p.4 #2 · BH is blowing out some amazing Gitzo gear
Ken_Cravillion wrote:
Out of all of the gear I've ever owned and sold, my Gitzo G1325 tripod with leveling base and Arca Swiss B1 have been thru it all. Have had that setup since 2001 and there's nothing I'd replace them with.
I own TWO G1349 tripods, one I bought new back in 2003 or so and the other I bought about 10 years ago... because I have enjoyed the original one so much that I really felt there was no reason to ever make an upgrade. If the first one ever gives up the ghost, it'll become a parts donor for the second one.
In the past, I used the tripod for almost every single photo I was taking, so it got a good bit of use (shooting ULF cameras tends to force that). Lots of 4x5, 8x10, 10x12 and 7x17 images made with the tripod. Other than it cosmetically not being new looking any more, it's operating perfectly.
Oh look, I'm shooting film again... 6x6, 6x17, and 4x5 now. I'll be using the tripod more now than I have for the past 20 years. As I get closer to retirement, I'm getting set up for what I intend to be doing in my post-retirement years, and it isn't going to be centered around digital, at least for a while.
The new tripod I just got is now my light travel tripod. My wife and I just got back from a trip to Scotland and it is very well sized for lighter travel when photography isn't the center of the trip purpose... The new one is a Gitzo G1258 which is a few years newer than the G1349's that I have, so it has the anti-rotation legs, but otherwise it is comparable to the older 12-series legs.
p.4 #3 · BH is blowing out some amazing Gitzo gear
bwcolor wrote:
That was a good read, but in your article you state that “ The capabilities of IBIS have led some photographers to propose that tripods are no longer necessary for photographic genres that have generally required them, such as landscape and architecture photography.” Did someone actually suggest this?
I have employed this approach at times on travel trips where tripods weren't really in the viable options list.
Shooting in many tourist destinations in Europe isn't possible with tripods as they aren't permitted because of the volume of people and the disruption they cause. Similarly, for street shooting in many areas.
I found that I could shoot almost everything I wanted by raising the ISO and using IBIS to keep the exposure short enough to be viable. Brace against a column and the viable exposure can be pretty long, actually. I always shot multiples as the hit ratio on those shots is lower, and technically, if you compare them to a tripod shot, they won't be as sharp, but in those circumstances, IBIS is effectively the difference between getting a shot at all or not.
Most of us completely over-fixate on sharpness anyway, so there is plenty of room for a bit of image "non-perfection", shall we call it, and still be able to produce a perfectly useable image for our own purposes. If I were shooting for a commercial purpose, I'd be arranging for access with a tripod possibly, but not for the purposes of the images I make for my one uses.
p.4 #4 · BH is blowing out some amazing Gitzo gear
mjm6 wrote:
I have employed this approach at times on travel trips where tripods weren't really in the viable options list.
Shooting in many tourist destinations in Europe isn't possible with tripods as they aren't permitted because of the volume of people and the disruption they cause. Similarly, for street shooting in many areas.
I found that I could shoot almost everything I wanted by raising the ISO and using IBIS to keep the exposure short enough to be viable. Brace against a column and the viable exposure can be pretty long, actually. I always shot multiples as the hit ratio on those shots is lower, and technically, if you compare them to a tripod shot, they won't be as sharp, but in those circumstances, IBIS is effectively the difference between getting a shot at all or not.
Most of us completely over-fixate on sharpness anyway, so there is plenty of room for a bit of image "non-perfection", shall we call it, and still be able to produce a perfectly useable image for our own purposes. If I were shooting for a commercial purpose, I'd be arranging for access with a tripod possibly, but not for the purposes of the images I make for my one uses....Show more →
This thread works the other way around for me. I purchased a pretty pricey Gitzo tripod with two heads and I almost never use a tripod, but I’ve been shooting more film, so I think that I’ll make a point of taking it with me. For my use, with the M11 Monochrom and X2D(ii) I’ve never felt the need for a tripod. The M11M just looks more film like as you raise the ISO and the Hasselblad holds together well at slow shutter speeds. Film cameras with limited speed film are a totally different shooting discipline.
p.4 #6 · BH is blowing out some amazing Gitzo gear
vparikh wrote:
Hi Everyone,
Thought I would post that B&H has some amazing sales on Gitzo products - some of this is cheaper than some of the Benro/Manfrotto stuff and better then most used prices.. All of it is available until 02/12/2026.
p.4 #7 · BH is blowing out some amazing Gitzo gear
mjm6 wrote:
I own TWO G1349 tripods, one I bought new back in 2003 or so and the other I bought about 10 years ago... because I have enjoyed the original one so much that I really felt there was no reason to ever make an upgrade. If the first one ever gives up the ghost, it'll become a parts donor for the second one.
In the past, I used the tripod for almost every single photo I was taking, so it got a good bit of use (shooting ULF cameras tends to force that). Lots of 4x5, 8x10, 10x12 and 7x17 images made with the tripod. Other than it cosmetically not being new looking any more, it's operating perfectly.
