Tripod Recommendations: RRS / Gitzo / Leofoto / Feisol

[wpgk58]

I have been looking at these four brands for a PRS usage tripod.
I understand the RRS is the premier brand, but am trying to find something that is less expensive, and will work well.
I am looking for something that can do both optics and gun.
Thanks for any inputs you might have.

 

[NOMAD]

I HIGHLY recommend the Two Vets tripod. Its the same unit as the RSS and Crux for 1/3 the price. Its what I run and use and its flawless.

 

[just browsing]

The Leofoto, PVA, and Two Vets are all VERY comparable. As in, they look like they are made by the same manufacturer at the same time with different names stamped on them comparable.

Xiletu (alibaba) also offers the same exact tripods as the above brands... again, EXACT same models but considerably cheaper.

All of them do the job well. RRS is the lightest of the bunch but if weight is of no consideration, save your money.

 

[Covertnoob5]

I saw more tripods fail this past weekend at the gunwerks match than ever before. Ask most people how their tripod held up that weren’t running an RRS. Guys taking theirs apart mid stage, huge cluster fuck.
There’s a lot of good tripods that’s work great in good conditions. Shoot in something like this past weekend and you’ll start to see the difference between RRS and the feast.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

If you can afford RRS, then RRS is the answer.

 

[m1match]

I have been running a Feisol 3472 with RRS Anvil 30 head and a RRS TFCT-34 Mk 2 with Anvil 30 head.

I think the Feisol is a very good value however, it is not up to the RRS when it comes to leg lock durability. The anti-rotation pieces inside the leg extensions are all made out of plastic and they've worn in one season of use in my tripod so that one leg section would rotate past the anti-rotation limit. This happened frequently when I was trying to move fast, like in a PRS stage. Once that happened I had to completely dissasemble the offending leg section and put about 8 plastic pieces back in their proper places before reassembling the leg section.

My RRS has been completely trouble free, so yes it costs a lot more, BUT, it's light, very durable, trouble free, and I'm supporting a US company making it's product here in the US.

 

[Bigrob]

I went with the leofoto 364-c with a rrs anvi 30 ball head. Sub moa at 600 yards and I cannot be happier

 

[spearknives]

My vote goes towards Vanguard as well. Picked up an Alta Pro 263AT with Induro SA23 ballhead for about $100 (EX+) from Keh or B&H about two years ago. Love it!

 

[Nik H]

I'm not rich enough to buy cheap equipment...

Save for the RRS if you really are going to use it. You won't be sorry. Here is a link that was done by another member...lots of awesome information.

Tripod Thread

 

[NOMAD]

The two Vets is equal in EVERY way to RRS or any of the others. Even if it wasn't, per others opinions, and a tactical nuke took out the Two Vets tripod I could buy another and still have a few hundred dollars left over in my pocket.

I am here to tell you your severely over paying on a RRS. Thats money that can be spent on many other things you probably need or want.

 

[canezach]

I started with the Manfrotto tripod/ballhead/Hog Saddle combo years ago that I'm sure most of us started with before the introduction of better, more expensive, more stable tripods and leveling bases. My next tripod was the Feisol 3372 and 3342 with a RRS TAU-LC leveling base. I then bought the PVA Comp 40, which is identical to the Two Vets 40 Mike Mike. I've probably shot a few thousand rounds from my tripod and the biggest step up in terms of stability was from the Manfrotto to the Feisol. The stability increase from my Feisol to the Comp 40 was negligible. I don't think you'll have any issues if you used a Feisol or the Comp 40/40 Mike Mike

 

[NoLegs24]

The two Vets is equal in EVERY way to RRS or any of the others. Even if it wasn't, per others opinions, and a tactical nuke took out the Two Vets tripod I could buy another and still have a few hundred dollars left over in my pocket.

I am here to tell you your severely over paying on a RRS. Thats money that can be spent on many other things you probably need or want.

^^^^ This just makes me want to buy a 4th RRS setup...

 

[kthomas]

Call up Mike at RRS and see if he can hook you up with a deal - perhaps they have a demo set floating around they can sell you at a discount.

 

[kthomas]

The two Vets is equal in EVERY way to RRS or any of the others. Even if it wasn't, per others opinions, and a tactical nuke took out the Two Vets tripod I could buy another and still have a few hundred dollars left over in my pocket.

I am here to tell you your severely over paying on a RRS. Thats money that can be spent on many other things you probably need or want.

