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Gitzo Tripod? (1 Viewer)

S

Sleeper

Well-known member
I am looking at the Gitzo range of tripods for my Zeiss 85 scope with Nikon P5100 stuck on the end but I will be honest I am lost as regards which tripod to choose.

I would like a 3 section as I am only a shorty and the Carbon Fiber is the one I would like. The problem is which one?

At a guess am I right in thinking Mountaineer range and within that which one is suitable..I was thinking
GT1530
GT2530

Am I correct in thinking that any of these would be a direct replacement for say a Manfrotto 055 MF3.

Any help with this would be great as there range of tripods is huge and I have searched the forums at great length without success. Thanks for any help.
 
With a straight Zeiss 85 and Manfrotto 128RC head, we use a carbon fibre Benro C-257n6, replacing a Manfrotto 055CL, which is about 25 oz. heavier. The open height of the Benro is 55", compared to 53" for the 055. I'm 5'8'', so the Benro works well without extending the centre column. Compare the retail price to Gitzo.

Mike
 
I have a Manfrotto 055MFV carbon tripod which i used for digiscoping (P5100 + ED82 scope) and it worked quite well.
However, I just picked up a Gitzo 3530LS Systematic 6X carbon tripod for use with my DSLR / 500mm F4 setup and it's lovely, pricey as all heck but lovely nonetheless : )
 
I recently got a Gitzo Mountaineer class basalt fiber GT1932 tripod. The prices for the carbon fiber were just too daunting.

After reading through many threads here, I got a Manfrotto 3130 Micro Fluid Head which my Swarovski ATS 65 scope clamps right into without any need for an adaptor.

I must say I very pleased with the construction and feel of the Gitzo. Totally worth the money. My scope is a bit lighter than your Zeiss 85, but the combination worked well in the stiff winds on Galveston Island last weekend. The tripod is tall enough that I can splay the legs out quite wide for stability and the center post has a hook at the bottom for hanging a weight.

The 2530 seems awfully heavy duty for your use (and awfully expensive). The one series sounds better to me.
 
BeesWing said:
I recently got a Gitzo Mountaineer class basalt fiber GT1932 tripod. The prices for the carbon fiber were just too daunting.

After reading through many threads here, I got a Manfrotto 3130 Micro Fluid Head which my Swarovski ATS 65 scope clamps right into without any need for an adaptor.

I must say I very pleased with the construction and feel of the Gitzo. Totally worth the money. My scope is a bit lighter than your Zeiss 85, but the combination worked well in the stiff winds on Galveston Island last weekend. The tripod is tall enough that I can splay the legs out quite wide for stability and the center post has a hook at the bottom for hanging a weight.

The 2530 seems awfully heavy duty for your use (and awfully expensive). The one series sounds better to me.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comment Beeswing.

I have the Manfrotto 443 at the moment and whilst it is OK I was looking to lessen the weight further. Also I like the leg grips they have over the leg clip design. I had narrowed it down to the 1530 and just by chance Warehouse Express had one with £100 pound off at £250 so I purchased it only to receive a call a day later saying that they had non! And it is a discontiued product so I guess he who dithers loses!

I shall keep looking as you say the 1 series looks OK for me.
 
Stephen,

You've probably noticed that the GT1531 replaces the 1530.

The Gitzo GT1531 is about 15 oz lighter than a Benro C-257n6, has an open height of 52", and retails in North America for about $525. USD, compared to about $300. for the Benro.

Mike
 
Hi Mike
Thanks for the extra prod. I was wondering if the Benro have the 1/4 turn lock feature as the Gitzo does. Still unsure as my current tripod weighs about the same as the benro, but looking at the specs of the Benro it seems a bargain. Is it poss for you to confirm the 1/4 turn leg lock?

Thanks
 
Stephen,

I just put a couple of index marks on one set of the C-257n6 Benro leg locks, and on my sample it's a short twist to unlock/lock the legs -- about a quarter turn.

Mike
 
Hi Mike
Thanks again for your help....I think it's looking like I may just go with your recommendation. I presume Ebay is one of the places to try?
 
