grtday Loc: Houston, TX

Really enjoying this board! Nice to talk with a bunch of experts!
I spent $335 on a carbon fiber Gitzo 350 (3 sections) and love it! LIght, STURDY, and compact.
I bought an Arcatech Ball Head for $240. The machining and quality are some of the best in any products that I have ever seen!!

I’ll be mounting a Nikon D800 with battery pack and a heavy Nikon 14-24 lens. To get to height, i will need to extend the center pole, which I’m told schweckles the stability of the tripod system.

So, my questions for the experts:
Should I buy a 4 section Gitzo 530 of similar to get the height I think I will need?
What about an L-bracket? What benefits? What brand? What are their differences?
Thanks to all in advance.
As always, please have a Great Day!

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

As far as purchasing new equipment, if you definitely need it to accomplish what you're attempting, yes purchase it. 24~70 heavy??? I guess you've never carried a 50~300 on a Nikon F.
--Bob

grtday Loc: Houston, TX

. Nope. Never carried that behemoth set. Wish I had a 50-300 though! Thanks for your comeback!

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Aside from my buying used vintage aluminum Gitzo equipment on eBay for a fraction the cost, Gitzo is an excellent choice. What do you mean by "To get to height,..."? How tall of a tripod do you need? What are you shooting? Do you mean above typical eye-level? Do you hike to locations? I have two Gitzo legs and three heads. My first that my then girlfriend, now wife bought me is a short heavy model initially for my 4x5" View Camera with large head. I later bought a smaller three-axis head for it for 35mm use. I'd always thought about seeing if I could get a longer geared center column for it. More recently I separately bought a taller yet lighter Gitzo set of Legs and a Ball Head used on eBay at a really great prices. And I have a Gitzo side arm I often use for vertical macro and close-up shots. The correct geared longer (taller) center column for my 1980's Gitzo would likely be hard to find and expensive!

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Why not have a GOOD tripod WITH a designed centerpost ?? .......If you do birds, planes, tall buildings. mountains, astro work, you WILL need a centerpost !

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

An L-bracket is a permanent mounting option added to your camera and used with a tripod / monopod. Preferably, you use a lever or screw clamp to quickly release the camera. The L-bracket allows the camera to be swapped from landscape to portrait orientation by releasing the clamp, move the camera by 90-degrees, and reset the clamp. Higher quality L-brackets are custom designed to each body allowing access to cable mounts. Different mounts are needed for bodies with battery packs vs the same body without a battery pack.

grtday Loc: Houston, TX

Just need another foot. The Gitzo 350 is so light and transportable. Can anyone recommend a little taller unit with a well-designed center post? I would like the camera at eye level. I’m 6 ft.

grtday Loc: Houston, TX

Any recommendations?

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Compact and tall are mutually exclusive !

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Heres, is a decent tripod ......https://www.ebay.com/itm/BENRO-C2970T-C-297-M8-Carbon-Versatile-Tripod-Leg-FAST-SHIPMENT-/271274264241?epid=111062065&hash=item3f2934c6b1%3Ag%3AHxQAAOSwNSxVZD%7Ey&_trkparms=pageci%253A5ace28f5-b6b7-11e7-b961-74dbd1801865%257Cparentrq%253A4142f37715f0aca4b4a30141ffff39d8%257Ciid%253A1

jcboy3

If you are looking for a travel tripod, then the folded length is an important consideration. I use 5-section tripods to get height yet short folded length. They barely get me eye-level with the center column extended. If you are going to put a big lens on it, then you want the tripod to be high enough without center column, and the fewer the sections the better. Gitzo makes good tripods, but they are very expensive. Look at Benro, Manfrotto, Induro or Sirui for alternatives. Try B&H tripod guide, plus they have specs for all of their tripods. The height you need is 10" less than your height (that accounts for ball head, camera height, and eye to top of head distance).

I have an Acratech ball head and leveler; I like them. But they use cheap anodizing so the heads will look worn very quickly.

I use Really Right Stuff L-brackets on most of my cameras; I like the finish and features. You can get Kirk, or Chinese knock-offs. But there are usually some design trades. Not that RRS has the best design for all cameras; I usually just use the bottom bracket as a semi-permanent addition (removed only if I put on a battery grip).

I also shoot a lot of panoramas, and have a variety of heads of different capacity. I usually use the lightest, because I shoot mirrorless with wide angle lenses. The heavier ones are good for FF with large lenses. An indexed rotator is most convenient for getting the shots quickly.

cthahn

schweckles. What does this mean?

djlouden Loc: Ocala, Florida

I ended up with a Gitzo G1548GT which I don't believe is still in the line up but likely has a replacement. I have a neck injury so standing behind a tripod making contortions to get at the right angle just won't work. I can easily stand behind the Gitzo without the need for a wobbly center column which it does not have. Use a gimbal head with my 500mm and occasionally an Acratech GV2 which works fine for my lighter lenses.

Check KEH you might find a bargain.

Happy Shooting

Robert Bailey Loc: Canada

As soon as you raise the centre column, stability goes out the window.
You need a tripod that is tall enough for you to look through the camera's viewfinder
without having to bend over.

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

Have you studied Gitzo’s website?


https://www.manfrotto.us/gitzo/tripods