Trying to pick out a Gitzo tripod

[JETA]

I've been looking, searching, searching and looking for over a month now. I've figured out that I want a Gitzo tripod. I'm a bit confused. According to their site these two are perfect for me.

http://www.adorama.com/GZGT3540.html

http://www.adorama.com/GZGT3530.html

One is a 3 section and the other is 4 section. For the life of me I cannot figure out what the difference is.

The tripod will be used for football portraits for 16 teams. Last year I did everything hand held and on one knee. They came out wonderful, but my knees are bad since breaking my leg on the sidelines last season.

I may possibly be getting a 300mm f/2.8L IS, but not 100% sure. Would it be stupid to go smaller with the possibility of this lens?

My gear is listed below and all of it will be used with the tripod.

I'm so sorry for the next thing, but I have zero clue where to start on tripod heads. It will be used mostly for outdoor portraits, landscapes and macro.

I've come to a dead end and finally need to reach out for a little bit of help.

Thank you to anyone who responds!

[Dave Smith]

Well if it helps with your decision, the GT3530 is out of stock. I would think the 4 sectioned legs would let you get closer to the ground and still have full support (a couple of inches maybe).

Good luck

[JETA]

Thanks for the reply.

It doesn't matter that Adorama doesn't have it in stock. The place I'm buying it does. I just happened to be on their site looking for reviews so used their links.

[mjs1973]

Just by looking at the specs, here's what I have come up with.

The 4 section tripod is a little shorter, but not my much. It's also a little lighter, again, not by much. The minimum height on the 4 section tripod is a little lower than the other one as well. The closed length on the 4 section tripod is over 4" shorter than the 3 section version. This could be a big bonus if you travel.

From what I can tell, the maximum height they have listed based on using the center column. Without the center column, these tripods are only 5' 4" tall. Keep in mind that the head you put on it will also add a couple inches to the height, as well as the camera body itself. Depending on how tall you are, that my be fine. At about 6' 1", I would want something taller myself. I don't use the center post at all on my tripod as it just isn't as stable. In fact, I took mine off the tripod all together to save a little weight. I'm not saying this to discourage you, just giving you information so you can make the right choice for your needs.

Of the two you have listed here, I think I would go with the 4 section version, just because it's a bit lighter, and folds up smaller than the other one.

[JETA]

Mike, I cannot say thank you enough for the clarity! My eyes were crossing.

Can you give me any suggestions on what type of heads to start looking at?

I appreciate the time you took to figure all of this out. Thanks again!

[mjs1973]

You're welcome Jeta. You will find that you have a ton of options when it comes to heads. Your two main choices come down to a pan/tilt head, or a ball head.

The pan tilt head has 3 separate controls on it. One to move the camera left/right, one for up/down an done to flip the camera to horizontal. They work very good for making very slight adjustments. But can be a pain in the butt when you are trying to make fast adjustments.

A ball head has one main control. Loosen that, and you can move your camera into any position you want. Very fast, and very easy to use. I use a Bogen 488RC2 ball head, and I'm pretty happy with it. It's not perfect, but I have made it work for me. If I had it to do over again, I think I would go with one of the Really Right Stuff ball heads. I have heard they are rock solid. If you are considering the 300mm f/2.8, get something that can handle it.

Consider they type of quick release plate you want to use as well. I have 5 plates for my gear. One on each body, and on my lenses that have a tripod collar. (My monopod uses the same plates.) I have never had a problem with my plates, but I find them kind of a pain in the butt when shooting verticals on the tripod. They work just like they are supposed to, but in order to go vertical, you have to reposition the ball head, so the camera is now hanging slightly off center of the tripod. Not a big deal, but it can create a significant change in your composition. The Arca Swiss system seems to handle this better since you can get an L bracket and reposition the camera on top of the head, instead of hanging the camera off to the side of the head. Of course if you're using a lens with a tripod collar, this is a mute point.

It's all going to come down to personal taste. For me, a ball head is the only way to go. As for the quick release plates, I'm OK with what I have, but still like the idea of having an L bracket for shooting verticals.

If I had it to do over again, I would take a good long look at the Really Right Stuff heads.

[JETA]

Oh boy, this is great info Mike. You've given me a wealth of information to look into.

Again, I cannot say thank you enough!

[JETA]

Mike, you got me thinking and reading some more about the center post. At first I read right over it, but came back because I've read else where to lose it.

I think I'm going to go with this Gitzo. It's minus the center post.

http://www.gitzo.com/Jahia/site/gitz...Id=MARKET:MKT1

[fx101]

You can't really go wrong with the Gitzo tripods, I haven't run into a badly built one yet. Make sure to get a good ballhead (although for telephoto usage a good pan/tilt head might get you more precise control). For ballheads use either really right stuff or arca swiss (more expensive but the quick release plates are downright amazing). For pan heads arca swiss offers a pan head (called the cube if I remember) that has the intricacy and smoothness of a swiss mechanical watch but costs a fortune or berlebach offers great heads too.

[JETA]

Just wanted to update with my choices in case anyone else does some gitzo tripod shopping.

I ended up with this tripod because of my height.
http://reallyrightstuff.com/rrs/Item...T3530S&eq=&Tp=

the ballhead along with a L-plate for my mark III
http://reallyrightstuff.com/rrs/Cust...%2D55%2DLR&eq=

I ended up calling Really Right Stuff. They helped me so much. What great customer service!