Generally you get what you pay for. That moniker is true in most industries except maybe electronics (where markups are high - like apple at 300%).

I'm always leery of a product that is supposedly identical in performance but at a huge cost savings. That cost savings came from somewhere, and if the product it's competing against doesn't have a huge markup/profit margin, then it's coming from cost cuttings from the manufacturing, CS and/or QA/QC.

While a tripod with the exact performance and quality of an RRS sounds amazing, I love my RRS and they are pricey units, I just don't see how it's possible without a compromise in the quality of the product and service attached to it.

If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

 

[Covertnoob5]

The two Vets is equal in EVERY way to RRS or any of the others.

I am here to tell you your severely over paying on a RRS.

Lol tell that to all the guys unfucking their leofoto, two vets, fiesol, etc on the clock at the monster lake match. Literally having to remove legs. Most tripods work well in good weather. Go get the legs muddy, or in heavy rain, and you’ll see the difference.

 

[dgheriani]

Lol tell that to all the guys unfucking their leofoto, two vets, fiesol, etc on the clock at the monster lake match. Literally having to remove legs. Most tripods work well in good weather. Go get the legs muddy, or in heavy rain, and you’ll see the difference.

^This. I've been running a Leofoto 404C (with an Anvil-30) since just before the SHC this year. Had zero problems until day 1 of the Gunwerks match. I'm practiced at deploying my tripod under time but lost tons of time and points as one leg seized and another came flying out entirely. I ended up using a buddy of mine's tripod that I wasn't familiar with but that at least worked. This wasn't even in really rough conditions, no mud or anything, just being out in the rain. I had to tear the whole thing apart that night, fish out the stopper for the leg that came out, put it back on the leg and then clean all the leg sections and lube them with silicone lube. Got it running fine again but what a disappointment. I'll be flogging it off and buying a RRS when funds allow. Wouldn't recommend the Leofoto for rough use after that. You get what you pay for.

 

[jsimonh]

I've had 2 Gitzos and they are great. Keep your eye on ebay and you can score a 5 or 6 year old 6x carbon Gitzo for 400-500. I just sold my old one for 400 not that long ago. When I went down this road the RRS was king, but after a lot of research on camera forums I settled on Gitzo as the next best thing. Also, the 2 that I've had dont have a center column and can except a rrs leveling base. I'm not a fan of the center columns when it's time to put a gun on it.

 

[siscoe308]

Tag

 

[TheMammoth]

The two Vets is equal in EVERY way to RRS or any of the others. Even if it wasn't, per others opinions, and a tactical nuke took out the Two Vets tripod I could buy another and still have a few hundred dollars left over in my pocket.

I am here to tell you your severely over paying on a RRS. Thats money that can be spent on many other things you probably need or want.

No. The two vets is good, my buddy has that, I have the PVA tripod and those two really are almost identical. Even the parts look like they are interchangeable when you're holding both in your hands. These are both chinese made tripods easily sourced on AliExpress.

343.7US $ |XILETU L404C Luxury Carbon Fiber Tripod Bird Watching Without Mid Axle 40mm Large Tube for Digital Camera Video Camcorder F21236|Tripods| - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Recently having gotten an RRS with anvil... no, no they are not the same in every way.

Are they a good value? YES! I'll be keeping my PVA comp-40 for the long haul. Are they the same as an RRS? Not so much.

 

[canezach]

No. The two vets is good, my buddy has that, I have the PVA tripod and those two really are almost identical. Even the parts look like they are interchangeable when you're holding both in your hands. These are both chinese made tripods easily sourced on AliExpress.

I'm fairly certain they actually are the same tripod, just rebranded for their respective supplier, like PVA and Two Vets are selling the exact same tripod under different names. I've used the Comp 40 pretty extensively. It's a nice tripod, especially with the RRS leveling base on it. I've had no issues with mine, but I've been fortunate in that it's been in fairly mild weather at all the matches. It's been cold and it's been shot in snow, but not nasty, muddy, crappy weather.

 

[hic28]

The two Vets is equal in EVERY way to RRS or any of the others. Even if it wasn't, per others opinions, and a tactical nuke took out the Two Vets tripod I could buy another and still have a few hundred dollars left over in my pocket.

I am here to tell you your severely over paying on a RRS. Thats money that can be spent on many other things you probably need or want.

Solid comedy right here. Have you been contacted by Netflix to film a special?

