Can anyone confirm compatibility, Gitzo Systematic with Induro, Benro etc. center column?

I have a series 3 Gitzo systematic.
I am hoping some Benro, Induro, Sirui or Feisal owners could help me out.

The "hole" in the spider into which one can clamp center columns, leveling heads etc. is 70mm

Is this the sort of beastie you are looking for? Unfortunately not geared.

http://www.gitzo.co.uk …nium-series-2-3-4-gs3311s

If so there is one here:

http://www.ebay.com …ain_0&hash=item​3382874c20

It appears to have a cut out to avoid the safety lock and is made of alloy but it should do the job just fine.

I bought the carbon Gitzo G1318 (mint) for my GT3530ls off E bay for $52 in you money - so it's worth looking around. Personally I don't like geared center columns but it is all down to your personal requirements.

The Benro "3-series" has a 75mm hole and the "4-series" has a 85mm hole. Benro uses "bowl" to refer to the hole in their systematics. Rather confusing but probably just a translation fubar. Have a look at the larger Benro C4770TN and AGC4 geared column which use a 85mm diameter and you will see the same "bowl" terminology.

I would also recommend used Gitzo's on ebay or KEH. I bought the GS5310LGS extra long model for use with a 5 series systematic and was very impressed with the precision even with heavy loads. Sold it for what I paid for it in the end.

Benro tripod parts can be dimensionally identical to Gitzo parts. The original Benros were slavish copies of Gitzos, and I use both and have interchanged parts. My Gitzo systematic is the 3541LS - the model that preceded yours.

I'm quite sure that the AGC3 geared center column you linked to would work in my tripod but not in yours, and the reason for that is the new lock on the current Gitzo models. I use a 75mm RRS leveling base on my systematic but it won't work on the 3542LS. One of the reasons why I'm hoping my 3541LS never dies.

I also have a Benro 4-series systematic center plate and the piece that fits into the tripod base ring has a 94.75mm diameter.

Peter, thank you so much for your input.
This is encouraging and I may give this a shot.

In fact, despite the photos, my own Gitzo is older and "pre-lock" (why do i feel like I am talking about Model 1911s here)
I have the GT3530... which you may note lacks the "L" ie: it's a bit short when I don;t have a gimbal mounted. Thus the desire for a center column.

I am actually debating selling and getting one of the "L" models. The difference between 50" and 57"/58" height is significant for a 6 footer.

as for the new lock, I am confident should I end up with a new model "L" that I would be able to "modify" my leveling head and other accessories to work with the lock.

Thanks to all who gave input here. I may end up with a Gitzo brand rapid column,. but I already own a good tripod with a good rapid column. My interest really is in a geared column for certain applications.
I've had my eye out for a used Gitzo, I'd be happy even f with one of the old "studex" heavy aluminim ones "of yore" but they seem hard to come bay and still pricey on e-Bay.

johnf3f wrote in post #17561700
.... Personally I don't like geared center columns but it is all down to your personal requirements.

I do have now more than one smaller tripods with decent rapid center columns. None however are as robust as my Gitzo Systematic.

My desire for a geared column is as you might expect, for a very limited and specific application.

On very rare occasions I do studio work, and rather than own a dedicated studio tripod (which ideally would be exactly one of those old HEAVY Aluminum Gitzos, but would spend 362 days a year in a closet) it made sense to me to have a dedicated geared column to add to my existing short Gitzo series three. The it would only be the center column in a closet most of the year.

In the studio, the ease of a crank for fine adjustment has in the past been quite appealing and less clumsy than a rapid column.

P.S. at some point I'll have to post a photo of my "large Studio tripod/rocket launcher support" which has a geared column built in..

Jake, the Gitzo center columns are really expensive. I have one for my 3-series and I've used it once. The eBay dealer you linked to for the Benro geared column is excellent; I've dealt with him for years and he's very helpful. You might want to email him about the fit of the Benro column on your Gitzo before buying, he may be able to give you a definitive answer.

Thank you Peter, i will do that very thing!

First off, I can now confirm without question that the Induro line of replaceable center columns made for the "Induro Grand" series will fit the Gitzo systematic line.

