Gitzo Tripods: "Are they worth the expense?"
Sep 16, 2017 18:42:12 #
papa wrote:
Are they made in the same factory?
As far as I know, Vitec Group, which owns Manfrotto and Gitzo, moved Gitzo from Paris to somewhere in Italy.
Sep 16, 2017 19:07:18 #
exposeu wrote:
I have had one for over 10 years and it has never failed me. Mine is not carbon fiber but I love it. Yes, they are the best.
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Great tripod ...
I too have the "old" aluminum one .... Not as long at "exposeu" .. Perhaps 8 Years.... Working great after some really rugged use.
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Sep 16, 2017 19:31:19 #
imagemeister wrote:
Never had a Gitzo .......but what I can tell you is that all the less expensive ( than Gitzo) GOOD middle of the road tripods I have used/owned have worked very well for me with NO complaints.
I notice you used the word all you have used/owned, I've had one Gitzo tripod for 40 years.
Sep 16, 2017 19:54:59 #
I have had the Gitzo G1548 for around 20 years with the original Wimberley head. It is sturdy and easy to maintain. It has spent a lot of time on ocean beaches and sometimes 2 feet deep in salt water. It has been caked in ice and stuck deep in mud. With occasional cleaning inside and out, it is as good today as it was when it was new. At the time I bought it they were $1,000 at B&H. Considering what we have been through together I would say it was well worth the price.
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Sep 16, 2017 20:06:43 #
SharpShooter wrote:
Ed, they are definately something you would buy used, but the problem would be finding one. Plus, they hold pretty high resale, so finding a good deal is probably not likely either.
They do make the basalt pods that are cheaper, I think they're fiberglass.
If you're not gonna pack it, look for an older alloy one, those are a good buy. Good luck!!!
SS
They do make the basalt pods that are cheaper, I think they're fiberglass.
If you're not gonna pack it, look for an older alloy one, those are a good buy. Good luck!!!
SS
Like any other used item, low mileage is cream. I bought my Gitzo Studex 320 from a UHH member two years ago for $75 shipped, and it's heavy duty. A year later I bought an NIB Gitzo 2750 offset ballhead on ebay for $99 (retail$240). I load it my gripped Canon 5D Mark III and Tammie SP 150-600 VC. It's rock steady a is smooth and easily adjusted. Deals come around and right on time for me.
Sep 16, 2017 20:12:19 #
wmurnahan wrote:
I notice you used the word all you have used/owned, I've had one Gitzo tripod for 40 years.
Had a Welt PT4 that I bought in 1976 - paid $125 for it ( about $800 in today's money ) lost it on a canoe trip ( overturned - with 4X5 camera attached) about 27 years ago ( 1990) - a really nice big/heavy tripod ! - that I would still have today if not for the mishap ( 41 years) .
About 10 years ago I picked up a nice Giottos video tripod at the flea market for $10 which I have been using ever since for my "heavy" work.
I am sure Gitzo is a nice tripod - but there are MANY cheaper alternatives ....
Sep 17, 2017 03:50:00 #
jeep_daddy wrote:
Absolutely. I bought one that is heavy duty enoug... (show quote)
ha, yes, I need one
Sep 17, 2017 05:12:50 #
papa wrote:
Like any other used item, low mileage is cream. I bought my Gitzo Studex 320 from a UHH member two years ago for $75 shipped, and it's heavy duty. A year later I bought an NIB Gitzo 2750 offset ballhead on ebay for $99 (retail$240). I load it my gripped Canon 5D Mark III and Tammie SP 150-600 VC. It's rock steady a is smooth and easily adjusted. Deals come around and right on time for me.
My girlfriend, now wife, bought me a Gitzo Legs & Head back around 1982-83. It was a Big Head for my 4x5" View Camera. I soon bought a second smaller three-axis head for my 35mm cameras. Once came the advent of Ebay, I much latter bought a side arm for my tripod. During the last few years I found a nearly new set of legs and like new Ball Head used on eBay for a fraction of their new costs. Old school aluminum, steel, vintage 80's-'90's used ebay and Gitzo are a winning combination.
Sep 18, 2017 09:22:14 #
TheDman wrote:
I've had one of the carbon fiber hiking versions and it fell to pieces after a few trips. I've since had two sets of Manfrotto MT190XPro4 legs and both are now non-functional as well. meanwhile, my old cheapo Velbon El Carmagne 540 keeps working like a charm.
I have the Manfrotto MT190CXPRO$, the carbon fiber version of your two MT190XPRO4. I use it for photography as well as holding my spotting scope on the long range rifle competition line, either flat out open when I'm shooting prone or straight up when I'm calling wind for the team. I've been using it for the last few years and it is getting a tremendous workout folding and unfolding, center post coming out at 90 degrees and back in several times a day during grueling competition.
It's been perfect and still looks absolutely brand new. I did buy the proper Manfrotto bag for it. I have a Manfrotto ball head w/ pistol grip so that I can maneuver my spotting scope easily with one hand when I'm on the ground.
I would like to know what rendered you two aluminum MT190s non-functional. How did they break?
One of my shooting friends has the MT190 Go! version with the crappy twist locks for the legs and it's broken (the twist lock), but when I showed him my MT190CX with the flip locks he was p*ssed that he got the wrong one.
I chose the carbon version over the aluminum because of the weight savings.
Sep 18, 2017 10:23:50 #
I prefer positive locking rather than twist lock. To me, in the past Gitzo may have been worth it but the competition has surpassed it now.
Sep 18, 2017 12:31:15 #
The flip locks are good unless you like going off the trail. Then they tend to get hung up on everything. They certainly are quicker to set up.
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Sep 18, 2017 17:52:30 #
Agreed.
Bill_de wrote:
The flip locks are good unless you like going off the trail. Then they tend to get hung up on everything. They certainly are quicker to set up.
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Sep 20, 2017 17:12:28 #
About 12 years ago I bought the Gitzo safari model-the legs are wider at the bottom so it is great of most any soil, including sand. It has never let me, or my camera, down. And, its legs can spread out flat so I can shoot from as low as 6 inches off the ground.
Very, very stable.
They should not wear out, so it should be fine used, so long as the seller has told you the truth of its condition.
Cry once, when you buy it! Why risk your camera and lens falling to the ground or pavement!
Very, very stable.
They should not wear out, so it should be fine used, so long as the seller has told you the truth of its condition.
Cry once, when you buy it! Why risk your camera and lens falling to the ground or pavement!
Sep 20, 2017 23:43:35 #
TheDman
Loc: USA
Pegasus wrote:
I have the Manfrotto MT190CXPRO$, the carbon fiber... (show quote)
You got me. I wish I knew. One lasted a couple years before something broke off in one of the lower leg sections which caused the lower section to fall completely out when unlocked. You can slide it back in, but it won't go back in all the way. Plus it lost the rubber tip.
Figuring I just got a bad one, I bought new legs about a month ago before heading out to Oregon for a couple weeks of shooting. A few days in I was at Proxy Falls, set it in the stream, took a series of shots, picked it up to move somewhere else and noticed that another lower leg section was missing! Searched all over the stream before finally finding it. Same exact problem - slides right out when unlocked, can't slide back in all the way. Even missing the rubber tip again. Now I have two sets of legs with the same problem, and one is only a month old. Terrible.
Both were carbon fiber by the way, not aluminum.
Sep 21, 2017 11:15:39 #
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