 

[Nik H]

The two Vets is equal in EVERY way to RRS or any of the others. Even if it wasn't, per others opinions, and a tactical nuke took out the Two Vets tripod I could buy another and still have a few hundred dollars left over in my pocket.

I am here to tell you your severely over paying on a RRS. Thats money that can be spent on many other things you probably need or want.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[samb300]

^^^^ This just makes me want to buy a 4th RRS setup...

Go be RICH somewhere else

 

[m1match]

To be fair, I emailed Feisol with pictures and a description of the problem I was having with the worn anti rotation part and the immediately sent me a replacement part free of charge, so good customer service, but the design of my RRS means that its parts won’t wear out and need replacement

 

[Banango]

Theres a shop selling the leofoto 404c on Amazon for $545 shipped right now.

 

[bbyars]

2 vets-no name.....I have used mine for going on 2 years now and have never wanted another.

 

[m1match]

Perhaps those running RRS tripods longer than I have could address how often and how hard it was to clean their tripods after running them in dusty or muddy conditions.

My Feisol has been used in about 10-12 local matches in dry but lightly dusty conditions and my son used it once for a photo shoot on the beach. After the beach session it had sand and silt in every joint and it took me all most 2 hours to completely disassemble every joint and use dish soap to completely clean

 

[hic28]

Took me about 30 min to clean the 24L anvil 30 and it was super muddy. To be fair I started with a garden hose, pulled it apart, wiped it down, greased it up and reassembled

 

[anginaprinzmetal]

Crux Ordnance, solid tripod
On par w RRS
Just my $.02

 

[RRW]

I HIGHLY recommend the Two Vets tripod. Its the same unit as the RSS and Crux for 1/3 the price. Its what I run and use and its flawless.

That's a joke right there. As kthomas mentioned you generally get what you paid for. To say it's the same unit for 1/3 the price is laughable at best.

 

[Polaris]

^This. I've been running a Leofoto 404C (with an Anvil-30) since just before the SHC this year. Had zero problems until day 1 of the Gunwerks match. I'm practiced at deploying my tripod under time but lost tons of time and points as one leg seized and another came flying out entirely. I ended up using a buddy of mine's tripod that I wasn't familiar with but that at least worked. This wasn't even in really rough conditions, no mud or anything, just being out in the rain. I had to tear the whole thing apart that night, fish out the stopper for the leg that came out, put it back on the leg and then clean all the leg sections and lube them with silicone lube. Got it running fine again but what a disappointment. I'll be flogging it off and buying a RRS when funds allow. Wouldn't recommend the Leofoto for rough use after that. You get what you pay for.

Did you come up with any solution? I’ve had the shims break or come off inside the legs. I then have to force them off and reinstall. Perhaps buying RRR is the solution But trying to figure a way to make those shims more secure because other than that tripod works great.

 

[seansmd]

I have been running a Feisol 3472 with RRS Anvil 30 head and a RRS TFCT-34 Mk 2 with Anvil 30 head.

I think the Feisol is a very good value however, it is not up to the RRS when it comes to leg lock durability. The anti-rotation pieces inside the leg extensions are all made out of plastic and they've worn in one season of use in my tripod so that one leg section would rotate past the anti-rotation limit. This happened frequently when I was trying to move fast, like in a PRS stage. Once that happened I had to completely dissasemble the offending leg section and put about 8 plastic pieces back in their proper places before reassembling the leg section.

My RRS has been completely trouble free, so yes it costs a lot more, BUT, it's light, very durable, trouble free, and I'm supporting a US company making it's product here in the US.

I have the feisol 3372 same result, had to disassemble and rebuild one leg several times. Don't have RRS to compare.

 

[davere]

I'm always leery of a product that is supposedly identical in performance but at a huge cost savings. That cost savings came from somewhere, and if the product it's competing against doesn't have a huge markup/profit margin, then it's coming from cost cuttings from the manufacturing, CS and/or QA/QC.

In this case, that cost savings comes from a Chinese company stealing American IP, and paying Chinese wages to undercut skilled American wages with that stolen IP.

I've been using RRS stuff for over 13 years, and would've bought RRS legs if they were available when I bought my Gitzo (for photography). It's turning out that my Gitzo legs have some limitations for shooting - namely that they don't get tall enough to use the tripod for support in some scenarios, so I plan to buy a set of RRS sticks later this year. I'll happily pay the extra money for tip-top shelf product that supports American business - especially one that's so clearly pro-2A.

