dyximan

B&H has the Gitzo GT4533LS on sale for 649.88 /One is it a good tripod based on those who have used it. 2 is that a good price I know Gitzos are quite expensive. The heaviest piece of equipment I will have on it is a D 500 with a Tamron150 to 600 lens. But may move up to the D850 in the future. I presently have a ball head but would like to get another head with an acra Swiss component. I do have a gimbal head and do shoot wildlife but would use it primarily for night photography.

PhotoDerek Loc: County Durham, UK.

I have the Gitzo 4554TS with a Kirk head - excellent, has rubber and spiked feet (have used in mud and snow), with a Nikon D5 and longest lens is a 300mm F2.8 - great. I do look after it as it was expensive, WD40 the Kirk head and wipe clean the tripod legs. Every few months strip down each leg and make sure clean and dry inside.
I have had it since 2015 and no regrets.

TerryVS

I don't claim to be an expert in this field but WD-40 is a solvent. I would be concerned what it might do long term. Real 100% silicone lubricant might be a better choice? Just tossing out a thought.

Terry

PhotoDerek Loc: County Durham, UK.

Terry
agree WD 40 is a solvent. On purchasing my Kirk ball head the instructions stated" we recommend cleaning your head every 4-6 weeks. To do this loosen the main control knob and the tension knob. Move the ball into the 90 degree position. Now with a cloth lightly moistened with WD40 slowly turn the ball in the socket. When you are done with this process please wipe off any excess WD40 with a clean cloth. Also please avoid using any cleaner other than WD40 and do not spray WD40 directly into the ball". The Kirk head was quite an investment and therefore I read the instruction manual as quoted above. Suggest you email Kirk and see what they say re Silicone lubricant (and make / availability etc)? I was out with a pro landscape photographer who also had a Kirk head and when mentioned about WD40 she had never used and never had a problem to date!
Best wishes
Derek.

TerryVS

Learned something new today and it's still early! Have a great day!

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

That tripod is not high enough for my 6' 3" frame. Make sure it is high enough for your needs. I do not like to extend them to their limits.

gompfer1

Gitzo tripods were the leaders for year in the photography market. They are well made and will last a life time. I own 6 gitzo tripods (Metal and Carbon fibre). I have never been disappointed using them. They are expensive but this one from B&H is a good buy. A couple of thing I would recommend is to make sure the tripod is tall enough for you to use without bending over. Also there have been quite a few other manufacturers that make excellent tripods as well (Sirius and Benro are two).

RichieC Loc: Adirondacks

Thats a good price... but 55 lbs capacity! and it weight 5 pounds.... it's a heavier duty tripod for big lenses and bigger cameras or other equipment..

How will you use it? If you want to carry it with you, really, I'd suggest getting one closer to your weight specs, and one that you won't say- "I don't feel like lugging that today" (though it is only 5lbs)... because the best tripod is the one you have with you when needed.

If you can find a less heavy duty one, and use the saved $$$ toward a good "forever" head , then it will come with you more often. ( I have the RRS BH 40 (I don't remember the price) + Gitzo Mountaineer 2541 which then was only $538 in 2013- Maaaan the price has doubled!, with a D800E, various prime lenses.. no problems with equipment weight) --- in fact you will appreciate head performance over tripod. but when you have both- you are finished with tripod purchases forever! I see other Gitzo's on sale at B&H...

Frankly, i carry mine all over- everywhere, backpacking into the wilderness, top of mountains, in a canoe, on Salt and fresh water beach's ... etc. etc. and i see how it has worn- or rather- how it has NOT worn! It's worth the money in a great design. Thus, I'd consider a used gitzo in a heartbeat, I mean you'd want to look it over, deep scratches on the tubes would be evident. I have not been a nut with cleaning it, but then i paid for it so i don't throw it around at all, and i bought the gitzo case for it!.. so you might think it was new. They are very well made, and take a good amount of use and abuse, and expensive so people, I assume like me, don't throw them around.

However, they do hold their value, so even used they will be dear. Thing is, people don't often sell them- they are a forever purchase, so you'd have to be patient, and watch for them, wait for someone like me to die, and hope their uninterested kin don't realize how much they are worth! LOL...

