Yes, It bounces. Yes, it can be difficult to set up. However if you use a ball head or pistol grip head from another tripod, the setup problem is eliminated. The bouncing is easily cured with the timer or a remote.It sure beats carrying my large tripod around during my vacation. I am able to make it grip on various objects and maneuver the camera with the pistol grip head to get the desired shot. I am using it with my Nikon D90 which I know is not the heaviest of DSRLs but I think for most people it would do just fine.I don't know if I would be happy if I did not have the pistol grip head to use with it. I tried to set up shots with out it and it is very difficult to aim the camera properly and make it stay where you want it to stay.Hope this helps.