I recently purchased a Gitzo Mountaineer tripod, the GT0541. It is a Series 0 (not really sure what that means), 4 section with ground-lock capability. The G-Lock capability has been really nice for those close-to-the-ground macro shots of flora and insects and the like. Sadly, I am using my old tripod head on it, and the thing is a solid, heavy beast that more than doubles the weight of the tripod. That makes it nearly impossible to trek around the mountains with.
I've been looking around at Gitzo heads, and I am not really sure how to decipher the model numbers. Information about Gitzo heads seems rather lacking on the internet, so hopefully someone can explain what the different Gitzo part names mean.
I've looked at the following heads, amongst others, and I am not sure of a few things:
- Gitzo GH3780QR Series 3 Magnesium Center Ball Head QR
- Gitzo GH2781TQR Series 2 Traveler Ball Head QR
- Gitzo GH1781QR Series 1 Ball Head QR
For one, what exactly do the Gitzo Series mean? They seem to have Series 0 - 4 for their products. I am not sure if the series simply indicate progressive lines of their products, or if they indicate different levels of quality/capability/manufacturing processes? I'm also curious what the difference in their major product lines are. They have the Magnesium Center ball heads and the Traveler ball heads, but they look and pretty feel the same as far as I can tell. The Series 1 looks a bit different in terms of colors, but otherwise also seems to have the same general design and functionality. I'm not entirely sure why the Magnesium heads warrant almost twice the price tag in most cases over other Gitzo head styles. Insight is greatly appreciated.
