I had the Gitzo 3530 Systematic and the Sirui on the counter at the store, I was intent on buying the Gitzo. The sales assistant spent quite a bit of time with me looking at both. I ended up buying a Sirui 3624, (that may be a Canadian market number but it is their three series size).
In terms of tube section it probably is somewhere between Gitzo's 25 and 35 series although it is probably closer to the 35 series Gitzo from what I saw in the store.
I use a 7D and 5DII with Canon's 100-400 and 400 F/5.6 prime as my longest lenses.
I think the Sirui is a very nicely made piece of gear. It feels very solid, metal parts seem well machined and finished and the action of the locking collars and leg extensions are smooth and solid.
It has a centre column which I felt I did not want but when it is fully collapsed the head is very solid, (sorry to keep using that word !). There is a short centre post that can replace the longer one if you wish. One leg can be detached for use as a monopod. The screw size on the monopod leg takes my Jobu gimbal head without a bushing.
The feet are rubber tipped but there is a rotating collar which extends steel spikes from the centre of the rubber foot. The spike retracts completely so that only the rubber foot touches whatever surface you are on.
The carrying bag is a very nice bag with closing clips and a substantial carrying strap.
Lars has mentioned a couple of times that a model he looked at "Fell apart". I believe that a section of leg came out.
The sales assistant that looked after me emphasized that if you back off a leg locking collar to the point that the collar is no longer on the threads of the upper tube this can happen. If the locking collar is threaded on to the upper leg then the only way to get the leg out is brute force, it cannot drop out if the locking collar is screwed to the upper section.
I also have a Gitzo 2561 monopod, (essentially a single 25 series leg), and I can tell you that if you back off the locking collar to the point that the threads are not engaged the inner leg can come out just as with the Sirui. The Sirui and Gitzo locking systems look awfully similar inside and out. You can get them both apart if you need to clean them.
I am not going to join the brand superiority argument but judged on its own merits I think the Sirui is a very serviceable tripod. If "Fit for purpose" is your criteria it is well worth a look.
I am done with Gitzo and went the RRS route Made 100% in the US.....not China. With all the corporate espionage going on by that country I do all I can not to buy anything made there.
Lars spends a lot of time in SE Asia where most of these new products show up first. he has seen lots of interesting items do lots of interesting things in that environment. in addition i believe he has more tripods then many golfers have clubs next to a Mr Chong here. so operation of said devices is well within his technical grasp. but like i said if it works for you love it enjoy it live with it. for my gear are tools. Dr Nguyen led off with a bit of hyperbole: "You need the best tripod, here it is". as that is a relative statement that begged discussion. the only brand name i brought up was a particular MP. my gear is my choice. i make no statements above the technical aspects nor do i make a judgement based without prior experience to any other product. i do have 2 tripods and 1 monopod for my different ranges of shooting.
swanny66 wrote:
I am done with Gitzo and went the RRS route Made 100% in the US.....not China. With all the corporate espionage going on by that country I do all I can not to buy anything made there.
I'll also look at RRS in the future, especially if they increase the line, but my main Gitzos are not that old and work just fine.
i've been there since day one on their tripod product. but not for the China reasons and not really for the USA ones though it has a "feel good" factor to me. its just for technically superior design and execution. their product shows both excellent effort and thought no more no less. support for the product is there and but for the most part unneeded.
sjms wrote:
... you design a device to do a particular job and do it well. adding things like removable legs for monopods as an additional feature only adds another potential set of issues sooner or later...
