What's the big deal with Gitzo tripods?

asdf · 05-02-2009, 04:42 AM

Originally posted by stevebrot

Mine is "90% of the bang for 60% of the buck".

Steve

(I guess that is why I have a Giottos rather than a Gitzo!)

My heuristic seems easier to implement, because neither one of those messy calculations are required.

Ratmagiclady · 05-02-2009, 08:17 AM

Originally posted by wildman

Or, in other words, the point of diminishing returns.

That's where I like to be.

My life in general has things that slow it down, so it's OK to ride behind the tech curve.

That Travel Angel style is of interest to me, too, by the way. I rarely need center column, (Even then, a short one will do: I sometimes consider taking a hacksaw to my big tripod's column for better low-angle work, but I don't often want to do a lot of *that* either.

) ...and that Travel angel design looks really convenient: it'll probably be a pretty tough call for me when it comes time to worry about something portable.

(One place I lived, I was looking to something that'd be a minimal pain for either someone else to carry for me, or fit on a *bicycle,* even just to push that around, and otherwise set up as quickly as possible, for the sake of other folks' patience and my own tendency to fatigue. I might try that scheme, if we have a living situation where that works again.

Anyway, that head-hiding design, very useful. You can have sturdier legs per what space it fits in. )

**Ron Boggs** · 05-02-2009, 09:14 AM

There are bicycle wheels that fit on a tripod...I have one of the prototypes of a product that was then sold to Manfrotto. I can't remember the name and don't know if it still exists. When you lift the handle it pushes like a cart. When you stop and let down the handle, the wheels lift slightly allowing the tripod to sit on it's legs. I'll try to find the name for you as it isn't on the product...As I recall it wasn't cheap, but works pretty well for my heavy artillery 600/4 and 10 pound-plus critter-work tripod. I can even strap my backpack onto the legs and walk along unencumbered. It's great on zoo trips, dirt roads, bird refuges etc. But because my load is quite top-heavy, it isn't very useful in the backwoods. Probably would be better with a 5 pound load instead of a 20 pound load.

**Ron Boggs** · 05-02-2009, 09:15 AM

I think it's called Roll Pod...

Ratmagiclady · 05-02-2009, 12:50 PM

Heh. Sounds interesting, Ron. In my own particular case I was mentioning, the bicycle itself would have been useful: dealing with limited endurance, I could have put stuff on there, rode down the hill of a morning, say, with a Mamiya and tripod, perhaps, been in a decent state to shoot, then have wheels to drag the stuff back on.

(I don't really do much in the way of wilderness expeditions, myself, it just feels like it sometimes. Mostly it's about trying to make something out of limited endurance for me. Bicycles can help, though. )

(having mad contraptor ideas about making a bicycle with a ballhead on there somewhere, and attaching a monopod leg to an old kickstand hinge to make a third 'leg.' Hrmmm...

)

Ben_Edict · 05-02-2009, 03:02 PM

Gitzo versus the rest of the tripod world - seems to get a heated response.

My own experience is: I have been using a Manfrotto 055 for about twenty years and later some heavier (UniLock Major 2300) and more lightweight (Velbon SherpaPro 540 carbon fibre and Fancier carbon fibre) tripods. All of those performed to my expectation, sometimes (Velobon SherpaPro) exceeding those.

Then I got my hand on a used and old Gitzo Studex - a very basic and humble tripod. It blows the Manfrotto 055 away. Same weight, but the Gitzo is so much stiffer, which translates into better stability. I still use the 055, because I like the Manfrotto leg locks more than the screw lock of the Gitzo - BUT the Gitzo is simply the more capable tripod. I have no clue, how Gitzo does that, but it certainly is worth the extra money.

Ben

Ira · 05-06-2009, 06:16 AM

I got a wooden Berlebach because it looks so cool.

Of course, at that weight, it never leaves the house--which shows you where my priorities are.

