Alternatives to a Gitzo GT 4553s

Stuart Philpott

Stuart Philpott

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I shoot mainly wildlife ironically almost all hand held, I need a full size tripod .

The above gitzo I have been looking at for so long now it was actually a gt4553trs when I first became aware.

Guys there are so so many makers of tripods out there now what alternatives are there , that share the above gitzo's characteristic IE rock solid gets right down low to the ground folds up small.. that maybe I should look at.

I'm a bit torn right now I don't really want to spend nearly a grand, on new, so I have been watching the secondhand market for a good while, I can pick up a used sytematic for much less but rarely is there a GT 4552 or 3 on offer. I came across a the benro mamoth recently much cheeper ( although possibly not yet in stock anywhere I suspect it's a new product?), Which made me wonder on alternatives.

what's out there guys what would you have me look at?

Many thanks in advance

stu
 
Stu I don't know what size camera/lens you have, but as you are looking at the GT4552/3, it would suggest that you need a reasonably sturdy tripod. Those are brilliant, but bloody heavy tripods and even heavier once a head is on. I have the slightly lighter Systematic GT3543LS but that too is heavy and I have relegated it to 'close to the car/van' shots.

In an effort to retain stability and rigidity but to get the weight down, I looked at the Traveler series as, with the standard Gitzo head, it can hold 10kgs...which is a fair body/lens capacity!

I ended up buying the Gitzo Legende tripod, head and backpack package from Gitzo UK. They offered a 10% discount for signing up which brought the price down from £599 to £539 delivered.

It is a brilliant bit of kit, light, beautifully made and very very solid. It comes with a hook to attatch a weight or a bag and is guaranteed for life.

It may be that it will be too lightweight for you but I use a FujiFilm X-H2s with either a 100-400mm or a 150-500mm lens and it is perfect. Not a flicker or a wobble and I have bought some (much cheaper) spikes off Amazon for added grip when needed.

My back thanks me for leaving the GT3543 behind!
 
You already mentioned the Benro, there's also Feisol and FLM.

RRS but they're pretty much equal to Gitzo in price.

Personally I settled on a Gitzo 3 series for my 8x10 setup after noticing most of the photographers I liked who also shot 8x10 used Gitzos that have been with them for decades (Ries was also an alternative but heavier) + I have a 1 series that's been great for my smaller setups.
 
FruitFlakes said:
You already mentioned the Benro, there's also Feisol and FLM.

RRS but they're pretty much equal to Gitzo in price.

Personally I settled on a Gitzo 3 series for my 8x10 setup after noticing most of the photographers I liked who also shot 8x10 used Gitzos that have been with them for decades (Ries was also an alternative but heavier) + I have a 1 series that's been great for my smaller setups.
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Feisol have no UK distributor these days and apparently FLM are no longer made in Germany.
 
patr said:
Stu I don't know what size camera/lens you have, but as you are looking at the GT4552/3, it would suggest that you need a reasonably sturdy tripod. Those are brilliant, but bloody heavy tripods and even heavier once a head is on. I have the slightly lighter Systematic GT3543LS but that too is heavy and I have relegated it to 'close to the car/van' shots.

In an effort to retain stability and rigidity but to get the weight down, I looked at the Traveler series as, with the standard Gitzo head, it can hold 10kgs...which is a fair body/lens capacity!

I ended up buying the Gitzo Legende tripod, head and backpack package from Gitzo UK. They offered a 10% discount for signing up which brought the price down from £599 to £539 delivered.

It is a brilliant bit of kit, light, beautifully made and very very solid. It comes with a hook to attatch a weight or a bag and is guaranteed for life.

It may be that it will be too lightweight for you but I use a FujiFilm X-H2s with either a 100-400mm or a 150-500mm lens and it is perfect. Not a flicker or a wobble and I have bought some (much cheaper) spikes off Amazon for added grip when needed.

My back thanks me for leaving the GT3543 behind!
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.......... canon 1dxii 400do ii and exts..............not the heaviest combo head will be a flexshooter pro which hopefully will come tomorrow.

Patr almost everything I do even my lens is about traveling light and hand holding I'm a stalker I guess. This is why a big tripod hasn't been purchased for so long I suppose it's just not something, my style, my niche is going to use each and everyday.

So yes the gitzo is a lump and I so hear you on the weight, that said I want utter confidence in my tripod being rock solid. TBH mate I don't know how often I'll need or want to carry it far but want the purchase to be bomb proof and maybe used for a bit of video too

Mate thanks for the thoughts much appeciated
 
Stuart Philpott said:
I shoot mainly wildlife ironically almost all hand held, I need a full size tripod .

