Gitzo G-1410.130B3 All Terrain Shoes - for Series 4 & 5 Tripods

Comments about Gitzo G1410.130B3 All Terrain Shoes:

My review not only addresses the G1410.130B3's, but also touches on the other two models of shoes offered by Gitzo for use with their tripods: the similar but smaller G1220.130B3's; and the huge G1586 shoes. I was searching for accessory feet for my Gitzo 3541LS to use both on snow and at water's edge where the standard feet tend to sink in.

The G1586 shoes are easily the biggest and are designed for Gitzo's smaller legs with push on rubber feet (i.e., that don't accept threaded accessory feet). I read several reviews suggesting that they would also work with 3 Series legs but I chose not to try them after reading that they can come loose at lower angles and offer so much additional floatation that they can slide around on sand and snow. The only thing less appealing than a tripod that won't stay in one place is the thought of chasing a loose tripod shoe into the surf.

The G1220.130B3's are the shoes designed for the 2/3 Series tripods however they fit the 4/5 Series tripods too. Since they screw into the bottom of compatible legs, there is no issue with them coming loose. However, with a diameter of 2.375" inches, it is fair to wonder how much floatation they would actually provide on powdery snow. (I don't doubt they would be helpful on sand.)

The G1410.130B3's are the shoes designed for the 4/5 Series tripods however they fit 2/3 Series as well. Basically a larger version of the G1220, they are 3.125" in diameter and are just slightly taller and heavier. The .75" difference in diameter may not sound like much but it results in 58% more surface area on the ground. But, since they are designed for the 4/5 Series, are they too bulky for my 3541LS? In a word, no. The larger G1410's prevented the lowest twist locks from touching each other when my 3541LS was folded up—but just barely. The diameter of the fully collapsed 3541LS was about the same at the bottom as it was at the top with the G1410's attached and folded outward. It still fit in my tapered Manfrotto tripod case perfectly.

There was another, surprising difference between the G1220's and G1410's: the G1220's were very, very stiff. Adjusting them required using both hands and applying some force. They didn't adjust to the pitch of the ground automatically. The G1410's were just the opposite. They adjusted effortlessly—with a finger tip if gravity didn't do the trick by itself. It would be tempting to assume this is a random variation between production runs of the different shoes except for the fact that I've read other people make the same comment about the G1220's. This, along with the extra floatation afforded by the G1410's, was enough to sway me in their favor. However, the smaller G1220's might be the better choice for someone else—even for a 4/5 Series tripod.

My final observation about these feet concerns their weight. At around a pound, weight doesn't seem like it would be much of a factor. Yet I found the extra weight to be very noticable. This makes sense when I think about how light my 3541LS is by itself, and how much work I put into finding a high quality lightweight ball head to keep it that way. Put another way, these feet weigh about as much as my Acratech GV2 ball head so attaching them is like attaching a second ball head. This only matters to me when I'm lugging my tripod over long distances; when I do, I will be removing these feet and replacing them with the originals. Otherwise, they are a useful accessory which I highly recommend.