Gitzo half price bargain

HoppyUK

HoppyUK

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I just stumbled across this Gitzo 2541EX Explorer bargain on the Gitzo site - reduced from an RRP of £685 to £342 http://www.gitzo.co.uk/ser2-6x-explorer-4-s-g-lock Plus an extra 15% discount with code PHOTOSHOW17 - until 10 April, also applies to most other Gitzo and Manfrotto products http://www.gitzo.co.uk/news+&+events/promotions/15%+OFF+Gitzo.co.uk/298460984 taking it down to £291, with free delivery. I just bought one :D

I think this is Gitzo's most underrated design. It's not quite like normal tripods and the legs can be individually locked at any angle. With a fully articulating centre-column, it's brilliant for macro etc and for easy set-up on uneven ground. It's a kind of cross between a regular tripod and a Benbo (not Benro) and as such it's not quite so quick to get exactly square on a flat or studio surface - it's most at home outdoors. I've used one a fair bit, got used to it in two minutes, and the ability to get into awkward corners is second to none. Perhaps the best bit is Gitzo has almost over-engineered the locking mechanisms and it is amazingly solid. It's actually better than other similar size Gitzos - I wouldn't hesitate to put a long heavy lens on it.*

*Edit: maybe revise that last sentence above - see post #10
 
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Thanks for posting that, Richard. Very nearly went for it but have decided to stick with my (probably inferior in comparison!) Manfrottos which do what I need them to well.
 
Nod said:
Thanks for posting that, Richard. Very nearly went for it but have decided to stick with my (probably inferior in comparison!) Manfrottos which do what I need them to well.
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I admire your resistance ;) But despite the fact that I already have a couple of perfectly capable tripods, I couldn't resist that offer. I've wanted one ever since I did a series of tripods reviews for a magazine. I'd never really used a Gitzo Explorer before and if it wasn't for that review, the Explorer design is not one I'd normally go for. I suspect others may think the same.

But it's very easy to get used to and is probably the most versatile tripod I've ever tested. With the vari-angle leg locks, it's just a different way of working - instead of adjusting the leg lengths on uneven terrain, you adjust the leg angles instead. It's actually faster and easier on anything except a flat, smooth surface. Plus it's Gitzo quality and very solid. It'll be my outdoor tripod, with the wonderful little Arca-Swiss P0 ball head :thumbs:
 
Well, my 2 190s (1 Alloy and 1 CF) and a Giottos Vitruvian do the job for me, otherwise I'd be £291 worse off and waiting for a delivery! I rarely carry a tripod unless I know I'll need it - I usually have a Pod in the bag which I can rest on any surface to get decent support.
 
Richard,

You're right about the Explorer Series. When I decided to upgrade my Benbo Trekker I went to the Photography Show and asked at the Gitzo stand for their most versatile tripod. They recommended the GT2531EX and I have never looked back with it. (it has the 3 section legs rather than the 4 sections of the 2541). That looks like a very good price although I've seen it recently for about £400. Not everyone sells at RRP's!

So I can second your recommendation.

I wonder waht they're replacing it with ........
 
jerry12953 said:
Richard,

You're right about the Explorer Series. When I decided to upgrade my Benbo Trekker I went to the Photography Show and asked at the Gitzo stand for their most versatile tripod. They recommended the GT2531EX and I have never looked back with it. (it has the 3 section legs rather than the 4 sections of the 2541). That looks like a very good price although I've seen it recently for about £400. Not everyone sells at RRP's!

So I can second your recommendation.

I wonder waht they're replacing it with ........
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Didn't know you had an Explorer Jerry :thumbs:

There have been a few Gitzo bargains recently, mostly last year's models, but I couldn't find an Explorer at anywhere near that price elsewhere. It may be about to be replaced, though the 3-section version is not being discounted. I don't think the basic Explorer design has actually ever changed but whatever Gitzo may or may not do with a new model, I'll not be spending £700 to find out.
 
Mine is deteriorating slightly now - the legs tend to get a bit sticky and you have to take them apart and clean them. Bits of paint are flaking off and some of the nuts have rusted. Perhaps they have replaced these with stainless as it seems a bit of a weakness?

But I have never once regretted buying one after 10 or more years use.
 
