Giottos tripods - whats wrong with them

[naaldvoerder]

I have one that I have been using for about 3 years now, still as sturdy as the day I bought it, I also sold them alot when I worked in the photo stores, I have never heard anything bad about them at all, in fact most mags, and photogs have reviewed them very favorably.

Just cause you have not heard of something don't mean its bad, less than 2 years ago, no one had heard of my product and its number one in the world now.

Almost ever major magazine in the world has at one time reviewed them and run ad's for them, if I remember right HP marketing is the company that handles them.

Dave

I stand corrected Dave. Unfortunately your statement was the first and the last post in 3 pages of posts, which seems usefull to Anupam or me...

 

[naaldvoerder]

More correction needed, Paul, Nick and Jacob, your comments were helpfull aswell, then things turned sour...

Sorry

Jaap Jan

 

[Bob F.]

<snip> PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.

Both Gitzo and Manfrotto are owned by the same UK company (the Vitec Group). Velbon is Japanese.

 

[Peter De Smidt]

Peter,

When did you ever hear me make the statement about snobs? Are you Trying to get a disagreement going where we will all come out mad...

Please in the future if you respond to my message, don't be so crass as to assume you can put words in my mouth, I spoke of brand/name identification, never once did I say anything about anybody being a snob, you run into the same problem with other gear as well, I can't tell you the number of times I have been told my $8000.00 Minolta 600mm f/4 lens is junk when I am standing next to a Canon or a Nikon shooter, but my sales figures on stock, magazine as well as gallery images will prove them wrong every single time, I sell just as many images as the next guy..and this with a lens that has been called junk!

So don't presume, assume or even think you have the right to put words in my mouth.

Now if you want to, we can in private get into a pissing match about what I think constitutes a photography snob, not that it would solve anything, but at least we would not be boring the rest of the membership with our rhetoric..

Dave

Hi Dave,

I just read your post quoted above. As should be clear in the post you were responding to, I was talking about something that Paul said, and thus not you.

 

[Dave Parker]

Hi Dave,

I just read your post quoted above. As should be clear in the post you were responding to, I was talking about something that Paul said, and thus not you.

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the post..

Dave

 

[Ole]

I don't know anything about Giotto tripods.

But I recently did a whole lot of net "research" when I was looking to buy a ballhead for my wife to use for macro photography, and ended up with a Giotto MH7001. I have used ballheads for the past 10 years, but the Uniloc head I use for my LF cameras is just too big and heavy for her use. Besides, I'm using it myself

The head will be used on the Uniloc tripod I bought once upon a time - great for macro, not great for a 6 kg LF camera

 

[Peter De Smidt]

Mine was also very good, I no longer use it because I am now doing large format and it was not appropriate for that use. I apologise for my role in the argument. I certainly was not intending to start anything and I suspect that the folks who have dealt with me here know that I don't go around trying to start fights.

I apologize as well. I should've given Paul the benefit of the doubt and not interpreted him as saying that people who own Arca ballheads only do so out of snobbery. We should be generous in our interpretation of what others say, especially in cyberspace where it's all too easy to take umbrage. That said, I don't think that anyone acted that poorly. I certainly don't hold any ill will towards anyone involved.

 

[Anupam Basu]

Just thought I'd post an update. I ordered the Giottos MT-9160 and was very disappointed with the construction. There was no way this tripod would support the rated 22lbs even without extending the legs very much. Since I am sceptical of manufacturers who inflate ratings, I returned it and bit the bullet for a Gitzo Explorer 2220.

 

[Sparky]

ALSO I'VE NEVER HEARD OF A GITZO USER HAVING THESE MAJOR TYPE PROBLEMS.

A LOT OF THE MANUFACTURING GOODS THAT EVOLVE FROM THE FRENCH ARE SUBPAR IN MY EXPERIENCE--RENAULT, GIOTTO ETC.

AS BEST I KNOW VELBON IS A U.K. BRAND AND BOGEN/MANFROTTO AND GITZO ARE ITALIAN. PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.

Hmmm... Am I the only one who caught this...?! Gitzo are about as french as a baguette with camembert..! It's about as french as you can get. It may be that they were bought out by a UK conglomerate... but it is a french-owned patent based on the design for the French Republic's WWI machine gun tripod design. Why else would Gitzo tripods have "made in france" cast into them...? Or do they not lately...?

 

[John Koehrer]

Some of the newer Gitzo's are made in Italy. And for what it's worth in spite of the Italian sounding name somewhere on the box or product is says(in very small print) MADE IN CHINA!

 

[dalahorse]

I recently saw a Giottos MT-9160 tripod in my local store and was totally blown away by it. Innovative and rock solid

Just thought I'd post an update. I ordered the Giottos MT-9160 and was very disappointed with the construction.

I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work out for you. Just out of curiosity, was the newer 9160 different than the one you saw in your local store? I'm puzzled by the change in opinion. You had commented before about the tripod being rock solid.

Also, B&H lists the 9170 for only $8 more than the 9160. The weight rating goes from 22lb (9160) to 26lb (9170). If that rating is an important factor, I would have spent the extra money. The Gitzo that you ordered is rated to hold half the load of the Giottos and is almost twice as expensive.

 

[Anupam Basu]

I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work out for you. Just out of curiosity, was the newer 9160 different than the one you saw in your local store? I'm puzzled by the change in opinion. You had commented before about the tripod being rock solid.

Also, B&H lists the 9170 for only $8 more than the 9160. The weight rating goes from 22lb (9160) to 26lb (9170). If that rating is an important factor, I would have spent the extra money. The Gitzo that you ordered is rated to hold half the load of the Giottos and is almost twice as expensive.

Turns out the one in the store was the carbon fibre version which was much more expensive. Also, for me the ultimate test is to mount my heavier gear on the tripod, extend the legs and then tap the legs and look through the viewfinder. I obviously didn't get to do this in the store, so my initial opinion was based on seeing the tripod at its lowest setting and the rating stated by the manufacturer. Whereas most other tripods that size are rated near 11-15lbs the Giottos ones rate a whopping 22-26 lbs - I guess I kind of took that at face value. I still can't evaluate the carbon one, but the one I received from B&H didn't seem very solid. Being into macro photography, I tend to obsess over tripod stability and the Giottos made me nervous when it was extended. Having taken the Gitzo (rated only 13lbs) for a spin, I am much more at ease with it - even for $100 more. It looks like a tripod that will be with me for quite a while.

 

[dalahorse]

Turns out the one in the store was the carbon fibre version which was much more expensive.

Hrm. That certainly makes sense. Anyway, it's sounds like the Gitzo tripods are pretty darn good!

I'm glad things turned out okay in the end!

 

[highpeak]

My initial impression with the Giottos MT9160 and Manfrontto 329RC4 head is very good, very solid for my 4X5 wood camera. I only being used for a week, so can't say anything about longevity. But I don't like the twist type lock, I prefer the bogen type clam lock, much easier to set up.

 

[Nick Zentena]

I've put over 15lbs on a 9180. A 8x10 monorail and lens. I would think the 9160 would be stronger. Isn't it only three sections to the 9180s four?

 

[Nick Zentena]

Turns out the one in the store was the carbon fibre version which was much more expensive.

I'd be suprised if the CF model was sturdier. Lighter sure but it sounds wierd if the metal version was less stable then the CF.