Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg)

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

The Gitzo GM2561 Carbon Fiber monopod, because its good and not so good points tend to lie in extremes, does not lend itself well to one line reviews, which this isn't. The Gitzo has all the Gitzo technology as strives to be the smallest and lightest upper echelon monopod you can get, and it gets there. With a closed length that defines short (a spit over 14") and a diet conscious physique (like 12 ounces), the GM2561 sits alone in the prince's chair. This is the kind of monopod you will take with you, maybe even to the bathroom, ending your debate about whether to leave with your monopod, or not. In this context, the 2561 is peerless. I capped the monopod off with a Manfrotto Micro Ball head.

But in order to achieve the above, the GM2561 gives up some things, a recognition that Newton's physics cannot be denied even by Gitzo, who some consider the best monopod manufacturer around. The last section of the monopod is rather thin and it can flex a bit, or at least it seems to. In anything more than a light breeze, this monopod will not fill you with confidence about its stability or vibration management. Whereas its capacity is about 10 pounds, you don't want to really come close to that size of a load. Think micro 4/3 or Nikon 1 (I've got a V1) cameras and you will have a mighty good match.

Whereas the collapsed length is wonderful, the extended length is only 56 inches, which is on the short side for a lot of folks. That is, what you really want is a monopod that allows you to frame your photo through the camera without having to crouch down or you accept the low back pain and fatigue that such recurrent positioning encourages. You will not get away with a lot of crouching largely because your body needed another 1.5 million years of animal development before it became anointed with an intelligent brain. We got too smart too early.

The monopod sets up the way you'd expect of a Gitzo and the G joints are pretty stiff when they are behaving normally. As it turned out, the second joint from the bottom on my monopod wobbled and when I called Gitzo, the technician suggested I return it for a replacement. If he sent me the replacement parts, which seemed easy to install, he informed me that the Gitzo warranty would have been voided.
Incidentally, my favorite monopod challenge test is to fully extend the monopod and grab the top section with one or both hands, pushing down forcefully, looking for creep. If not a smidge of shrinkage occurs, I grab the center of the monopod with my right hand and do a push-pull routine to provoke wobble. You cannot believe how many monopods fail this test, carbon fiber models included, regardless of brand. What you are looking for is best described as rigid.

With B&H Photo, exchanging defective products is a no brainer and relatively effortless; they really are very sensitive to customer satisfaction and I applaud their dedication to it. As it turned out, they screwed up the return after I painstakingly explained what needed to be done and then sent along a detailed note, too. I regard the defect in the product and the botched return simply as concrete evidence that human beings are functioning somewhere in the chain…and stuff happens. I am OK with this and it doesn't deter me a bit from B&H or Gitzo. It shouldn't deter you, either.
Best regards, Dr. Mike

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

I was looking for a light weight solution to improve stability while vacationing, the lighter the better.

Overall, I was less than impressed with this monopod. It is very light, but when locked the joints retain significant slop reducing the overall stability regardless of how tight the locking mechanism was tightened. Lightly flexing the monopod would help the joint instability, but introduced instability due to the flex. The smallest section on the monopod is very thin, pinky thin, and flexed significantly under the minor side loading required to remove the joint instability.

I purchased the Sirui P-326 to compair another light weight monopod (<1 lb). For an additional 2 ounces the Sirui monopod was very stable and only showed minor slop in the locked leg sections. The last leg section is much larger and shows minimal flex from a light side load.

I was not satisfied with the joint instability and flex in the lowest leg from the Gitzo monopod. For reference I am using a D700 and nothing heavier than a 24-70 f2.8 lens when on travel; overall the setup is about 5 lbs. Even without joint instability I would not have kept this monopod, I just couldn't see it helping beyond other techniques used to reduce camera shake.

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

Extremely light and small. Exactly what I was looking for. Perfect for using with camcorder and my Nikon D200. It is sturdy and very light. I would not use it with very heavy lenses, but if you need something for your travel that will support light to medium weight equipment it is what you would want. Gitzo quality says it all - there is nothing better in that regard out there.

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

I was looking for a mono-pod that would be the perfect travel partner to add to my gear. This is Gitzo is just perfect. It packs nicely, weighs next to nothing and handles my Really Right Stuff ball head with ease. If you a re looking for a travel mono-pod this USA good add to your gear. If you are looking for a mono-pod that can handle a decent ball head and some hefty glass you may want to beef it up a bitin terms of maximum weight it can handle

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

I took this monopod on a trip to Alaska and it worked very. The height is perfect and it weighs so little you hardly know you have it. I used it with a Canon 50D and Canon 70 -200 L lense and it was steady even with all that weight on it.

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

Excellent. Check the specs and if it's long enough for you, buy it. It is so light that I actually take it with me more than I would have if it were large and heavy. Recommended.

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

This product works great for those who need to carry a monopod but don't want to add a lot of extra weight and bulkiness to their backpack. I use this device with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens. The total weight of my system is just over 5 lbs and the rating for this monopod is 9.9 lbs. With that said and my need to travel lightly, this monopod works well. It has some shakiness that makes it a bit tough to get used to. If you are used to much bigger monopods that are stable then this unit might not be for you unless you want to compromise by being light weight and small.

