Gitzo G106 Sport Standard Tatalux

I wanted a tripod that collapses to a minimum height so I bought this one. Well, it collapses to about 13" or something and is relatively light, so I can easily carry it. But then I found out I almost never use it or want to use it. The leg locks are such a pain to operate, and the leg spread is not adjustable. On top of that, the last two sections of the legs are quite flimsy, although the tripod is pretty sturdy if you only extend the top two sections of legs. It is easy to get dirt or sand into the grooves of the leg locks. And it is not cheap at all. I am very disappointed.

1. Build quality very good,
2. Very sturdy
3. Small collapses height

1. Expensive
2. Rotating leg locks pain in the @$$ to work with
3. Rotating leg locks easy to get in dirt and sand
4. Leg spread not adjustable

Slik

never needed

At the time of purchase in early 1998, the dealer had to special order this tripod which took about a week. I wanted a light and compact tripod for my Good Friday/Easter 1998 trip to old Quebec City and did not want to carry my heavy Manfrotto 190QC tripod. What a mistake! This Gitzo tripod was a hassle to extend and dismantle in freezing temperatures. It was flimsy support for my Nikon F90X with MB10, Nikon SB-26 Speedlight and AF Zoom-Nikkor 35-70mm f/2.8D assembly.

I traded-in this tripod for a Manfrotto 055C three section Triminor tripod ten months later. Too bad the Manfrotto Carbon N One 441 tripod was not released at that time. Last week, I traded- in the 055C for the 441 and hopefully this will be my tripod for many years to come.

Bottom line: Do not buy this overpriced non-user friendly tripod. Investigate Velbon, Slik and Manfrotto in that order, and then settle on a 441 Manfrotto carbon fibre model. It's worth the price in the long run!

The price paid is in Canadian funds before our 15% taxes.

1. Finish,
2. Compact, and
3. Light.

1. Expensive,
2. Rotating legs when you rotate the leg locks (Most Manfrotto leg locks are better),
3. Lack of tripod strap mounting adaptor on shoulder,
4. Skinny, flimsy 4 section legs,
5. Slow to extend and retract 4 section legs, and
6. Very flimsy when extended to maximum height.

Manfrotto.

Never used.

It's very nice and it suits my need. I can take it to any kind of trips, including hiking and camping, with no hesitation. A bit expensive, however.

Extremely portable, light weight and short when closed

Too light that it can be easily moved unintentionally. A bit expensive. Twisted lock is not very user-friendly.

Manfrotto 055C

No need to use up to this moment

High construction quality, compact and light, but poor features and value for money.

Very high quality construction, Lighter and more compact than most.

Leg/ends too too skinny and sink easily into ground like spikes! Rotating legs with rotating collars make setup very slow and aggrivating!
Non adjustable leg angles for this price!

Bogen, Slik, Velbon, etc.

Not used