Ladies and Gentlemen:

It appears that Gitzo has revamped its Systematic Tripod line.

Best Regards,

Roman

And NSN is among the first to actually have them in stock I have one sitting on my desk right now as well. They have done will with improving many aspects of the tripods:

-Built in safety lock for the top plate: NSN safety plate no longer needed
-improved casting design and more strength where the legs meet the casting
-Built in covertable rubber and spiked feet that do NOT come off when you don't want them to.
-And more...

I weight 195 pounds and literally did chin ups on the new 3542LS and it's the most stable tripod I have seen to date. It did not budge with me hanging off of it.

Find them here:

http://www.naturescapes.net/store/gitzo/

How much does the 3542ls really weigh? Gitzo is publishing different figures. Yours show two pounds heaver than the model it replaces. Can you weigh one and see which figures are really correct?

Dear Greg:

Thank you for the advisement. Also, I noticed that your store offers Gitzo's new safety plate for their Systematic Tripods that applies to the older models, like my 5541LS. I just ordered it for my 5541LS.

Best Regards,

Roman

I just weighed one - 4 pounds 6 ounces

Thanks for alerting us to Gitzo's error - seems like it across the line

The new tripods also now feature the same "ocean lock" mechanism as the ocean traveler tripod - this should really help in wet conditions and when using in the water! I think Gitzo really knocked it out of the park with this one and even RRS can't beat this feature and resulting increased rigidity of this tripod. As I said I hung myself from one (not by my neck ) and it did not even flex with 200 pounds of weight on it. Amazing.

I would love to give then a try Greg. Maybe I'll start speaking more highly and positive about them in regards of salt water. I'll se if I can get one for few months.

The 195 chin up test sounds great to me. I may consider selling my 5541LS and going with the new 3532LS to save a little weight, plus for better protection from salt water. Thanks Greg.

Hey Greg I was looking at the GT3542XLS but the table on the store site does not have the specifications for load weight. Wife picked up the RRS TVC-33 Versa Series 3 tripod and I’m impressed. Has got me thinking to sell the GT3541XLS I bought from you and get the RRS TVC-34L. But I like the 10 extra inches in height on the XLS.

Does the Gitzo’s compare in load weight capabilities (50 lbs) and how the center leveling base locks in with set-screws like the RRS?

They have not published load weights as far as I can tell and I have no idea why - I will say this; in my independent testing apples to apples comparison the new pods have a greatly increased load capacity - the fact that I can hang on the thing and not flex it floored me quite frankly. 50 pounds would be no problem.

The top plate locks with a groove and a spring loaded catch which deactivates with the push of a button of you want to remove it. Slightly sexier than set screws and less weakening to the casting than drilling through it to install set screws and put tension on them etc. IMO it's a better design.

We may be offering a buy back service for fairly new or slightly used older model gitzo tripods which would be an exclusive NSN service. I'll keep you posted on that but it would be on a case by case basis and we would need to inspect each one before excepting it. You may be better off selling it used anyway.

Regarding the salt water discussion:

The new Ocean Lock should be helpful but it is still not an excuse to not clean the tripod after each use. I have repeated this many times and it's still true. If any tripod is used in salt water, particularly if water enters the leg sections, you must do some maintenance to keep it healthy - this can sometimes mean taking the legs apart and cleaning them which is really not as bad as it sounds. That goes for Gitzo, Induro, etc. With the possible exception of the Ocean Traveler model.

I WILL be upgrading my tripod maintenance article with an extra surprise - stay tuned for that!

Gitzo even stepped up and included spare guide bushings or, as they call them now, "shims" with the new tripods.

Looks like they didn't miss a detail this time around!

Look for my used 3530LS in the classifieds soon... I'm going with a 4 section this time around simply because I'm so impressed with the strength that I have no concern about the extra section and it's nice and compact!

