Dear Ben:

As I related in an earlier response to this post, I believe the base plate issue is mainly one of user error as opposed to product defect. Like you, I also have a Gitzo 5541LS carbon fiber tripod with which, I must add, I am very satisfied. Nonetheless, if Gitzo is shipping its systematic tripods with the base plate bolt loose, Gitzo ought to warn its customers of that fact. Further, Gitzo should also warn its customers that they should periodically check the systematic products to make sure that all bolts are properly tightened. These warnings would be no different than the warnings that tire manufacturers give to buyers to make sure that tires are properly inflated, or the warnings that auto manufacturers give buyers of their products to always wear seat belts.

Best regards,

Roman

FYI, the fix is in.

http://www.naturescapes.net/store/product.php?productid=453

How much does it weigh?

EBH

In February I was using my new 3541xls in Yellowstone with a Wimberley and 500mm and the plate came off. Of course we all had gitzos but nobody in the group had the specific silly screwdriver to tighten it. We stripped the screw in Yellowstone, but at least made it work. I tightened the plate when I came back from Yellowstone and now take that silly screwdriver on trips.

I will say the Gitzo folks are nice to deal with, one of the legs started turning (coming unglued) when I was in Alaska so I dropped it off at Bogen (in NJ) and I just got sent a new tripod by them and received it within 5 day of dropping off.

Paul B wrote:
FYI, the fix is in.

http://www.naturescapes.net/store/product.php?productid=453



a 3rd party $70+ Hotfix after the $700+ initial outlay for the "best in the world product".

PORSCHE917 wrote:
Dear Ben:

As I related in an earlier response to this post, I believe the base plate issue is mainly one of user error as opposed to product defect. Like you, I also have a Gitzo 5541LS carbon fiber tripod with which, I must add, I am very satisfied. Nonetheless, if Gitzo is shipping its systematic tripods with the base plate bolt loose, Gitzo ought to warn its customers of that fact. Further, Gitzo should also warn its customers that they should periodically check the systematic products to make sure that all bolts are properly tightened. These warnings would be no different than the warnings that tire manufacturers give to buyers to make sure that tires are properly inflated, or the warnings that auto manufacturers give buyers of their products to always wear seat belts.

Best regards,

Roman

i see you have no mechanical backround.

sjms wrote:
Paul B wrote:
FYI, the fix is in.

http://www.naturescapes.net/store/product.php?productid=453



a 3rd party $70+ Hotfix after the $700+ initial outlay for the "best in the world product".

If you are worried, you could of course tighten the top-plate down maybe once a year instead

PORSCHE917 wrote:
I believe the base plate issue is mainly one of user error as opposed to product defect.

It's neither user error or product defect... it's purely a design defect (rooted in maximizing profit at the expense of [gear] safety). The "Fix" is not a solution for me (but Rube Goldberg would have liked it) so I'll come up with something to secure the plate on my 1325.

We're getting ready to buy a tripod for my wife but it won't be a Gitzo. Hell, even Benro knows better than to implement such a poor design!

Greg

bitmaker wrote:
PORSCHE917 wrote:
I believe the base plate issue is mainly one of user error as opposed to product defect.

It's neither user error or product defect... it's purely a design defect (rooted in maximizing profit at the expense of [gear] safety). The "Fix" is not a solution for me (but Rube Goldberg would have liked it) so I'll come up with something to secure the plate on my 1325.

We're getting ready to buy a tripod for my wife but it won't be a Gitzo. Hell, even Benro knows better than to implement such a poor design!

Greg


So what's poor in the design then

locktight ?

Lars Johnsson wrote:
So what's poor in the design then

The casting(s) that form the Gitzo base plate is two pieces. The correct design is one casting to form the base plate.

louis fusco wrote:
locktight ?

...will work for securing the clamp screw and nut. But it won't do anything to secure the two cast pieces to each other (and that's where the failures are occurring).

EB-1 wrote:
How much does it weigh?

EBH

Don't know. I'd suggest emailing them at the address they provide on the product page. FWIW, the NSN thread that started all this also has some "homemade" fixes with pics. But I'd bet the third party solution NSN is offering is probably lighter or more secure, or both (for a price, of course. ) I have to believe Gitzo will eventually incorporate some change in their design that will take care of any issues people are having--obviously this is not a complicated thing to fix--but it may not be available until the next generation of tripods.

http://www.naturescapes.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=154592&start=60

bitmaker wrote:
PORSCHE917 wrote:
I believe the base plate issue is mainly one of user error as opposed to product defect.

