Gitzo GT2830 Series 2 Basalt 3 Section Tripod

You looking to find the "Gitzo GT2830 Series 2 Basalt 3 Section Tripod" Good news! You can purchase Gitzo GT2830 Series 2 Basalt 3 Section Tripod with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.

Price: $389.00    

Product Feature

• Excellent Rigidity
• Great for DSLR or lightweight camcorders

Product Description

The best choice for DSLR or for lightweight camcorders. Recommended for lenses up to 300mm maximum. Excellent maximum load capacity and excellent torsional rigidity. Series 2 is the ideal solution for photographers that are looking for a solid tripod without sacrificing weight. All series 2 basalt tripods now feature a new magnesium upper casting for a further weight reduction and a new third ultra low leg spread to take full advantage of the � Ground Level Set ��. Series 2 tripods are also provided with the new Power Disc for an safer head lock. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: attachment: 1/4" and 3/8" screws; rapid center column; closed length: 24.61 in; leg angles: performance - 24 . 55°. 80°; 3 leg sections; load capacity: 22.05 lbs; material: basalt; maximum height: 65.94 in; maximum height (with center column down): 53.35 in; minimum height: 8.27 in; series: 2; weight: 3.40 lbs

Gitzo GT2830 Series 2 Basalt 3 Section Tripod Review

I bought this tripod in preparation for a trip I was making through some of the National Parks. I live in the Southwest desert area so the summers are hot and dry and I wanted a light tripod to carry while hiking. The Manfrotto tripods, one of which I originally planned to buy, turned out to be a little too heavy. The full size aluminum ones start at 5+ lbs and the carbon fiber ones are only about a pound lighter. Since I wanted something strong enough to hold my equipment (a Canon T1i, a Canon 18-200mm lens and a Tamron 200-400mm lens) and something I would not worry about falling apart, I ended up choosing this Gitzo. The carbon fiber tripods were way out of my budget, but the Basalt were almost as light and considerably less expensive. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the features.

1) I was used to the latch locks and did not expect to like the twist locks, but found to my surprise that they are more convenient and comfortable to use than the latches. As the advertisement says, I can unlock both on each leg at the same time, so setup is quick and easy. The twist locks seem to hold well and I have grown quite fond of them in the short time I have had this tripod,

2) The tripod came with a tool kit (actually a bunch of hex keys) to keep the screws tight. I was not expecting that,

3) The top plate where the head mounts has a screw for tightening against the head to make sure the head stays stable and a second screw to tighten against the extension column to keep the plate stable. But the plate tightens well and I don't believe either screw will be needed,

4) The tripod is light. It is not as light as some of the competing Chinese tripods (one of the full-size Giottos is less than 1 Kg, this is 1.35 Kg), but it is light enough that I almost don't notice it when I carry it on my back,

5) The hook that Gitzo provides for adding weight to stabilize the tripod is positioned at the end of the extension column exactly in the middle of the tripod. This is, in my opinion. much better than the off-center hook on the Monfrotto tripod. The hook is spring loaded so it retracts when not in use, and

6) The tripod actually looks quite nice. I did not expect to care about how it looks, but the colors and simplicity of the tripod makes it look very nice.

This is a full-size tripod and, when the legs are fully extended and the head and camera attached, I have to actually stand on my toes to look through the view finder. As nice as this tripod is, there appears to be at least one issue. When I extended the tripod legs fully, mounted the head and camera and took a time exposure of about 2 seconds, the image was not as sharp as I would have expected. When viewed at the actual pixel level, there appeared to be some blurring due, I assume, to camera movement during the time exposure. It was not much, but it was there. I then retracted the lower part of the leg to put the camera at eye level and tried again. No change. I then reduced it even more and compensated with the center column and the picture was spot-on. All of these were taken with the camera lens IS turned off, mirror-lockup enabled on my camera and using a 2 second self-timer. I was, as you can imagine, disappointed. I don't want to stress this too much. It only happened with time exposures on the order of 2+ seconds and not with normal slow photos. And it also did not happen if the legs were not fully extended.

Clearly the tripod is light enough that camera vibrations from multi-second time exposures were enough to cause picture blurring. But before giving up on this tripod I tried hanging about a pound of weight on the central column hook and that seemed to take care of the problem. With that weight the time exposures were crisp and clear without any blurring and were as sharp as the slow photos I took at the same height. Since the problem only seems to occur for long time exposures I don't think this will be much of a problem, but I will start carrying a rock bag when I hike with it just in case.

All in all I am very happy with the tripod. It was almost affordable for me, it is light enough for me to carry, it holds my camera and lenses well enough and the problems that I see are surely due to the lightness of the tripod itself and are easily addressed. I am quite happy with the Gitzo and recommend it with those reservations.

Most of the consumer Reviews tell that the "Gitzo GT2830 Series 2 Basalt 3 Section Tripod" are high quality item. You can read each testimony from consumers to find out cons and pros from Gitzo GT2830 Series 2 Basalt 3 Section Tripod ...