MN13

"don't understand why few people don't say cameras like the Nikon D6 or Canon 1Dx-3 are over priced yet call a product like this overpriced"

Agree.
Furthermore, camera bodies are normally...

"much better material"

@Astro Landscapes

What I meant to say is that a person who buys an expensive tripod may take more care with handling & maintenance than someone who buys an inexpensive model, and that this may...

@RED "iMeh fear mongering."

Another factor might be that a buyer/user of an expensive tripod bought it after some careful consideration; likely seeing it as a long term investment, and therefore,...

IMO, the Traveler tripod/head kit GK1555T-82TQD would be the appropriate Gitzo model to compare with RRS Ascend-14 and Peak Design Travel Tripod (CF).

GK1555T-82TQD (according to Gitzo's webpage):...

@BillyBobSenna "have never seen photos from 2 different tripods where you can see a difference"

"A better, stiffer tripod simply allows the user to obtain sharp images in a wider range of...

@MrBrightSide
You raised some very good points.
Would add availability of repair & part service now and in the future.
Will send Studio1Ltd, the official Gitzo repair & service center, my...

"Thank goodness they ranked the tripods based on the "harmonic mean of the stiffness measured at full height in the pitch and yaw directions.""

And divided through the weight!

At least an attempt...

@BillyBobSenna "Right or wrong, RRS has a reputation of being the very best."

On The Center Column's ranking of "General Tripods", https://bit.ly/3be2wPA, four out the five tripods leading the...

"It takes another level of stupid to pay that much for a tripod"

Will be a much better value-proposition once discounted to fall in line with other RRS tripods.

"The first thing you want to really consider the the height of the tripod without the need to raise the center column to maintain center of gravity."

Good advice. I assume, you meant eye-level...

Very true. Also issues and considerations I haven't thought about.

@ Astro Landscapes

Thank you for your recommendations. I did buy a SLIK Pro CF-833 but returned it because it didn't offer any improvement over what I already had.

Also my current thinking is,...

"Salt water and sand"

Been there, done that.

My hard-learned advice, after salt water immersion:
- if possible, don't collapse,
- dissemble leg segments,
- clean each part in fresh water, and
-...

"I’m not sure why their products haven’t gotten more attention over the years."

Have the "Punks Brian" from 3LT. Great tripod if needed to help with composing but not so much if for keeping the...

"Ultimate travel tripod". I think this is not a helpful category at all. What sort of travel?"

The article should have been more specific what is meant with "travel".

Say, airline travel (need to...

"A center column is always a trade off"

Depends I would say.

Not much of a tradeoff for a geared, self-locking center column on a studio tripod which never leaves the photo studio. Some heft is...

The RRS TFC-14 Mark 2, if available "long," with the BH-30 LR might have come close.

Good point!

Monopods are often also a good compromise.