If RRS didn't exist, I'd obviously look elsewhere, and Feisol, et al, would be a stolen Gitzo instead of a stolen RRS. Fuck thieves. Fuck them right in the ass.

 

[mrtoyz]

I have been looking at these four brands for a PRS usage tripod.
I understand the RRS is the premier brand, but am trying to find something that is less expensive, and will work well.
I am looking for something that can do both optics and gun.
Thanks for any inputs you might have.

I applaud your effort to find something cheaper. I did as well. Can’t speak to 2 Vets but I can to most others. IMO Feisol, Vanguard, PVA, Leophoto, Amazon junk are NOT at the same level as RRS. How? Durability, stability and the Anvil head for shooting. You’d said you want to shoot and glass with your Tripod. The Anvil 30 is awesome for shooting. I’ve found it easier to use with a rifle and love the size and weight advantages it offers. However the BH25 head is better for glassing as it’s smoother.
IMO you won’t regret an RRS.
Good luck!

 

[LawnMM]

 

[deersniper]

Lol tell that to all the guys unfucking their leofoto, two vets, fiesol, etc on the clock at the monster lake match. Literally having to remove legs. Most tripods work well in good weather. Go get the legs muddy, or in heavy rain, and you’ll see the difference.

In regards to mud. What do guys do with RRS? Keep a rag handy and wipe the legs off as they retract them? Someone said mud/dirt would wear out the legs and gum up the locks

 

[LawnMM]

You can take the legs and collars apart and clean/regrease at the hotel or when you get home.

 

[dgheriani]

Did you come up with any solution? I’ve had the shims break or come off inside the legs. I then have to force them off and reinstall. Perhaps buying RRR is the solution But trying to figure a way to make those shims more secure because other than that tripod works great.

So far the only solution I’ve tried is contacting Leofoto warranty to get them replaced so I can sell it and buy an RRS. I’ve yet to hear back.

 

[Polaris]

So far the only solution I’ve tried is contacting Leofoto warranty to get them replaced so I can sell it and buy an RRS. I’ve yet to hear back.

I contacted leofoto and essentially went no where,a response in broken English. However went on eBay and bought shim kit for 364c and replaced the broken or troubled one. Time will tell if it resolves the issue

 

[carbonbased]

If you don’t need a super light tripod, try a Ries. It’s wood, it’s got a unique independent leg lock system that’s super solid (don’t need a chain like a surveyor tripod, it won’t collapse as one can literally vise-lock the legs open at any angle). They’ve been made a long time, and they laugh at water, mud, sand etc. Wood is very vibration deadening, too (you mentioned optics…).

They’re at least as expensive as RRS. As a photographer, I love RRS, btw. I’ve just found that there is a point where lightness works against you, and adding weight to a tripod is a pain and presents it’s own problems. I’ve had cameras blow over on light tripods when I looked away. Not with a Ries.

Not sure if they’re too heavy for PRS (I don’t do that) but they’re probably too slow to set up. They’re too heavy for mountain hunting. But they are perfect for my spotting scope when shooting prairie dogs. So, if you don’t move too far (under a half-mile max; prob more like 1/4 mile), if you put heavy crap on top of it, and use it in rain, wind, heat, -40F, sand, even salt water, they will absolutely blow away a lightweight tripod, no matter who makes it.

This is a crop from riestripod.com.


Ansel Adams used a Ries.

Biggest model (I think). Hell for stout. Too big for rifles, most likely. They make a “backpacker” model too, which is probably still 4x heavier than a carbon tripod haha.

 

[dgheriani]

I contacted leofoto and essentially went no where,a response in broken English. However went on eBay and bought shim kit for 364c and replaced the broken or troubled one. Time will tell if it resolves the issue

Thanks for that, I'll order a replacement kit. Still pretty pissed at the non-existent CS. I'm also pissed I didn't just buy an RRS but my old tripod failed for the 2nd time (PRST who although great with warranty replacement, just wasn't durable enough) and it was the week before the Snipershide Cup last year and I needed a new tripod in a hurry and a local shop had one in stock. It's not like it's an inexpensive piece of gear...

 

[KnightCar]

I run a slik 624 for weight and packability and I used to have a vortex 85 that went on top of it. But I use a full size outdoorsmans panhead to handle it. It was plenty stable enough for me. Only time it was shaky was in high wind, and if the wind is strong enough no tripod will totally prevent a shaky view through a spotter. I kinda think the panhead might be as important or more important than the tripod itself. A panhead that can lock up solid and move smoothly is really important for the bigger spotters imo

 

[LawnMM]

Not rubbing salt, but, I've yet to see anybody even have an issue with a RRS, let alone not get excellent customer service and the issue fixed.

