidly.

This a must have tripod if you are looking for something that is sturdy as well as lightweight. I know it comes with a heavy price tag but thats what you have to pay for traveling light. If weight is not an issue get the 055XPROB which is also an excellent product that comes at 10k!

I purchased this tripod for my husband. The quality is excellent and it is very functional in every way. You get what you pay for and this tripod beats many others that we looked at.

This is my first tripod for many years as in the past I thought they were a complete waste of time. But now I am more interested in long exposure shots and this one fits the bill. I would like to also state that I am very impressed with Camerasdirect as I ordered the tripod on Friday and it arrived...

B&H was very helpful in the purchase, they went above and beyond. This tripod and head work great. Thank You B&H.

The 55CXPRO3 was a replacement for a 4-year-old 190PRO3. 95% of my shots are using a tripod; my tropods spend 50% of their time in water, both salt and fresh; the tripod often serves as a hiking pole when in steep terrain. My 190 held up well under those conditions and I expect the 55 to as well.