The above gitzo I have been looking at for so long now it was actually a gt4553trs when I first became aware.

Guys there are so so many makers of tripods out there now what alternatives are there , that share the above gitzo's characteristic IE rock solid gets right down low to the ground folds up small.. that maybe I should look at.

I'm a bit torn right now I don't really want to spend nearly a grand, on new, so I have been watching the secondhand market for a good while, I can pick up a used sytematic for much less but rarely is there a GT 4552 or 3 on offer. I came across a the benro mamoth recently much cheeper ( although possibly not yet in stock anywhere I suspect it's a new product?), Which made me wonder on alternatives.

what's out there guys what would you have me look at?

Many thanks in advance

stu
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Ignoring the portability bit, I would be looking a Sachtler Flowtech. https://www.sachtler.com/en/flowtech/

I would also be looking at the Novoflex Pro 75 (but I have no direct experience of Novoflex tripods, not yet anyway) https://www.novoflex.de/en/products-637/camera-support-systems/triopod-pro75-3-bein.html

Leofoto has a good reputation. https://www.leofoto.eu/en/. (I can't say anything about particular models).

But, although people seem to be less confident in Gitzo than they used to be, with some of my gitzo tripods now over 40 years old, while other makes have come and gone (fell apart, or worn out, except for my single Linhof tripod), I would find it hard to not stick with Gitzo.

Video tripods like the Sachtler, Vinten and Miller tend to be in a different league compared to the average stills tripod, if you can live without a centre column and ultra portability.
 
tijuana taxi said:
Hope you find something suitable Stu, I only wanted a travel type so overkill for me.
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Me to, want to explore a few things:) didn't I get my little hi hat off you Rich...years ago? still have it want to see how my new head plays out with the hi hat and a hare
 
Stuart Philpott said:
Me to, want to explore a few things:) didn't I get my little hi hat off you Rich...years ago? still have it want to see how my new head plays out with the hi hat and a hare
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Don't recall it Stu and I'm not sure what a hi hat is?
 
I bought this one a few years ago - direct from Feisol.
www.feisol.eu

FEISOL Europe - Super leichte Carbon Kamerastative und Zubehör

FEISOL Profi Stative und Zubehör - Ultraleichte Kamerastative und Zubehör gefertigt aus hochwertig gefertigtem Carbon!
www.feisol.eu www.feisol.eu

It's slightly longer (4cms) when folded than the Gitzo. but opens up to quite a bit taller and weighs quite a bit less.
I find it rock solid.
 
tijuana taxi said:
Don't recall it Stu and I'm not sure what a hi hat is?
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:LOL: hmm was so sure, ahh well TBF I'm not getting much right at all right now Rich so my apologies.:D

A hi hat besides the 2 cymbols that open and close with yer foot drummer's use is also a type of tripod

Like this Rich little tiny legs but able to hold huge amounts of weight in my case I can physically drag this with camera atop and tripod set almost flat out to a hare with no cover.whilst crawling lying prone. It's incredibly tricky but possible


The new flexshooter head that's coming only way 600g whereas me gimbal is a right lump, i have a 75mm video half ball on the hi hat was probably looking for simialar in the tall tripod
Anyways buddy that's what a hihat tripod looks like and part of how it might relate to wanting a bigger tripod in my case
 
Stuart Philpott said:
:LOL: hmm was so sure, ahh well TBF I'm not getting much right at all right now Rich so my apologies.:D

A hi hat besides the 2 cymbols that open and close with yer foot drummer's use is also a type of tripod

Like this Rich little tiny legs but able to hold huge amounts of weight in my case I can physically drag this with camera atop and tripod set almost flat out to a hare with no cover.whilst crawling lying prone. It's incredibly tricky but possible


The new flexshooter head that's coming only way 600g whereas me gimbal is a right lump, i have a 75mm video half ball on the hi hat was probably looking for simialar in the tall tripod
Anyways buddy that's what a hihat tripod looks like and part of how it might relate to wanting a bigger tripod in my case
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Looks cool Stu, but never had one of those so wasn't me.
I forget what I was about to look up on the internet, got much worse since i packed up work.
Hope you find something suitable at a less than crazy price, happy hunting.
 
myotis said:
Ignoring the portability bit, I would be looking a Sachtler Flowtech. https://www.sachtler.com/en/flowtech/

I would also be looking at the Novoflex Pro 75 (but I have no direct experience of Novoflex tripods, not yet anyway) https://www.novoflex.de/en/products-637/camera-support-systems/triopod-pro75-3-bein.html

Leofoto has a good reputation. https://www.leofoto.eu/en/. (I can't say anything about particular models).

