Does anyone have this tripod and head?

Photometric

Giottos MT-9260 Classic Aluminum 4-Section Tripod Legs $109.95
Giottos MH-5000 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head - 13.2 lb (6 kg) $66.99

Does anyone have these, and if so, can you provide advice? It appears there's a sale on the legs and want to make sure it's as good a deal as it appears.

cab.in.boston

I have the MT-9371, which is in the same family. It's just taller and has the built-in adjustable "head" for getting the camera in odd positions. I don't use the head all that much (although I did use it just last night), but it's kind of handy to have sometimes. But overall, I am very pleased with the construction, ease-of-use, etc, of the Giottos MT-9 family. I would recommend it if the height and other specifications suit your needs. I have a Kirk ballhead, so I don't have experience with the Giottos head. My old (cheap, no good, lousy) tripod had a pan/tilt head, and I hated it. That could very well be due to the cheap, no good, lousiness of the tripod/head, but I much prefer using a ballhead.

roakey

I have a Giottos MT 7251 which is their "Lava" series that falls between aluminum and carbon fiber in terms of weight (and sometimes cost). Otherwise it's very much like the the tripod you're looking at. I find the tripod to be very sturdy, well-built and an excellent value. I also don't like tilt/pan heads and have a Markins Q10 ballhead (I think it was called an M10 when I bought it -- it has a screw release rather than the lever). I'd recommend saving up for a ballhead (yhea, but it costs five times as much).

Roak

Photometric

I've used a ball head and didn't like it when I used it. Maybe it was the quality of the head....just wasn't my thing. Right now, I need something, and don't mind the throw away as I can use it for the monopod when I'm shooting the marching band and HS plays.

Wanted to make sure that I wasn't going wrong with these tripod legs.

Photometric

Thanks for the help, ordered the tripod and head. I know there are preferences for the ball head, but I feel more comfortable with the pan/tilt. I really do appreciate the advice though...

Art Scott

Pan tilts always got in my way....standard ball heads ...I just did not like....I use the Bogen RC322 ball head...it works great for me......
I also use Giottos MT9180 - 4 section legs...mine are rock solid even in Ks winds......have had about 5 yrs now......

Photometric

I just wanted to say I had a shoot today using the tripod and it was a pleasure and a joy using well made equipment.

ziggy53

Thanks for the follow-up.

Congratulations on the new tripod and head.

Photometric

I have to say, I understand what people are saying about the ball head vs. the pan head, but I liked one thing about the pan head I think I might've struggled with the Ball head.

I had a shoot with about 25-30 people for head shots for a play. With the height differences, it was nice to only move along the y axis, while having the x axis frozen. I might have struggled with that having a ball head. Not having experience with a ball head, is that an issue?

ziggy53

FWIW I use a half-ball leveling system and then a 3-way pan head for that reason. I like it a lot.

Photometric