By Giottos

The MTL9351B aluminium tripod legs offer great stability as well as being extremely portable, featuring robust and durable aluminium construction, quick action lever leg locks and foam hand grips. The tripods versatility is further enhanced by the addition of the 3-D centre column function which allows you to remove the centre column from its vertical position, rotate it through a 180 degree angle and lock where required. This combined with the variable leg angle settings makes this tripod ideal for low level photography.­ The MH5011 3-Way head is new to the Giotto's range, it is made from cast aluminium and features easy to use pan + tilt handles, a quick release system with secondary safety catch and spirit levels to ensure accurate camera set up. This kit will support a maximum weight of 4kg making it ideal for a wide range of cameras.
Aah ... What a Feeling !!! (When you are really in Love), 2010-06-13
I had a tripod (Cobra - eclipse 25) for quite a few years now (Cheap & Cheerful from a charity shop) and wanted to upgrade due to wear & tear, it took me a while to review the well known branded tripods in the market, Manfrotto's cost was a major factor, so I settled for Giottos, felt it a was better value for money with all pro flexibilities.

The tripod is well constructed and covers all my point in the list to expect from any other expensive brand. The spirit level(s) is an extremely good feature, the three way head allows to shoot pictures from many different angles, adjustable column and legs allows to go down safely without compromising pan-tilt funtion. Solid built, and feels well balanced without being very heavy. Fast to set up and position, the center column is quite sturdy even in bended position.

Absolutely fantastic tripod, would recommend this product to all my friends or anybody bieng a serious about photography and newbies too!!

PS: I bought it from Jessops due to situational convinience ... but Amazon does provide quite a Reasonable & Competitive Prices too, I would have saved some money if I was not travelling this time.

By Giottos

Ein effektives Instrument, um Staub von der Kameraausrüstung zu entfernen.
Essential for your camera bag., 2010-06-17
Essential to help get rid of dust from camera and equipment. Well worth the price:-)
I had dust stuck to the mirror inside the camera, which had been there for months without coming off! Just a few goes with this and no more dust! Awesome. Well worth it.

By Giottos

• Folded Height 54cm
• Max Height 167cm
• Weight 0.7kg
• Weight Capacity 12kg
• Leg Sections 4

Rock Solid Monopod, 2010-06-09
I shopped around for ages before deciding on this monopod and I'm glad I did. Extended it's easily tall enough for any normal task, and nicely compact when it's being carried strapped to a rucksack. It's light, but man is it solid and reassuring in use. The levers lock securely, and it's the right price. I've had Manfrotto stuff before, but this was by far the better option in every way. I know I'm picky, but I'd recommend this Monopod 101%.

By Giottos

Giottos Vitruvian VGR8255 - Some good points, but..., 2010-05-10
I bought this tripod to replace my old Benbow for photography in the mountains, on the basis that it was very lightweight, but, according to the advertising, offered a full and flexible range of leg angles and lengths. I was unable to find any high street shop with one to look at, so had to buy via mail order if I wanted it, meaning no chance to try it out pre-purchase. It is certainly very light and easy to carry, so top marks there. However, there are only a very limited number of "click" positions for the legs, not including vertical or higher, which makes it pretty hopeless for stable use on a mountainside. As this is a major area of my photogaphy (and the one for which I really wanted to reduce the weight I carry) this tripod fails heavily on functionality. In addition, the ball head does not clamp in position as firmly as would be desirable without very considerably effort, which is pretty tough on the fingers. So, overall, a nice idea, but of limited practical use for photogaphers on the move who want real flexibilty in their tripod.Giottos Vitruvian VGR8255+MH5310-630 Carbon Fibre Tripod with Ball and Socket Head

By Giottos

• AA1252: Tripod Bag for MTL9251B, MTL9351B, MTL8351B
• Internal size: 70 x 11 x 18cm (L x D x W)
• Size: 19 x 79cm (diameter x length)

Giottos Tripod Bag For MTL 9351B, 2010-05-12

This is a really good quality item, My Giottos MTL9351B tripod and MH5011 head fit comfortably in the bag with room to spare.

My only negative point would be lack of padding on the shoulder strap, however I thoroughly recommend this bag.

By Giottos

• Minimum Height: 39cm. Maximum Height without Centre Column : 136cm. Maximum Height with Centre Column: 157cm.
• Folded Height : 40cm
• Weight : 1.5kg
• Maximum Weight Capacity : 4kg. Number of Leg Sections : 5