Point being, buy once cry once... or be a chicom fanboy and go straight to the boiler room of hell!

 

[Diver160651]

Funny how so many who get a second-tier product, will go to great lengths to convince everyone else it is as good or better than the gold standard. RRS is the gold standard that earned its place at the top.

I’ve been to several field matches, and leg locks do fail. Last year we had three failures at our field.. I’m sure RRS had had failures, I just have not seen them. The brands that I see fail are the very ones I hear people saying just as good and 1/2 the price etc... hell our very own MD had his head fall apart proofing a stage concept, and we were on a level concrete pad... just as good I tell you

I’m on board with getting what you can afford, but then going on to justify your purchase to everyone else by bashing the gold standard, is pale. Don’t be that guy, just shoot and enjoy your purchase.

I’ll try to remember to count the failures in this year's match; hopefully, the weather will be good.

 

[seansmd]

Funny how so many who get a second tier product, will go to great lengths to convince everyone else it is as good or better than the gold standard. The gold standard that earned their place at the top.

i’ve been to several field matches and leg locks do fail... last year we had three failures at our field.. I’m sure RRS had had failures, I just have not seen them. The brands that I do see fail are the very ones I hear people saying just as good and 1/2 the price etc... hell our very own MD had his head fall apart proofing a stage concept and we were on a level concrete pad... just as good I tell you

I’m on board with getting what you can afford, but then going on to justify your purchase to everyone else by bashing the gold standard, is pale. Don’t be that guy, just shoot and enjoy your purchase.

I’ll try remember to count the failures in this years match...hopefully the weather will be good.

My Feisol 3372 leg lock broke during this match, I was still able to make it functional for the match. Then disassemble, clean, and reassemble. It has failed once since then. I wonder what I actually saved vs buying the gold standard.

 

[Diver160651]

My Feisol 3372 leg lock broke during this match, I was still able to make it functional for the match. Then disassemble, clean, and reassemble. It has failed once since then. I wonder what I actually saved vs buying the gold standard.

I have both the RRS and Ferisol. I have to say that in the leg department it is light and very stable. It does not offer as robust apex connection or something compact like the RRS anvil Apex.

Does it get close to the RRS? Yes. Is it cheaper? Yes. It’s a damn good buy..
That said, is it the same overall package? No.

If I was low on hobby funds or my wife was turning the screws, would I consider the Ferisol with RRS leveling bases? Absolutely.

But stand by - RRS has a new tripod with 2 leg sections, a bit lighter, a bit faster that looks to have targeted PRS shooters. @MPHReallyRightStuff - Mike, just posted a price of $840 ok now the cost/value game is changing..

Food for thought edit:

My RRS is worth every penny to me. One of the best purchases in the PR and long range hunting space I have made. BTW in the world of high end tripods they are not expensive, or even close to it.

RRS invested in our sport and changed the game almost over night. You can look in the tripod thread @Nik H posted a link to and see thru the scope video between what we were using and what RRS brought to our game.

They are AMERICAN made. If they are gone because we all want only the stuff partially as good who will innovate? We all want something for nothing, look how many supporters Burnie has...

 

[carbonbased]

It’s instructive to draw a parallel between a photographer’s and a precision rifle shooter’s gear priorities. I’m going to go back to the film days for reasons that will become clear.

priority ​	photog​	shooter​
1	lenses	scope/barrel/trigger
2	tripod, handholding technique or other support	bipod, rest, tripod, offhand technique
3	film stock	ammo
4	camera body	rifle action

Etc.

We can quibble on the exact order, but my point here is that if you cheap out with the higher importance (priority) items, your $10k rifle action (camera body) isn’t going to perform well when paired with your Simmons Whitetail Classic scope (Vivatar lens), wobbly/broke tripod, 8 lbs trigger, and steel-jacketed surplus Russian ammo (expired film) fired through your finest second-hand shot-out varmint barrel.

It’s a false economy to cheap out on the tripod (if that’s how you shoot your rifle). You’re not going to hit jack if the tripod is broke or flimsy.

For a long time, RRS/Ries have made world class stuff for pro photographers (Gitzo used to, maybe they still do). Those pros have arguably higher performance standards for tripods (heck, for lenses too) than rifle shooters do. Pro photogs shoot in the same crummy weather as rifle shooters do, only with with more expensive and much more delicate gear perched atop their tripods (with longer exposures too, necessitating more stable and reliable tripods).

