Just ordered a Gitzo boom pole.

MattinSTL

MattinSTL

Sound Modulator
I'm makin' an effort to try out every product I've suggested but haven't owned... or had suggested to me that others felt I've been overlooking.

So far I got the Sabra-Som shockmount, and I think it's a bargain at $49... plus it's adjustable to hold any mic from a tiny Oktava to the biggest shotgun. I still like the K-Tek better, but since it's twice the cost it's not really an apples to apples comparo.

Next is the Gitzo... I've told people for a year now to go with the K-Tek KE-110cc for the best economy pole with internal coil cabling. That's an aluminum pole that goes from 30" short to 9' 2" long and it's only $218.45 at B&H (with FREE ship) This pole is about 7 ounces lighter then the Lightwave GT-10c which is $229 plus ship. Aside from construction differences which I think favor the K-Tek, and weight differences which CLEARLY favor the K-Tek... the GT-10c has an advantage of 6 extra inches on extended length. For me this breakdown is a no-brainer. The K-Tek gets it.

Okay so back to the Gitzo. I've also offered this as a good choice for about as long as I have endorsed the K-Tek... but I never bought one and a couple people said they were disappointed in a Gitzo pole they had used at some point... but I've also talked to some people who liked theirs.

Bottom line is I've needed a longer pole for a while... and the Gitzo is carbon fiber for a reasonable weight in a pole this size. It's 33" short (so just 3" longer then the K-Tek) and 151.1" long (so it's WAY longer by 3.5 FEET)... so what's the downside? NO internal cabling.

Anyway... I've told so many people that they should consider this pole (if they needed length) that I decided to give one a go... I'm modding my own mixer bag from a camcorder case (ha!) so that I can take care of the longer pole first.

It's on the way and I'll have a full report when it gets here. For the record what sold me is the collars... I heard some people say they hated the Gitzo collars and I think that's the old ones... I got a really nice monopod from them and the collars are absolutely FIRST rate... so I checked into it and they use the exact collars on the booms.

When it arrives I'll give the breakdown of graphite K-Tek and carbon fiber Gitzo.:thumbsup:
 
I've got that Gitzo pole, yeah the lack of internal cabling is a hassle, but it is light weight and holding it up all day is a breeze. I also like the reach.

Yeah, let us know about that shock mount.
 
Factory Link CLICK

Another Link CLICK

Same place I get Oktavas CLICK
http://sound-room.com/image.php?productid=118
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And again, just so you know... I still like the K-Tek mount the best. It's all aluminum and appears milled from billet, plus it is minimalist in shape and size, but then again the K-Tek is somewhat limited by the size of mic you can put in it.

We just have so many people asking for a dirt cheap mount that I think this thing could fill that niche nicely.

I don't know how often (if ever) I'll use the one I got, but that's only because I've already got 4 other mounts... I still may use this one, but whatever... for somebody watching pennies on a budget I think you could do a lot worse... the one thing is the bottom threads have to be converted to 3/8" for a boom... and I didn't find out what's required to do that yet. It should just be a cheapy little insert.
 
David... so you got the G7680C right? How 'bout them collars? Are they ever a problem of any kind to deal with? I've heard some people say (may have even been Dave F... don't remember) that the Gitzo poles can get sloppy or loose...?

All I know is the monopod collars are pure luxury and when I heard that the boom used the same collars I figured I'd take my chances. A 13' pole is gonna' run way over DOUBLE the cost of the Gitzo if you get the full monte anyway.
 
Yeah, you have to be careful with tightening the collars (especially on the smaller tubes). There is like one spot where it is tight enough and if you over tighten, it slips. Not a problem, just something to get used to .
 
Hmm... well thanks for that comment... I guess. You do have the newest 7680c and not the older 15XX pole right? (I already know you're going to say "YES, how many times do I have to say it?!")

So I guess the complaints about this pole are legit? They said my pole wouldn't ship until Monday... so if I should dump this and wait for a better pole used I'll just do that. I've never had a single complaint about my K-Tek... except the cost per foot (graphite version) was pretty high.

There was just something about spending $650 for a 13' pole that didn't set well with me!

The Gitzo monopod I have is this one right here... (the picture is cropped).
G1578L%20G.jpg

Do these collars look like yours? Each collar looks like it's TWO collars... with the double rubber hand-grip? 'Cause on my pod there is none of that behavior that you're describing... they simply tighten down effortlessly and seem to find a sudden point of stopping... it's not like you could overtighten them unless you're a nervous freak... it's just *turn...turn...turn... stop* If somebody were so inclined I guess they could continue to fight it as if the sudden stop felt like the moment when his exwife said, "I AM taking the house and there's nothing you can do about it!" and then the collars suddenly represented that guy's challenge to not be broken by his circumstance... so then he thinks, "you call THAT tight... that's not tight"... and then he proceeds to turn a little more until the collar is stripping.

Is that what you meant? Or does it simply go from tight to slipping without much effort?:huh:
 
The collars are easy to use, but on the smaller tubes, you can crank them past the point where it is tight and have to spin them around again to get them back to tight. If that makes sense. It is not usually a problem, you just have to remember not to use too much force on the smaller tubes. BTW, the collars are not like the ones in the picture.
 
Thanks David... from what I understand the Gitzo pole went through an evolution... so it's possible that while some have complained about Gitzo poles for some reason or another... they may only have experience with an older design...