But, although people seem to be less confident in Gitzo than they used to be, with some of my gitzo tripods now over 40 years old, while other makes have come and gone (fell apart, or worn out, except for my single Linhof tripod), I would find it hard to not stick with Gitzo.

Video tripods like the Sachtler, Vinten and Miller tend to be in a different league compared to the average stills tripod, if you can live without a centre column and ultra portability.
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The schatler is drifting too far away from what I think I need Graham.the novoflex is incredibly ingenious seems a fabulous design to buy into, ( also expensive) leophoto is bit of an unknown for me.


I watched a video today the reviewer stated gitzo possibly have the biggest share of the wildlife photographers market...simply they are the safe option if one like's. That's in your post G gitzo just do the job quietly, seem to be a one off lifetime purchase and therein seem to be the yardstick we measure the others by.

Can I just stop here a moment and say a huge thank to ALL the posters in this thread you knowledge and thoughts are exactly what I was searching for

Ta muchly

stu
 
tijuana taxi said:
Looks cool Stu, but never had one of those so wasn't me.
I forget what I was about to look up on the internet, got much worse since i packed up work.
Hope you find something suitable at a less than crazy price, happy hunting.
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a Virus is kicking the livin' cr*p out of both of us Rich, that why I'm even more off the wall than normal.:runaway::exit::ROFLMAO:


Lol I have grafted my ferkin sox of since chrimbo only days of to take Shaz to hos, not one day off sick obscene hours pulled.

first day off on hols and in hours of waking I'm a train wreck and back in bed. ya couldn't make it up:headbang:

Hey ho onwards and downwards at least I'm getting some time to learn a stack off you guys about different tripods;)(y),
 
tijuana taxi said:
When I was looking for a tripod a brand called Innorel came up a few times mainly on Amazon.
Too heavyweight for my purposes, but might suit your uses, they have a few Systematic type.
https://richardrackham.co.uk/innorel-rt90c-review/
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I have one of these for sale on here ATM, I used it for a week on Harris in galeforce winds all week and it was rock solid, build is far far better than I expected too. It's a lump of a tripod, but with the spikes I added, it goes nowhere even in 50-60mph winds. I only bought it to use while I waited on a part for my Benro, so is surplus now.
 
If you are not in a hurry you could sign up to the Videndum newsletter as they occasionally offer very good discounts on end of line Gitzo tripods. Might be a long wait. Have you considered other Gitzo models?

​

 
I previously used Gitzo 3/5 series and RRS 3 series; but I am currently using a couple of Leofoto tripods and have sold the others on.

A Leofoto SO-362S is my primary tripod and I really like it. I typically use the LB-75s leveling platform and Gitzo fluid gimbal on it... but it is not at all compact (it has two section inverted-tube legs).
For compact ground use I have the Leofoto LS-362C with a UniqBall head on it... it's really kind of overkill for a small/ground tripod.
 
Brentor said:
If you are not in a hurry you could sign up to the Videndum newsletter as they occasionally offer very good discounts on end of line Gitzo tripods. Might be a long wait. Have you considered other Gitzo models?

​

Click to expand...
Yes buddy very nearly bought a 5442 at the weekend, 2nd hand but the sheer width of a 5 series top plate does seem overkill to me also has storage implications in my camper.

Thanks for the tip on the unspellable :LOL: newsletter that's something I might well look into long term. aT the moment I'm starting to lean more and more towards Rich's cheep chinese innorel. try as I might i can't find much bad being said about them anywhere.

The gitzo I want is knocking on £900 the inorel with bowl just over 300, I'm an out and out handholder finding it very difficult to justify those 600 notes £600 is very nearly a 70-200 f2.8 is ii
 
sk66 said:
I previously used Gitzo 3/5 series and RRS 3 series; but I am currently using a couple of Leofoto tripods and have sold the others on.

A Leofoto SO-362S is my primary tripod and I really like it. I typically use the LB-75s leveling platform and Gitzo fluid gimbal on it... but it is not at all compact (it has two section inverted-tube legs).
For compact ground use I have the Leofoto LS-362C with a UniqBall head on it... it's really kind of overkill for a small/ground tripod.
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That is really interesting Steve, your an engineer you'll see through designs on a whole other level to me and you are getting on great with a couple of chinese tripods . RRRS I've heard take great pride in their design and execution. I think I might take a punt on a cheep innorel.

By the way my flexshooter came as well it it looking like it's never been on a tripod first impressions are it is just so smooth, when one pans and stops there seems just a snick of pull back, but probably that could be adjusted out with a bit more care my end.

