Ordered separately, I got the Gazelle TA5 tripod first. Amazon was out of stock for the fluid head and I got that about 2 weeks later when it was in stock again. I really like the tripod. I got the aluminum tripod instead of the carbon fiber one. I like something a bit more solid, more sturdy, personal preference. Yeah it is heavier but I'll deal with it all in the name of getting nice clean, clear, sharp images. Plus I get a good work out, no need for the gym :o). At the bottom of the tripod legs are rubber pieces for solid non-slip stable placement. These pieces can be rotated and a pointy spike can be exposed for good placement on rock or dirt/sandy/irregular ground surfaces. As you can see the legs have 3 extension stages for irregular surfaces that may be encountered out in the wild. When releasing the legs using the quick release tabs, the legs slide out with ease. The tabs lock down easily and grip the legs into the selected position-they do not slip. Removal of the center post allows the tripod to 'get down' fairly close to the ground, you know, for those back breaking shots (last picture). Make sure you have your remote cable with you when using the tripod in this fashion :o). Now for the fluid head....As for the fluid head it works great for me. The head has the ability for pitch & yaw movement and it is fairly smooth for the panning shots, although there may be some products out there better for that specific purpose. On the left side of the camera/fluid head, (pictured) next to the IFootage logo, the red button is for releasing the camera/slide gauge from the fluid head. (The slide gauge mounts to the bottom of the camera and a 1/4" or 3/8" screw is supplied to fit what ever threads your camera uses). On the right side of the camera (pictured) just above the Komodo 5 logo is the red tear drop with arrow thumb screw that clamps the gauge slide to the fluid head once the fluid head and camera are placed on the tripod---balanced. In conjunction with the red release button the camera can easily be removed from the fluid head. The other nice thing is that the camera will not slide out (in either direction, forward or reverse) from the fluid head until the red button is pressed, hence your camera won't accidentally just fall out until that red button is pressed for release. Adjacent to the tripod's level bubble indicator (pictured) is the red tear drop thumb screw that controls the panning motion. Just below the red release button (large black wing nut with white lock and unlock arrow indicators) allows adjustment for the camera to tilt down or up. The two red twist 'knobs': one controls for pitch/yaw and the bottom one is for raising and lowering the center post. The handle can be assembled on either side of the fluid head. For my ease of use rating I give it 4 stars. I would have liked to see the red teardrop fasteners a little larger. Ergonomically they are a little bit on the small side, but they do their job. I know, I know, I went into a bit of detail, but I figure they are both IFOOTAGE products and I have them both, why not just do a combined critique. I hope this helps anyone who is thinking of purchasing these products. I believe they are engineered very well. Good luck and happy imaging!!!