Alastair Rae
London birder
After years of irritation with various tripod problems, I was finally persuaded to splash out on a Gitzo tripod and head (GT2531 and GH1720QR).
This rig is rock solid when it works but the head is a real pain in the field. It constantly works loose and several times has fallen off the tripod. There is no means to fix the head in place. Its double-ended screw attachment can work loose without rotating the head so vibration (car boot or over the shoulder) can undo it.
Basically I feel that I've spent rather too much on equipment that is less safe in use that gear costing a quarter the price.
This rig is rock solid when it works but the head is a real pain in the field. It constantly works loose and several times has fallen off the tripod. There is no means to fix the head in place. Its double-ended screw attachment can work loose without rotating the head so vibration (car boot or over the shoulder) can undo it.
Basically I feel that I've spent rather too much on equipment that is less safe in use that gear costing a quarter the price.