C100: The Gitzo tripod that every documentary C100 shooter should have

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slavikb

Well-known member
For anyone looking to get a decent, but affordable tripod for their C100, it seems like everyone recommends the Sachtler Ace M.

But let me save you the headaches and recommend the Gitzo GT2531LVL, along with a Manfrotto MVH500AH fluid head. I'm really surprised no one is talking about this tripod with a built-in leveler, so I wrote a kind of long blog post about it. http://alaskavideoshooter.com/your-tripod-search-ends-here/

My opinion of course! For my work I'm traveling around Alaska shooting weekly documentary videos in lots of varied situations, so for run and gun documentary this tripod is the golden ticket. I couldn't find anything that close to the size/weight to load capacity ratio, let alone with a sweet built-in leveler.
 
I considered this tripod as well and am using an Acratech leveler on my old Manfrotto 440 CF sticks and a 701HDV. That combo is ok for normal work but once you put a slider on it the Acratech doesn't hold well enough to support the load with a camera on one side of the slider. Fortunately, I found a cheap Sachtler Speedlock 75 and put a Manfrotto half ball adapter on it. Then I put a Giottos QR clamp on it with the plate on the bottom of my Cinevate FLT. My Manfrotto 502 sits on top and this combo is rock solid and quick to set up. The slider can be removed quickly for floor shots and the slider carriage can be locked off for normal tripod moves.

I was looking for a somewhat smaller rig though and the Gitzo leveling tripods caught my eye a while back. I also am considering the Manfrotto 755 since it's a lot cheaper. Does the Gitzo leveler lock rock solid, even when there is a lot of weight sitting at the end of a slider? That amount of force is what does my Acratech in.
 
Cool, sounds like you've got a pretty good system so far. The Manfrotto 755 is slightly cheaper than the Gitzo, but I can't speak for its usability because I haven't tried it - it does have less of a load capacity though.

Anyway I oughta do a more extensive test on the Gitzo leveler with heavy slides, but so far it's been rock solid. The lever is easier to tighten than the Acratech knob, which seems to never be fully tight, you know?

akivisuals said:
I considered this tripod as well and am using an Acratech leveler on my old Manfrotto 440 CF sticks and a 701HDV. That combo is ok for normal work but once you put a slider on it the Acratech doesn't hold well enough to support the load with a camera on one side of the slider. Fortunately, I found a cheap Sachtler Speedlock 75 and put a Manfrotto half ball adapter on it. Then I put a Giottos QR clamp on it with the plate on the bottom of my Cinevate FLT. My Manfrotto 502 sits on top and this combo is rock solid and quick to set up. The slider can be removed quickly for floor shots and the slider carriage can be locked off for normal tripod moves.

I was looking for a somewhat smaller rig though and the Gitzo leveling tripods caught my eye a while back. I also am considering the Manfrotto 755 since it's a lot cheaper. Does the Gitzo leveler lock rock solid, even when there is a lot of weight sitting at the end of a slider? That amount of force is what does my Acratech in.
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I think the Benro S6 head may be a little too light for a complete C100/C300 system..the S8 might be better !

I just ordered the c373fbs8 it looks like lightweight and solid, and I've never like the manfrotto friction system. I had a 501HDV which was completely unusable after 2 years.

C373FBS8.jpg
 
do you think tripods with spreader (mid-level or ground) work better? I find these "photography" tripod legs a bit tricky to quickly level.
 
coutard said:
I think the Benro S6 head may be a little too light for a complete C100/C300 system..the S8 might be better !

I just ordered the c373fbs8 it looks like lightweight and solid, and I've never like the manfrotto friction system. I had a 501HDV which was completely unusable after 2 years.
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S6 head has got 6kg max capacity so I think it should be allright capacity wise- S8 will be to heavy, as I want quite lightweight setup. Let us know when you'll get it what is quality like. I am before my purchase and I am very curious if Benro matches for example Manfrotto quality.
 
marvinhello said:
do you think tripods with spreader (mid-level or ground) work better? I find these "photography" tripod legs a bit tricky to quickly level.
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Better is very subjective depending on the application. These single tube tripods go lower, are lighter and are great for getting into position on uneven terrain. Some of the examples here have bowl mounts and are levelled in the same way you would with a regular video tripod. These is doubt that something like the Sachtler speed lock legs would be faster to set up though. The single tube tripods are also less torsionally rigid than a tripod with a spreader and a 2:2:1 leg configuration and hence more susceptible to wind-up.
 
marvinhello said:
do you think tripods with spreader (mid-level or ground) work better? I find these "photography" tripod legs a bit tricky to quickly level.
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The Benro tripod pictured above and this Induro tripod both have the usual 75mm bowl mounts, so you level as you would with any cine tripod. ( Induro also available in carbon-fiber and 100mm bowl mount )
 
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Marvin - after adjusting the 3,000 other things that need to be tightened on the Sachtler Ace-M, for example, I always forget about the (mid-level) spreader adjustments anyway. And sometimes it gets sticky and prevents the legs from fully spreading. I wouldn't recommend ground-level spreaders for anything but heavy duty static shooting on even grounds. And, not all photography tripods are made equal, which is why either the Gitzo 2531LVL or Manfrotto 755XB, both with center columns and built-in levelers are kind of alone in the wilderness.

TheDingo - those Induro tripods look pretty good, especially the carbon one, because they still reach fairly high even with a ball mount. Thanks for sharing.
 
Mark Williams said:
If I had to do it over again I think I would skip the S6 head and get something a little smoother
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If only Sachtler sold the ACE video head all by itself, as I think it's a great competitor against the likes of Manfrotto. Otherwise there's not much in the "affordable" range when it comes to a smooth video head with proper counter-balance.
 
My main tripod is a Gitzo with 75mm bowl. I also use it for stills by putting the flat base plate in. Love it. See I guess lots of use Gitzo!
 
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