In Praise of Carbon Fibre

Over the years I've tried many tripods, finally settling on an aluminium Manfrotto 190Pro for a period of time. Not too heavy and not too big and having owned several Manfrottos at one time or another, I was pretty much satisfied with the build quality.



Just recently however, I made the switch to a Gitzo 6X carbon fibre tripod because I was offered a good deal for it. What a difference in weight and err, price wise! The Gitzo G1157 is pretty compact but I dare say matches the features of the Manfrotto with a substantial weight saving. This model has recently been replaced by the newer G1540 with the newer G-Lock design which increases load capacity quite a bit. If price is a consideration, the more affordable Basalt models (carbon basalt mix) is an option. These models weigh-in somewhere between the full carbon and aluminium. Whichever the model, Gitzo is unmatched quality wise.

I've kind of resisted buying Gitzo in the past because I felt the twist locks seemed slower to setup. Well the new models lock quicker and a tad faster than the flip locks of the Manfrotto. I've matched my Gitzo with a Manfrotto 486RC2 ball head and it's a perfect combination that's pretty light and sturdy. Thumbs up for a great tripod.