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Gitzo vs Manfrotto - your experience (1 Viewer)

The Kerreran

Has hat, will stand in the rain
Hi, long time thread poster, first time thread starter!

I use a Manfrotto 055v tripod for its height and stability. However, I find the weight to be a real pain in the shoulder if I'm moving around. Having some money to spend, I reckon its time for a nice lump of carbon fibre |:d|.

I've done some looking, read reviews and the like, but what I'd really value is your hard-won experience of using the things in the real world over the long term. So, are these Gitzos really all they're cracked up to be? Are Manfrotto's carbon fibres as good as their aluminiums?

Cheers in advance! :t:
 
Bump!

Nobody willing to bite?

Ok, incentive time! This cute li'l kittie to the first person to help!

:cat:

Specially trained to leave garden birds alone [it may savage your postman, though... ;) ]
 
Of course Gitzo is good. However, CF and Al tripods of similar size are also generally of similar weight. CF just brings more stiffness, dampening and load capacity. Bogen-Manfrotto tripods never seem to have the size/feature/design I want. But I think you can find better VALUE in an Induro in a standard tripod unless you need one of the Gitzo special feature models. I use a C314.

Rick
 
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I started with a Manfrotto aluminum tripod and a Gitzo aluminum monopod. I preferred the twist locks on the Gitzo to the flip levers on the Manfrotto. When I moved to carbon fiber, I went with the Gitzo. If the flip levers aren't an issue with you, the Manfrotto might be okay as there is quite a savings, cost-wise. I just checked and see that a low-end Gitzo (1541T) weighs 2.1 lb whereas the equivalent Manfrotto (055CX3) weighs 3.9 lbs, so there is a definite weight advantage for the Gitzo. Other brands may offer some of the advantages of the Gitzo at a better price (but perhaps may have quality or repair part tradeoffs).
 
Ok, I'll bite...

Short answer? Both are good.

Long answer?
I have had 4 Manfrotto alum. pods, 1 carbon. 1 Gitzo alum. pod, and 2 Benro carbon (good) copies of Gitzo.
The latest Gitzo and Benro designs are lighter and stiffer than earlier designs and indeed are very stiff. This is in part to the tightness of the joints and collets, and well as the tubing itself. Pound for pound, the Manfrottos aren't quite as stiff but still good.

In use:
The Manfrottos handle a bit faster if changing set ups often.

The Manfrotto carbon legs and column are a bit "sticky" as compared with their aluminum counterparts and hence don't slide as smoothly.

The Manfrotto cam locks (legs) make for a somewhat bulkier tripod and one the doesn't slide in and out of narrow spaces (when folded) as simply as a collet design.

The cam lock joints aren't quite as positive as a collet design either though they have the advantage of being able to "see" if the joint is locked, or not.


The Gitzo (and good knock-offs) fold to more compact dimensions and are sleeker when folded.

The newer carbon Gitzos have an excellent stiffness/strength to weight ratio.

Gitzo build quality is top notch.

Raising the column, adjusting the leg length, adjusting the legs angle are all a bit slower on a Gitzo .

Summary:
For general use I like Manfrottos just fine.
For times when best efficiency of design (read: lowest weight to height and stiffness) is important, I prefer Gitzo.

FWIW, I currently use a Manfrotto 055MF4 carbon tripod with a Manfrotto 128RC head for my Fieldscope 82ED and is my primary visual and digiscoping rig. I use a Benro C158 carbon tripod with a Markins Q3 ballhead with my Fieldscope ED50 and all my cameras.
 
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Firstly my thanks to Rick Greg and Kevin for their info - much appreciated. :t:

Rick, the Kitty will be winging its way to Tokyo as soon as the planes are flying again! ;)

Definitely food for thought here guys; I do like Manfrotto's cam locks [except when they bite..], but Gitzo has the best performance as a light stiff support, and there's Induro as well [though finding them might be hard - only one UK stockist and their website doesn't seem to work]. Decisions decisions!

I think I'll have to get my hands on a Gitzo and see if I get on with the collet locks..
 
Tom,

I thought I'd chime in with my limited experience.

I currently own:

1. Gitzo GT2541 - very nice and light and easy to use. The ALR system works nicely and as described in previous posts. I have it paired with a Markins Q3T ballhead and I use a Wimberly Sidekick with the Q3T. I use this mostly for photography and I hang a Canon 400mm f/5.6 off the Sidekick. Works very well. No complaints about this tripod other than it is probably an inch or two shorter than I would like without the center column extended.

2. Feisol CT3301 - also very nice and relatively easy to use. I bought this recently just before the ALR system was announced by Feisol. With the ALR came a price increase of $75 over the non-ALR CT3301. This is a nice light tripod. I seems well constructed and as durable as the Gitzo. I do not find the non-ALR legs to be a problem although they do take getting used to and may be a bit more time consuming to deal with during set up and adjustments. The legs and tripod as a whole is as stable as the Gitzo. I did not buy the center column since this is tall enough for my use, which is primary my Vortex spotting scope with angled eyepiece. I actually have to limit the extension of the lower leg sections so that I can see through the scope. I use a Manfrotto 128RC head on this set of legs for the scope.

