Giottos MTL 9371B with MH1000-652 Ballhead first impressions
the supervillain
Registered Users Posts: 177 Major grins
Hi everyone! Here is my first impressions and a bunch of pics of my new tripod, the Giottos MTL 9371B and Giottos MH 1000-652 Ball Head.
I received this set up as a Christmas gift (thank you!), so I haven't had it for too long, nor have I had the chance to get out in the field and try it out. But I have toyed around with it in the house, mounted my camera on it and seen how it functions, and I am very impressed! I have not had too much experience with professional quality tripods, but this is a very well manufactured piece of equipment and it both the ballhead and tripod itself feel as if they are the utmost in quality.
Here are some specs before we get into the pics and impressions.
* The tripod is a 3 section aluminum tripod with lever lock legs.
* The leg diameter is 1.2".
* It weighs 5.42 lbs (w/o ballhead).
* When it is all folded, the length is 28.7" (w/o ballhead).
* Extended height is 63" (5'3"), without ballhead.
* Fully extended with center column at full height is 67.7" (around 5'7"), without ballhead.
* Minimum height, again without ballhead, is 11" off the ground.
* It will support up to 10kg (22 lbs!)
My only gripe so far, is its a little on the heavy side. But that's a minor point of contention for me so far because it will be worth having a quality, sturdy support. I can live with that. Also the carbon fiber version is pretty much double the cost!!
So lets move on to the ballhead's specs
* It is 4.7" tall
* it has a 2.5" base diameter
* it weighs 1.3lbs
* it supports up to 10kg (22 lbs)
* it has a 3 way bubble level.
Alright, onto the good stuff!
Here it is all folded up and ready to go, with the ballhead. There is some gear around it to give you a little sense of size, my cell phone, my diana camera, and the tools that came with the tripod.
So, lets open it up!
So that's it unfolded, legs still at their shortest.
Lets look at some of the little details here before we get too excited.
Here is the MH-1000 logo on the ballhead.
This is also on the ballhead, the 3 way bubble level.
This is the bubble level on the tripod itself.
Here is the logo and model number sticker on the tripod leg.
This is the toolkit attached to the tripod. More on that later!
Here is the center column tension adjuster:
Okay, lets put a camera on it
and extend the legs by using the lever locks here:
to get to this point:
It seems to be pretty tall!
So it has this 'multi function center column' which is one of the main features I wanted this model for. Especially for my macro work. How this works is you extend the center column fully, then you release the tension on these knobs
and raise the column up, until you can tilt it over like this:
So now you can rotate the column 360 degrees around and lengthen or shorten the column as much as you want. When you get it where you want to go, just tighten up those same knobs and away you go!
Lets talk about the independent moving legs which is another feature I was looking for when shopping around for a tripod.
There is these buttons I will call them on tops of the 3 legs that, when pushed in, restrict the movement of the leg to a preset position for, I will say, 'normal operation'. Being a standard set up, all 3 legs the same distance apart. Here are the 'buttons':
You can pull them out to allow you to pull the leg out further, the above picture shows the leg at the lowest point. There is also a middle point as well. Here is a picture showing the tripod extended and the 3 legs in different positions, this would be good on uneven terrain:
Using these buttons, if you pull them out and pull the 3 legs out the farthest, you can lower the tripod to its lowest working height. At this point, you will either need to extend the center column to its max extension or it will hit the ground. So you could lower the tripod and use the 360 degree center column mode, like this:
Or, if you remember the toolbag shown earlier in the post, it has a short center column in it. In order to use this, you will need to remove the big center column and also attach the head to the short center column. To swap the head over to the short center column, you need to use the supplied allen key to loosen this screw:
Then you can remove the plate that holds the ball head, and you simply swap it over to the short column, which looks like this:
Once that is done, you can insert the short column into the spot where the bigger column came out. You will need to lock it into place with this little knob, which aligns a small post into the groove of the small column:
and voila! you have your tripod at its lowest point and the short column installed.