It's arrived :)

A couple of things though - it's a bit grubby! You can't see it, but I noticed my hands were dirty with carbon-fibre dust and I had to give it a good wipe down with a damp cloth. Never had that with a Gitzo before, or any other tripod. It's obviously missed out on the final cleaning process at the factory and I'm wondering if they've had complaints from buyers and probably dealers, so have decided to discount the batch. It's fine now :thumbs:

The other thing is it's not quite as solid as the three leg-section version I've used previously. There's a little more movement in the extra leg joint of course, and the thinner bottom section has some flex. It's obviously a very stable tripod, but not quite the rock that the three-section version is. On the other hand, it folds down a lot smaller so for my walkabout purpose, it's just right :)
 
Thank you for sharing Richard @HoppyUK - I'm now £291 lighter :eek: You'd make an excellent salesman! The idea of those infinitely variable leg positions and knowing it will be great quality, tipped it for me at this price.

I now have a new head on my wishlist...
 
Bebop said:
Thank you for sharing Richard @HoppyUK - I'm now £291 lighter :eek: You'd make an excellent salesman! The idea of those infinitely variable leg positions and knowing it will be great quality, tipped it for me at this price.

I now have a new head on my wishlist...
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:thumbs: My Arca-Swiss P0 fits a treat :D

Another handy feature I've noticed. The articulating centre-column swings right down which means that for transport this effectively removes the head from the total length - same kind of difference as the fold-up traveller style tripods.
 
I wasn't aware Gitzo made a model like that...

I think Benbo/Uni-Loc are still more versatile, but less conventional to set up, much longer collapsed, and a whole lot heavier (or shorter).
 
sk66 said:
I wasn't aware Gitzo made a model like that...

I think Benbo/Uni-Loc are still more versatile, but less conventional to set up, much longer collapsed, and a whole lot heavier (or shorter).
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The Benbo "family" may be slightly more versatile but the Gitzo's are so much better in almost every way. I should think Hoppy is trying his new toy out right now!

I see from the Gitzo website that the 2531 is now discontinued. They must be trying to get rid of the 2541's as well.
 
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Bebop said:
Thank you for sharing Richard @HoppyUK - I'm now £291 lighter :eek: You'd make an excellent salesman! The idea of those infinitely variable leg positions and knowing it will be great quality, tipped it for me at this price.

I now have a new head on my wishlist...
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Ditto..... :)
 
HoppyUK said:
The other thing is it's not quite as solid as the three leg-section version I've used previously. There's a little more movement in the extra leg joint of course, and the thinner bottom section has some flex. It's obviously a very stable tripod, but not quite the rock that the three-section version is. On the other hand, it folds down a lot smaller so for my walkabout purpose, it's just right :)
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I guess that's why it's only recommended for up to 300mm lenses?
 
jerry12953 said:
The Benbo "family" may be slightly more versatile but the Gitzo's are so much better in almost every way. I should think Hoppy is trying his new toy out right now!

I see from the Gitzo website that the 2531 is now discontinued. They must be trying to get rid of the 2541's as well.
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Benbos are kind of similar, but also very different in one key way. Benbos have one big lever that locks everything, whereas the Gitzo Explorer has individual locks for each leg, and the articulating centre-column is quite independent. I'd love to see someone like Gitzo take the whole Benbo design concept (allegedly based on a WWII machine gun stand) and refine it. Maybe that's what they're doing :thumbs:
 
gramps said:
I guess that's why it's only recommended for up to 300mm lenses?
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Probably. When it comes to long lenses, focal length is much more significant than weight. But on the other hand, when a long tele is put on a gimbal as they so often are, then that pretty much takes the tripod out of the equation anyway as you're holding the camera.
 
Just registered it for 7 years free extended warranty :D
 
gramps said:
I guess that's why it's only recommended for up to 300mm lenses?
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Remember that Gitzo recommendations are VERY conservative. When I had my Gitzo 3530LS (discontinued 3 series Systematic) it was only recommended for lenses up to 300mm - it was quite happy with my 800mm F5.6 L IS (I don't use IS) for over 3 years! They also claimed that it was only suitable for loads of up to 18 kilos? It was quite happy with me on top = 110 kilos. Whilst I wouldn't suggest putting a Gitzo Explorer through this sort of thing I think you get the idea. They are capable of far more than Gitzo claim - that can not be said for many/most of the clones.