It's neither user error or product defect... it's purely a design defect (rooted in maximizing profit at the expense of [gear] safety). The "Fix" is not a solution for me (but Rube Goldberg would have liked it) so I'll come up with something to secure the plate on my 1325.

We're getting ready to buy a tripod for my wife but it won't be a Gitzo. Hell, even Benro knows better than to implement such a poor design!

Greg


this design has been around for in excess of 10 years now. and only recently does it become an issue

G1325
http://www.gitzo.com/webdav/site/gitzo/shared/gitzo/pdf/G1/G1325_20040629.pdf
GT3531S
http://www.gitzo.com/webdav/site/gitzo/shared/gitzo/pdf/GT/GT3531S_20080104.pdf

bitmaker wrote:
Lars Johnsson wrote:
So what's poor in the design then

The casting(s) that form the Gitzo base plate is two pieces. The correct design is one casting to form the base plate.

louis fusco wrote:
locktight ?

...will work for securing the clamp screw and nut. But it won't do anything to secure the two cast pieces to each other (and that's where the failures are occurring).

What do you mean when saying the top-plate is two pieces? It looks like one piece on my Gitzo tripods ?
And who say one piece is the correct design We have used this design for many years without anybody complaining before. And suddenly it's wrong and you can't use it after that many years
I carry my 800mm lens on my top-plate all the time. And it's strong enough to do that without any problem. And also without the plate getting loose or having to tighten it all the time

bitmaker wrote:
Lars Johnsson wrote:
So what's poor in the design then

The casting(s) that form the Gitzo base plate is two pieces. The correct design is one casting to form the base plate.

louis fusco wrote:
locktight ?

...will work for securing the clamp screw and nut. But it won't do anything to secure the two cast pieces to each other (and that's where the failures are occurring).

then you do not have the interchangability

Thanks for the info! Just tightened the hex bolt on the base plate of a new Gitzo. It would take some heavy twisting to loosen the plate now.

I've got a Markings base plate coming so this should eliminate the potential for future problems.

patriot wrote:
Thanks for the info! Just tightened the hex bolt on the base plate of a new Gitzo. It would take some heavy twisting to loosen the plate now.

I've got a Markings base plate coming so this should eliminate the potential for future problems.

no it will not. this item you ordered sits right on top of the plate that is at issue. so it is still vulnerable

Lars Johnsson wrote:
What do you mean when saying the top-plate is two pieces? It looks like one piece on my Gitzo tripods ?

Then you are lucky enough to have a Gitzo with a one piece base plate. That's what I thought I was buying but instead got a base plate made up of two cast and then machined components that are clamped together at final assembly.

Lars Johnsson wrote:And who say one piece is the correct design

I bet the folks who have seen their expensive camera gear fall to the ground wish their Gitzo tripod had had a single piece base plate. And of course those of us who bought a Gitzo (based much upon their reputation) without a center column specifically because we wanted the simplest and most solid base plate possible... that would be a single piece design.

Lars Johnsson wrote:We have used this design for many years without anybody complaining before. And suddenly it's wrong and you can't use it after that many years

People have suffered the loss of their gear, then openly complained about it, yet you claim it isn't a problem? Get a dose of reality... some Gitzo customers have suffered losses. And Gitzo's response has been silence while their customers are required to either pony up more money for a third party fix or repair the problem themselves.

I'm fortunate in that I have the ability and the means to create my own solution to what amounts to a piss-poor piece of engineering. But for what I paid for my Gitzo I certainly didn't think I'd have to rebuild the base plate in order to insure that I don't suffer a catastrophic loss of my expensive property.

Greg

sjms wrote:
patriot wrote:
Thanks for the info! Just tightened the hex bolt on the base plate of a new Gitzo. It would take some heavy twisting to loosen the plate now.

I've got a Markings base plate coming so this should eliminate the potential for future problems.

no it will not. this item you ordered sits right on top of the plate that is at issue. so it is still vulnerable

I wonder then if I'm thinking of the right part. On my tripod (2942), the Markings base will replace the center column and existing base plate. From the installation info I read on Markin's site, it screws down using the same threads the center column collar uses. Do I have that right?

no you will not have this issue as your top plate is one piece. a completely different design
gt2942
http://www.gitzo.com/webdav/site/gitzo/shared/gitzo/pdf/GT/GT2942_20080104.pdf

bitmaker wrote:
Lars Johnsson wrote:
What do you mean when saying the top-plate is two pieces? It looks like one piece on my Gitzo tripods ?