Here was the original Gitzo carbon fiber pole...

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Then they improved the pole with a stiffer, high modulus carbon fiber... but the collars stayed the same... (this is my understanding so far)

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And finally you can see the "double collar" that I'm talking about. It's only a double collar in shape though... underneath the two knurled rubber humps is one locking aluminum sleeve. You can see it better on my monopod image above.

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This is the text from Adorama's description, which I tried to find on the Gitzo site and I couldn't, but here it is anyway:

"This Carbon Fiber version of the G7680C has the famous Gitzo locking mechanism used in all carbon fiber tripods and monopods. This will eliminate any locking problems the earlier models might have created."

So anyway... I'll follow up after it comes, but David, as I understand it the collars on your pole are like the ones in the first and second images in this thread since you said they're not like the "doubles"...
 
Dude, I appologize, I do not have the G7680C. Sorry if this caused you any inconvenience. The double barrel locking mechs look like the way to go.
 
No problem... I think this plays perfectly into this thread... I've been telling people for at least a year now that if they want a long pole to try this one out... everything about it seems to say "bargain" for what it is... and for just as long people have been saying, "no those poles aren't good enough"... for one reason or another... and in the end it always seems like the person saying that doesn't have current experience.

So probably the Gitzo you have is actually decent, but again the only criticism you have is in the collars... which have since been dramatically improved.

I'm glad this thread went like it did... 'cause I expect to get my "economy" boom choices nailed down to strictly TWO choices. The aluminum avalon K-Tek (KE-110cc) or this Gitzo (g7680c).

Now I can't wait!
 
MattinSTL said:
So far I got the Sabra-Som shockmount, and I think it's a bargain at $49... plus it's adjustable to hold any mic from a tiny Oktava to the biggest shotgun. I still like the K-Tek better, but since it's twice the cost it's not really an apples to apples comparo.
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Does one really need a shockmount for an Oktava (or any mike) that is on a mike stand from over head pointed down when doing a sit down talking head shot. I've noticed a few wide shots on various set ups and it looks like a few may just have the mike in a holder of some sort connected to the stand without any rubbers. I suppose the answer is having a shockmount in this type of set up can't hurt and adds isolation just in case a truck rolls down the street.

But If you can do this, how do you do it? Or am I just not seeing the shockmounts on these setups? I just got Walter Graffs DVD on how to light head shots and it looks like his setups don't have the mike in a shockmount, or I'm missing them.
 
Yeah, I would use a shock mount or isolate the mic stand some how. You would be surprise at how much low frequency noise is transfered through the floor. Also be very careful about the mic cable picking up noise.
 
Gitzo G7680c arrived today.

Mixed feelings. Pole will solve the need for length. Collars are SUPERB... EXCELLENT... love 'em. Pole feels much heavier then graphite K-Tek (as you'd imagine 'cause it IS)... This thing is made to add an internal XLR pretty easily, but you'd have to cut 'n solder the cable at the top.

I guess my biggest ***** is that the last section is a very small diameter stick... and it's a crap-shoot if it will point straight out... it can sag just a little, but if you turn it then it goes up a little... the point is that it's not actually SAGGING but it's not perfectly in-line with the rest of the pole either. For that matter the last TWO sections aren't exactly precise.

Is that a problem? No. Will I send it back? No. Does it bother me? Yes.

It's a ***** that it does that because the pole is SILKY SMOOTH when you adjust length. It feels like the poles are sliding together on bearings... then the collars are equally sexy. For that matter the tubes AND the collars look and feel superior to the K-Tek I already have... but in reality of performance they aren't.

So the gist is that in some ways I'm VERY impressed with this boom... especially at the price... but in other ways I understand the cost of the K-Tek a little better now.

Do I recommend it? It depends on how long of a pole you need. I think it's a decent choice if you can handle running the XLR.

I may follow this up in a week or two 'cause you can't tell, but this one post is taking me about 15 minutes to type. I keep picking the pole up and like I said... in SOME ways it really impresses me. The construction is flat-out GORGEOUS. I'll have to post some pics... that will clear up the collars issue. I can say with absolute certainty... the collars on this thing are the BEST thing about it.

After I use this for a week I may end up loving it. Hard to say right now. During out zombie flick I cringed everytime my green sound guy would rest the graphite on an unknown surface... or when we were booming around obstacles... and this way I can give somebody a pole that I'm not too worried about. More on this pole later.
 
Regarding the sagging portions (towards the end), loosen the twist lock, and push the extended section(s) back into the larger section(s), by just an inch or two at the most. That will improve the sagging issue greatly. You'll lost maybe 3"-4" of length at the most.

-intro
 
Thanks... yeah I already discovered that myself (but I appreciate your attention to the issue)... I've played around with it more today and it definitely seems to be a good enough deal for the price... although the thin diameter tubes at the last two sections are nearly half the diameter of the last two tubes of my K-Tek... which IS shorter, so some of that happens right there.

Basically I'm still fairly impressed with this pole. Right now I don't think the collars are as nice as I thought yesterday... they are still decent, but the combination of the collar design and super-slick CF tubes means that you have to tighten each fatter section down pretty hard to keep the smaller tubes after from slipping.

With any pole you still have to do that, but again, on the K-Tek it's not as much of an issue. Especially the last, fattest section... unless that collar is really tight then the next section wants to twist with it's collar as you try to loosen that collar.

So far I'm still happy though.
 
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