The Manfrotto MM294A4 can pretty well with its big brother, the Manfrotto 190XPROB, are compared in terms of stability. It's almost as if someone had removed this a leg and now sells this separately. What I especially important are the transitions between segments, here the Sirui has failed. The Manfrotto however, affords no weakness, no wobbles, all budge.
Short to the data (from the Manfrotto website):
Closed Length: 49.0 cm
Material: Aluminum
Pipe diameter: 26mm, 22.5mm, 19mm, 15.5mm
Number of Leg Sections: 4
Load: 5 kg
Weight: 0.54 kg
Height max: 151.0 cm
One more thing to height: Actually, I had resigned myself to having to stoop slightly. But since I have been thinking a bit too short: Because come on the stand nor the (ball) head and not so equate the camera, and especially the eye-level with the height. I'm 1.79m tall and the fully extended tripod still needs to shorten 3-6cm (depending on the angle of the camera) in order to see through the viewfinder can. At most without ball head it could be scarce.
As for the maximum load weight, I can not comment, I do not trust the tripod, however, very much too. The alternative of Manfrotto, the 680B, differs from that offered here simply by larger pipe diameters, but definitely worth the effort only for very heavy telephoto zoom.
I recommend this monopod every amateur as very useful utensil for photography.
