RØDE Boompole vs Gitzo GB0530

[AndrewGentle]

I am tossing up between the RØDE Boompole and the Gitzo GB0530. The RØDE gives you an impressive reach of 300 cm at 900 grams but the Gitzo has a lightweight carbon fibre construction which weighs only 360 grams but is only 214 cm long.

How much of a difference to the boom swinger will an extra 540 grams make? Do you find that you are often extending your boom more than 214 cm?

 

[Guy_Cochran]

What will you be putting on the end? A full blimp or just a small shock mount and small mic? When I tested the Gitzo GB0530, it had quite a bit of flex at full extension with a blimp. That last extension really is too thin for a blimp. The RODE 10' aluminum pole is a good value, but can be too heavy for some folks working all day. You'll appreciate the extra reach though.
I'd also be looking at the K-Tek aluminum line. It's in the same price range as the Gitzo and you can get it internally cabled. The most popular pole we see going out the door is the K-TEK KE89CC. I like the 110cc. Sure, we'd all love 12'+ carbon poles, but it's a tradeoff between price, reach, ease of use, noise and fatigue factor. It boils down to how long you'll be using it for and how much is in the budget to make it happen. I know at the end of some days I would have gladly ponied up the extra $$$ after going cheap the first time. Keep researching and asking, hopefully someone else on here will chime in with their experiences with VDB, PSC, loon etc so you'll know all your options and make an informed decision. You can always rent too so you'll have a better idea of what it's like before committing to a purchase.

 

[AndrewGentle]

Thanks, Guy, I appreciate your input. I'm only planning to swing a light hypercardioid in a small shock mount most of the time so I'm not too worried about flex. It would be good to be future proof for any other setups I need to run in the future though. My shoots also don't tend to run for extended periods, either, so hopefully weight won't be too much of an issue. I think I'll go for the RØDE for now and then if I feel the need to upgrade in the future then it's no big deal, it's only worth $130 and I'm sure it'll be sufficient for the time being.