I am told RRS tripods are as good if not better. The one RRS tripod that I have tried was superb - but, unfortunately, cost more than my entire collection of 4 Gitzo tripods (one is second hand) and my Gitzo mono pod!
 
HoppyUK said:
Benbos are kind of similar, but also very different in one key way. Benbos have one big lever that locks everything, whereas the Gitzo Explorer has individual locks for each leg, and the articulating centre-column is quite independent. I'd love to see someone like Gitzo take the whole Benbo design concept (allegedly based on a WWII machine gun stand) and refine it. Maybe that's what they're doing (y)
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I wonder if the Benbo design is patented.... and they sold the rights to produce them to Uniloc as well?

That money that I don't actually have yet is burning a big hole in my pocket.......
 
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jerry12953 said:
To anyone who has just bought one of these off the Gitzo website, at what point do you put the discount code in?
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I struggled to find it too, it's a little box at the top of the "shopping cart" page with "apply code" next to it, put the code in the box and click "apply code". It didn't work for me first time and I had to faff about a bit
 
sirch said:
I struggled to find it too, it's a little box at the top of the "shopping cart" page with "apply code" next to it, put the code in the box and click "apply code". It didn't work for me first time and I had to faff about a bit
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This and I'm impatiently waiting for delivery :)

Cheers.
 
HoppyUK said:
A couple of things though - it's a bit grubby! You can't see it, but I noticed my hands were dirty with carbon-fibre dust and I had to give it a good wipe down with a damp cloth. Never had that with a Gitzo before, or any other tripod. It's obviously missed out on the final cleaning process at the factory and I'm wondering if they've had complaints from buyers and probably dealers, so have decided to discount the batch. It's fine now (y)
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Not happened on mine, the box had quite a lot of dust on it but the contents were pretty much flawless.
 
I just a good chat with Paul Hill at Gitzo UK. He was very helpful and candid, but the bad news is that the Explorer tripods are indeed now discontinued. They will not be updated or replaced, and there's no 'New Age Benbo' in the pipeline :(

Gitzo has had a bit of a range rationisation and updated several models, but dropped some less popular products. That's a damn shame of course, but Paul made the fair point that the Explorer's unique abilities can actually be replicated in other ways, with other models that have multiple leg angles going flat to the ground, with tilting centre-columns or leveling platforms, and add-on articulating arms etc.

At the end of the day though, the simple elegance of the Explorer is lost and the cost can escalate rapidly. So (Jerry :)) catch one while you can! Existing stocks are low and the extra 15% off ends at close of play on the 9th April.
 
jerry12953 said:
To anyone who has just bought one of these off the Gitzo website, at what point do you put the discount code in?
Click to expand...

sirch said:
I struggled to find it too, it's a little box at the top of the "shopping cart" page with "apply code" next to it, put the code in the box and click "apply code". It didn't work for me first time and I had to faff about a bit
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It took me two goes to find it too - look in the top right corner - as @sirch said. It did work first time once I'd found the box!
 
sirch said:
I struggled to find it too, it's a little box at the top of the "shopping cart" page with "apply code" next to it, put the code in the box and click "apply code". It didn't work for me first time and I had to faff about a bit
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posiview said:
This and I'm impatiently waiting for delivery :)

Cheers.
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Bebop said:
It took me two goes to find it too - look in the top right corner - as @sirch said. It did work first time once I'd found the box!
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Thanks very much. At £242.59 excluding the VAT it looks like quite a bargain. it should keep me in tripods for the rest of my life! And thanks to Richard for the heads-up.
 
sirch said:
Another sale, you should be on commission :) thanks for sharing that
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Commission? :jawdrop: I bought one thinking he was offering ;)

simonbarker said:
Not happened on mine, the box had quite a lot of dust on it but the contents were pretty much flawless.
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Same here. A little surprised the box was so much longer that the tripod, but seems a nice design.

Now, @HoppyUK , where did you want us to send the invoices? :D
 
Nod said:
Well, my 2 190s (1 Alloy and 1 CF) and a Giottos Vitruvian do the job for me, otherwise I'd be £291 worse off and waiting for a delivery! I rarely carry a tripod unless I know I'll need it - I usually have a Pod in the bag which I can rest on any surface to get decent support.
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Whoops! My fingers slipped and there seems to be one on its way to me! My excuse is that we go to the same place for our usual holidays so I'll leave it there, freeing up some space (and weight!) for other stuff we take and bring back. Pretty sure I've got a decent(ish...) Manfrotto QR head somewhere, just need to find it!
 