In the past I've owned 3 other tripods:

1. Manfrotto 055V - a nice sturdy aluminum tripod. My first tripod but I sold it when I bought the Gitzo. It was just too heavy and I wanted a light weight alternative. I had a 700RC2 video head on this tripod. Very stable and had enough leg height to not need to use the center column for my scope. The lever-lock legs were fine and seemed very secure and stable. However, I found them more unwieldy to use than the Gitzo or Feisol collet-style leg locks. My personal preference. I kind of kicked myself for selling it when I decided I needed a second tripod for the scope so I wouldn't have to switch back and forth between the camera and the scope on one tripod. hence the sequential purchase of the following two tripods.

2. Slik 700DX Pro - Aluminum/titanium alloy tripod. Too big, too heavy. Bought used and quickly resold. I bought it for my scope and it worked very well but was just too big and heavy to use in the field for me. Extremely stable with a high load capacity. lever lock legs that worked as good as the Manfrotto 055V. Center column wasn't as nice and seemed to rotate.

3. Manfrotto 190XB - too small for my uses. Bought used and quickly resold. I bought it after the Slik for my scope and it seemed tall enough on paper but wasn't in practice. Otherwise it seemed like a nice tripod. Not as stable as the 055V but light and compact. I had to use the center column to get the height I needed and that made the whole assembly unstable and prone to vibration. The lever lock legs were basically the same as on the 055V so they worked well and were stable.

So I did a bit of a search for the tripods most suited for my needs. The Gitzo was a keeper from the start. The Feisol is also a keeper. Yes, I wish it had ALR legs but I'm not going to sell it to get the new model. It is not that much of an inconvenience in my opinion and definitely outperforms the 190 & the 700DX. It has one minor annoyance, it does not have set (grub) screws in the platform to lock on the head like the Gitzos and Manfrottos do. I had to use some Loctite Blue to secure the 128RC and keep it from loosening. The design also does not allow you to drill and tap the platform to install set screws. Not a problem since I don't plan on swapping out heads, but worth the mention. Others don't seem to have this problem but as I often carry the tripod+head+scope over my shoulder, there is a lot of torque generated that tended to loosen the head from the tripod platform. The Loctite fixed that.

Any questions, please feel free to ask.

John
 
I used a Manfrotto 055 Pro (old and heavy) for 15 years to hold my 600mm Nikon. Switched a couple of years ago to a Gitzo carbon 5540 and Wimberley head. I kicked myself all over the place for not switching sooner. The Gitzo, with no centre column is as stiff as a stiff thing with stiffness added. The new quarter turn leg locks are a joy, so fast and quiet. The head is a real boon, especially for flight shots.
If you spend a shedload of cash on a good lens, then spend a shedload more on a good support. If you don't get a good tripod and head then you will be giving up a lot of sharpness and agility. It amazes me that folk shell out £4500 or more for a 500mm f4 and put it on a cheap tripod/head combo.
 
John, Den, my thanks to you also!

An update - at the weekend I went up to Chew for the optics event LCE hold there [think a teeny Birdfair with a prettier view - they had marquees and an owl and everything!]. Spent about an hour annoying the very patient Manfrotto rep and generally drooling over his wares... :bounce: I got to play with Gitzo's finest and was suitably impressed. Chap himself was very keen and impressed also [a guy who knows his stuff and is obviously really into it makes the best salesman].
Having gotten hands on, I can see how good the anti-rotation legs are - easier to use than the levers on my 055 [I did not expect that, I must admit]. The comparative lightness seen in print is one thing, to hold it is another, and they're so delicate, but so strong...

[[Hey, you think if I say enough nice things they'll give me a discount? No? Rats... ;) ]]

Now I have a much simpler problem - the new Gitzo 'designed purely for birding' head is out "in the summer". Its ridiculously light, and is a cross between the Velbon and Manfrotto styles [plus, so very pretty]. Will I be able to wait?
 
I tried a Manfrotto tripod but even the carbon ones were far to heavy and cumbersome. I now use the Gitzo GK2580TQR Series 2 Traveller Tripod this came as a kit with an attached head which is of no use to me. I got the tripod because I can use it with my Leica Televid 82 with the legs fully extended and only a little adjustment for height on the centre column. I have now matched it with the new Gitzo "birding" head GH2720QR after initially using the G2180 which I found awkward to use. I must say that the new combination works like a dream. I tried other Gitzo tripods but found that for me many were too high with the legs fully extended and using the angled Televid such that they were difficult to use in the field. For others in the future I hope that Gitzo will market the GK2580TQR tripod without the ball head included. I can certainly recommend this combination without reservation.
 
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