Gitzo GT2542 Mountaineer Tripod Series 2 4 Section (Black)

I resisted spending the money for a Gitzo carbon fiber tripod for years. I'm now sorry I waited so long. Sure the cost is steep, and when you add $400 on top for a ball head of equal quality you end up well north of $1000 for the combo. Having used this now in combination with an Acratech GP ballhead I can assure you it is well worth its cost. The leg clamps open and close with no more than a quarter turn from open to fully locked. The finish on the carbon fiber legs is impeccable and the magnesium parts are of equal quality. There is no wobble or play in any part. Even the smallest bottom tubes are remarkably free of any flexing. The Ground Level Set feature on this tripod is pure genius! This allows you to easily remove the center column in under 30 seconds without any tools for very low to the ground shots. Reattaching the column is just as quick and easy. Rubber O rings inside all the leg clamps keep out dust and grit. I know purists don't like center column tripods for ultimate stability but the carbon fiber design of the tubing and the fine precision of the column clamp mean that this column is actually very stable when extended a good ways. I've never raised it all the way up since I'm 6 foot tall and I can't even reach my eye to the viewfinder with the center column fully extended. And all of this goodness comes wrapped up in a lightweight carryable package. My combo of this tripod and the Acratech GP ballhead weighs in at 2116 grams combined, or about 4.66 pounds. If you consider that a new camera body with a comparatively short useable lifespan can easily cost $2000 and up, and contrast that with the decades of use you can get out of this product the investment starts to look much more sound. And when you consider that a top quality body shooting through top quality glass can have it's shots ruined by the movement of a cheap tripod the wisdom of securing a stable base becomes self evident.

UPDATE... Oct 2017... I absolutely love my Gitzo GT2542. I've moved on to a Benro head, from my first Oben. The Benro orientation knobs are far easier on my hands in the cold. The Gitzo stands quietly, steady... no matter where I drag it along to... most recently, the Adirondacks. I'm pondering a lighter model for a potentially epic New Zealand trip, but that's another story...No instructions in box... but seemed intuitive enough to figure out the base plate for the tripod. My Oben ball head fits well on it. I like that the Gitzo has a wider plate than the ball head... more stability, I hope. Looking forward to taking this out on the desert... anchor it with the 15-20 lbs of rock I use to keep the tripod upright in the wind, and get busy with some night photography. The Oben tripod gave me no complaints, just wasn't built for what I need it for these days. It was time to upgrade to the big kids tripod. I'm very pleased that it only takes a half a turn to release the legs... this makes set up more efficient. I thought I wanted flip tabs, but after reading numerous reviews... decided I'll stick with the twist lock system. Someone said, buy cheap buy twice... well, I hope three's a charm. I went from a $20 tripod, to a $300 tripod, to this one. Yikes. Hoping the Oben head works out so I don't have to chunk out too much more money in the near future.

Rock solid, lightweight and easy to use. But, like everything made in Italy, it has some issues.I am discounting 1 star because the "ground level" lock became stuck without the top part of the central column when I was removing a ball head. Took me a while to reassemble the tripod and the bolt used to lock the upper plate ended scratching the aluminium. Nothing that will affect functionality, but I was expecting more form a product with this price tag.What do I like, and why I didn't return it: When matched with a proper ball head, this tripod will weight 2.1 Kg, which is extremely light for a tripod that can hold up to 18Kg. The tripod feels sturdy, much more solid than an entry level aluminum tripod, and you can easily "feel" the reason why you are paying this much on a tripod. My overall impression is that the tripod is well made and worths what are you paying for it. I just need to test it properly and I will update my review accordingly.Oddly it is not recommended to use the tripod on environments colder than -30º C (-22 F), which is not a common use case, but since I was planning to use this in Alaska during the winter, that presents an additional issue.My last complain, this is an expensive tripod, but it doesn't come with spikes, just rubber foot. If your planning to use it outdoors, you will need to buy your own spikes. That is about an extra $40 for Gitzo branded spikes.

Gitzo generally makes a great tripod, but unfortunately a rubber gripper on one of the G-locks split and broke off within 4 months of use. For as much as these Gitzo tripods cost, I am very disappointed that it is already falling apart after a short period of use. I am a professional photographer, and take very good care of my equipment. This is definitely a quality issue.The worst part is it doesn't look like Gitzo honors the 6 month warranty if purchased on Amazon.

First the pros: I’ve been using my tripod for two years, and it’s very reliable and sturdy, for the most part. The main drawback has been the flimsy material used inside the legs. I had to replace a locking knob (the rubber ring broke) and when I did a small thin plastic part broke and fell out. It prevents the leg from falling off when the leg is loosened. So now I can’t use the tripod until it’s fixed (I’m waiting for an estimate). I’m amazed that such an expensive tripod could use such cheap critical components. Update: It's going to cost me $57 to have the plastic shim replaced. I'll pay it, but no more Gitzo for me.