Owned Gitzo, Manfrotto & Benro,
Went for the Gitzo at last, for its ease of deployment and adjustment in tripod legs on the go. I am able to unlock the legs of my Gitzo with just 2 fingers in contrast to my former benro requiring the full grip of my palm. Not something serious, however, when I'm shooting I love my gear to work effortlessly for me, so that I can focus on the shot more..
As some has mentioned, the incremental leap from a medium end tripod (i.e. Benro & Manfrotto) to Gitzo is very marginal when you benchmark it against the premium you pay for, however if you use your gear frequent enough, I would say the enjoyments you're paying is well worth it.
Went for the Gitzo at last, for its ease of deployment and adjustment in tripod legs on the go. I am able to unlock the legs of my Gitzo with just 2 fingers in contrast to my former benro requiring the full grip of my palm. Not something serious, however, when I'm shooting I love my gear to work effortlessly for me, so that I can focus on the shot more..
As some has mentioned, the incremental leap from a medium end tripod (i.e. Benro & Manfrotto) to Gitzo is very marginal when you benchmark it against the premium you pay for, however if you use your gear frequent enough, I would say the enjoyments you're paying is well worth it.