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amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

The GT4533LS is one of the "Series 4" Systematic tripods. As such, it's no lightweight (leg set alone weighs 5+ lb.), rated for 55 lb. capacity and very much overkill for a D500 or D850 (either around 2 lb.) with a 4.5 lb. Tamron 150-600mm. Normally selling for $1030, if you can get it for $650 that's a very good deal (which I don't see offered at the B&H website

How tall are you? Or, more accurately, have you measured your eyeline while standing upright on a flat surface?

The GT4533 is 61.4" tall, leg set alone. By the time you add a head on top of that, the platform for the camera will probably be at 65.5". And, by the time you add the camera as well, it's viewfinder eyeport will probably be about 68.5" off the ground. Only you can say... by measuring your eyeline... if that will be a "comfortable" working height for you. Nothing worse than "too short" a tripod that forces you to stoop over for every shot. It's more critical with a tripod like the GT4533, which doesn't have a center column (which makes it more stable than a tripod with a center column that needs to be raised to reach comfortable working height). There are taller GT4543 (only slightly... 62.2"), GT3543XLS (78"), but both of those use four-section legs, which may not be quite as stable as the three-section legs of the GT4533. The GT3543XLS also is a Series 3 tripod (instead of Series 4), with slightly smaller diameter legs.

You might be able to convert your ballhead to Arca-Swiss quick release compatibility, if you like it otherwise. I modded an older Manfrotto ballhead with a replacement platform from Kirk Photo. The old platform simply unscrewed and the new one screwed on. That's the best setup, but isn't always possible. I recently modded another old Manfrotto (actually Bogen) pan/tilt head adding an Arca-compatible platform to it. In this case, the head didn't have any QR at all, so the adapter simply screws on using the existing 1/4" bolt (I will be drilling and tapping for one or two secondary fasteners, to keep the platform from twisting loose).

Depending upon how heavy duty that ballhead is, you might consider a gimbal adapter to use with it, rather than a full size gimbal head that requires you remove the ballhead, swap the heads back and forth to use the tripod for different purposes. As long as a ballhead is heavy duty enough (30+ lb. rating) and has an Arca-compatible platform, there are a number of gimbal adapters available to work with them. Quick and easy to use. The Wimberley Sidekick (which I use with two 50 lb. rated ballheads) was the first of the adapters and is still one of the best. But there are now similar adapters from Induro, Sevenoak, Movo, ProMediaGear and others. Jobu makes one too, but it's a "Mini" and only able to handle relatively small lenses... I doubt it's up to working with a 150-600mm.

Personally I use three older Gitzo models.... all Series 3 Systematics: two G1325 Mk II (three-section legs) and one G1349 Mk II (four-section legs, extra tall). Gitzo are extremely well made. They also are widely supported and pretty repairable, if ever needed. I've used one of mine for close to twenty years, no problems. The others I bought used more recently, and have set up for some more specialized purposes.

DavePDX

My experience with Gitzo has been very disappointing. Based on many favorable reviews, I purchased a GT1545TUS about 7 months ago. Very lightly used. A couple of weeks ago, I started to set it up and as I unfolded the legs, one of them broke off in my hand (at the hinge/base). It was traumatic imagining the consequence had my D850 and 500pF had been mounted to it at the time! I have written and called Gitzo and their repair facility, and have yet to receive ANY response. In addition, I discovered that their "lifetime warranty" is only a 6 month warranty if you fail to register with them within 90 days of purchase! In searching the internet, I've discovered this is not an isolated experience. Even if I eventually manage to get them to repair or replace it, I will never be able to trust it.

Bob Werre

I also have had issues with Gitzo tripods although in general they have served me well. At one time I owned three. I might have the names wrong but one was a Reporter, the second a Studex something, and then a giant Studex that went over 8 ft tall. I don't buy a tripod for my height, I buy them for how tall or low they'll reach. I've often had to shoot over a 8' fence, or from the ceiling to the floor, or from the floor upward. My medium sized Studex was my go-to for 80% of my work, but the legs finally gave up, so I searched for repairs but they said they no-longer carried parts--tough! So I search eBay and came up with reasonable unit for repair parts. My repair guy finally blended the two units together by actually using thin cardstock to makeup for the difference in pipe sizes. It's still not the best, but this guy has the height with both columns extended plus the three section legs. But with Gitzo not able to make repairs, sort of leaves me with a useless tripod--don't think I'd buy again.

