Originally posted by song_hm Do you think the Gitzo vibrates less because of larger leg diameter?
The larger diameter is one factor. Both the Bogen & Giottos being constructed of aluminum is another factor. I placed them on a tile floor for my test because carpet dampened the vibration to a great degree. I could barely detect any vibration on the carpet. By the way I have a
QuickSet at work with nearly 3" diameter legs that I can still see vibration even in lab conditions. Note that one of the lenses I use has approximately a 1/10th of a degree FOV (with our focal plane) so I can see lens motion caused by traffic vibration. It can be quite challenging to do measurements.
Originally posted by song_hm Does your Bogen/Giottos tends to produce less in focus pictures than the Gitzo due to vibration?
Sure - if I don't compensate for their limitations. There are a number of things I do to dampen vibration depending upon the conditions in which I'm shooting. Weight, bungee cords, extra bracing, careful selection of location, wind shielding and floor surface, my own body, etc. - lots of things. And obviously the better tripod helps a lot. The Gitzo is primarily for my long lenses whereas the Bogen & Giottos are generally good for most everything else though I am still tweaking my macro setup.