Review: *Cheap* Gitzo GT 2330 and SBH-250 Ballhead

I haven't seen anything about this tripod... so, I thought I'd hop on and give a quick review... and since I was at it, a review of a cheap ballhead to go with it.

The Gitzo GT 2330 Legs, I picked up brand new on eBay for $275 shipped. They're aluminum legs, 3 section, with twist-lock legs and a center column. The twist-lock legs are smooth functioning, and lock tight with no creeping. The center column isn't the same nice thick material as the legs, but I don't see having to use the center column much.

The tripod is tall enough without the column raised to bring my gripped 7d to eye level without raising the column at all. For reference, I'm 5'9".

The legs also can be set at 3 positions... and they do not rotate.

In use, it's a very stable tripod, even with the gripped 7d and 70-200 f/2.8 IS MKII attached.


The Ballhead, the Vanguard SBH-250 is well built, and can handle up to 40lbs. It was about $60 from Amazon.

It features adjustable drag, smooth operation, and comes with 2 quick release plates.

In operation, it's smooth functioning and with the adjustable drag you can control how easy it is to position with lenses of different weights...

I can add pics if people are interested.. but I just wanted to do a quick write up for those looking for good gear at a reasonable price... the tripod and ballhead were a grand total of $335 ... and I really don't find either lacking.

I was ready to squeeze the trigger on the Vanguard 250 but opted for a Manfrotto 496rc as with the price drop it was within $7 if each other. The 250 gives you a lot of bang for the buck vs. almost anything out <$100.