Gitzo Warning -- feet fall off on new 6X carbon tripods

kdog

Ok, so this is as much a rant as a warning. Everybody knows if you want the very best tripod regardless of price, you go with a Gitzo. I finally got up the nerve to blow $650 on a set of Gitzo 3530 SLV legs from B&H. I used it around the house a few times, and the feet kept coming loose. No big deal, they screw right back on. So I snugged them up tight, thinking it's user error.

So this weekend I went on a photography outing and walked several miles shooting wildlife in a variety of places that are about 100 miles from home. Guess what? It turns out I've lost a foot. :pissed Great, so now what to do. I google around looking for replacement feet. B&H doesn't carry them. I did discover that Naturescapes sells replacement feet along with this warning:

"[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]FIELD TIP: Leg tips of the Gitzo 6x tripods are very easy to lose when working in the field. This information has been forwarded to Gitzo; in the interim, some photographers have chosen to secure theirs with blue Loctite (removable) or silicone caulk."[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]

Are you freaking kidding me? You buy the tripod of a lifetime and it sheds parts like ripe apples falling from a tree? [/SIZE][/FONT]:splatAnd the fix is to glue the parts on? Sheesh. The Gitzo warranty center (which is actually Bogen) thus far has not returned either phone calls or email, despite calls during business hours. Lovely. Meanwhile, I've ordered some replacement feet from Naturescapes website. And who knows how long this is going to take.
Anyway, I'll climb down off my :soapbox and pass on the lesson learned.

If you buy a new Gitzo tripod, glue the feet on so they don't fall off. :bluduh

Thanks for listening.
-joel

Nikolai

Joel,
Thanks fo sharing, good to know!

pathfinder

It is good to learn what companies pay attention to their customers, and which do not. Gitzo may be too remote from their customers for their own good.......

I have had my eye on a nice wooden tripod for some time - carbon fibre is so yesterday you knowrofl

I feel your pain

Richard

pathfinder wrote:

I have had my eye on a nice wooden tripod for some time - carbon fibre is so yesterday you knowrofl

I'll bet if you get one, its feet won't fall off.

kdog

pathfinder wrote:

I have had my eye on a nice wooden tripod for some time - carbon fibre is so yesterday you knowrofl

Wood is good! But if you want something that you can hike all day with, you better start doing a lot of this. :lift

Fred W

kdog wrote:

"I finally got up the nerve to blow $650 on a set of Gitzo 3530 SLV legs from B&H." I used it around the house a few times, and the feet kept coming loose. No big deal, they screw right back on. So I snugged them up tight, thinking it's user error.
So this weekend I went on a photography outing and walked several miles shooting wildlife in a variety of places that are about 100 miles from home. Guess what? It turns out I've lost a foot. :pissed "[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]FIELD TIP: Leg tips of the Gitzo 6x tripods are very easy to lose when working in the field. This information has been forwarded to Gitzo; in the interim, some photographers have chosen to secure theirs with blue Loctite (removable) or silicone caulk."[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]

[/SIZE][/FONT]Hi Joel,
Thanks for the post. A couple of weeks ago I bought the same 3530 SLV tripod you did. The 1st time I set it up I heard a rattle coming from one of the legs. Upon inspection it turned out that one foot was slightly unscrewed. I tightened it up and didn't think twice about it. Today I rechecked my tripod to confirm foot the loosening issue you described and noticed how very easy it is to unintentionally loosen the threaded feet while twisting loose the sectional leg locking collars. Maybe finding replacement feet with a smaller diameter will resolve this problem. Looks like loctite will be the easiest fix for now.

kdog

Fred W wrote:

[/size][/font] Today I rechecked my tripod to confirm foot the loosening issue you described and noticed how very easy it is to unintentionally loosen the threaded feet while twisting loose the sectional leg locking collars.

Thanks, Fred. Yeah, I'd also noticed how easy it is to loosen the foot by accident when extending the tripod -- especially when using the technique described in the manual of unscrewing all of the clamps at the same time. But because I was aware of it, I don't think I did that. I was working in soft and uneven ground, and I imagine the terrain loosened the foot. Then walking for miles with the unit slung over my shoulder probably allowed the foot to unscrew from vibration.

These feet should be captive. Adjustable, but captive in a way that keeps the foot from inadvertantly disappearing on a shoot like this. Even my $50 Slik tripod has that.

BTW, where in the Hudson River area are you? I recently lived in Tomkins Cove for 3 years. Good eagle shooting along the Hudson River there in the winter.

Regards,
-joel

claudermilk

kdog wrote:

These feet should be captive. Adjustable, but captive in a way that keeps the foot from inadvertantly disappearing on a shoot like this. Even my $50 Slik tripod has that.

A thought on that. Are there accessory feet you can get? If so captive doesn't make sense. I know on my (inferior) Giottos the feet do unscrew to allow addition of accessory feet (snow shoes, hard floor rotating feet). To add insult to injury, my feet arent jumping off the legs either. :hide


The other option, of course is to take pathfinder's route. Then you can say "yep, I've got wood." davidto

kdog

claudermilk wrote:

A thought on that. Are there accessory feet you can get? If so captive doesn't make sense.

As near as I can see, there are no accessory feet for this series yet. In fact, the Gitzo website states there are no replacement parts available for the 3530 at all. Although we know that's a lie because Naturescapes carries the factory feet.

Regardless, I'm not a mechanical engineer, but I imagine there are a number of ways to design the feet so that they can be removable, and yet not fall out so easily.

Naturescapes sent me an email that my feet have shipped. So that's a good thing Maybe I'll have a usable tripod again by the weekend.

Meanwhile, we're into day-two of being ignored by the Gitzo (bogen) warranty center. A lot of good the "Gitzo limited lifetime warranty" does you if they won't return your calls or email. :bluduh

-joel

ziggy53

claudermilk wrote:

...
The other option, of course is to take pathfinder's route. Then you can say "yep, I've got wood." davidto

Nothing wrong with a "woody" now and then.

kdog

Update
Ok, Bogen (who handles Gitzo service) finally got back to me. They're sending me out two feet under warranty. (Funny how they give you one extra without asking.) So those two along with the two I ordered from Naturescapes will give me three spares. That and a tube of Locktite ought to hold me for a while.

Cheers,
-joel

Fred W

kdog wrote:

Thanks, Fred. Yeah, I'd also noticed how easy it is to loosen the foot by accident when extending the tripod -- especially when using the technique described in the manual of unscrewing all of the clamps at the same time. But because I was aware of it, I don't think I did that. I was working in soft and uneven ground, and I imagine the terrain loosened the foot. Then walking for miles with the unit slung over my shoulder probably allowed the foot to unscrew from vibration.

These feet should be captive. Adjustable, but captive in a way that keeps the foot from inadvertantly disappearing on a shoot like this. Even my $50 Slik tripod has that.

BTW, where in the Hudson River area are you? I recently lived in Tomkins Cove for 3 years. Good eagle shooting along the Hudson River there in the winter.

Regards,
-joel

Hi Joel,

Glad to hear Gitzo is sending you a couple of replacement feet. I live in Orange County but worked in the Peekskill area for years. Yea, there are a lot of eagles there but they are hard to get close to. Now I'm working in White Plains...not much wildlife there. :cry

Regards,
Fred

kdog

Fred W wrote:

Yea, there are a lot of eagles there but they are hard to get close to.

Indeed. You've seen my eagle gallery, right? Those were all taken with a 400mm at my "secret spot". I can tell you where it is if you like. You could probably do dawn patrol there on your way to work almost any winter morning. PM me if you're interested.

Cheers,
-joel