Nod said:
Whoops! My fingers slipped and there seems to be one on its way to me! My excuse is that we go to the same place for our usual holidays so I'll leave it there, freeing up some space (and weight!) for other stuff we take and bring back. Pretty sure I've got a decent(ish...) Manfrotto QR head somewhere, just need to find it!
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Leave one of your Manfrottos at your Holiday spot. Once you have used the Gitzo you will want it with you as much as possible!

Better still sell all your other tripods and get another Gizo for your holidays:D
 
sk66 said:
I went to buy one "just because," but it's UK only... :(
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Yes, UK only it seems. Both versions of the Explorer are marked as unavailable from the Gitzo US website.

But I'm sure you don't actually need another tripod Steven. A bit like me really :D
 
I've made a few tweaks, and slackened the leg lever locks just a smidge - takes a few seconds with the little adjustment too supplied. They're set quite stiff from the factory, presumably because they'll settle a bit after first use, but they don't need to be very tight - in use, the tripod takes very little stress in that dimension so I can now just flick them out with firm thumb pressure.

I've also put some tiny stickers the leg pivots as an easy reference for setting the tripod up square on a flat surface. There are marks actually cast into the metal for this, but they're extremely hard to see. Also, I prefer a slightly wider and more stable leg angle than the standard 23 degrees so the stickers are set at around 25 degrees. And a couple of sticky Velcro pads to attach remote release etc.

I'm also thinking of drilling a couple of tiny holes to attach a Peak Design strap, one on the lip of the camera platform and another on the edge of the screw-in ballast hook. About 4mm is all you need to slip their little Anchors through for a very neat and easy solution :thumbs:
 
HoppyUK said:
but they don't need to be very tight - in use, the tripod takes very little stress in that dimension so I can now just flick them out with firm thumb pressure.
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I don't really agree w/ that, particularly if the boom is cantilevered to where one or two legs are taking more of the load and leg spread (i.e. ground work). But it's more an issue of how easy the feet can spread (i.e. polished floor)... and load of course.

HoppyUK said:
I'm also thinking of drilling a couple of tiny holes to attach a Peak Design strap, one on the lip of the camera platform and another on the edge of the screw-in ballast hook. About 4mm is all you need to slip their little Anchors through for a very neat and easy solution (y)
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Replace the hook with a 3/8-16 eye bolt and small carabiner... it's more secure than the hook, omni-directional, and makes for easy attachment of the anchor. I also suspect one of the leg tubes will slide through the anchor loop (held in place by the larger compression fittings).
You could probably replace one of the leg pivot bolts with an aftermarket bolt and eye nut, but that would take a bit more effort to sort the right pieces and not be quite as clean/original.
 
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sk66 said:
Replace the hook with a 3/8-16 eye bolt and small carabiner... it's more secure than the hook, omni-directional, and makes for easy attachment of the anchor. I also suspect one of the leg tubes will slide through the anchor loop (held in place by the larger compression fittings).
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I have something similar on my other tripods, but the Gitzo ballast hook assembly is secured by a much larger and unidentified thread, not 3/8in-16 (12mm with fine thread?). I could get something suitable I'm sure but a 4mm hole in the rim of the attachment disc looks like a neat and easy easier, and retains the ballast hook.
 
HoppyUK said:
I've made a few tweaks, and slackened the leg lever locks just a smidge - takes a few seconds with the little adjustment too supplied. They're set quite stiff from the factory, presumably because they'll settle a bit after first use, but they don't need to be very tight - in use, the tripod takes very little stress in that dimension so I can now just flick them out with firm thumb pressure.

I've also put some tiny stickers the leg pivots as an easy reference for setting the tripod up square on a flat surface. There are marks actually cast into the metal for this, but they're extremely hard to see. Also, I prefer a slightly wider and more stable leg angle than the standard 23 degrees so the stickers are set at around 25 degrees. And a couple of sticky Velcro pads to attach remote release etc.

I'm also thinking of drilling a couple of tiny holes to attach a Peak Design strap, one on the lip of the camera platform and another on the edge of the screw-in ballast hook. About 4mm is all you need to slip their little Anchors through for a very neat and easy solution (y)
Click to expand...

Wouldn't that be likely to invalidate the warranty?
 
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