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If I needed to title an equal to the ‘Rolls Royce’ motoring model within the area of tripod design and producer, it might be Gitzo. To me they’ve at all times created tripods and equipment of completely the best high quality, on the most premium costs. The corporate itself has French origins relationship again to 1917, concentrating on tripods and helps from the Nineteen Fifties onwards. A key side of Gitzo design is the pioneering use of carbon fiber and magnesium alloy to create super-sturdy but comparatively light-weight tripods. It’s maybe not stunning that Gitzo turned half of what’s now the Videndum Group in 1992, an organization that additionally options Manfrotto in its portfolio.
The Gitzo GHF3W 3-Means Fluid Head is a usually luxurious product, designed to be an ideal match for Gitzo Sequence 2 and bigger Mountaineer and Systematic ranges of tripods. Nevertheless, it has just about common attraction for anybody who desires one of many greatest 3-way heads for any make and mannequin of tripods for photographers.
Gitzo GHF3W 3-Means Fluid Head: Specs
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Materials |
Magnesium alloy |
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Max load |
13kg / 28.7lb |
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Weight |
0.96kg / 2.1lb |
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Peak |
11.5cm / 4.53″ |
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Base diameter |
60mm / 2.36” |
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QR plate |
GS5370DR |
Gitzo GHF3W 3-Means Fluid Head: Value
Ouch! This tripod head prices $690 / £487 / AU$1,330, though you’ll be able to typically discover it fairly closely discounted if you happen to store round. Even so, the peerlessly respectable Manfrotto X-PRO 3-way head solely prices round 1 / 4 of the value, at $220 / £129 / AU$289. Some say you pay by the nostril for the Gitzo badge and that the model could be very overpriced.
Then again, I’ve met a few professional photographers who purchased Gitzo tripod kits many years in the past and are nonetheless utilizing them after a few years of day by day grind in essentially the most demanding circumstances, with out even a sniff of an issue. Considered one of them mentioned to me he was assured that his Gitzo can be the one tripod he’d ever want to purchase. Possibly this head is definitely superb worth, if you happen to can afford to take the lengthy view.
Gitzo GHF3W 3-Means Fluid Head: Design & Dealing with
Gitzo merchandise are undeniably trendy, however I’ve by no means felt they had been a case of favor of substance. The Gitzo GHF3W 3-Means Fluid Head is unquestionably substantial, with a payload score of 13kg / 28.7lb. That’s much more than the score of many a set of tripod legs and definitely extra weight than I’d ever have to throw at it. Even so, the pinnacle itself is surprisingly light-weight at simply 0.96kg / 2.1lb, due to intelligent design and the usage of magnesium alloy as the principle development materials.
Typically I really feel that 3-way heads are substantial in a nasty manner. In contrast with comparatively streamlined ball heads, they typically have lengthy working handles that stick out and enlarge the stowage dimension, in addition to having a knack of catching on issues as you’re strolling round. Against this, the Gitzo is remarkably compact for such a heavy-duty 3-way head, its packing dimension being diminished by retractable working handles for tilt and swivel. It’s definitely not distinctive on this respect, however the mechanisms are engineered very nicely with sturdy sq. shafts.
Whereas the handles slide easily on their shafts, motion is much more silky in the case of adjusting the pinnacle. That is thanks once more to high-quality manufacturing, but in addition resulting from the truth that unbiased fluid cartridges are fitted for every axis. These give a suitably fluid really feel to motion. The 2 retracting handles for tilt and swivel are supplemented by a set knob for panning lock/launch. As with the opposite two handles, the panning knob has a graphic that signifies variable friction damping is on the market – the extra you flip the knob, the freer and simpler panning turns into.
On the base of the pinnacle is a clearly marked panning scale. It’s marked in 15-degree intervals with lengthy traces, and at smaller 5-degree increments with shorter traces. Numbered values are proven at 45-degree intervals, so all the things is properly lined off. I discover the calibrated scale particularly helpful when capturing a sequence of panned pictures that I intend to sew right into a panorama on the modifying stage.
There’s a beneficiant vary of tilt and swivel accessible on each axes, with -70 to +90 levels entrance tilt and -30 to +90 levels laterally, however the Gitzo has one other trick up its sleeve. Just under the digicam platform there’s a black lever with an arrow printed on it. Transfer the lever within the path of the arrow (how are you going to resist?) and also you’re in a position to rotate the digicam platform by 90 levels. This allows you to rapidly and simply swap the axes for tilt and swivel.