(Another selling point with this model is that you can use it without a head by using the short column installed all the time, it will function as a 3 way head on its own.)
Lets talk abit about the ballhead! This is model MH 1000-652. So that means that the ball part is MH1000, and the plate on top of it is MH 652. They came together, you can also get different combos. At some point, I will probably upgrade to a quick release plate, hopefully an 'L' plate, which will let me swap between portrait and landscape orientation without detaching the plate from the camera.
Here is a shot of the ballhead:
The knob on the right, is the locking knob for friction control, the knob on the left is for the socket ball, and the knob on the bottom middle is for the panning base. Pretty self explanatory!
The portion that attaches to the camera is pretty simple as well, you have your plate that screws onto the camera, then you have the part that the plate clips into. The part that goes on the camera has a slotted screw in the bottom with a little metal tab for easy turning (thank you) like this:
To release the plate from the base, there is a dual action release lever for added security.
So you will push and hold in the little tab I have dubbed '1', then you will pull the tab dubbed '2' over and that will release the plate! Pretty neat
And finally, here is a close up on the panning markers:
So I think that about sums it up!
First impressions are;
* Tripod and head seem super sturdy
* quality is top notch, feels and looks professional
* has all the features I wanted, and then some
So I am very pleased with this tripod! I am super excited about using it in the field and I am sure it will serve me well for a long time!
I highly recommend looking at this model if you are in the market for a tripod. I find a lot of people overlook Giottos, they seem to get overshadowed by Manfrotto, Gitzo, etc. But in my opinion, I think this stands up well against the big names!
Ok, thanks for reading this, leave me a comment or drop me a line if you want to see some more info or if you have a particular question about it
I received this set up as a Christmas gift (thank you!), so I haven't had it for too long, nor have I had the chance to get out in the field and try it out. But I have toyed around with it in the house, mounted my camera on it and seen how it functions, and I am very impressed! I have not had too much experience with professional quality tripods, but this is a very well manufactured piece of equipment and it both the ballhead and tripod itself feel as if they are the utmost in quality.
Here are some specs before we get into the pics and impressions.
* The tripod is a 3 section aluminum tripod with lever lock legs.
* The leg diameter is 1.2".
* It weighs 5.42 lbs (w/o ballhead).
* When it is all folded, the length is 28.7" (w/o ballhead).
* Extended height is 63" (5'3"), without ballhead.
* Fully extended with center column at full height is 67.7" (around 5'7"), without ballhead.
* Minimum height, again without ballhead, is 11" off the ground.
* It will support up to 10kg (22 lbs!)
My only gripe so far, is its a little on the heavy side. But that's a minor point of contention for me so far because it will be worth having a quality, sturdy support. I can live with that. Also the carbon fiber version is pretty much double the cost!!
So lets move on to the ballhead's specs
* It is 4.7" tall
* it has a 2.5" base diameter
* it weighs 1.3lbs
* it supports up to 10kg (22 lbs)
* it has a 3 way bubble level.
Alright, onto the good stuff!
Here it is all folded up and ready to go, with the ballhead. There is some gear around it to give you a little sense of size, my cell phone, my diana camera, and the tools that came with the tripod.
So, lets open it up!
So that's it unfolded, legs still at their shortest.
Lets look at some of the little details here before we get too excited.
Here is the MH-1000 logo on the ballhead.
This is also on the ballhead, the 3 way bubble level.
This is the bubble level on the tripod itself.
Here is the logo and model number sticker on the tripod leg.
This is the toolkit attached to the tripod. More on that later!
Here is the center column tension adjuster:
Okay, lets put a camera on it
and extend the legs by using the lever locks here:
to get to this point:
It seems to be pretty tall!
So it has this 'multi function center column' which is one of the main features I wanted this model for. Especially for my macro work. How this works is you extend the center column fully, then you release the tension on these knobs
and raise the column up, until you can tilt it over like this:
So now you can rotate the column 360 degrees around and lengthen or shorten the column as much as you want. When you get it where you want to go, just tighten up those same knobs and away you go!