I finally just dove in and made a purchase when I discovered the Induro @ Amazon which = guaranteed no hassle return.

The Induro 479-501 Grand Induro MGC23 Geared Column arrived today;
http://www.amazon.com …oh_aui_detailpa​ge_o00_s01

Problem solved!
Looks good especially for the money.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #17574875
First off, I can now confirm without question that the Induro line of replaceable center columns made for the "Induro Grand" series will fit the Gitzo systematic line.

Great news! Yes DC made a mess of a systematic spider part I wanted at the beginning of the year as well, he's a good guy but I'm not so sure he understands the finer points of the construction of a tripod. Bottom line is you're happy and that's all that counts!

Glad you got what you were looking for. Your quest also helped me...
I have a Gitzo 1327v tripod that I bought for video several(!) years ago. My tripod came with a 75mm bowl and fluid head, what I needed at the time, but now I'd like to set it up with a flat plate, and a column, for stills work. It too is 70mm in diameter, which suggests that it is compatible with all series 2/3/4 columns & plates.

(strangely, I was unable to get that nugget of info out of Gitzo US. Less-than-helpful customer service.)

But, my, that Gitzo gear comes dear!

Is anyone aware of a rapid-style column and a flat plate from Induro, Benro, etc. that fit a 70mm Gitzo Series 2/3/4 spider? CyberDyne's new geared column looks fantastic for the price, but I need a rapid column... and it would be nice to have the flat plate, but that's a lot of money from Gitzo.

The old plate was less that $40, shoulda' bought one when I could, because the new version is around $100.

Just FYI,

Induro 2 and 3 series fit Gitzo 2 & 3 series,. All 70mm

Induro 4 & 5 fit the Gitzo 5. All about 80 (82?) mm

Gitzo 4 series has me confused. I see some items that claim to fit 2, 3, and 4 series, and some items that claim to fit 4 & 5. This has me very confused.
I can even find some of the "bare plate" that comes with the series 5 that claim to also fit the series 4, so series 4 has to be the same 80mm, BUT the newer ones all claim that the Series 4 top plate is the same part as the Series 2,3?
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …p_Top_Flat_Plat​e_SER.html
http://www.ebay.com …ectorid=229466&​rmvSB=true


I also have two Gitzo tops (Systematic ballhead, and the leveling column) Both of which have both sizes, 70mm and 80mm in "steps" to fit both series, and in both cases they are labeled for "3" on the 70mm and "5" on the 80mm, nothing really tells me what the 4 series is.

My only "theory" is that the 4 and 5 used to share the same 80mm, and now the Series 4 uses the 70mm?

Unclear so be careful with Gitzo 4.

Again, on the Induro, what I do know for a fact is that what Induro calls a "4" fits the Gitzo 5.

SailingAway wrote in post #17581688
Is anyone aware of a rapid-style column and a flat plate from Induro, Benro, etc. that fit a 70mm Gitzo Series 2/3/4 spider? CyberDyne's new geared column looks fantastic for the price, but I need a rapid column... and it would be nice to have the flat plate, but that's a lot of money from Gitzo.

The old plate was less that $40, shoulda' bought one when I could, because the new version is around $100.

Flat pate? The Benro or Induro will work.
http://www.adorama.com​/indmfp23.html
You can't use a rapid column with the flat plate though, it's one or the other.

I actually had a hard time finding a 3rd party rapid column assembly (with the collar) but if you can find one of these;
http://www.ebay.com …geName=STRK%3AM​EBIDX%3AIT

Any of the Induro series 3 columns on this page will fit in that Gitzo Series 3 collar
http://www.indurogear.​com/products/tripod-accessories/

I got this one and a long one from my Induro CT313
http://www.amazon.com …oh_aui_detailpa​ge_o00_s02

IMPORTANT! Here the "Series' has to be the exact number. ie: Induro 3 fits Gitzo 3, not 2 or 4!
In this case the "3" is referring to the diameter of column used for the center column, NOT the diameter of the opening into which the collar will fit!

Feisol complete rapid column rigs with collar etc are readily available, but alas, like everything we've discovered in the thread, I can not find anyone anywhere that will vouch for compatibility with the Gitzo magic "70mm"