I don't even have a regular head on it, it's a liquid pan (for my 16mm cine camera). So I can't even do portrait orientation.

heatherslightbox · 06-14-2009, 01:58 PM

Yesterday, my husband and I were down in Orlando and had time to stop off at Colonial Photo and Hobby to take a look at their Gitzo carbon fiber tripods, as well as the Bogen Manfrotto carbon fiber models. I really liked the twist locks on the Gitzo (it was my first time playing with a tripod with twist locks) and setting up and taking down of the Gitzo models was a good bit smoother than that of the BMs. The Gitzo models were a good bit lighter in weight than their BM counterparts (very important to me). Out of the Gitzo models I looked at, I was most impressed with the 1541 and the 2541 models. I would've also taken a look at the 1541 Traveler model, but they were out of stock on those (according to the salesguy who helped me, this model is quite popular).

Needless to say, my carbon fiber tripod won't be a Bogen Manfrotto. I think that when I'm actually ready to buy, it'll come down to either Gitzo, Feisol, or maybe the Benro Travel Angel. If I pick the Gitzo, I'll most likely go back to Orlando to the camera store and buy it there since the sales staff were so helpful.

Heather

geauxpez · 06-14-2009, 04:28 PM

I sprung for a Gitzo legset recently. After researching the Bogens Gitzos and others, I landed on Gitzo for having the best weight capacity to weight to height to price ratio for me. The tripod feels good and is sturdy as all get out. A little long for my taste collapsed, but that's what I get for that extra height. I'm 6'4". Gotta have the height.

creampuff · 06-14-2009, 11:21 PM

Heather, you need a picture to visualise... more Gitzo poison for you...

Gitzo Mountaineer 6x CF with the Markins Q3 = less than 1.5kg in weight

soccerjoe5 · 06-15-2009, 02:17 AM

I love that they've got sealed joints. Plus the build quality's top notch.

heatherslightbox · 06-15-2009, 05:03 AM

Originally posted by creampuff

Heather, you need a picture to visualise... more Gitzo poison for you...

Gitzo Mountaineer 6x CF with the Markins Q3 = less than 1.5kg in weight

Which series is yours (1 or 2)?

Assuming that I do get the Gitzo, it'll most likely have to wait until sometime early next year, at the earliest, but I figure it'll be worth the wait.

The tripod head is the more pressing issue at this point, though.

I'm at work this morning, so I guess the Powerball ticket my husband bought the other day wasn't a winner...sigh...I won't be able to go to New York for the shopping spree at B&H...oh well.

Heather

creampuff · 06-15-2009, 05:48 AM

Mine is a 3 section series 1.
Could have gone with the Traveller series as it is very light, compact and good for travel but I rather prefer something a little sturdier yet still light enough at 1.0kg. With the Markins Q3 (about 400g), it all works out to be a light yet strong combo and more than sufficient for all my lenses. If I really needed something sturdier, I can get hold of a Series 2 and Series 3 from my brother-in-law but I find it a little overkill as I don't carry heavy teles.

ftpaddict · 06-15-2009, 06:06 AM

Gitzo is the tripod equivalent of Canon - a popular, respected brand; the safe choice.

Wheatfield · 06-15-2009, 07:50 AM

Originally posted by hwblanks

Which series is yours (1 or 2)?

Assuming that I do get the Gitzo, it'll most likely have to wait until sometime early next year, at the earliest, but I figure it'll be worth the wait.

The tripod head is the more pressing issue at this point, though.

I'm at work this morning, so I guess the Powerball ticket my husband bought the other day wasn't a winner...sigh...I won't be able to go to New York for the shopping spree at B&H...oh well.

Heather

Look seriously at this if you like the Gitzo.
http://www.feisol.net/feisol-ct3441sb-with-cb30c-ball-head-center-column-qp1...ipod-p-37.html
The Feisols really are very good kit, and probably half the cost of a Gitzo.
Not that I have anything against Gitzo, I just find them very overpriced for what they are offering.