Quite a Good Tripod, 2010-06-08
This must be one of the most advertised Tripods in history so I'm surprised I'm the first person on Amazon to write a review on it. Just a word about me. I'm no expert. I'm just an amateur photographer. I already owned a tripod it was a cheap "Star" tripod and it served me well for a good few years but the thread wore out on it.
What drew me to the Vitruvian was the fact that it could be a tripod or a monopod.
So is it any good?
Well
a) Its very light and compact. I bought the aluminium version, I couldn't justify to myself the extra cost of the Carbon Fibre but I was tempted. It really does fold up into a neat shape.
b) It looks good. The padding makes it look very solid and it looks very good folder up
c) I don't know if something was missing out of my box but there were little or no instructions with it ( a small card was attached to it).
d) It comes with a very nice bag which it fits exactly
e) The 1/18 twist works very well for opening out the legs. However if you keep turning it looks as if you can easily dismantle the whole thing. Once you realise this its not a problem
f) Not too hard to turn it into a monopod. You just have to make sure you don't lose the bottom bit of the centre pod
g) The bottom legs look quite thin when fully extended. Its fairly stable though
h) The head is better than nothing but isn't anything special. Its either loose or tight in terms of being able to move. There isn't much in between. The removable plate has a sort of pin next to the screw that is pressed down when you screw on the camera. I found this bit annoying. I took it off by unscrewing it. My Sigma 150-500mm has a mount that has grooves and this pin got stuck in it. The quick release plate isn't that easy to take on or off. It has a safety feature which is a good idea but its a bit fiddly taking on and off. Especially putting it back on.
i) The legs folding back on themselves is good

Overall, so far very happy with it. I might replace the head at some stage for something more advance. I found it difficult to get the head level (using the level bubbles on the head). I love the way it folds up into a compact size and the bag that comes with it. Its not cheap but it is good and for me looks good in an engineering type of way. It has good design.

By Giottos

Professional tripod bag designed to carry all sizes of the professional tripods (with head). It is made of durable polyamide nylon with coating Inner bag for storing short center column & shoulder strap of tripod.
Quality item, 2010-06-07
If you have invested in a high quality tripod, it makes sense to carry it in a suitable bag. The Giottos bag ticks all the boxes. It is made from sturdy material that will stand a lot of wear, it looks great and protects the tripod from all that you could throw at it.

By Giottos

• Base diam: 50mm
• Height: 110mm
• Weight: 490g
• Max Load: 10kg
• 5 years warranty

Very impressive tripod head, 2010-04-26
I bought this head as an alternative to Pan and Tilt heads which I struggle to travel with and store in my tripod bag.
Its build quality is out of this world. Its very solid and is solid when used in portrait format too.
It moves easily and can be controlled easily too. The adjustment dials all work very well and do a great job.
My only quibble is the spirit levels as they are very difficult to balance and actually don't seem to be accurate at all. I find my hotshoe spirit level to give a completely different reading.

All in all this tripod head is a brilliant accessory for travel as its compact but it will do a brilliant job for every day photography too.

Its a joy to use.

By Giottos

Use of a monopod is highly recommended for photographers seeking value for money and versatility. Monopods are specially designed for photographers on the move, for all styles of photography such as fashion or sports. With a monopod you can support heavy still and video cameras, make instant changes to angle and position in restricted spaces and capture that perfect moment first time. For use in mud or snow, the specially designed rubber foot accessory gives full support by spreading the load. Made primarily from aluminum alloy, the all-metal construction gives a feeling of solidity and confidence. Its surfaces are carefully polished twice, so its sections lock firmly and can be released quickly. Finally, the monopod is anodized to preserve the sheen of the original aluminum, or a pure black finish. It reflects the photographer's individuality; it catches the eye, and reflects its own special style
Solid performer, 2010-05-11
Good solid monopod, i bought this version because i am 6ft 6" tall and this monopod is plenty long enough, it could do with a rubber pad on the top to prevent marking your camera if used without a ball head but most people will put a ball head on it, quality is worth paying an extra quid or two for!

By Giottos

Giotto's new ball head series features light and extra large ball with ball hollowed structure.The slim and light body structure with hardness strengthened. We designed a series of camera mount with sliding plate to fit these socket bases all of these plate features safety lock with "auto lock" retaining system and the flanged edges to prevent camera slippage when shooting vertically and is reversible when not needed. Retaining the rapid camera positioning associated with the Series I ball heads the Series II range incorporates additional features to ensure that camera positioning can be made with even more precision. In addition to the ball locking lever an additional control allows you to adjust the friction on the ball whilst unlocked meaning that you can set the friction to suit the weight of your camera and lens combination. With friction applied to the ball you have far greater control over the speed with which the ball will move and ultimately allow more precise positioning. Other features include an additional pan lock control an extra large weight saving hollowed ball to ensure stability whilst retaining excellent maximum weight capacities.
Forget pan and tilt, 2010-06-07
All my previous tripods came with pan and tilt heads. Most of the Giottos tripods come just as a set of legs so you can choose exactly which type of head suits your purpose. I was guided by reviews which said that the ball and socket heads are faster to work with and they are right.

One screw allows you to adjust the head which ever way you want. There is even a friction control which allows you to slow down the movement and a further screw which allows you to pan once the head is set up.

Thoughtfully there are spirit levels to cover levelling in all three planes. This is the downside though, it does take some fiddling to get the head level in all three planes at the same time. This is the only area where a pan and tilt head scores.