Blog: Giottos Tripod Review

Summary: Rubbish, buy Manfrotto instead.

Ok, i have not taken any images to go along with this “review” yet, but here is my opinion on the Giottos MTL3261B Vertical Column Aluminium Tripod.

First impressions of this tripod were very positive. Its finish is nice, with a professional look, the foam padding on the legs is comfortable and well secured. The Legs have a wide level of adjust ability, allowing you to get shots from extremely low angles and the leg locks seem sturdy and easy to open and close, even with gloves on. Set up time for this tripod is very quick. All this makes the Giottos seem like excellent value for money. You even get a little pouch with a set of Allen keys to keep the legs tight – how thoughtful.

However, here lies the problem. You will need to use that set of Allen keys and you will need to use them often.
The leg locks, whilst easy to use do not stay tight. The plastic bushings within the locking mechanism rub and eventually become loose. Time to get that Allen key out and tighten the bolts. This is fine – until you get to the situation i am now in, where there is no more thread on the adjustment bolt. One of the legs is now permanently loose and the others are not much better. I have relegated my MTL3261B to light-stand duties as i will no longer trust any of my camera gear on it.

The finish that looked so nice when the legs came out of the box does not last either. The glossy parts around the neck of the unit are still beautiful, but the Matt finish legs are rubbed and the aluminium is clearly visible through the thin paint.

I have owned these legs for just over a year – I inquired about a warranty replacement after 3 months with Warehouse Express, but was instructed that i would have to pay to return them for inspection and that postage would not be refundable. Postage would have been approx £15 due to the weight so i didn’t bother – its now a lightstand as i said.

If you REALLY cant afford the equivalent Manfrotto model (190XPRO) then by all means purchase the Giottos – I hope that my experience was down to a faulty model. But never has the saying “buy cheap, buy twice” been so pertinent as it has been with the Giottos MTL3261B.
If a Giottos employee reads this – I would gladly test a loan model and update this review with my findings.

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment and i will help if i can.

Coming Soon: Giottos MH1302 Tripod Head Review.
*spoiler – its not good!*