RRS Tripods

peter_n wrote in post #12124916
Congrats on your new legs! I bought a Gitzo systematic recently and I'm impressed with the stability. I've had it out in pretty strong winds and the pix have been tack sharp. I'm sure you'll find the same.

BTW for anyone interested in Neil's TVC-33/3541LS comparison on Nikonians mentioned by Roger above in post #42 here's an accessible link to Neil's summary post.

That was an interesting read when it came out and one I checked out when looking into the TVC-33. RRS's reports show the exact opposite. So we have RRS, who sells tripod saying theirs are superior, and we have Nikonians, who sell tripods, saying the ones they stock are superior.

Of all the 3rd parties that have done extensive reviews of tripods, though admittedly there are just a few for RRS's tripods, the Nikonians review is the only one that doesn't objectively find the RRS to be superior in every way important to camera stability.

I'm not saying his findings are inaccurate or designed to intentionally mislead, but they probably should be kept in context.

For anyone thinking about playing in the stratosphere of tripod products, don't dismiss Neil's review, but don't rely on it either.

Kyles wrote in post #12124550
I just received my new Gitzo tripod; all things considered I am pleased and know either RRS or Gitzo equals “quality”. I do still find this topic interesting and staying on top of the comparisons is helpful. The determining factor for me after reading these post and others was simply “most experience making their pro caliber tripods with the reputation to back it up”; I would have been pleased probably either way. I do like the fact that RRS is trying to make the highest quality tripods that they can and that they are concerned with quality on every level of their product. This is great for all photographers.

Best wishes, Kyle

Nice! Good choice, you will not be disappointed.

Indecent Exposure wrote in post #12125016
That was an interesting read when it came out and one I checked out when looking into the TVC-33.

Yes I only saw it for the first time today and thought it was interesting. I'm not sure if there's a conflict of interest or not but tripods are one thing that seem to be very personal. It's so much better to go into a store yourself if you can and try them out.

peter_n wrote in post #12125647
Yes I only saw it for the first time today and thought it was interesting. I'm not sure if there's a conflict of interest or not but tripods are one thing that seem to be very personal. It's so much better to go into a store yourself if you can and try them out.

Yeah, after reading everything it was clear we are choosing between a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. It really just matters how you want to split the hairs and how you value the results.

I guess instead of being a knock off Gitzo's (Benro & Induro) _ they are the knock up version ...

Indecent Exposure wrote in post #12125022
Nice! Good choice, you will not be disappointed.

thank you, and thanks again for your input, I assure you I very much appreciate all of your comments, please keep us updated on your RRS tripod, I have no doubt it is a great tripod,


best wishes, Kyle

Here are the Neil's sharpness test at the forum that is where his summary comes from, took sometime to find it: link dead: the topic is "Gitzo 3 series vs 5 series?"

[/B]Iagree that the test may not be fully accurate and personal feelings may taken into account. However his G1410 vs. G3541LS findings are spot on.

I did find his result pretty convincing - especially that TVC-33 and GT3541LS are so close; this is also another reason I suspect that the only part where RRS lacking is a equivalent G-lock.

my only concern about my new Gitzo is the plate being securly locked on the tripod, RRS seems to have done a better job with that issue, any thoughts?

Kyles wrote in post #12133072
my only concern about my new Gitzo is the plate being securly locked on the tripod, RRS seems to have done a better job with that issue, any thoughts?

Natuescapes has a "safety plate" you can upgrade the Gitzo with.

Indecent Exposure wrote in post #12133224
Natuescapes has a "safety plate" you can upgrade the Gitzo with.

i did purchase the plate for added security and i wondered why am i purchasing a plate from another company to make my $700 Gitzo tripod "plate" secure? why is the plate on the Gitzo not already "very secure"? i am considering returning the Gitzo and ording the RRS which does have a secure plate, the price is about $100 more for a tripod that is very secure without having to purchase a $69 additional part.

Kyles wrote in post #12133072
my only concern about my new Gitzo is the plate being securly locked on the tripod, RRS seems to have done a better job with that issue, any thoughts?

RRS had the luxury of designing a tripod after Gitzo had already done most of the gruntwork. They just had to take some criticisms about Gitzos and improve on them. That's my view on the plate. I'm not sure why they didn't try to improve the g-lock.

Gitzo has to know about their plate situation, they have been making tripods long enough to fix it. They have to know a company has designed a plate to make their plates more secure. Makes no sense to me. Again, I pay $700 for a tripod that needs an additional $69 fix to make it secure? To me, this just makes no sense at all.

Well if you're the kind of person who attends to the maintenance of your gear this Gitzo plate thing isn't an issue. Unfortunately I'm a bit sloppy when it comes to equipment and the safety plate is a fail-safe for idiots like me who just slings stuff into the back of the car and expect it to work. The tension screw has worked itself loose on occasion and there have been a number of accidents, and so I bought one of these plates for insurance. If you're the type who routinely checks your gear then you'll have no worries and there are plenty of people who use 3 and 5-series Gitzos who don't know about this and may never experience it.

The new RRS catalogs are available with some information about upcoming products including the TVC-34 (no spec. yet), TVC-24 and TVC-24 Long (no spec. yet). They also have a new modular L-plate design for smaller cameras, and a cable release spacer that sits on the vertical dovetail of an L-plate among other things. The new RRS catalogs are available on this page.

Everytime RRS comes out with a new catalog an angel gets its wings.

EDIT: No mention of the monopod, especially the modular one from the safari videos? I was hoping to see something about that in the next catalog.