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

I needed a light, portable, strong and easy to use monopod to take with me when I travel. I have a tremor and sometimes find it difficult to use the camera in low light, slow shutter speeds etc. This monopod was great! I wondered at first, it being so light, but I was pleasantly surprised with all my results. I took photos at night in NYC, from the top of the Kennedy Center in DC and a lot of the Santa Monica Pier after dark, practising with the lights of the Ferris Wheel. I then found the touching scene of all the little crosses and flags standing in the sand on the beach below for Memorial Day. Great results. Without this monopod I would not have been able to bring back such good, memorable photos of my recent trip. I love it.

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

Smaller and lighter than my previous manfrotto, and just as stable!

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

I Love this monopod, it is so compact just 14" long,yet quite sturdy. I also ordered a 496RC2 Compact Ball Head with 200PL-14 QR Plate by Manfrotto mounted atop of it and this combo is still only 17" in a folded state,and fits into the included gitzo bag without any problems. Being so lite I just carry it on by belt with its included belt loop/handstrap ready for quick setup. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a extremely light but great quality monopod. Yes it is expensive, but once you try it you will agree that it is really well worth the higher price you have to lay out only once.

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

I like to travel light.
I'm willing to compromise a little on equipment so I'm not lugging a big bag of heavy photographic gear everywhere I travel.
This Gitzo monopod fits well with this 'travel light' concept which means I carry it with me instead of leaving it behind.
I use it in combination with a well-travelled and equally well finished leica table-top tripod - the ball & socket head component is useful on top of this monopod when conbined with a small slr or rangefinder camera outfit and also provides 130mm (or 5 inches) of additional height to the fully extended monopod. For example it puts the centre of my Nikon D40 viewfinder 1610mm (or 5' 3 1/2") above ground so I'm not stooping to take a shot.
If you keep within the recommended weight loading limits of this monopod it provides a great platform for visibly sharper photographs.

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

Since I do quite a lot of filming with my Canon 5DII, I need a lightweight, compact and strong monopod

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

I use this monopod while hiking and just about everywhere. It is so easy to carry and portable that it goes with me and my camera always. I use it with a large DSLR and medium sized zoom lens. It gives steady shots and definately improves picture quality. Due to its small size, I use it where I didn't use my larger one.

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

Considered for travel and walking around NYC but it is not sturdy enough to support a mid-weight SLR camera without a motor drive but with a 35--105 zoom at shutter speeds below 1/125. Unable to try it with the camera-lens combination at the store because the device used to attach the monopod to the display was glued to the monopod.

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

To start with I think Gitzo units are the best. That said, this monopod is very compact and the operation of the legs is very smooth. However it is a bit flimsy if you try and load it to the max capacity. Overall it is a quality unit, and it worked well for what I bought it for which was a more compact monopod to be able to get it in my camera bag for places that they wont let you carry a monpod into such as pro baseball games and Nascar events. The bottom line is, it's ok for a compact and lightweight alternative, but when I can I will use my other more heavily built monopod.

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

I've owned this monopod for four months and used it daily on a two month european holiday. It went everywhere with me because of its short closed size. Because of its small size I never thought "Do I really want to carry this today?"

This Traveler does have some flex when you lean some weight on it but when shooting properly, the proof comes out in the photos, very sharp. It's quick to open, quick to close, easy to adjust, the clamps don't require you to turn and turn. In a day I might extend and close this monopod fifteen, twenty times, because I'm walking and shooting in cities and the process takes seconds plus the joint mechanisms show no signs of loosening or wearing out.

The only issue for me with this monopod is the extended length, I wish it had two more inches. I'm 6'1" and with my ballhead attached, I still bend down quite a bit to shoot at the fully extended length.

I compared it to a non-gitzo carbon fiber mono that closed to 21" and the Gitzo GM6651T monopod. I'm glad I went with this Traveler, its closed length and its build make it a superb monopod that is easy to tote around. I think I'll be shooting with this product for years, it's so well constructed.

If I had been shooting more nature photography at longer focal lengths with heavier gear, like a 400mm lens, I would have chosen the Gitzo GM6651T.

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

Very stable and light.

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

I use this monopod with my 35mm & medium format cameras.
It light & gitzo is the best why buy anything else!!!

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

I have owned 2 other monopods and this Gitzo GM 2561 "T" is the BEST. The strength and durability provided by this monopod is worth the BIG money spent on this monopod.

This will be the "LAST" monopod that I will ever own. I really like the locking mechanism for each of the carbon fiber sections.

Comments about Gitzo GM2561T Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Monopod - Supports 9.9 lb (4.5 kg):

I bought the Gitzo carbon-fibre monopod for travel and to be used specifically with my Leica M8. It is small, light, and easy to use and fits easily into small travel bags. I was recently in England on a ten day vacation and took this monopod everywhere with me—on every walk and it helped to create sharper images (which was the whole point of the purchase!) It is a little expensive maybe, but I think it is worth every cent and I’m now considering buying a Gitzo carbon-fibre tripod for travel as well. If you are reading this you already know you want to buy it—so just go for it, you will not regret!