I agree with this. In addition to the issues that Steve mentions including losing the monopod leg there is the usability issue; a monopod from a tripod is generally shorter than a standalone monopod. Benro have tried to alleviate the problem by designing a tripod with a center column that will screw onto the monopod leg, thus making it acceptably tall. I think that's a really bad idea, how stable can that be? It's like using a tripod with 5 leg sections which in my experience is one section too many.
i'm slowly replacing my middle CF Gitzos for RRS ones. they are stronger at about the same weight and more modular in ways that i care about. i have 4 main tripods because i do a lot of types of shooting where having a tripod is a requirement and just the right tradeoff in size and weight for portability reasons is often necessary. the 2540L-LVL gets used the most because it has the right tradeoff in weight, strength, and features for most of my shooting. the others are for when more portability or more support capability is important. then there are several small and specialized ones for very specific situations like ground pods and off-camera flash support. do a lot of shooting in a lot of styles and genres and it's pretty plain that one size can't possibly do everything well enough to only use one size. a single good tripod is just the start. there is no such thing as a single best except if you limit what you do to what the tripod can do best.
Herb...
sjms wrote:
in addition i believe he has more tripods then many golfers have clubs next to a Mr Chong here. so operation of said devices is well within his technical grasp.
HerbChong wrote:
i'm slowly replacing my middle CF Gitzos for RRS ones. they are stronger at about the same weight and more modular in ways that i care about.
I love RRS gear and their tripods look very appealing to me but they are even more expensive than the gitzo's. However, is it really the case that RRS are better at the same weight? I haven't seen any quantitative evidence to suggest that would be true.
the tripod spider alone is considerably better designed and more rigid.
i prefer to use qualitative analysis and from the ground up the RRS is produced in just about every way to another higher level then Gitzo. i have owned 2 previous gitzo models and currently own a GT2540ex. though an excellent set of legs gitzo has had an issue on really moving foward in design. they are a bit staid and just added features instead of evolving. there are a few somewhat major weaknesses in their systematic design that has been more then well addressed by RRS in theirs.
I have a Gitzo 5541LS CF tripod, which with my perfect timing (*sarcasm* and a touch of Murphy's Law) I bought right before RRS announced their new TVC-33 CF tripod. The TVC-33 is similar to the Gitzo 5 series but about TWO POUNDS lighter!
I subsequently bought a TVC-24 as my lighter travel tripod. No question in my mind that the RRS tripod is just simply a slightly better designed tripod than the Gitzo.
Gitzo and RRS are the only tripods that I would buy (seeking the best and not budget constrained). But given the choice, I'd pick the RRS tripod. The little boy in me wants to sell my like new 5 series Gitzo and exchange it for the TVC-33, but that's just me being impractical.
Two23 wrote:
I'll take a look at one if the need arises, but the Gitzo 1325 I bought in 2003 is still working like new. Even I haven't been able to kill it yet.
Kent in SD
1325 rocks - It is a great tripod - Still using it - and it is as sturdy as the 3541LS...
nugeny wrote:
I got this one and can't be happier. It is as good as the one three times more expensive and more: you can detach one leg in 3 seconds and make it a tripod. Their ballhead is also very good. I know it, I have been using Arca-Swiss.
So make your self a favor, get the best and save 2/3 of the price.
Sirui N1204 4-Section 8x Carbon Fiber Tripod
what makes you think that. after all you yourself declared "You need the best tripod, here it is" . you are a doctor i believe and that makes you somewhat of a technician (master or otherwise) in your realm of expertise. over time you learn that certain tools do the the job the best and you always come back to them because they are the tools you can count on. enthusiests tend to "play" more. get more excited about new "flavors, colors and features" that may or may not make sense in real world long term use. of course you can play all you want but in the end it generally distracts you from what you, i believe, you think you are all about... artist photographer.
Is it correct to say that the RRS 2 series is really between the Gitzo 2 and 3 and that the RRS 3 series is really between the Gitzo 3 and 5? I wonder if RRS will ever make a version of their 2 series with a short center column.
. you are a doctor i believe and that makes you somewhat of a technician (master or otherwise) in your realm of expertise. over time you learn that certain tools do the the job the best and you always come back to them because they are the tools you can count on. enthusiests tend to "play" more. get more excited about new "flavors, colors and features" that may or may not make sense in real world long term use. of course you can play all you want but in the end it generally distracts you from what you, i believe, you think you are all about... artist photographer. 