New tripod: Giottos Vitruvian?

[Sebastian]

Hi,

I have decided to buy another piece of equipment.
This time I am looking for a decent tripod.
By decent I mean stable and portable.

My budget is up to £150

I found this little fella: Giottos Vitruvian, which seems to tick all the boxes.

I will be using it with D3 with Sigma 24-70 (total weight 2.2 kg) or with 80-200 (bit heavier combination).

What do you think about Vitruvian?
It was one of the most advertised tripods ever... I wonder...was it because it is so ground-breaking or it just wasn't selling as good as they thought it would.


I had some great feedback from you guys on few of my last gear related posts, thank you!
Can you help this time?

Thanks,

Sebastian

 

[Sebastian]

bumpy

 

[Nod]

I was thinking about one of these as a travel tripod but couldn't find one in a local shop to have a play before parting with my cash. Have since seen and played with one in the local LCE and wasn't 100% happy with its stability so didn't buy it. Could be tempted if I could find one at £150 rather than £200.

 

[Naboo32]

It has "reverse technology legs" :| - what does that mean, that they get shorter when you unscrew the extensions !?

Joking aside, I have two Giottos tripods (a slightly flimsy portable one and a thick and sturdy heavy one) and I really rate them, but they were much cheaper than this one (60GBP and 80GBP). Also, the one you are interested in only holds 4kgs, so it's really not fitting the "stable" description IMO, when used with a D3 and an 80-200mm lens .

It's certainly portable enough though (if a little short at 157cm :|). I suppose it depends whether you value stability over portability, or vice versa :shrug:. IME, most tripods are 'stable' when you sit them on an indoor floor and take your hands off them, but out in the field on uneven ground and with the wind blowing at the bulky camera/lens on the top ... things can soon change .

Good luck with your decision .

 

[SimonTALM]

Staffitaxi (a TPer) has one of these from what I've seen it is a fantastic travel tripod or a tripod that don't mind puting in your rucksack to go on a 20mile walk on the off chance you'd use it. One of the great things about it is that one of the legs unscrews and attaches to the removable centre coulmn to form a monopod (v handy for travel). The ball head that comes with isn't the largest but it is removable and replacable if you want.

I'm not sure I would want to use it as an only tripod for a D3 and long lens, as I'd be concerned about stability on the longer exposures. So I suppose it depends what sort of stability you want, if you are talking a platform for long exposures (5sec +) then I don't think this is the tripod for you but if you are talking about a platform for daylight landscapes where the tripod is used to fix the framing more whilst waiting for the light than a solid platform then it would be OK.

 

[Mud]

Looks like another rip off of the Gitzo GT1541T (the first being a Benro). I love my GT1541T, though admittedly this is because I mostly want to forget I'm carrying a tripod.

 

[Sebastian]

Some goof points here. Thanks guys!
Now I am thinking if it's the right way to go...

 

[bostin]

I saw it at Focus earlier this year and was impressed, the bloke from Giottos I spoke too was honest about it's capabilities - after all it's designed as a lightweight tripod so it's easy to carry. I would say find a dealer with one in stock and go try it out with your kit.

 

[Sebastian]

Yes, I will have to test it...

Guys, which tripods do you use for your heavier combinations?
Can you please recommend few models worth considering?

Thank you for your help

Seb

 

[Naboo32]

Yes, I will have to test it...

Guys, which tripods do you use for your heavier combinations?
Can you please recommend few models worth considering?

Thank you for your help

Seb

:shrug: You could do worse than to start here ...

Link ...

Andy Rouse is probably a good source of tripod info .

 

[Sebastian]

After reading reviews of Vitruvian I think I won't be buying it.
It's just not stable enough with fully extended centre column.

So... I am reading about Manfrotto 055XPROB and looking for Giottos and Vanguard alternatives.

 

[Naboo32]

After reading reviews of Vitruvian I think I won't be buying it.
It's just not stable enough with fully extended centre column.

So... I am reading about Manfrotto 055XPROB and looking for Giottos and Vanguard alternatives.

Very wise decision, IMO .

You could even think about buying used, as second tripods seem to depreciate heavily, although nothing much can go wrong them :shrug:. That said, it's all about finding what you want, when you want it - easier said than done !

Good luck.