When both my Manfrotto and Benbo tripods became unusable because both became casualties by having one of their legs broken or snapped I was in the market for a new tripod.  I have always wanted to own a Gitzo ever since my interest in photography became a passion, so now seemed as good a time as ever to purchase one.  

After a little research I decided to go for the GT3540LS, this was the replacement for the highly acclaimed G1348, a tripod I have heard and read only good things about.  After my decision was made I had to wait almost two months for my order to be fulfilled and dispatched, I took this as a good sign as the tripod must be a popular choice.

When it arrived I was not disappointed. The four section tripod features Gitzo's Carbon 6X tubing which makes the tripod more lightweight and sturdier than ever before.  The tubes are made of a unique six layers structure that maximises  it's rigidity and vibration absorption performance.  The wall thickness of these tubes is just 1.3mm.

With the newly introduced Anti Leg Rotation (ALR) system the tripod is extremely quick to open and close, even in the winter with gloves on!  It just takes a quick twist of the twist locks and the legs can be speedily extended or retracted in approximately 15 seconds.  A quick tighten and the legs are locked solid.  The newly design G-Lock locking system achieves a 20% increase in rigidity, faster operation, stronger and safer locking and also provides a "gravity lock" effect, this means that the heavier the load applied vertically to the leg the stronger the lock becomes.

The tripod comes with a branded anti-dust bag for storage or packing, I use this to carry the tripod around when I not using a shoulder strap. On the flat base I have attached the excellent Really Right Stuff BH-55 ball head (review).

I truly believe that the combination of both the Gitzo GT3540LS and RRS BH-55 to be the best support for outdoor work by far.  I'm incredibly happy and impressed in it's quality.

www.gitzo.com