06-14-2009, 01:58 PM	#23
heatherslightbox Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Gainesville, FL Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,599 Original Poster	Heather finally looks at some Gitzos in person Yesterday, my husband and I were down in Orlando and had time to stop off at Colonial Photo and Hobby to take a look at their Gitzo carbon fiber tripods, as well as the Bogen Manfrotto carbon fiber models. I really liked the twist locks on the Gitzo (it was my first time playing with a tripod with twist locks) and setting up and taking down of the Gitzo models was a good bit smoother than that of the BMs. The Gitzo models were a good bit lighter in weight than their BM counterparts (very important to me). Out of the Gitzo models I looked at, I was most impressed with the 1541 and the 2541 models. I would've also taken a look at the 1541 Traveler model, but they were out of stock on those (according to the salesguy who helped me, this model is quite popular). Needless to say, my carbon fiber tripod won't be a Bogen Manfrotto. I think that when I'm actually ready to buy, it'll come down to either Gitzo, Feisol, or maybe the Benro Travel Angel. If I pick the Gitzo, I'll most likely go back to Orlando to the camera store and buy it there since the sales staff were so helpful. Heather

06-14-2009, 11:21 PM	#25
creampuff Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,953	Gitzo the best, forget the rest... Heather, you need a picture to visualise... more Gitzo poison for you... Gitzo Mountaineer 6x CF with the Markins Q3 = less than 1.5kg in weight

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05-02-2009, 04:42 AM	#16
asdf Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 1,252	Originally posted by stevebrot Mine is "90% of the bang for 60% of the buck". Steve (I guess that is why I have a Giottos rather than a Gitzo!) My heuristic seems easier to implement, because neither one of those messy calculations are required.

05-02-2009, 08:17 AM	#17
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	Originally posted by wildman Or, in other words, the point of diminishing returns. That's where I like to be. My life in general has things that slow it down, so it's OK to ride behind the tech curve. That Travel Angel style is of interest to me, too, by the way. I rarely need center column, (Even then, a short one will do: I sometimes consider taking a hacksaw to my big tripod's column for better low-angle work, but I don't often want to do a lot of that either. ) ...and that Travel angel design looks really convenient: it'll probably be a pretty tough call for me when it comes time to worry about something portable. (One place I lived, I was looking to something that'd be a minimal pain for either someone else to carry for me, or fit on a bicycle, even just to push that around, and otherwise set up as quickly as possible, for the sake of other folks' patience and my own tendency to fatigue. I might try that scheme, if we have a living situation where that works again. Anyway, that head-hiding design, very useful. You can have sturdier legs per what space it fits in. )

05-02-2009, 09:14 AM	#18
Ron Boggs Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: MT Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,349	There are bicycle wheels that fit on a tripod...I have one of the prototypes of a product that was then sold to Manfrotto. I can't remember the name and don't know if it still exists. When you lift the handle it pushes like a cart. When you stop and let down the handle, the wheels lift slightly allowing the tripod to sit on it's legs. I'll try to find the name for you as it isn't on the product...As I recall it wasn't cheap, but works pretty well for my heavy artillery 600/4 and 10 pound-plus critter-work tripod. I can even strap my backpack onto the legs and walk along unencumbered. It's great on zoo trips, dirt roads, bird refuges etc. But because my load is quite top-heavy, it isn't very useful in the backwoods. Probably would be better with a 5 pound load instead of a 20 pound load.

05-02-2009, 09:15 AM	#19
Ron Boggs Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: MT Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,349	I think it's called Roll Pod...

05-02-2009, 12:50 PM	#20
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	Heh. Sounds interesting, Ron. In my own particular case I was mentioning, the bicycle itself would have been useful: dealing with limited endurance, I could have put stuff on there, rode down the hill of a morning, say, with a Mamiya and tripod, perhaps, been in a decent state to shoot, then have wheels to drag the stuff back on. (I don't really do much in the way of wilderness expeditions, myself, it just feels like it sometimes. Mostly it's about trying to make something out of limited endurance for me. Bicycles can help, though. ) (having mad contraptor ideas about making a bicycle with a ballhead on there somewhere, and attaching a monopod leg to an old kickstand hinge to make a third 'leg.' Hrmmm... )

