I'm trying out another tripod this year. Read about it at Dondo Outdoors.

Great find Dondo, I'll be getting one. Thanks.

How was your experience compared to the zipshot for stability? I have that and it was a bit to wobbly for my SLR with zoom.

Why do you carry the pouch for it?

What does the weight drop to when you remove the panning lever(or what ever that arm is called)?

Can you trim any more weight?

Is it really made with COPPER tubing? Copper is neither stiff nor light.

Hope you like it, vdeal. Be sure to read the comment by izzy on my blog. The Giottos seems to be well built but there are some versions of this design that are more cheaply constructed.

Hi Tjaard, I got the Giottos partly because of my frustrations with the Zipshot. The way the legs of the Zipshot attach to the head makes it way too wobbly for me to enjoy using it. The only reason I carried it on some trips was because of the light weight. The head of the Giottos holds my camera in position with no wobbling. It stays where I put it. For that reason alone, it's worth the extra 7 oz. to me. The adjustable legs are a nice bonus, especially if you hike in uneven terrain.

Since I intend to carry the Giottos in a side pocket of my pack, I'll be carrying the pouch to prevent dirt and grit from getting into the mechanisms. It weights 0.4 oz.

I was thinking of taking the lever off to lose weight before I received it, but I found that it's also how how you tighten the head so it has to stay on.

The only way I can see to lose weight it by pulling off some of the lower sections. Since 40" is as low as I want to go, I think I'll pass on that.

The legs look like aluminum to me but the company calls them copper. Here's a link.

Sounds like you might be looking for something lighter than the Giottos. Check the comment by Nielsen Brown on my blog. He uses the Velbon VPod which is 9.5 oz. Several bloggers in the UK also use it. I passed on it because it achieves it's 39" height by using a long center column which I figured would make it more subject to more vibration than the Giottos. Also, I wasn't able to find a source in the US and didn't want to pay shipping from and possibly back to the UK if it didn't work out. But it works for Roger and some of the other bloggers who use it.

Edited by Dondo on 03/16/2012 19:33:09 MDT.

Thanks for the reply and info Dondo.

It really helps to have a felow BPLer who had it in his hands talk about it. I am not 'looking' for something lighter, just 'wishing' for something lighter. And I agree with all of the reasons why you chose this one over another model, so I was just thinking if there was any way to lighten it up any more.

It sounds like you had the same thought about the pan lever. Too bad it doesn't just come off. I just got some 9" carbon stakes from Ruta Locura at $3 each they might function as a lightweight upgrade to replace the arm. Or less fancy, just cut it shorter.

Looks like a very convenient, interesting tripod option for mirrorless users. I won't be sticking my 4lb DSLR setup on one any time soon, but I appreciate your review.

Tjaar, the lever actually screws right off. It weighs .9 oz. You could save a few tenths of an ounce by cutting off the handle and some of the metal shaft, cutting more thread with a die, and adding a locking wingnut for leverage to operate the ball tightening mechanism.

Peter, I agree that 4lb would definitely be overloading this light-duty tripod. The manufacturer rates the tripod for a 1.8 lb. maximum load and I personally wouldn't want to go much heavier that that.

Dropped some weight from this tripod and made it more functional. Read how I did it at Dondo Outdoors.