Again thanks everyone

stu
 
IMO, the top brands in Chinese tripods are Leofoto, Feisol, and Sirui. Next is Benro/Induro, and Oben. After that it's very hit/miss and confusing.
Innorel, Arctise, Athlon, Canati, etc, etc... are all rebrands; I'm not sure who actually makes them, but I think it might be Artcise. But I have no direct experience with them.

The Gitzo and RRS products are a bit better, also FLM and ProMedia are up there. But you pay a big premium for it, and you probably don't actually need the difference. The reason I went with the big Leofoto is because it was kind of my idea/design... about 8 years ago I was in discussion with RRS engineers about a tripod design; part of which included inverted leg tubes. Then about 3 years ago RRS started making an inverted tube tripod in their SOAR range (the stiffest/strongest tripod they make), and Leofoto copied it with their SO range. I learned about (and bought) the Leofoto before I learned that RRS is making one as well... I won't be buying the RRS version; the Leofoto is more than good enough.

IMO, there are a lot of benefits to the inverted two section leg tubes. But they have a major drawback in storage size... I have to take the top plate/head off of the tripod to store it in my small camper van.
 
sk66 said:
IMO, the top brands in Chinese tripods are Leofoto, Feisol, and Sirui. Next is Benro/Induro, and Oben. After that it's very hit/miss and confusing.
Innorel, Arctise, Athlon, Canati, etc, etc... are all rebrands; I'm not sure who actually makes them, but I think it might be Artcise. But I have no direct experience with them.

The Gitzo and RRS products are a bit better, also FLM and ProMedia are up there. But you pay a big premium for it, and you probably don't actually need the difference. The reason I went with the big Leofoto is because it was kind of my idea/design... about 8 years ago I was in discussion with RRS engineers about a tripod design; part of which included inverted leg tubes. Then about 3 years ago RRS started making an inverted tube tripod in their SOAR range (the stiffest/strongest tripod they make), and Leofoto copied it with their SO range. I learned about (and bought) the Leofoto before I learned that RRS is making one as well... I won't be buying the RRS version; the Leofoto is more than good enough.

IMO, there are a lot of benefits to the inverted two section leg tubes. But they have a major drawback in storage size... I have to take the top plate/head off of the tripod to store it in my small camper van.
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That's interesting, I hadn't noticed this with RRS and Leofoto, I will have a look.

I still have an inverted leg design Gitzo from the 1980s, and an inverted leg design Benbo Monopod (after their tripod design) from about the same period. It certainly adds confidence when using them in mud or water. Benbo are still available, but Gitzo abandoned the idea.

Edit: I couldn't find the SO tripods on the Leofoto webs site as they aren't listed under tripods, they are listed under "Rifle" !! None the less, useful to know about.
 
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sk66 said:
IMO, the top brands in Chinese tripods are Leofoto, Feisol, and Sirui. Next is Benro/Induro, and Oben. After that it's very hit/miss and confusing.
Innorel, Arctise, Athlon, Canati, etc, etc... are all rebrands; I'm not sure who actually makes them, but I think it might be Artcise. But I have no direct experience with them.
Click to expand...
From my limited research I also believe Artcise are the people behind Innorel
 
myotis said:
That's interesting, I hadn't noticed this with RRS and Leofoto, I will have a look.

I still have an inverted leg design Gitzo from the 1980s, and an inverted leg design Benbo Monopod (after their tripod design) from about the same period. It certainly adds confidence when using them in mud or water. Benbo are still available, but Gitzo abandoned the idea.
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Yup, the inverted tube part of the design wasn't proprietary. Lots of advantages:

Super quick/easy to set up/adjust (only one collar/leg).
Thickest tube at bottom (rigidity).
Fewer/thicker tubes, less step down (rigidity).
Fewer leg joints (rigidity).
Leg bushing/collar generally farther apart (rigidity).
Submersible to ~3ft (1st leg joint on mine).
 
The Innorel does look interesting but I keep coming back to the thought that a used Gitzo will retain more of its value should you wish to move it on than a new Innorel would.
It has only taken me about six months of not buying myself a new, or used tripod to come to that conclusion and I am still sitting on the fence.
 
zx9 said:
The Innorel does look interesting but I keep coming back to the thought that a used Gitzo will retain more of its value should you wish to move it on than a new Innorel would.
It has only taken me about six months of not buying myself a new, or used tripod to come to that conclusion and I am still sitting on the fence.
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If you are patient and get a current model used for ~ ≤ 50% you will do well; otherwise, not so much. If/when they update the series (every few years recently) the value takes a big hit; especially if the update is significant.