Oh look, I'm shooting film again... 6x6, 6x17, and 4x5 now. I'll be using the tripod more now than I have for the past 20 years. As I get closer to retirement, I'm getting set up for what I intend to be doing in my post-retirement years, and it isn't going to be centered around digital, at least for a while.
The new tripod I just got is now my light travel tripod. My wife and I just got back from a trip to Scotland and it is very well sized for lighter travel when photography isn't the center of the trip purpose... The new one is a Gitzo G1258 which is a few years newer than the G1349's that I have, so it has the anti-rotation legs, but otherwise it is comparable to the older 12-series legs.
I'm fixed for the rest of my life now, I think....Show more →
That's awesome. I also have a smaller one for when the big G1325 isn't needed in the Gitzo G1297. One of their "basalt" series from the time maybe 5 years newer than the G1325.
p.4 #9 · BH is blowing out some amazing Gitzo gear
Received my series 1 Traveler and series 3 Systematic and I'm very pleased. Nicely built tripods. And they complement my current all purpose tripod nicely(both being a good deal smaller/larger, lighter/heavier).
Btw, didn't see the Series 3 Systematic listed in the deals above it's almost 50% off.
p.4 #10 · BH is blowing out some amazing Gitzo gear
That's a great price. There is just too little value in replacing the 3531LS I have. It seems the newer 3- legged LS versions keep getting heavier, maybe with a bit more rigidity.
p.4 #11 · BH is blowing out some amazing Gitzo gear
EB-1 wrote:
That's a great price. There is just too little value in replacing the 3531LS I have. It seems the newer 3- legged LS versions keep getting heavier, maybe with a bit more rigidity.
EBH
Sure is! I've been waffling over adding a larger tripod for quite some time, but it was clear this was the time to do it. I can hear you on not needing to upgrade I'm sure I'll be using this for a good long time. The series 1 is perfect for my X system/travel as well and was a can't beat it price
p.4 #13 · BH is blowing out some amazing Gitzo gear
It appears Gitzo tripods are appearing fairly regularly at about 50% off on B&H's Deal Zone since the big blowout a while back. Just check daily at 12:01am.
p.4 #14 · BH is blowing out some amazing Gitzo gear
Now it's 50% off for the GT5543LS. That's a 4-section Series 5, and includes the big Series 4 ball head. Really tempting for $985. Those B&H Daily Deals are killer.
p.4 #15 · BH is blowing out some amazing Gitzo gear
I'm not up to date with how Gitzo compares to the cheaper Chinese competition... While this is a great price compared to MSRP, how does it compare, both price-wise and performance-wise to the competition?
l'm guessing a reason we're seeing these recent Gitzo sales is that they're suffering due to much lower priced competition...
p.4 #16 · BH is blowing out some amazing Gitzo gear
rscheffler wrote:
I'm not up to date with how Gitzo compares to the cheaper Chinese competition... While this is a great price compared to MSRP, how does it compare, both price-wise and performance-wise to the competition?
l'm guessing a reason we're seeing these recent Gitzo sales is that they're suffering due to much lower priced competition...
i have the SunwayFoto 4-series CF tripod and honestly it's .. fine.. but compared to the Gitzo's the joint on the Gitzo to the base is much beefier and it has a paint/coating so that it's not cold/hot to the touch in extreme weather condition..i had a similar Induro in the past and it's the same issue..not quite confidence-inspiring to me. and idk i know it's not a consideration for everyone but the Chinese ones are ugly.
i was looking at buying an RRS tripod but the Gitzo 3-series price right now is ridiculous so i went with that instead...and got a new Acratech head and leveling base to go with it.
p.4 #17 · BH is blowing out some amazing Gitzo gear
rscheffler wrote:
I'm not up to date with how Gitzo compares to the cheaper Chinese competition... While this is a great price compared to MSRP, how does it compare, both price-wise and performance-wise to the competition?
l'm guessing a reason we're seeing these recent Gitzo sales is that they're suffering due to much lower priced competition...
I've done quite a few comparisons between my Leofoto and Gitzo Systematic tripods as well.
While Leofoto offers nice value for money, they simply don't compare when using longer telephoto lenses.
A lot of people think the Chinese clones are just as good, but there's more than meets the eye.
p.4 #18 · BH is blowing out some amazing Gitzo gear
rscheffler wrote:
I'm not up to date with how Gitzo compares to the cheaper Chinese competition... While this is a great price compared to MSRP, how does it compare, both price-wise and performance-wise to the competition?
l'm guessing a reason we're seeing these recent Gitzo sales is that they're suffering due to much lower priced competition...
The Gitzo tripods are significantly better than the cheap Chinese competitors, but nowadays that doesn't seem to count for much.
There have been reports that Videndum Group, which owns Gitzo, Manfrotto, and Sachtler (as well as other photographic brands) is drowning in dept so maybe these frequent sales are an attempt at generating cash flow.
