Tripods & Ballheads

Hi all, I just received my Gitzo GT-2531 tripod, it's is amazing how light it is. I used to have a Manfroto with an integrated ballhead that is 100 times heavier than this tripod, I even thing that the tripod is lighter than the Manfroto monopod I have. Carbon fiber is really amazing.

Also got a BH-55 RRS Ballhead, which is an amazing ballhead, you can really trust that won't move. The only critic I have, is that after paying a lot for it, the operation manual is just a simpl photocopy with a low quality setting that is also not so well centered and some borders are not legible. I think they should really print it, it feels like a low quality "made in China" product :(

I just wanted to share the info in case of somebody is intrerested in getting a new tripod and/or ballhead.

It will have to be in the next life for a tripod for me Daniel, but have you tried to see if there is a manual you can download from their web-site?

I did have the idea that one could design a backpack with integrated helium balloon for us ancients....any takers, haven't patented?:D

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Originally Posted by Daniel Salazar

Hi all, I just received my Gitzo GT-2531 tripod, it's is amazing how light it is. I used to have a Manfroto with an integrated ballhead that is 100 times heavier than this tripod, I even thing that the tripod is lighter than the Manfroto monopod I have. Carbon fiber is really amazing.

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Welcome to "Club Gitzo" :)

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Also got a BH-55 RRS Ballhead, which is an amazing ballhead, you can really trust that won't move. The only critic I have, is that after paying a lot for it, the operation manual is just a simpl photocopy with a low quality setting that is also not so well centered and some borders are not legible. I think they should really print it, it feels like a low quality "made in China" product :(

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http://reallyrightstuff.com/Downloads/BH-55.pdf

Congratulations Daniel, that's a nice combination.
I'm afraid that sort of stuff is out of my price range, next week I'm going down to Sydney and getting a Benro A357 aluminium tripod and a B2 ball head.

hi all, thanks for the link to the manual. The point I meant is that if you're paying so much for the ballhead, at least they should give you a good manual and not just a copy, therefore I feel like it would be a low quality chinese product.

About the price, I want to remind you guys that I'm a Sony user, therefore I could give a little $$$ for my equipment and have some extra cash for another nice stuff :D

@ Chris, you don't need any tripod, you're lucky enough having grandchildren, so you can use them to rest your camera ;)

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Originally Posted by Daniel Salazar

The point I meant is that if you're paying so much for the ballhead, at least they should give you a good manual and not just a copy, therefore I feel like it would be a low quality chinese product.

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As big a fan of RRS products as I am, I have to agree with you. You might like to give them a bit of feedback regarding this?

Well yesterday I had a chance to compare Gitzo-Benro and RRS-Benro. I went for the Benro/Benro combination for A$420.00.

Why? Time may tell the story, but having the chance to try my gear on both combinations, and to thoroughly check them out, I could not see or feel any reason to spend the extra A$1580.00 it would have cost for the equivalent Gitzo/RRS combination, the Benro stuff is a dead set knockoff. I bought from the importer and he did state that once they have earned a name in the marketplace the prices would quite possibly rise. The same company in China make Feisol, same stuff at twice the price.

I have no vested interest in Benro, but if you are considering a tripod or ball head then I seriously suggest you get yourself a hands on tryout of their gear before you make your decision. One point, don't buy anything less than a "B" series ball head, their earlier models had some faults which have been corrected in their latest models.

Hi Bill, I was checking your tripod brand as I've never heard about it and I found that they look "similar" to the Gitzo one :D

What I really like about my Gitzo tripod is that is really light, you really don't feel that your are carrying a tripod, when carrying with the ball head is another story, however it's amazing how the technology can produce so light products.

Happy shooting with your new tripod!

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Originally Posted by Daniel Salazar

Hi Bill, I was checking your tripod brand as I've never heard about it and I found that they look "similar" to the Gitzo one :D

What I really like about my Gitzo tripod is that is really light, you really don't feel that your are carrying a tripod, when carrying with the ball head is another story, however it's amazing how the technology can produce so light products.

Happy shooting with your new tripod!

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Thanks Daniel. My tripod/ball head combination weighs 3.4Kg, and this is the reason I bought the aluminium version, on a windy day it's not going to blow over, tripod weighs the same as a Gitzo GT5540. It's rated to carry 10Kg but I've done the "Colin swing test" on it so 10Kg is very conservative.
It's a tall unit, I'm 1.725M (5'9") tall and I have to lower the bottom legs on the tripod by 250mm to get the viewfinder to eye level, and this is with the centre column right down. At least for sky shots I won't be standing with my knees bent and twisting my neck.:D

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Originally Posted by Bill44

My tripod/ball head combination weighs 3.4Kg, and this is the reason I bought the aluminium version, on a windy day it's not going to blow over

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That happened to a collegue of mine - unfortunately he was near the edge of a cliff at the time. Luckily the camera wasn't attached to it at that moment!

your combination seems to be sturdy and heavy enough, mine on the other hand is really light :(, I think it's about 2.5 kg., however can load until 12 Kg.

What I would have to do, thanks to your comments, is to hang up my bag in order to avoid an accident.

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Originally Posted by Daniel Salazar

your combination seems to be sturdy and heavy enough, mine on the other hand is really light :(, I think it's about 2.5 kg., however can load until 12 Kg.

What I would have to do, thanks to your comments, is to hang up my bag in order to avoid an accident.

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This unit has a hook for hanging a weight off the bottom of the centre column.

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Originally Posted by Daniel Salazar

What I would have to do, thanks to your comments, is to hang up my bag in order to avoid an accident.

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That's something I do quite often - I've usually got at least a couple of camera/lens bags with me and it's a great way to keep them out of the sand or water whilst providing additional stability to the tripod at the same time. Even without a hook it's usually easy enough to just hang a strap around the top.