Gitzo Recommendations
SWeatherly
I am thinking of getting into 4x5 photography. The camera I think I will
purchase weighs about 3 kg. Which Gitzo tripod would you recommend? I
would like the lightest one that would be stable (who doesn't). Do you
have any other suggestions other that Gitzo? why?
Thanks for your opinions.
Regards,
Spencer
Gary Gaugler
sweat...@aol.com (SWeatherly) wrote:
>Thanks for your opinions.
>Regards,
>Spencer
Gitzo 320 with Arca-Swiss B-1 Quick release head.
I like it.
Gary Gaugler
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Modern surfers use PC boards. You can too at
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Sean McGrath
I am interested in opinions on the Gitzo carbon fiber tripod
for a field 4x5. Is it stiff enough?
Sean McGrath
Andrew Koenig
> I am thinking of getting into 4x5 photography. The camera I think I will
> purchase weighs about 3 kg. Which Gitzo tripod would you recommend?
The Gitzo 322 seems to be adequate for 4x5 photography, provided that you
don't extend the center column. It's nice because you can remove one leg
and use it as a monopod.
I suspect that the 410 would be a good alternative.
For either one, the Arca B1 ballhead is the thing to put on top of it.
--
--Andrew Koenig
a...@research.att.com
Jean-Christophe Barnoud
I use it with a 2x3 linhof technika with no stability problem even
with a 250 f6.3 W fujinon (which is already quite long on 2x3). It is a
joy to carry and relatively immune to dust and water which is important
when backpacking.
That's what I would have said 2 weeks ago, since then I have been working
in the sun on a hot day and one of the leg segments tightening mechanisms
came loose in my hands (it is aluminium glued on the cabon fiber).
I suppose it was a dilatation problem (aluminium probably dilates more than
carbon fiber). Never heard of anybody having the same problem though, so
maybe I just got a bad number.
Jean-Christophe
Monte VanDeusen
Sean McGrath wrote:
>
> I am interested in opinions on the Gitzo carbon fiber tripod
> for a field 4x5. Is it stiff enough?
>
> Sean McGrath
I use the Gitzo carbon fiber tripod with the Swiss-Arca B1. I haven't
had a situation yet where stability was an issue...
This combination weighs less than the camera :-)
Monte
--
Monte VanDeusen
mvand...@earthlink.net
http://www.earthlink.net/~mvandeusen/vp.htm
wpf...@zianet.com
Sean McGrath wrote:
>
> I am interested in opinions on the Gitzo carbon fiber tripod
> for a field 4x5. Is it stiff enough?
>
> Sean McGrath
Depends. I use a Gitzo 320 and the carbon fiber (1228). For a FA
Horseman 4 x 5 the carbon fiber works fine because it so lightweight.
For a heavier view camera like the Linhoff Technica, you need a larger
more stable tripod like the 320 especially when using longer focal
length lenses. I understand that a series 300 tripod will be released
in the near future.
The Gitzo carbon fiber/Horseman FA/Arca Swiss B1 is marvelous
combination for hiking or airline travel.
--
WP Fleming <wpf...@zianet.com>
John Lehman
Sean McGrath wrote:
>
> I am interested in opinions on the Gitzo carbon fiber tripod
> for a field 4x5. Is it stiff enough?
I use one with a Supergraphic and up to a 380mm lens with no
problems.
--
John Lehman (907) 474-6275 (voice) (907) 474-5219 (FAX)
Professor of Information Systems and International Business
School of Management, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Snailmail: PO Box 756080, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6080 USA
Richard Shiell
gau...@interramp.com (Gary Gaugler) wrote:
>sweat...@aol.com (SWeatherly) wrote:
>>I am thinking of getting into 4x5 photography. The camera I think I will
>>purchase weighs about 3 kg. Which Gitzo tripod would you recommend? I
>>would like the lightest one that would be stable (who doesn't). Do you
>>have any other suggestions other that Gitzo? why?
>Gitzo 320 with Arca-Swiss B-1 Quick release head.
>I like it.
Actually, the Gitzo 340 has the same legs as the 320, plus has a
removeable center column (which gets interchanged with a flat round
plate with a 3/8" bolt protruding from the center). The 340, a newer
model, gets lower to the ground than the 320, and is lighter to carry
if you leave the center column at home.
I carry mine around along with a #10 closed-end wrench (that cost
about a buck at a hardware store) for interchanging column/plate.
Richard Shiell, Horticultural Photographer
Steve Dakin
In article <5090dg$p...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>,
SWeatherly <sweat...@aol.com> wrote:
> I am thinking of getting into 4x5 photography. The camera I think I will
> purchase weighs about 3 kg. Which Gitzo tripod would you recommend?
I recently labored over the purchase of a Gitzo tripod and thought I'd
share my two cents. I looked long and hard and weighed many options. My
camera weighs about 7 lbs, so I wanted a tripod that could easily hold
that plus some. I decided the Gitzo 300 series was the right size. I
compared the 320 series with the 340 series and ended up going with
the latter for a number of reasons. The 340 series tripods:
1) have a larger (and sturdier in my non-scientific tests)
support to which the legs attach;
2) have the removable/exchangeable center column which is an advantage
for me because I never extend it and opt for the 'plug' fitting
(i.e., no column) that came with the tripod;
3) have a bubble level;
4) have three leg spread settings compared to two for the 320s - the
third setting on the 340s allows them to get closer to the ground
if I remember correctly;
and more esoterically:
5) have nicer (looking, mostly) locks for controlling the leg spread
(a plate-like device which has the Gitzo name on in it instead of
a bolt-like device on the 320s);
6) have a visibly superior powder coating paint job.
Functionally speaking there's not a lot of difference - the removable
column is probably the biggest advantage for me. You can decide for
yourself if that's worth it to you.
As for the head, I put a Linhof Profi II on it which I like alot also.
It's light (just over a pound) and can hold about 18-19 lbs. As for
smoothness, I haven't felt anything like it. I haven't used the Arca
head much (used a friend's for about an hour) so I can't really compare
them. My camera's an Arca and I can say I'm very impressed with its
quality.
Good luck getting a setup that fits your needs,
Steve
MLAFLY
In article <5090dg$p...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, sweat...@aol.com
(SWeatherly) writes:
>I am thinking of getting into 4x5 photography. The camera I think I will
>purchase weighs about 3 kg. Which Gitzo tripod would you recommend? I
>would like the lightest one that would be stable (who doesn't). Do you
>have any other suggestions other that Gitzo? why?
This is revitalizing an old post, I realize, but I just made the move from
a Gitzo 410R to a 341. I made the usual torque test and I tried tapping
the legs while it was sitting on a ceramic tile floor. The legs torqued
and I felt a vibration when I tapped it, all of which made me very, very
nervous (I've already committed the 410R!).
Good news. The sharpness test in a variety of circumstances with Tmax 100
shows the tripod to be very capable with my 3.3lb wooden field camera and
a Symmar 210MC and Fuji 125 (both large, heavy lenses).
It makes me wish I'd never sold the 320 but, I'll tell you, the 320 and
the Pentax 6x7 (at the time) weren't friendly.
Mike