Gitzo Explorer views

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Druid

Guest
I'm seriously contemplating buying a Gitzo Explorer, alloy version, in the near future. So I have it in time for the spring bulbs which are already shooting up all over my garden.

I can't see the point of paying an extra £250 for the carbon version if it only weighs a pound less (also the wife would cut my nuts off with a blunt knife and feed them to the cats) and I don't see any big differences between the current G2220 model and the new GT2220 that's about to become available.

I played around with an alloy Explorer a few days ago in a London shop and was really impressed by the build quality and flexibility for my purposes which are roughly 50% flora/macro 50% general photography. It's a bit of a beast, but so am I and I think we'd get on fine together.

I'd be using it with an Acratech Ultimate v1 head and a Kirk L-Bracket. Biggest set-up would be a D200 + 200/4 micro nikkor which weighs in at 2kg, with the bracket and the Novoflex Castle focussing rail maybe 2.5 kg. I'm not interested in birdwatching etc and have no plans to acquire anything heavier than the 200 micro.

I'd be interested to hear whether anyone has strong views about the Explorer.
 
I have the CF version of the Explorer and it's quite simply the best tripod I've ever owned. The alloy version is a steal for the money and would do the job just as well. As you say, the difference in weight is minimal. Mine is the 2228 version. I use it with a Gitzo ball head and QR plates for 'normal' photography and when I want the lightest combination possible, and with my gimbal head for macro and critter photography.

It happily accomodates my 500mm lens, 1D and flashgun as long as the centre column isn't raised, but I can extend the legs to head height anyway without using the column.

It's a pleasure to use, supremely light, ultimately adaptable, and I wouldn't have the slightest hesitation in recommending it, you'll actually want to take it with you. :)
 
Heh, thanks CT. I drooled a bit over the new 4-section carbon model, GT2540EX, which is the replacement for yours. It's a bit taller, packs smaller and is probably a bit stiffer, but given that I don't use monster lenses, I can't justify getting it.
 
Good read that. (y) I'd have to pretty well agree with that summary.
 
Thanks for that milou. I think I'm going to go for the alloy Explorer even so though. It's still £100 cheaper than that, and I just can't see the point of going CF for a pound of weight difference and a couple of inches extra height.
 
Druid said:
Thanks for that milou. I think I'm going to go for the alloy Explorer even so though. It's still £100 cheaper than that, and I just can't see the point of going CF for a pound of weight difference and a couple of inches extra height.
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I have a Gitzo 2228, and it's the best 'pod I've ever owned. The most important benefit of CF isn't weight, it's stiffness. CF is much stiffer than alu tube, and this stiffness adds stability. CF also is much better at absorbing vibration tha aluminium. I personally reckon that CF is worth a half stop, maybe even a whole one.

Incidentally, I saw recently that the Pro center is selling all it's old Gitzo CF stoch at around half price.

http://www.procentre.co.uk/secondhand_Equipment.html#gitzo

Good hunting!
 
A minor point too perhaps but CF is a lot more comfortable to handle on really cold days.
 
dougdarter said:
I have a Gitzo 2228, and it's the best 'pod I've ever owned. The most important benefit of CF isn't weight, it's stiffness. CF is much stiffer than alu tube, and this stiffness adds stability. CF also is much better at absorbing vibration tha aluminium. I personally reckon that CF is worth a half stop, maybe even a whole one.

Incidentally, I saw recently that the Pro center is selling all it's old Gitzo CF stoch at around half price.

http://www.procentre.co.uk/secondhand_Equipment.html#gitzo

Good hunting!
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Yep, I posted that link in the other forum. Alas, there's not much of it left. I checked last week with regard to the CF Explorer.

As to the stiffness thing, you may have a point, but on the other hand, it's still a lot of dosh for a marginal difference I suspect.
 
Druid said:
Yep, I posted that link in the other forum. Alas, there's not much of it left. I checked last week with regard to the CF Explorer.

As to the stiffness thing, you may have a point, but on the other hand, it's still a lot of dosh for a marginal difference I suspect.
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Druid,

If you get a chance, try a CF Explorer, and maybe you will, like me, be so astonished at the rigidity (even on the 4 section models), that you have to have one.

I swear, that with my bag hanging on the hook, with the tripod fully extended, it feels as though the camera is sitting on a brick wall it's that steady..
 
Well, I hear what you say, but have you tried them both?

The only person I've come across who has both models, Arnab the bug macro guru on photo.net and filmlives, seems to rate them both highly, seemingly favouring the 2220 e.g. where there is wind due to its extra weight and the 2228 for hiking.

ETA: I just reviewed the relevant threads. Someone pressed him to say which was best and unsurprisingly he went for the 2228, but he also said that the 2220 was perfectly fine too.
 
I can understand your point regarding stability in the wind, but then again, even an heavy tripod like my Kennet number 2 can get buffeted. I always carry an old string bag, which I fill with stones or other detritus to weigh my 'pod down when it gets windy. Once you've a few pounds of weight slung low underneath, the weight of the 'pod it'self is not an issue.

It's a matter of preference I suppose. I've spent years lugging heavy tripods around, and the CF model is a revelation.
 
Well, I must admit I very nearly convinced myself to go for a new model 4-section CF Gitzo. If I hadn't been looking at Explorers I probably would have done, because with the Mountaineer the difference in weight and bulk starts to become more significant and they've got some other improvements like a split column that lets you get very low and (allegedly) better leg joints. I played with the 2220 for quite a while though and as the Acratech head weighs sod all, I reckon I've got a pretty good feel for how portable the whole set-up is likely to be.
 
So, the G2220 arrived 8am this morning, just in time for some nice heavy frost. I'll put some results up later when I've had a chance to Bibble them.

It's a bit of a chunky brute, so much so that slimming it down by a pound seems unlikely to make a significant difference to portability. It seems no heavier than a Manfrotto 055 say, but the offset column feels like an extra 'leg' and makes it a bit bulkier than I'm used to. My tiny Acratech head gives it a sort of 'pin-head' look.

Very well-made and sturdy looking. Seems rock solid and while I'm still just getting to grips with all the weird contortionist stuff that it can do, it's clearly very versatile.
 
I have the G2227 CF.
Excellent piece of kit, and it supports the 800m with ease.
 
It works really well with the Acratech, which already has its own fairly radical range of movements, even before you extend the jointed column thingy a bit.

It seems to be able to get into fiendishly awkward positions very effectively, although getting your eye to the viewfinder to focus can be a challenge in those kinds of positions. At one point, trying to get the focal plane parallel to an uncooperative hellebore, I ended up putting most of my body weight (about 15st) on the tripod, grabbing one leg just under the head and supporting myself on it in order to see what I was doing and (thankfully) it didn't slip or splay, if it had done I'd have been in the garden pond, or possibly just on it, depending on how thick the ice was :)
 
Here's a quick sample. The wife asked me to take some pictures of her latest batch of wool (she gets about as excited by Rowanspun Chunky as I do by Gitzo Explorers)

DSC_0008_14.jpg
 
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