Lets talk about the independent moving legs which is another feature I was looking for when shopping around for a tripod.
There is these buttons I will call them on tops of the 3 legs that, when pushed in, restrict the movement of the leg to a preset position for, I will say, 'normal operation'. Being a standard set up, all 3 legs the same distance apart. Here are the 'buttons':
You can pull them out to allow you to pull the leg out further, the above picture shows the leg at the lowest point. There is also a middle point as well. Here is a picture showing the tripod extended and the 3 legs in different positions, this would be good on uneven terrain:
Using these buttons, if you pull them out and pull the 3 legs out the farthest, you can lower the tripod to its lowest working height. At this point, you will either need to extend the center column to its max extension or it will hit the ground. So you could lower the tripod and use the 360 degree center column mode, like this:
Or, if you remember the toolbag shown earlier in the post, it has a short center column in it. In order to use this, you will need to remove the big center column and also attach the head to the short center column. To swap the head over to the short center column, you need to use the supplied allen key to loosen this screw:
Then you can remove the plate that holds the ball head, and you simply swap it over to the short column, which looks like this:
Once that is done, you can insert the short column into the spot where the bigger column came out. You will need to lock it into place with this little knob, which aligns a small post into the groove of the small column:
and voila! you have your tripod at its lowest point and the short column installed.
(Another selling point with this model is that you can use it without a head by using the short column installed all the time, it will function as a 3 way head on its own.)
Lets talk abit about the ballhead! This is model MH 1000-652. So that means that the ball part is MH1000, and the plate on top of it is MH 652. They came together, you can also get different combos. At some point, I will probably upgrade to a quick release plate, hopefully an 'L' plate, which will let me swap between portrait and landscape orientation without detaching the plate from the camera.
Here is a shot of the ballhead:
The knob on the right, is the locking knob for friction control, the knob on the left is for the socket ball, and the knob on the bottom middle is for the panning base. Pretty self explanatory!
The portion that attaches to the camera is pretty simple as well, you have your plate that screws onto the camera, then you have the part that the plate clips into. The part that goes on the camera has a slotted screw in the bottom with a little metal tab for easy turning (thank you) like this:
To release the plate from the base, there is a dual action release lever for added security.
So you will push and hold in the little tab I have dubbed '1', then you will pull the tab dubbed '2' over and that will release the plate! Pretty neat
And finally, here is a close up on the panning markers:
So I think that about sums it up!
First impressions are;
* Tripod and head seem super sturdy
* quality is top notch, feels and looks professional
* has all the features I wanted, and then some
So I am very pleased with this tripod! I am super excited about using it in the field and I am sure it will serve me well for a long time!
I highly recommend looking at this model if you are in the market for a tripod. I find a lot of people overlook Giottos, they seem to get overshadowed by Manfrotto, Gitzo, etc. But in my opinion, I think this stands up well against the big names!
Ok, thanks for reading this, leave me a comment or drop me a line if you want to see some more info or if you have a particular question about it
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it was my pleasure to write it up, I have been longing for a quality tripod and it seems I have found it!
yes, lots of toys, my wife runs a daycare out of our house, so its like toysrus in our living room!
I too was looking at the gitzo's, but I found the website was overwhelming (product names too confusing, poor layout) and the prices were a bit out of range, but, like I said, this tripod is sturdy and well built! I think it will last for a long time.
I will be adding more to this later on, but the weather is a little insane here now, I will wait till it calms down a bit, then I can test this thing out in the canadian winter
shoots things with a D80, an F1, and a Diana F+
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My tentative plan would be to go with the twist lock version of your legs (MT-9371) and then Kirk BH-2 ball head and L-plate. That would set me up fairly well for around $600, while the Gitzo/RRS combo would be more like $1100 ($1400 with CF).
If you have a daycare in your house, your toy collection is probably quite a bit more impressive than ours! We just have toys for our almost 3 y/o (and one on the way), but somehow that still manages to occupy most of the house, plus half of the basement.