One other little bit of trickery is designed into the bubble stage. As an alternative of being fastened, the big and easy-to-view bubble stage is mounted on a 90-degree rotating base. The thought (and I believe it’s a very good one) is that you may merely twist the bubble stage housing in order that the identical stage works in both landscape- or portrait-orientation capturing.
The short-release plate locking mechanism is secure and safe, with a pushbutton lock-release characteristic. It really works a deal with and whereas the official Gitzo quick-release plate has a product code of GS5370DR, you should use any Arca-Swiss plate. That’s particularly helpful if you happen to’re utilizing huge, heavyweight lenses to reap the benefits of that beneficiant payload score, as many of those now characteristic tripod mounting rings which have integral Arca-Sort toes, so you’ll be able to plug them straight into the platform on the pinnacle.
The digicam platform itself is fantastically engineered and impeccably completed, totally consistent with the remainder of the pinnacle, as proven under.
Down under, the mounting plate for attaching the pinnacle to a tripod has a sensible black anodized end. It’s the identical plate that has the panning scale marked on its higher floor. The round plate has a diameter of 60mm / 2.36”. This makes it a really perfect match for Gitzo’s heavy-duty tripods with related payload scores, in addition to the overwhelming majority of heavyweight tripods from different producers.
Gitzo GHF3W 3-Means Fluid Head: Efficiency
I’ve to confess to discovering ball heads one thing of a revelation, just a few many years in the past. After a few years of utilizing 3-way heads, I used to be actually taken with the velocity and ease of organising a ball head. The Manfrotto XPRO Ball Head is one in every of my favorites. Extra not too long ago, I’ve fairly come full circle, and I’m not simply speaking concerning the deserves of a 360-degree panning facility. I’m completely satisfied to take a bit of longer organising a shot, and customarily want the better consideration to element {that a} 3-way head may give me, with its unbiased locks for tilt, swivel, and panning.
I also needs to confess that I don’t have the endurance of a saint and don’t wish to waste time fiddling round for ages when organising a tripod head. I discovered that the Gitzo gave me one of the best of each worlds. It enabled ultra-precise changes in any and all instructions, whereas additionally being fast, simple, and painless to make use of. Higher nonetheless, the lock/launch handles work with such a elegant really feel, partly due to their unbiased fluid cartridges, that I received a real feel-good issue from utilizing the pinnacle.
And in the case of the crunch, I discovered that I may load up the pinnacle with hefty digicam and lens mixtures, and it gave me rock-solid assist with no undesirable flexing, sagging, or vibrations. I additionally actually just like the 90-degree rotational mechanism for rapidly and simply swapping the lean and swivel axes round, in addition to the bubble stage that works so nicely in each panorama and portrait orientations.
Gitzo GHF3W 3-Means Fluid Head: Verdict
I believe that the Gitzo GHF3W 3-Means Fluid Head actually appears and feels the enterprise. Designed and manufactured in Italy to the best requirements, it’s the tripod head equal of leaping into an unique Italian supercar. In contrast with run-of-the-mill tripod heads, the Gitzo is an absolute pleasure to make use of and I really feel that it’s a factor of engineering magnificence in its personal proper.
Finally, efficiency is outstanding in each space, doing full justice to the design excellence and manufacturing high quality of the pinnacle. It additionally goes a great distance in the direction of justifying the asking worth, though, once we get proper all the way down to the underside line, the Gitzo prices extra to purchase than many people can be ready to pay for a 3-way head, even for one which is able to most likely final a lifetime.
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Options ★★★★★ |
Intelligent options embrace retractable handles, a rotating digicam plate with its personal locking lever, and a rotating bubble stage. |
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Design ★★★★★ |
Construct high quality is epic, primarily based on a magnesium alloy development, and the design consists of unbiased fluid cartridges for every axis. |
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Efficiency ★★★★★ |
The top combines rock-solid assist and a very hefty payload score with super-smooth and exact changes. |
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Worth ★★★☆☆ |
It comes as no shock that this Gitzo is likely one of the costliest 3-way heads available on the market, and prices greater than you most likely really feel the necessity to spend. |