05-02-2009, 03:02 PM	#21
Ben_Edict Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: SouthWest "Regio" Photos: Albums Posts: 3,309	Gitzo versus the rest of the tripod world - seems to get a heated response. My own experience is: I have been using a Manfrotto 055 for about twenty years and later some heavier (UniLock Major 2300) and more lightweight (Velbon SherpaPro 540 carbon fibre and Fancier carbon fibre) tripods. All of those performed to my expectation, sometimes (Velobon SherpaPro) exceeding those. Then I got my hand on a used and old Gitzo Studex - a very basic and humble tripod. It blows the Manfrotto 055 away. Same weight, but the Gitzo is so much stiffer, which translates into better stability. I still use the 055, because I like the Manfrotto leg locks more than the screw lock of the Gitzo - BUT the Gitzo is simply the more capable tripod. I have no clue, how Gitzo does that, but it certainly is worth the extra money. Ben

05-06-2009, 06:16 AM	#22
Ira Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Coral Springs, FL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,216	I got a wooden Berlebach because it looks so cool. Of course, at that weight, it never leaves the house--which shows you where my priorities are. I don't even have a regular head on it, it's a liquid pan (for my 16mm cine camera). So I can't even do portrait orientation.

06-14-2009, 04:28 PM	#24
geauxpez Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Atlanta Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,196	I sprung for a Gitzo legset recently. After researching the Bogens Gitzos and others, I landed on Gitzo for having the best weight capacity to weight to height to price ratio for me. The tripod feels good and is sturdy as all get out. A little long for my taste collapsed, but that's what I get for that extra height. I'm 6'4". Gotta have the height.

06-15-2009, 02:17 AM	#26
soccerjoe5 Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Philippines Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,343	I love that they've got sealed joints. Plus the build quality's top notch.

06-15-2009, 05:03 AM	#27
heatherslightbox Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Gainesville, FL Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,599 Original Poster	Originally posted by creampuff Heather, you need a picture to visualise... more Gitzo poison for you... Gitzo Mountaineer 6x CF with the Markins Q3 = less than 1.5kg in weight Which series is yours (1 or 2)? Assuming that I do get the Gitzo, it'll most likely have to wait until sometime early next year, at the earliest, but I figure it'll be worth the wait. The tripod head is the more pressing issue at this point, though. I'm at work this morning, so I guess the Powerball ticket my husband bought the other day wasn't a winner...sigh...I won't be able to go to New York for the shopping spree at B&H...oh well. Heather

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06-15-2009, 05:48 AM	#28
creampuff Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,953	Mine is a 3 section series 1. Could have gone with the Traveller series as it is very light, compact and good for travel but I rather prefer something a little sturdier yet still light enough at 1.0kg. With the Markins Q3 (about 400g), it all works out to be a light yet strong combo and more than sufficient for all my lenses. If I really needed something sturdier, I can get hold of a Series 2 and Series 3 from my brother-in-law but I find it a little overkill as I don't carry heavy teles.

06-15-2009, 06:06 AM	#29
ftpaddict Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Yurp Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,666	Gitzo is the tripod equivalent of Canon - a popular, respected brand; the safe choice.

06-15-2009, 07:50 AM	#30
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,981	Originally posted by hwblanks Which series is yours (1 or 2)? Assuming that I do get the Gitzo, it'll most likely have to wait until sometime early next year, at the earliest, but I figure it'll be worth the wait. The tripod head is the more pressing issue at this point, though. I'm at work this morning, so I guess the Powerball ticket my husband bought the other day wasn't a winner...sigh...I won't be able to go to New York for the shopping spree at B&H...oh well. Heather Look seriously at this if you like the Gitzo. http://www.feisol.net/feisol-ct3441sb-with-cb30c-ball-head-center-column-qp1...ipod-p-37.html The Feisols really are very good kit, and probably half the cost of a Gitzo. Not that I have anything against Gitzo, I just find them very overpriced for what they are offering.