It did come with a user's manual, but oddly, they don't describe how to disassemble the legs for cleaning and/ or maintenance. (I'll give them feedback to suggest they include that in the manual). That said, disassembling the leg sections is extremely straightforward. Just loosen the twist lock, then continue to unscrew until it is completely free of the threads. Then the section just pulls out. There is a nylon sleeve that you can then remove (it is slotted and only goes back one way). I just tried it and it's really a no brainer.

Thanks guys. It probably sounds like overkill, but I actually made a spreadsheet with all the relevant specs for each of the PMG models, plus the other brands/ models I was considering to help me decide which model to get.

Thanks. I don't think you could go wrong with RRS. That was definitely one of the tripods I was looking at. Had I been in your position with the same choices I may well have made the same choice. RRS makes some seriously quality stuff.

Yeah, I can understand that additional cost being a real turn off. I'm luck in that I'm in US so got Free Shipping. With a 10% discount they gave me at PMG, and no taxes, I ended up paying $1192. Not cheap, but it was nice to saver on shipping and tax. Yes, I have the LX100. It's a great little walk around camera. I had wanted that camera since it first came out but took me a few years to find one on EBay that I could swing.

My Sirui Carbon Fiber travel tripod was the first semi-serious tripod that I ever bought. It has been a pretty good tripod for the past few years, but there have been times when I needed something a little beefier. For example, I've been out shooting Milkyways and had to hang extra weight under the Sirui due to windy conditions. I also found that getting sharp images with the legs in any kind of rushing water (e.g., the ocean surf of a running stream) was next to impossible due to the vibrations not being sufficiently dampened. Also, I had to use a center column to get the camera up to eye level, so often times I ended up leaving the camera setting lower without extending the center and just bending over a lot. Lastly, when putting a big lens on the Sirui with a Gimbal head, I just felt like it was right at, or a little past, its limit with stability. The Sirui is a nice, light general purpose tripod that was good for hiking, weighing only 3.3 lbs and folding down to just 18". But it was getting long in the tooth and, for the aforementioned reasons, I have been thinking for quite a while that I wanted to get that one last tripod that I hope will be the last tripod I ever need to buy.

I've been doing my research for a few months now, reading and watching all manner of reviews and comparisons for a number of different tripods. Among the brands I've considered were Gitzo, RRS, Manfroto, Benro, ProMediaGear, and a few other lesser known brands. One thing I'm pretty sure of is that I don't think I could have gone wrong with a good tripod from any of these major brands like Gitzo, RSS, Benro, Manfroto, etc, but in the end, I decided to go with the ProMediaGear TR344LBL. Yes it was pricy (not that the other brands were cheap) but there were a few specific things that, when combined, led me to this decision:

1. I like that it is made in USA (yes I know some others are too)
2. I like the large, knurled aluminum non-rubberized twist locks
3. I like the 10-layer CF legs. It is not the stiffest one out there, but it's pretty high on the list, and from some real-world reviews it seemed like a good mix between stiffness, and weight/size. The upper legs are 34mm thick. I could have gone even beefier with their 42mm series, but then I'm not going to be mounting a 50cal machine-gun on it.
4. I like the way the legs attach to the apex. PMG has a unique mechanism for adjusting the stiffness of the legs at the apex such that, once set, the legs stay that stiffness forever, unlike some tripods that just use a bolt through a collar with some sort of nut that can (and usually does) work loose over time. It allows you to carry the tripod by one leg and not have it work it's way open as you are walking.
5. I like the "non-ratcheting" legs that can be set in three different positions. I know this is just a personal preference thing, but I really prefer non-ratcheting legs and legs that don't have spring-loaded auto-locking. Just more things to wear out. The PMG leg lock system is well made, straight forward and has fewer parts to wear out.
6. I like that it is the perfect height (for me at 5'10") with only the first 3 sections extended and the head and camera attached. With the fourth sections extended it goes to a whopping 71 inches. This is nice to have when you are shooting on the side of a hill or in very rocky terrain where you may need one leg extended more than the others. It gives a bit more flexibility. (also the 4 section collapses to a couple inches shorter than their 3 section).
7. I like the included spikes that are built into the feet. With some other brands, you have to buy the spikes separate and then store them separate. These spikes are built in to the feet. Just unscrew the foot, then unscrew the spike and screw it into the bottom of the foot.