Suck it up, buy a really good tripod/bipod/rest whatever. Cheap out somewhere else less important.

 

[Nebulous]

@carbonbased your mention of "film stock" tickled my heart but I can't agree with you more in relation to photographers demanding more of their support equipment than most shooters; when you get to the motion world its even more intense.
To me most shooters aren't asking the right questions when looking for a tripod. Its not what brand but how are you going to use the tripod. Are you lugging it or pulling it out of a car? How tall are you? What is the weight and recoil of your rifle? Are you looking for a package or legs and a head separate? Do you like twist or flip locks? What is your real budget based off of the use of the device?
Because of the photo/video world there really is a tripod for every situation, you just need to find the one for you.
Right now the tripods I'm most interested in checking out are the flowtech pods from Sachtler, but that is from my motion background and a totally different set of criteria although if you want to show up the "go be poor some where else" crowd...
Personally I buy heads for tasks and legs for situations. I have a studio head and 2 different ball heads for still work and 3 different weights in video heads. I then have a short and 2 normal sized aluminum tripods as well as a normal/compact sized carbon tripod. everything is interchangeable so I just use what is needed at the time. While I could use one of my ball heads for shooting I will probably grab something like an anvil to use with one of my existing sets of legs when I get to that point.

 

[carbonbased]

@Nebulous Right on! Man, I miss film, and I miss large format peel-apart Polaroids the most. Type 55, I hardly knew ye!

I was exposed (sorry) to the motion world as I worked a little bit in the advertising motion industry, and they still used 35mm motion picture cameras. I remember this super cool cam meant for slow-motion, I forget it’s name (Mitchell?), but it manipulated the film like a swiss watch, pin registration etc. Amazing.

And you hit the nail on the head, the motion world is much more demanding and technical. Still photo stuff is simple in comparison. And with digital video, just reading about the formats, codecs, rectangular goddamn pixels, etc makes my head hurt.

I didn’t even mention Sachtler on purpose…browsing their wares at B&H’s site always made me giggle; I suppose NASA makes more expensive tripods, but maybe not . Also, I’ve never actually gotten to use a Sachtler; they all seem to require a floor or mid-height spread lock or they flop to floor level. Correct me if I’m wrong. That’s one of my “hard stops” on a tripod.

With a Ries, after locking the leg angles, I can pick up the whole pod and the legs don’t move. Same when I collapse it and toss it over my shoulder; it can stay together by itself (if you lock it).

I use an Arca Swiss B1 ball head, which I bought before RRS made their BH55 (or Anvil). I’ve gotten dirt in it, which makes me think of getting an Arcatech (more open ball). There’s been so much activity in the ball head arena over the years…I’m not fully back up to speed.

I like your list of considerations when buying a tripod. I’ve internalized those so much I forget to “externalize” them to people. I think one thing people don’t consider is that many leg sections, especially all maxed out = more wobbly. I prefer a 2 section tripod for more stability and faster deployment (my Ries) and that’s what intrigues me about this new RRS. It’ll stow longer and might not go low as gracefully (or at all) than a multi-section pod, but that’s the trade-off.

Why are you interested in the Sachtler flow tech? The poors want to know ?

 

[davere]

What's interesting is that I have old (read: older than me) Manfrotto B-1 that my grandfather used for 11x14 and 8x10 stuff. That thing is bomb proof, but way too clunky and heavy to take into the field. I haven't gotten into the motion side of things, at this point, but I do still run around occasionally with a Hassy - almost all of my professional work is done with digital, though. Near as I can tell, the rifle is way more demanding of my equipment than my still rig - which, even at it's heaviest, weighs less than half of my rifle (we're talking super telephoto with a 1DX MkII hanging off the back).

I suspect my technique is also lacking - but I've never seen anything as steady as what @Diver160651 showed in his vids w/ the RRS and leveling base. I have the same leveling base on my Gitzo (bought before RRS sticks existed), and the best I see is what he showed with the cheaper Manfrotto 'pod. I have plans in the works to upgrade my shooting legs later this year, and keep the Gitzo for photo endeavors. Plus, my Gitzo is just too short to be an all-around shooting tripod. In standing positions, i can't use it to brace the butt of the stock. I don't shoot that way often, but an occasional stage pops up where it's useful, and it'd be nice to have that tool available when required.