Dino92G Loc: Northeast Ohio

I concur with Terry. WD-40 also dries and leaves gunk. Use a silicone lube, or sewing machine or gun oil with silicone.

dyximan

Terry I think you may be incorrect about WD40 being a solvent it was designed as a water repellent and stands for water dispersement 40th try (formula) Loosely translated anyway

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Sorry for your bad experience.... But you partially have yourself to blame because you've have done the exact opposite of the original poster. He (or she?) is looking at a Series 4 Systematic.... next to the heaviest duty tripod that Gitzo makes.... and probably a little more than is needed for a 2 lb. full frame DLSR and 4.5 lb. 150-600mm zoom.

The GT1545TUS you bought is a Series 1 Traveler model, meaning it's one of the lightest duty. Where the original poster is probably looking at more tripod than they need, what you purchased is way too light weight design for any full frame DSLR and 500mm lens! (Even the compact PF lens.) I wouldn't put that gear on top of that tripod, either! It's designed for much smaller, lighter gear. I would recommend Series 3 for a camera and lens like yours.

The Gitzo Traveler, Studex and Mountaineer all also rely upon their permanently installed center columns, to reach their specified working height. The Systematic Gitzo models are modular and do not come with a center column. The heights of those leg sets are stated without one (but a center column is available separately, if wanted.... although I recommend using minimally when working with long telephoto focal lengths). There are also other things that can be fitted... such as video bowls, leveling platforms, a geared center column.

Again, sorry to hear of the problem. A tripod leg shouldn't easily break like that. I hope you can get it replaced or repaired at no cost. But, after you do I still wouldn't recommend a Series 1 Traveler model for use with a full frame DSLR and 500mm lens. You need a heavier duty model, regardless of brand. I've been using a Gitzo Series 3 Systematic for close to twenty years... with up to 800mm lenses.... and it's been utterly faultless. Some people prefer the Series 4 or Series 5 for use with big telephotos, though I think that can be a little bit of overkill.

BTW, I also think it's fairly typical that a warranty isn't in effect and might expire early unless an item is registered with the manufacturer. Today using the Internet it only takes a few minutes to register and doesn't cost anything. (A wee bit easier and better than "back in the day", when we had to mail in a registration card and possibly buy a stamp for it.)



How old were those tripods?

Hey, I have a little trouble finding parts for my 23 year old Land Rover and my 58 year old Triumph... but it is typically sooooo much easier today, thanks to the Internet!

I have two different Gitzo models that date from around 20 years ago and can buy replacement parts for them (though I've never needed to do so).

www.gitzospares.com (for all vintages)
www.gitzo.com (current and recent models)

Heck, I've got a Bogen that I bought new nearly 40 years ago and replacement parts are still available for those (though the name is now Manfrotto).

I recently picked up a similarly ancient Bogen #144 with a #3025 pan/tilt head for $10 at a local secondhand store.... The only "problem" with it seemed to be looseness in the head, which turned out all that was needed was the set screws under the head weren't fully tightened. Snugged those up, cleaned off many years of dust, lubed the head lightly, fitted it with a $16 Chinese-made Arca-compatible quick release platform and it works perfectly. Didn't need to make any repairs, but I noticed that spare parts are available for it online.

www.bogentripodparts.com
www.manfrottospares.com
www.manfrotto.com (current and recent models)

Good old eBay also has a lot of Gitzo and Manfrotto spare parts. I recall someone here on UHH needing a part for one or the other recently, which someone else quickly found for them via everyone's favorite auction site.

If nothing else, some of the spare parts sites might give you some $ for a broken tripod, if you decide it's not worth repairing.

By the way, Gitzo, Manfrotto, Sachtler, Joby, O'Connor and Vinten tripods are all under the umbrella of the same company... The Vitec Group, headquartered in the UK. They also are the parent company of LowePro, select Nat Geo photo gear, Avenger, Lastolite, Litepanels, Wooden Camera, Small Camera, and more photo/video related products.

PhotoDerek Loc: County Durham, UK.

To Terry and Dino92G
I emailed Kirk re silicone grease, not gun oil as I am in UK and guns are very, very limited, no right to bear arms etc. Response from Kirk, "Derek, we do not recommend using silicone grease as yes that might cause slippage and with time it seems to get tacky/sticky". I just had a look at my Kirk head and no obvious signs of gunk from WD40.
I hope this clarifies the situation re WD40 on Kirk tripod heads.
Best wishes and happy photography to all.