These are just some of the factors that led me to the PGM TR344LBL. The "34" means the upper leg diameter is 34mm. The second "4" means it is 4 section (They also make a TR343). The "L" means "Long" as in max height of 71 inches. The BL just means this version comes with the leveling base. I'm not knocking an any way any other tripods. There are a lot of good ones out there but for me, after looking at all the features and factors combined, I felt this one checked the most boxes for me. I'm hoping this will be the last tripod I ever buy.

My only minor disappointment (so far) is that it comes in a light-weight nylon bag with a draw string at the top. Even my Sirui came with a nice heavy duty carry case with sturdy zippers. I kind of wish this one had come with a decent carrying case as well. Not a deal breaker, just a minor nit.

Good Job! Been playing with it a little myself.

Thanks!

Not very good at it yet, but here's an example I was playing with for the "Adamski" effect. This is a statue in front of Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Santa Fe, NM.

WITHDRAWN - I’ve decided to keep my Sirui N-2204X Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod with the K-20X ball head AND a Neewer Leveling Base.

A compact, light weight, sturdy carbon Fiber tripod that won't break the bank


K-20X Ball Head has dual bubble levels. 56lb load capacity.


A Tripod and Monopod in one.


This Sirui has served me well, even with my Sigma 150-600 lens and a gimbal head.


Included is a Neewer LP64 leveling base. This is great for doing Panos.

I finally pulled the trigger on the PMG TR344LBL, which comes with the leveling head. Just ordered tonight so should be here no later than Feb 5th. (Hopefully earlier)

I've heard it said many times over the years that people will spend lots of money on a good camera and great lenses, but then will go cheap when buying a tripod. My Sirui travel tripod has not been bad for most situations. However, there have been times when I really wanted something a little beefier and a bit more stable and less susceptible to vibrations. As a result, I have been thinking that, if I'm hanging several thousand dollars worth of gear on a tripod, maybe it was time to get a serious tripod that will handle any situation and be more stable in adverse conditions.

So tonight, after a couple months of research and much soul searching, I pulled the trigger, on the ProMediaGear TR344LBL. For the amount of money I forked out, I'm hoping this will be the last tripod I ever need to buy. I also bought the SunWayFoto Geared head. (I still have a very compact Heipi Carbon Fiber travel trips for long hikes.)

https://promediagear.com/collections/carbon-fiber-tripods-34-series/products/tr344lbl-pro-stix-carbon-fiber-tripod-with-leveling-head

Read your post. Interesting points. My problem is, I'm a gear nerd. I love all things tech. Always have. Started my life after High School as a repairman on the NORAD SAGE computer system. Far from powerful by today's standards, but infinitely more complex to repair. The "manual" was huge. You could not just pull a card to fix a problem - you had to figure out exactly which leg of which AND OR NOR or NAND gate was bad, or which multi-vibrator circuit (out of millions) was not flipping from 0 to 1, etc. In High School I was into CB radio and my room was filled with so much radio gear it looked like mission control. With camera gear, I got into "serious" photography rather late in life. I do read through the manuals, but often find I don't remember everything I've read, so sometimes have to go back for a refresh. I'm not ashamed to ask the odd question if I run into a problem or don't understand something.

Just playing around with the effect a bit more. Wife at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ. Applied the effect to everything except her and the luminescent sidewalk she was on.

Both

Just for fun. Played around with it a bit more this morning. Our grand niece.

You can get similar effects with panning, but the Adamaski effect gives you a lot more artistic license an allows you to create effects that you would not have from just panning.