Used chinese brand tripods also take a good hit, but you don't start out as high and the actual money loss is probably comparable (too many variables). And there's nothing stopping you from buying a chinese tripod used... I did, so someone else already took that hit.
 
I bought an Innorel after my last post........ my primary lens is the 400 DOii and even with the 2xii I can HH that 800mm all day and cover miles............ drag it out 300yards into a field on my guy to a hare or deer....so although I've wanted that gitzo for so so long now I just can't find a way to justify that extra,well it's all but 3X the cost!! That's money I can invest in another lens.

Time will tell if I've made the right choice there is always going to be the law of deminishiing returns at play if the innorel is as stable as I think it will be I can't see me needing the best of the best, after all it's a tool for a job a tool to suit my needs.
 
Stuart Philpott said:
Time will tell if I've made the right choice there is always going to be the law of deminishiing returns at play if the innorel is as stable as I think it will be I can't see me needing the best of the best, after all it's a tool for a job a tool to suit my needs.
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I doubt you will find any significant shortcomings. The materials used are all high quality, and the methods of manufacture are as well. The main things that differentiate it from the top level tripods is weight (almost 1kg heavier than comparable RRS), longer throw collars, etc.
 
Been going on a bit of a journey myself on this topic Stu. Back in 2010 I bought my 'forever' tripod, a decision I blogged about here, which included Benro, Fiesol and Gitzo. The Gitzo won. 11-12 years on, and with a few spare bodies, I decided to pick up a second set of legs to do some dual shooting of the night sky, and after a few second hand hit and misses, went for the Gitzo Legende.

In the past few months I've decided to look again at my kit and picked up a GT2545T and GT1555T to try all four side by side. With my mirrorless setup (even with big 200-600 attached), all are well capable so it comes down to size and weight, so I measured them all side by side and put together a table:

Tripod legsSectionsAdvertised Load weightLegs weightCentre column weightTotal weightHeight with centre column down
Height with centre column up
collapsed height
GT154148 kg900g93g993 g113 cm139 cm41 cm
GT1555510 kg**1030 g*138 cm35 cm
Legende48 kg936g103g1039 g127 cm150 cm43 cm
GT2545412 kg1171g120g1291 g131 cm155 cm44 cm

*Misplaced these, sorry, need to remeasure!

In conclusion, while the GT2545 is definitely the most robust, and that extra height is especially useful when on a hill side (don't forget this side of a tripod, for landscapes you often have the tripod on lower ground than you are!). But ultimately I've decided those extra 200g are not something I'm willing to accept so will move on. Having bought the GT1541 new, I'm keeping given the warranty (note that Gitzo warranties are not transferable, though I have a feeling mine may already have expired so might be moot point.). So it's between the Legende and the 5 section GT1555. I really like the Legende, it's got fatter sturdier tubes than the GT1541, and the paired head is a great compliment. But the role of my second tripod is for when I want to be shooting on two bodies (e.g. night sky), so I need it to be as light and compact as possible. Those 8 cm different when collapsed (and lighter paired head) make a difference.

Then onto topic of heads. Again, with mirrorless, everything that existed 10-12 years ago is less relevant I feel. The Markins Q3 ball head I had was a rock but now massively over kill. I now use a GH1780QR on my 1541, which is lightest 8kg head I've found a 383g, while the GT1555 comes with the GH1382 which is only a tad heavier a 390g.

Hopefully that's useful input. And if you're interested in the Legende or the GT2545, I need to put them up for sale soon, the latter for what I paid for it on here a few weeks ago of £410 (plus p&p).
 
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@tricky 01

Simon thanks for the above, ahh mate all those thoughts and experience too boot I hope it helps someone beyond me. I'm actually sorted for the moment with this huge Innorel Si, it is a lump but it will suit me for my needs I think.

Hmmm...one can lead a horse to water...........................but make the b****r drink?

One of my fav species to make images of is the humble Roe deer, tis my deer Si my ickle native , they are special too me I covet 'em. They rut in the summer no one shows those pics they delay implantation of embryo have kids not fawns. There ARE my little obsession.

Yesterday i'm hanging out of a van grabbing a tender moment betwixt mum and kid, also snap of suckling, which, I've seen just once before in a lifetime

And my gorgeous new flexshooterhead and smoky green tripod

they were safe an sound tucked up in a lovely camo bag :headbang:

Ahh well, I guess these tools will have their day did take me first roe piccy off them today

but yeah the best image of a stonker of a buck again was HH

Couldn't make it up :LOL:
 
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