Customer Reviews

Gitzo GT0531 Series 0 6X Carbon Fiber 3-Section Tripod with G-Lock - Replaces GT0530

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's a bit pricey but hard to beat it in stability to weight ratio. I think it's overkill if you have a camera that's less than 2 pounds, but if you need an ultralight, stable tripod and have a camera/lens combo more than 2 pounds this tripod is fantastic!

I had a Velbon Maxi 343E tripod before that's about the same weight, is taller (4 sections vs the 3 on the Gitzo), but also more wobbly. That tripod worked fine when I had a lighter camera/lens combo (Canon Rebel XT & 17-55mm - 2.5 lb) but with heavier camera (Canon 5D MkII & 24-70mm - 4 lb), I needed something more stable. The Gitzo is quite solid in comparison and the construction feels great in your hands. I also have a Gitzo GT2542L Mountaineer 6X Carbon Fiber, which is made of the same material, but larger and weighs more than twice as much. It works great at home or a studio, but I made the mistake of lugging that tripod on an overnight backpacking trip. I won't be making that mistake again, now that I have this tripod!

Opening it is a snap. First pull the legs apart. Then for each leg, put your hand over the two twisting mechanisms and give it a slight turn to loosen both at the same time (the rubber grips on them help). Then extend the legs all the way, and tighten each section individually. Repeat the process for the other 2 legs. It only takes about a quarter turn to loosen or tighten the sections so the entire process is fairly fast. It's a bit difficult to describe the procedure in words but rest assured it's quite simple. I timed myself how long it took me to set it up (WITHOUT rushing) and it came out to 17 seconds. The legs telescope in and out smoothly; I've never felt any snagging that you get on cheap plastic tripods when trying to extend/contract them. But there is enough natural resistance that when you loosen the sections, the legs won't telescope down due to gravity alone.

The only fault I can find is that the camera doesn't come to eye level when the legs are fully extended. My height is 5'8" and the camera only comes up to around chest level. Extending the center column brings it to nose level, but is inherently more unstable so I refrain from doing that. If your camera has some kind of LCD live view then it's not such a big deal. Just about every digital camera has one, unless you have an SLR. In the latter case, there's only a handful that have this feature at the time of this review. I happen to have live view on my SLR, which i PREFER to use on a tripod even if the tripod DID come to eye level since I can manually focus and achieve critical focus on it, so the low height isn't a deal breaker for me. Gitzo makes a 4 section leg version (GT0541) that is slightly taller, slighter heavier, but also slightly more compact when closed, and is also more expensive. The ~$100 increase in price wasn't worth the extra 4 or 5 inches for me.

Make sure to get a good ballhead to go with it. If you want one that works with Arca-Swiss style quick release plates (professional standard for tripod plates - $$$$), then I recommend the Markins Q3 or the lighter but minimalistic Really Right Stuff BH-25 LR. It doesn't make sense to get an ultralight tripod and then make it top heavy with a bulky ballhead. Make sure to get a camera plate as well (sold separately) if you go down this route. I use the RRS BH-25 and together with this tripod, it comes out to 2lb 1.1oz! And it's sturdy enough for my heaviest camera/lens combo for out in the field (Canon 5DMkII + 70-200 f/4L or 85 f/1.2L, both of which are around 5 pounds)

If you want a cheaper ballhead & quick release plate solution, the Bogen/Manfrotto 484RC2 w/ Rapid Connect might work nicely.

The pouch that the tripod comes in is minimalistic. It offers little to no protection from bumps or the elements and doesn't have a shoulder strap.

All in all, I love the weight, the size, and the stability! Now there's very little excuse to leave the tripod at home and it's a pleasure to use it in the field.

This is an excellent choice if you need a travel tripod. It's compact and well designed. The only problem you will have is it being top-heavy with a professional head and any serious DSLR mounted on it. Then the weight at the top is likely to send your precious camera and lens hurtling to the pavement.
Fortunately you can affix a ballast to the bottom of the center column. I use a sand bag from Steve Kaeser with a couple of full water bottles in it (clever, eh?). That way you don't have to lug around and full sand bag and you also have water to drink.

This is very well made - if expensive tripod.

These tripod legs are so lightweight, they go everywhere with my camera and me. Paired with a small ballhead (I use Gitzo G1077M Magnesium 0 Series Ball Head Gitzo G1077M Magnesium 0 Series Ball Head) I can barely notice their weight in the tripod pocket of my camera backpack. My only concern is that the screw-style leg locks are not appropriate for working in sand, but I'm willing to live with that in order to gain the flexibility to walk and hike miles with these tripod legs. (For beach shots, I'm generally driving anyway, so I just use my dependable Slik Able 300DX tripod.)