Giottos Italian Tripods anybody used or got one?

Kopite64 · Mar 21, 2007

Morning

There are a number of these Giotto tripods available on e-bay at the moment (MT9160, 9170 and 9180) they look very sturdy and flexible. Before I take the plunge and part with my readies has anybody got any experience of this brand? Do they perform as good as they look?

Thanks.

eclarke · Mar 21, 2007

Kopite64 said:
Morning

There are a number of these Giotto tripods available on e-bay at the moment (MT9160, 9170 and 9180) they look very sturdy and flexible. Before I take the plunge and part with my readies has anybody got any experience of this brand? Do they perform as good as they look?

Thanks.

Hi,
Italian sounding name, but I believe they are made in China..Evan Clarke

KenM · Mar 21, 2007

Hmmm, I think it says 'Made in Italy' on my 3540XLS....

PS: see (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Bob F. · Mar 21, 2007

Giottos (not Gitzo) is indeed Chinese: head office in Taipei and manufacturing in Shenzhen. That does not mean they are not good, just not Italian - I own a Shen Hao and it is great! www.giottos.com - go to About us.

Sorry, no experience with the tripods.

Cheers, Bob.

Nick Zentena · Mar 21, 2007

Yes China.

I have the older 9180? I think thats the model number. I could check if anybody really cares. I know mine is no longer current and a newer model is currently being sold by the company.

For the price I paid [$150ish US???] it's just fine. If you spend more money you can get better tripods. But when I was looking anything similar from Manfrotto etc was at least 2X the price.

Mine easily handles a 15lb 8x10 plus lens. OTOH with the big cameras I never extend all four sections and the centre column stays down.

If you intend to use the centre column at an angle bit remember your high school science. You are creating a big lever.

KenM · Mar 21, 2007

Bob F. said:
Giottos (not Gitzo) is indeed Chinese: head office in Taipei and manufacturing in Shenzhen. That does not mean they are not good, just not Italian - I own a Shen Hao and it is great! www.giottos.com - go to About us.

Sorry, no experience with the tripods.

Cheers, Bob.

D'oh! I saw Gitzo....my mistake.

Bob F. · Mar 21, 2007

KenM said:
D'oh! I saw Gitzo....my mistake.

I suspect it is no coincidence that the Chinese manufacturer chose a name that is so similar to "Gitzo"...

Last I heard, (a couple of years ago) both Gitzo and Manfrotto were owned by the same British company that owns Calumet, but Gitzo as you say are made in Italy (and Manfrotto in France I think).

Cheers, Bob.

naturephoto1 · Mar 21, 2007

Bob F. said:
I suspect it is no coincidence that the Chinese manufacturer chose a name that is so similar to "Gitzo"...

Last I heard, (a couple of years ago) both Gitzo and Manfrotto were owned by the same British company that owns Calumet, but Gitzo as you say are made in Italy (and Manfrotto in France I think).

Cheers, Bob.

Hi Bob,

Same parent company owns Gitzo, Manfrotto, and Bogen. Gitzo is a French company and Manfrotto an Italian company. However, I am not sure if the Gitzos are now made in France or Italy. As I understand it, Gitzo and Manfrotto are now sharing research.

Rich

Bob F. · Mar 21, 2007

naturephoto1 said:
Hi Bob,

Same parent company owns Gitzo, Manfrotto, and Bogen. Gitzo is a French company and Manfrotto an Italian company. However, I am not sure if the Gitzos are now made in France or Italy. As I understand it, Gitzo and Manfrotto are now sharing research.

Rich

Whoops: got Manfrotto and Gitzo mixed around! Typical! I read that Manfrotto bought Gitzo (or possibly the other way around!) and then the UK company bought the combined company... Phew, now me head hurts...

Cheers, Bob.

guissimo · Mar 21, 2007

I have the MT9160 with a Velbon 2-way pan head and I use it with my Pentax 645, the school's RB67 with a 180mm lens and at some point with a Contax RTSIII and a 200mm lens. So far, the tripod has provided the support I needed on all kinds of surfaces like sand, rocks, shallow streams and even mud. I have also use it in windy conditions along the California northern coast, but I had to tie some rocks to feel a bit more confident I really can't complain about performance, however, I find the twist-lock legs rather annoying. I got mine sometime in 2005 from B&H at a very nice price. While I have access to my school's heavier more expensive Bogen tripods, for my gear and the photography I do I prefer the lighter Giottos. Oh, yes, they are made in China just like most of our clothes, shoes, toys, electronic devices...
-g

eclarke · Mar 21, 2007

KenM said:
Hmmm, I think it says 'Made in Italy' on my 3540XLS....

PS: see (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Ya Knob...

Travis Nunn · Mar 21, 2007

I have the MT-9180 tripod and I bought it from B&H in October 2004 for $160. It does a good job and can easily handle an RB67/metered prism/180mm lens. I've also used it with my Canon EOS 3 and a 500mm/4.5 lens and it was solid. Basically its a decent tripod at a good price.

dalahorse · Mar 21, 2007

I have the MT-9170 tripod with one of the medium sized ballheads (MH-1001?). It does a great job with my RB67, which is my heaviest camera. I've done long exposures in all terrains and never had any stability problems. Giottos gets a "thumbs up" from me.

Ole · Mar 21, 2007

I don't know about the tripods, but I'm using a Giottos ballhead on a Manfrotto tripod. They're both great.

Giottos Italian Tripods anybody used or got one?

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