The Slik PROFESSIONAL II is a member of Slik's "PROFESSIONAL" collection.  While they aren't well known in the United States, they do have an enviable reputation in Japan.  Rock solid and easy on your hands, the Professionals are embodied by abundant intelligence and precision craftsmanship.  Consider them a pinnacle amongst studio tripods, with stepladder-height capacity and the strength for large setups. The Pro II legset is intended for use with larger medium format setups as well as smaller 35mm and field 4x5 camera systems.