Hi Mike

I have gone for the C-157n6 with specs
C-157 n6
Leg Sections:3-sec
Normal Height (mm/in.):1265/49.8
Min. Height (mm/in.):325/12.8
Folded Height (mm/in.):585/23.0
Weight (kg/lbs):1.27/2.8
Max. Load (kg/lbs):5/11.0

This in comparison to my existing 443 tripod with specs

Leg Sections:3-sec
Normal Height (mm/in.):[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]1300/51[/SIZE][/FONT]
Min. Height (mm/in.):[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]290/11.5[/SIZE][/FONT]
Folded Height (mm/in.):[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]610/24[/SIZE][/FONT]
Weight (kg/lbs):[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]1.6/3.5[/SIZE][/FONT]
Max. Load (kg/lbs):[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]5.7/12.6[/SIZE][/FONT]

I realise that this new pod says max 5 kg and the 443 is rated 600g more but I am interested in the less weight of this pod over my existing tripod.

Will be interesting to see how well this will cope.

Thanks again
 
Last edited:
Stephen,

You may be surprised by the enhanced stability that the Benro's interchangeable 3 cm stainless steel spikes provide over the Manfrotto on any kind of permeable surface.

The distributor for the UK appears to be PhotoPal at http://www.PhotoPal.co.uk. FWIW, local retailers of sports optics in Ontario usually inventory only a few (sometimes none) of a manufacturer's products; when I want to check a product out before purchasing, I go to the distributor, and then usually order it online, since online retailers often provide a return period, while local stores won't accept returns on special order products.

Mike
 
Last edited:
Received the tripod today.

Model C-157 n6 Max load 5Kg load and weighing 1.3kg

As stated I have the

Manfrotto 443 tripod max load 5.7kg and weight is 1.6kg.

Testing with the Zeiss 85 and swing away digiscoping bracket attached to swarovski FH101 head.

The test has shown that vibration when touched or when scope is moved is far more increased on the Benro. The vibration also takes a lot longer to settle down. I have also found that grabbing the tripod does not help alleviate the vibration rather it becomes a conductor of my arm shake. The Manfrotto does not suffer this to the same degree.

So I took the plunge and went with the lighter model insted of the more heavy model up. I have now ordered this heavier model to see if this can be resolved.

Regarding the build quality....superb it seems with everything working very well. Like the sprung loaded spring hook on the centre column to hang more weight on. Like the easy to turn large "wing nut" style centre column nut. Like the rubber feel to the leg lock collars. Love the non turning centre column.

Couple of observations. The leg lock collars do not have the click lock feature of the Gitzo but it only takes a small amount to lock and unlock the legs.

The other thing that will not affect everyone is that if you have a carry rucksack like the mule or the sco-pac you may struggle adjusting the centre column up or down as the collar of the ruc-sac covers the wing nut adjuster collar.

I await the new heavier tripod.
 
Sleeper said:
Hi Mike
Thanks for the extra prod. I was wondering if the Benro have the 1/4 turn lock feature as the Gitzo does. Still unsure as my current tripod weighs about the same as the benro, but looking at the specs of the Benro it seems a bargain. Is it poss for you to confirm the 1/4 turn leg lock?

Thanks
Click to expand...

The Benro is a bargain. I have the Gitzo 3530 for photo use, but wanted something lighter for my scope. I can confirm that the Benro has 1/4 turn leg lock. The quality seems to be on par with the Gitzo. I use the Gitzo G2180 head on the Benro. Photopal.uk stocks the Benro range.

cheers

Tom
 
Received new Benro C 257 n6

Thicker legs and thicker centre column. Straight away I new I could not use it as the now overall height of the tripod is to high for me.....me being only 5' 6" I have to stand on tip toes to look through the straight tripod. Blast. The tripod seems like a quailty item with many features I would have liked. The new tripod is slightly more stable than the previous lighter version.

The old knock it and see how long it takes to settle is not the best wasy to test the effectiveness of a tripod but for sure my manfrotto 443 settles at least 2.5 seconds after a small shock while the Benro takes 3.25 seconds. Not conclusive I know but I don't know what else to use as a test.
 
Stephen,

With an open height three inches less than the Benro C-257n6, the Gitzo GT1531 sounds like a better fit, and is significantly lighter. Height aside, it's hard to over-emphasize the extra stability a tripod gains with substantial spiked feet on permeable ground. Gitzo has a "long spike" accessory which looks identical to Benro's interchangeable spiked feet.

You can find information about the results of objective testing of tripods/heads by googling "tripod test", which will take you to the thread "Best tripod test thus far" (February, 2007), started by Kimmo Absetz, where the leg spikes are mentioned, and the Manfrotto 128LP head is recommended, (allowing the scope to be balanced), both augmenting stability.

Mike
 
Last edited:
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