Why do you hate Gitzo and other tripod tales?

[Jason Kravitz]

I was reading Thom Hogan's site and he has an article on choosing a tripod
http://www.bythom.com/support.htm

He seems to favor gitzo however I recall Lee saying he hated Gitzo and maybe some others as well. What's is your bias? Something about how it is difficult to adjust legs quickly??

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

That's my bias, heh. Absolute pain to setup. Because of the screw locks and that air suction thing you're fighting you can't set up a tripod quickly if needed.

Not to say that say there're no problems with the Manfrotto style snap locks.. they really snap. Watch how you open and close them, otherwise you'll get the "Manfrotto Pinch". :wink:

[Jason Kravitz]

I wonder if the carbon fiber tripods are worth the extra cash?? What do you think?

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

I don't find them worth the cash. But I don't hike, so that's another thing. But I also don't drive, so I do lug the tripod to where ever I need it.

In my case, I save about 880g if I choose to pay a 200% premium. I thought saving the money for another lens would be a better idea. =P

[Suhit Gupta]

I am going to have to disagree with Lee here. I am a big fan of the Gitzo tripods despite their price and have played with the Gitzo Explorer quite a bit. I love the fact that I can lock the legs on uneven terrain on incredibly awkward angles. And it is so easy to extend/adjust the legs. This is unlike most other tripods I have encountered where I end up spending minutes for just setup. Finally, the center post can tilt from vertical to horizontal which gives all kinds of flexibility. It is worth the price, IMHO.

Suhit

[Jason Kravitz]

Thank Suhit - I was hoping to get some info on the plus side. Which head do you use?