And brand new ones? I received my 3531LS from NSN just 2 weeks ago and haven't even had a chance to use it yet. I guess i'm a little disapponted that the new models have come out without warning so soon after my purchase.

I'm trying to rationalize it by telling myself that the new ones don't offer enough to offset the $200 price difference on my 3531LS. I'm not sure if it's working so far

Greg - Could you point me in the direction of your tripod maintenance article?

Thanks

Ron

Hey Ron:

You are welcome to return it and trade up without penalty We'll even pay to ship it back to us....

We did not have much notice believe me - it's partly why you don't see them at ANY other US retailers yet. We work fast around here We'll be expanding our offerings to every tripod in the new line but started with the top 3 models for now.

Here is the guide, which does not apply to the model you purchased btw (I wrote it 7.5 years ago) ....it was written for the previous model. The update will cover both.

http://www.naturescapes.net/docs/index.php/category-equipment-reviews/34-equipment-reviews/300-gitzo-tripod-maintenance-guide

Greg, I'm still in the stone age with tripods. I've been using 1548's since they came out, and haven't at all been following what Gitzo has been doing in recent years since they still work perfectly well, It's about time I upgrade to something lighter and more convenient. How does the Gitzo GT3542XLS compare to it? Would this now be the "standard" tripod for 600 and 800mm lenses?

The XLS is miles taller than your 1548 - something like 20 inches? It's miles lighter too and likely as stable due to the leg locks. A closer match would be the 3542LS but if you're tall or want a really tall tripod then the XLS is the way to go. Ask our mod Paul Klenk here - he loves the 3541XLS (previous model) and I think he's about 6-5 or something. Uses at least a 500 but I have used a 600 on a 3 series for years.

How does Gitzo come up with the maximum height? I just measured a 1548 and the length from the end of one fully extended leg to the top of the tripod is 68 inches. I have found this to be good for my uses over the years. I'm not tall (5"11"), but sometimes I do find it useful to fully extend one or more of the legs when working at the edge of a hill or cliff. I would miss that if I went with something shorter. The specifications say that the max, height of the 3542LS is 57.68 inches and the 3542XLS is 78.94. That puts the Gitzo 1548 right in between the 2 according to the way I measured.

As a short time user of the 3541xls I have found that I have indeed extended one leg to max to get the prospective needed. I have even stood on a large rock and will be looking for a light weight ladder to use for that top view if needed. In my opinion if yours is between sizes then go for the taller one it will give you more options.

My interpretation of your measurment method is simply measuring the length of the ONE leg, sections fully extended. Gitzo (and any other manufacturers) measure "max height" by extending all 3 legs and then measuring from the top of the base plate to the floor/ground. If its a tripod with a center column there are usually 2 max heights, ie one with and one without the center column raised. If I understand you correctly, your measurement is of the hypotenuse of a right angle triangle formed by the extended leg, a plumb line to the ground directly underneath the base plate, and the that ground point to the bottom of the leg. Recalling your pythagorean theorem (you remember that don't you?!!!), the leg is thus longer than the tripod's true height. The specs I read say that the 1548's max height is 59.06".

The max height is measured from the floor to the top of the top plate when set up and legs in the normal (first) position - this number would be quite a bit SMALLER then the length of one leg...

If you go by the post above the length of the 3542XLS is just under 20 inches taller while the LS would be about an inch and a half shorter than your 1548.

Thanks, I figured as much, especially after checking the closed length which is 22 5/8 inches on the 1548 and 22.64 inches with the 3542LS. I'll be placing an order for the 3542LS.

I have used the longest version of 3541 for years. Most of the time, I extend the 4th (thinest) leg out 3 inches to keep the leg lock out of the dirt or sand that I'm standing on and use it like a 3 section tripod. When in the mountains or other uneven ground, having the ability to extend that fourth section on one or more downhill legs really helps to bring the camera back to eye height. Even though I'm under 6 feet tall, the weight difference to me is negligable compared to having the added height when I need it.