Gitzo, Manfrotto or Slik?

[roamingstudio]

Im planning on getting a carbon fibre tripod - I do too much snow shoe

walking / altitude hiking for metal poles to freeze my poor little

fingers.

 

Ideally I dont want to overspend on marketing hype: but it seems the

Manfrotto, Gitzo brands are the most recommended. However I noticed

that Slik also make tripods which seem to have the same charactoristics...

 

At the moment the decision is really between the Slik 814 or Gitzo

1228; one is 50% of the other. Eventually I will put a ball head on it

as well.

 

Apart from the name / hype - is there any real reason why the Gitzo is

so much more expensive?

 

Thanks,

 

Marc

[danny_wong2]

If you are only buying it for "winter use", why not buy a piece of pipe insulation and wrap it around the legs.

 

Total cost (Home Depot) 99cents

 

In order of built quality and durability order is Gitzo, Manfrotto and Slik.

 

I have Gitzo's that are older than my college grad son.

[Ed_Ingold]

The build quality of a Gitzo is orders of magnitude above their competitors, with more capacity, less weight and more height. They are built to last a lifetime. You need to get your hands on one to see if it is worth the price to you. I never go out without a tripod (or two). If you don't use one consistently, you may not need a Gitzo.

 

Among other things, the leg sections are precisely machined, rather than simply extruded, and have a pair of bushings like piston rings at the top. The result is that the legs have virtually no wobble, even before you tighten the collar. Threaded collars, unlike quick clamps, need no adjustment and have no extensions to snag or break.

[._._z]

Listen to Danny -- foam insulation and gaffers tape.

[niels_de_boissezon1]

Velbons and Feisols are other popular CF tripods that you might find interesting.

 

I use a Velbon CF-630 myself and i think it is superior to Manfrotto's 055PRO in build and handling - and of course weight...

[roamingstudio]

I will be getting a new tripod as my old one is getting a bit rusty; and is really a bit too heavy for hiking: I really noticed this whilst in Quebec in July (besides it has a fixed plate and no nice heads - it was something from Jessops UK).

 

I always carry carbon fibre based hiking poles and found them really useful. But the above comments are right - I should find a shop and try out the Gitzo's first.

 

Danny's ideas are seriously credible so I will also pass on the hints to a friend who goes to Base Camp in November.

 

Marc

[Robert_Lai]

I live in Central New York State, and formerly I was in Canada. Yes, pipe insulation helps with an aluminum tripod in the winter time. However, you still have to fiddle with the locks. The flip lever types can be a pain in the winter, as I often have to unglove a hand to get the fingers out to release them.<p>The Gitzo 1325 that I purchased is FAR more stable than my old aluminum tripod, and beautifully constructed. The Gitzo locks are as fast as the flip locks of the old tripod, and they don't get caught in shrubbery when hiking. The large collars are easily tightened or released with a gloved hand.<p>At the present time, my old tripod lives in the trunk of my car. I use it when I want to get into mud, or water, or other junk that I don't want to put the expensive Gitzo into.

[peter_n1664876959]

<P><I>Apart from the name / hype - is there any real reason why the Gitzo is so much more expensive?</I></P>

 

<P>There are two reasons:</P>

 

<UL TYPE="square">

<LI>Usability - they are extremely well designed</LI>

<LI>Build quality - they are extremely well made</LI>

</UL>

 

<P>~Peter</P>

[Palouse]

Peter says it all--as an ex Manfrotto, Slik, Velbon, "generic" tripod user, Gitzo's are in my opinion so well made that even my non-photgrapher wife recognizes the quality advantages of them. Yes, a cheaper 'pod will work, but in the long run, a Gitzo is tops.

[ky2]

<i>"Apart from the name / hype - is there any real reason why the Gitzo is so much more expensive?"</i><br><Br>Ofcourse there's a real reason. They're French. :)

[ilkka]

Name, hype and expense?

 

You can wait thirty years and ask yourself when you are still using the same old Gitzo. I have four Gitzo's, two of them more than 25 years old and all still work perfectly. I really think they are cheap in the long run.

[joseph_albert]

Gitzo carbon fiber tripods are excellent, yet I no longer own one. I had a G1227 and liked it alot. But its folded length was a bit long for packing, so I picked up a Velbon Carmagne 640 as this has a shorter folded length than the G1228. Because I'm not very tall, the VC 640 is fine for me, but a 6-footer probably would prefer the G1228. The original Velbon Carmagne 640 and 630 were pretty close to the Gitzo counterparts in quality, and commensurately close in price. Since then, the Gitzo's have improved a little and the Velbon's have degraded a little, and the somewhat larger price gap reflects this difference as well. You get what you pay for. I would most likely purchase a G1228 MK2 over the current offerings from Velbon.

<p>

I don't think the Slik or Manfrotto carbon fiber tripods are all that great. If you can't afford or are unwilling to cough up the dough for a Gitzo, go with Velbon, which, despite being slightly downgraded in quality is still well ahead of manfrotto or slik for carbon fiber.

<p>

Why did I sell the G1227 I had? when I need packability, the Velbon 640 is what I use. I was using the G1227 for macro work but I found that with a heavier head and heavier gear that I use for this type of work, it was a too top-heavy, and I had to be careful that a gust of wind didn't cause it to take a spill with equipment on top. I also found that the Gitzo CF tripods, while incredibly rigid, are not as good as damping high frequency vibrations as metal ones in the same load class. I know that the reputation of carbon fiber is that it is better than metal at damping vibrations, but I've taken actual measurements and observed just the opposite.

<p>

There is no such thing as a 1-size-fits-all tripod. I sold the G1227 and replaced it with a Slik Pro 700DX that works better for heavier duty cycle applications. I'd probably need a Gitzo 1325 or similar to use carbon fiber in this situation, but the Slik with use of a mangesium and titanium as alloying agents with the aluminum is lighter weight than regular aluminum tripods (about 4.8 lbs without head) and I'd only be giving up about 5 oz. for my extra $450, although the G1325 would be slightly more rigid.

[cian_perez]

I made the same observation with the Slik 700DX legset. You get A LOT for your money. I use it with a Manfrotto 468RC2 ballhead. It's a great setup!