Gitzo xls tripod with canon500mmf4 (1 Viewer)

G

Granary Studio

Active member

• Aug 13, 2012

• #1

Guys,

Looking at a Gitzo 3542 xls tripod. Their own site describes this as suitable for up to 400mm lens,

Has anybody got experience of this with a canon 500mm f4?

I am looking for a taller tripod to for bird in flight, shots. I want to avoid too much stooping and backache.

Any advice appreciated,

Neil.

 

J

johnf3f

johnf3f

• Aug 13, 2012

• #2

Granary Studio said:

Guys,

Looking at a Gitzo 3542 xls tripod. Their own site describes this as suitable for up to 400mm lens,

Has anybody got experience of this with a canon 500mm f4?

I am looking for a taller tripod to for bird in flight, shots. I want to avoid too much stooping and backache.

Any advice appreciated,

Neil.

Click to expand...

I have it's shorter brother (3530LS) and it is absolutely fine for my 600 F4 IS + 1D4 and Wimberley 2 with or without t/cs.

For your 500 F4 - buy the 3542 with confidence! The 5 series is better but not enough better to justify the extra weight/cost. I tried a friends 5541 but could see no advantage for me, however he is 6foot 7 inches tall so he needed a bit more height than the rest of us!

 

J

johnf3f

johnf3f

• Aug 14, 2012

• #3

Forgot to mention - I also have an older model 3 series mountaineer - works well for high angles eg Moon shots with the 600, though not as stable as the Systematic.

 

G

Granary Studio

Active member

• Aug 15, 2012

• #4

John,

Many thanks for your help on this, it looks like this will be my best bet, the tall 5 series tripods are simply too expensive!

Regards Neil

 

J

johnf3f

johnf3f

• Aug 15, 2012

• #5

Granary Studio said:

John,

Many thanks for your help on this, it looks like this will be my best bet, the tall 5 series tripods are simply too expensive!

Regards Neil

Click to expand...

And HEAVY!

 

E

ericbowles

Well-known member

• Aug 24, 2012

• #6

I think the 3542XLS will be fine. The key is to use caution with the bottom leg section. The bottom section is quite small and can flex a little bit if fully extended with my Nikon 600 f/4. The 500 f/4 is a little lighter and about the same as my 200-400, so you should be fine.

I've been eyeing the XLS for use on ground that is not level and around water. It's a great choice.

 

G

Granary Studio

Active member

• Aug 25, 2012

• #7

Eric,

Thanks for the reply, appreciated,

Neil