Perfect as It Gets
One costly lesson I've learned over the past 30 years of my passion in photography: get the right gear the first time even if it's very expensive rather than keep replacing cheap ones, because cheap ones will cost you more in the long run. Been there, done that -- way too many times. This Gitzo Systematic Tripod is one such case in point. Although light, it's built like a tank with the highest quality workmanship. It's going to outlast my life, and that's the kind of quality that I was willing to pay for, knowing that I will no longer have to think about replacing it with something else. Besides, should it become absolutely necessary to leave my hands, its resale value is fantastic as long as I take good care of it. I decided on this one as ideal for me for the following reasons other than the obvious Gitzo quality: 1) most rigid -- least vibration -- yet light; 2) max pay load enough to easily handle at least 2-3 times the load of my gear; 3) no center column; 4) no 5-section; 5) tall enough to reach my 5' 8" eye-level height, yet short enough in folded length to be stowed inside my backpack. This Systematic is going to be used mostly for road travel and near my house or near my car and for short hikes. For air travel and long or arduous hikes, I chose Gitzo GT1545T Traveler Tripod as ideal. Both these tripods cover everything I'd ever need. This is not the tripod for anyone really tall unless you don't mind bending down for every shot unless you invest in the optional center column. At 5' 8" tall, it comes to about my eye-level with the ballhead and the camera atop. Perfect for me, as I don't need anything taller for my shooting needs. Although the Really Right Stuff always overprice their products to my great annoyance (even for something like 1/4" to 3/8" bushing, they charge at least twice as much for no other reason than, well, it's RRS selling it), I have their BH-55 LR Ball Head ($489) paired up with the tripod. If you can afford it, I'd highly recommend it, as it's built like a tank with the highest quality workmanship. If not, there are other excellent choices at much more economical value. Read more
