Gitzo – is it worth it?

For years  – in fact over 10 years I have worked with broken arms on my Gitzo tripod. Finally managed to purchase new arms and stop my hands from getting cut whilst setting a portrait or scene with my camera. It is a £400 tripod head on top of a £700 tripod so really, I am not sure why it took me so long to replace the arms. All done and back to smooth palms! I remember when they broke one by one – whilst riding on my scooter in London – before the year 2008! Today for my motorbike I have a carbon fibre Manfrotto Element tripod so nothing will get snapped and it is super light too.

Using a tripod is vital for studio work, landscape work and often motorsport work –  to have an operating tripod at all times is crucial to a well stocked photographic kit. I have three tripods (two Manfrotto and one Gitzo) and although I seem to be using the smaller of the three these days, I hope to get back to some more studio work. Having a tripod that has perfectly locking armatures and smooth movements allows you to forget about the equipment and concentrate on the stealing the scene.  This Gitzo tripod has been dropped so often from my scooter, and I remember it falling out the car boot on many occasion, the tripod has stood the test of time. I am not surprised the arms cracked. A good tripod will last you a lifetime and this Gitzo is with me forever.

For more photographic practice insights check back here next month when I talk about scanning negatives with your camera.

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