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I am trying to remember why I wanted lever locks. but the reason escapes me now
Next for me is updating the camera mount to a mount that will accept an 'L' plate. I should have thought of that when I put it on the christmas list, but thats okay! hindsight is always 20/20 as they say
and, yes, the toy collection is mind boggling. my house is slowly being taken over with kid stuff!! my office is my only escape really hehe
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now for low level shooting you need to get a set of THESE....I use mine alot when I know I am going to be getting low to the ground....
My Giottos MT9180 is nearing the 6yr old mark...still worrks like new...has few scruffs and scratches but so do I ..... I may in the future get a lava or CF model but I must have 4 sections for travel and the Giottos was the only truly stable 4 section I could find.
When doing your macro work you will want 2 sand bacgs for stabilization....also get a wired or wireless remote shutter release.....sandbags.....I went to walmart and bought a couple of the "Greenie" shopping bags (they are black actually.....and I keep a couple of plastic gal zip lock baggies in them for holding the sand.....a little bailing wire incase Ineed to shortine the handles on the bags.......when shooting macro I sandbag the end of the column to reduce camera shake and vibration......and if I need more damping I hang a bag in the center especially of column is in a horizontal or weird angle out of the column housing ...........that is another use for the bailing wire or masons line...I have both and use both......just depends on what i grab 1st.............
I really love the versatility of the Giottos tripods and I have a P-pod that gets a ton of use....it is great for low macro shots also...........
Canon 40D, 28-135mm, 50mm f/1.8, 10-22mm, 70-300, 580 EXII, ST-E2, 500D Diopter
Carried at B&H as well as Ebay.......mine was about $150 new....and the price has not risen hardly at all..........
The OP's MTL9371B from B&H is $183 but out of stock right now...........
They do have one of the sturdiest center colums I have ver seen when locked in position.................
It is very useful to hook a bag on the center column as counterweight when use it for marco shoot.
recently, I got another irresistable deal - a Giottos MT8270 6x carbon fiber at 350 dollars as my own X'mas present last year.:ivar
Now I keep the 9160 for indoor use - marco, commerical shoots. While the 8270 for outdoor nature.
flickr.com/photos/photoskipper/
thanks for the helpful tips Art!
I was eyeing those shoes, and I think that will be a purchase made in the near future.
I do use a cable release all the time for my shots, and I will look into the sandbags, I am going to be setting this up in the basement to practice some macro setups later this month and I will be exploring all the ins and outs of this tripod!
cybersteak: I got this tripod from adorama, and it was about $180 USD, for the tripod, and about $120 USD for the ballhead
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Last I checked, Adorama had some crazy shipping charges to Canada. What was shipping on these?
Canon 40D, 28-135mm, 50mm f/1.8, 10-22mm, 70-300, 580 EXII, ST-E2, 500D Diopter
This might shed some light on why:
http://helenoster.blogspot.com/2009/07/shipping-your-purchase-from-adorama-to.html
Any member with questions about shopping from Adorama, or in need of after-sales support or advice, is most welcome to email me directly.
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If I recall correctly the last time I was going to order something from Adorama it was a UV filter for one of my lenses. Great price on the filter, but shipping was HORRIBLE!!! $55 shipping on a $30 filter. http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?op=process&func=ShoppingCart Clearly Adorama has to find a cheaper option for Canadians.
Sorry for highjacking your thread Craig.
Canon 40D, 28-135mm, 50mm f/1.8, 10-22mm, 70-300, 580 EXII, ST-E2, 500D Diopter
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I used pre-order it and get them send to the hotel in US when I travel there or have my friend to bring it home for me. It does save me up to 30% compare to the price in my country.
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and dont worry about hijacking the thread
I dont know what it cost to be shipped, I got this as a christmas gift. But it was probably alot!
I searched everywhere to find this particular model in canada, but couldnt.
I remember looking at adorama for a filter as well, and yup, the shipping was crazy!
shoots things with a D80, an F1, and a Diana F+
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