Gitzo 3540 XLS

[KenM]

I just received my new tripod today from Badger Graphic - all I can say is that this is a wonderful tripod. I've never owned a Gitzo before, and I heard that there were issues with the leg locks - I believe they've addressed these issues with this new version.

You can easily unlock all the locks on one leg with a simple twist (assuming your hands are normal size). Pull out the tripod leg, and then lock each segment, starting from the top *or* the bottom. The legs are interlocked, so they no longer rotate like previous versions. Very fast to setup, and you don't have to over-tighten the locks to prevent the legs from spinning. A gentle twist, and the leg is secure. The locks are also internally angled, so the more weight you put on the leg, the tighter the fit - no slipping!

This tripod is also, in a word, huge. Fully extended, I can walk under the legs without bending over - yup, it's 78" high with all the segments extended. With a smallish 3-way head and only three segments extended, it's just slightly higher than the perfect viewing height for a 'normal' shot. Fully extended with the head, well, you'd need a ladder to see the GG. Great for those hillside shots...

These are first impressions before I take it out in the field. Hopefully it works as well in the field as it does in the basement

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

These are indeed fantastic improvements on what was already an excellent tripod. One of the people at the Central Park LF get together recently had a one of the new 3xxx-series Gitzos, but I don't recall if it was the XLS.

Dave Wooten and I checked out the bigger GT-5540LS at PMA. I never cared for the old twist locks, but the new ones are really quick and solid. B&H keeps selling out of the 5540-LS, but they had one today, and I had time to go down there, so I bought it.

 

[roypope]

Ken,

Any updates using the gitzo 5340 xls in the field?

roy