Then you are lucky enough to have a Gitzo with a one piece base plate. That's what I thought I was buying but instead got a base plate made up of two cast and then machined components that are clamped together at final assembly.

Lars Johnsson wrote:And who say one piece is the correct design

I bet the folks who have seen their expensive camera gear fall to the ground wish their Gitzo tripod had had a single piece base plate. And of course those of us who bought a Gitzo (based much upon their reputation) without a center column specifically because we wanted the simplest and most solid base plate possible... that would be a single piece design.

Lars Johnsson wrote:We have used this design for many years without anybody complaining before. And suddenly it's wrong and you can't use it after that many years

People have suffered the loss of their gear, then openly complained about it, yet you claim it isn't a problem? Get a dose of reality... some Gitzo customers have suffered losses. And Gitzo's response has been silence while their customers are required to either pony up more money for a third party fix or repair the problem themselves.

I'm fortunate in that I have the ability and the means to create my own solution to what amounts to a piss-poor piece of engineering. But for what I paid for my Gitzo I certainly didn't think I'd have to rebuild the base plate in order to insure that I don't suffer a catastrophic loss of my expensive property.

Greg


Funny because you wrote only a couple of weeks ago here that you had spent $ 1500 on your very good support system (Gitzo tripod) And you did that because you where tired of the other sub-standard brands Today you have changed your opinion and are saying that your Gitzo is a piss-poor piece of engineering........

And of course some people using Gitzo tripods have suffered loss of their gear, when the lenses are falling to the ground. When thousends of people are using them in every country it will be like that, even if they are good. But it's funny that those tripods and top-plates have been used for so many years without any complains here. And suddenly after being the best for many years, the same plates are piss-poor and can't be used any longer

Lars Johnsson wrote:

Funny because you wrote only a couple of weeks ago here that you had spent $ 1500 on your very good support system (Gitzo tripod) And you did that because you where tired of the other sub-standard brands Today you have changed your opinion and are saying that your Gitzo is a piss-poor piece of engineering........

Yep, people would be better off buying a cheap knock-off like Benro. Couldn't be any worse than Gitzo's design (although I doubt the substrate/matrix design of the knock-offs is as good as what is in the Gitzo CF legs). Because I just disassembled the base plate of my 1325 and saw how bad it truly was. I count myself fortunate in that I wasn't one of the Gitzo customers who had to learn about a bad product by seeing their camera and lens crash to the ground.

Lars Johnsson wrote:And of course some people using Gitzo tripods have suffered loss of their gear, when the lenses are falling to the ground. When thousends of people are using them in every country it will be like that, even if they are good.

That's the best rationale and excuse you can contrive?? That's like telling Ford Pinto owners their car will blow up when struck from behind simply because the Pinto is a car. Bad design is just that... bad! Doesn't matter how many people are victimized by it.

ˆˆ++ˆˆ

Totally agree. My only complaint with my 3531s is that the plate was not tight when I got it - right out of the box, it was loose.

I tightened it, and have not had to tighten it again. I fail to see what the issue is here? Your gear could fall from an RRS clamp too... but no one is calling for them to re-design their clamps and plates?

I feel for those who've lose their equipment, but I truly don't think it's an equipment failure here.

toddlambert wrote:
...but I truly don't think it's an equipment failure here.

I believe that's a matter of semantics, Todd. The equipment failure only occurs when the base plate separates from the clamp ring. The bad design is what allows the equipment failure to happen. If it wasn't a bad design there couldn't be an equipment failure (that a number of Gitzo owners have no doubt suffered).

I've had my 1325 for 2+ years and was not aware of the compromised design of the base plate. No more carrying my high dollar gear on the tripod over my shoulder until I've corrected the flaw. The fact that the base plate is a two piece design will always leave open the possibility that the two parts could separate.

toddlambert wrote:
ˆˆ++ˆˆ

Totally agree. My only complaint with my 3531s is that the plate was not tight when I got it - right out of the box, it was loose.

I tightened it, and have not had to tighten it again. I fail to see what the issue is here? Your gear could fall from an RRS clamp too... but no one is calling for them to re-design their clamps and plates?

I feel for those who've lose their equipment, but I truly don't think it's an equipment failure here.

+1
Agree, it's not an equipment faiture. If you just tighten it once it can't happen, and the plate can't fall out.
Lenses and cameras gave been falling from every tripod, plate and ballhead brands also