Julian Baird 18/12/2025 Julian Baird 18/12/2025

Gitzo Carbon Fibre GT3532 Mountaineer Tripod with GH3382QD Ball Head Kit Review

In this video I review the Gitzo Carbon Fibre GT3532 Mountaineer Tripod and the Gitzo GH3382QD Ball Head Kit (GK3532-82QD). I talk about the engineering, build quality, features and what it’s actually like to use in real landscape photography situations.

A Professional Tripod Built to Last

Answering the question “which tripod should I buy” is becoming increasingly difficult. Over the years the number of manufacturers selling tripods has gone through the roof. There is everything from simple cheap aluminium tripods costing less that £100 al the way up to more complex tripods with self-levelling technology. While they all might do roughly the same thing, how they go about it, how stable your camera will be and how long it will last all vary greatly from tripod to tripod.

I have talked about a number of tripods on this website, from budget friendly tripods to heavy duty carbon fibre tripods. But there is one tripod that has remained a constant in my kit bag, and that is my Gitzo Mountaineer GT2532. I purchased it over 7 years ago at The Photography Show in Birmingham. Even though I got a show discount, it was still expensive, but it has lasted and not let me down.

When Gitzo asked if I wanted to review the model up from my GT2532, the GT3532, I was more than happy to talk about a product range that I have so much experience with. With 7 years experience with the GT2532 I knew I could add some extra value to a video review.

So here it is, my review of the Gitzo GT3532 Carbon Fibre Mountaineer Tripod and GH3382QD Ball Head. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

No Tripod Head Photography - Kingjoy C85 Tripod & RB-40 Review

Most landscape photographers use a tripod. But what if I suggested you don't need a tripod head? In this video, I head out on location to capture landscape photographs with the Kingjoy SolidRock C85 Carbon Fibre Tripod and RB-40 Compact Head. Is it really practical to capture landscape photographs with no tripod head?

Have You Lost Your Head?

The idea of using a tripod without a ball or geared head for landscape photography sounds a bit odd doesn’t it. But the suggestion of leaving a bulky or heavy tripod head behind is exactly what tripod manufacturer Kingjoy is now giving you as an option. You may remember the name Kingjoy as I reviewed their C83 carbon fibre tripod recently.

The RB-40 Compact Head (yes, I know it’s still a head) isn’t like any other tripod head I’ve seen before. It’s small, flat, and light. The reason it can be this small is that aside from have an arca-Swiss style slot, and the ability pan, it does nothing else. It can’t tilt or tip. So, with the head locked flat, and therefore the camera as well, how do you adjust your composition?

This is where the Kingjoy C85 tripod comes in. The C85 has a levelling bowl as standard, allowing free movement of the surface area where the RB-40 attaches. To tilt or tip the camera, you simply do so by adjusting the levelling bowl (plate). But is this system any better than a traditional head? Will the limitations on the amount of tilt and tip be, well, too limiting for landscape photography?

To find out I head out on location to review and put to the test the Kingjoy SolidRock C85 Carbon Fibre Tripod and RB-40 Compact Head.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

If you’d like to purchase either or both items, you can do so using the links below:

💳 You can purchase the Kingjoy SolidRock C85 Carbon Fibre Tripod HERE.

💳And you can purchase the Kingjoy RB-40 Compact Head HERE.

🎥 And you can watch a video review of the Kingjoy SolidRock C83 Carbon Fibre Tripod HERE.

Use the code kjbaird5 and you'll get a 5% discount.

Dartmoor Landscape Photographs - Belstone Common

Here are the photographs you saw me capture in the video.

A landscape photograph of Belstone Tor taken at sunrise. — **Belstone Tor #1, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 18mm, f/13, 1/15 sec at ISO 64.

A landscape photograph of Irishman's Wall on Belstone Common taken at sunrise. — **Irishman’s Wall, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 26mm, f/13, 1/50 sec at ISO 64.

A sunrise view of Dartmoor taken from Belstone Common. — **A Dartmoor View #1, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 15mm, f/13, 1/50 sec at ISO 64.

Julian Baird 01/12/2022 Julian Baird 01/12/2022

On Location Review of the Kingjoy C83 Carbon Fibre Tripod

All tripods are the same right? Not exactly. While they all have three legs, some are better than others. When it comes to landscape photography you need something that is lightweight, stable and easy to use. In this video I review the Kingjoy SolidRock C83 Carbon Fibre Tripod out to Dartmoor to see if it can fit my needs as an outdoor photographer!

The New King of Tripods?

It’s very easy to assume that all tripods are the same. They all have three legs, and they support your camera. However, if you are a landscape photographer a tripod is an essential item and your tripod needs to be lightweight, stable, and easy to use.

I’ve had the same two tripods for years and it’s only recently that I’ve been looking about for something new. Why two tripods I hear you ask? One for stills photography, and the other for video. And yes, I need to do both at the same time otherwise I couldn’t make my YouTube videos. The reason I’m looking for something new is that as my cameras and lenses change, so do my requirements for tripods.

For my current setup of cameras and lenses I needed something robust, stable, and well built, but not at Gitzo level prices. I had heard some good reports about Kingjoy tripods but it’s not a brand I immediately think of when considering a new tripod. But when they reached out to me and asked if I wanted a loan of their C83 carbon fibre tripod I said yes. I’ve got nothing to lose and I might find myself pleasantly surprised.

With my loan C83 in hand, I head off to Dartmoor for some landscape photography to see if this is a tripod that I would buy.

If you’d like to buy a Kingjoy SolidRock C83 Carbon Fibre Tripod, you do so direct from Kingjoy UK here - https://kingjoyuk.com/products/kingjoy-solidrock-c83-carbon-fibre-tripod?sca_ref=2948686.NWDrPIWIBg

*** Use the code kjbaird5 and you'll get a 5% discount ***

Landscape Photographs of Beardown Tors

A landscape photograph of a rainbow over Dartmoor. — **Beardown Tors Sunset #5, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 16mm, f/13, 1/25 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.

A landscape photograph of Beardown Tors on Dartmoor at sunset. — **Beardown Tors Sunset #1, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 21mm, f/13, 1/8 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.

Julian Baird 09/06/2021 Julian Baird 09/06/2021

Landscape Photography with the K&F Concept SA255C1 Carbon Fibre Tripod

Don’t be me, get a decent tripod! I wish I’d got the @kfconceptglobal SA255C1 carbon fibre tripod sooner and I might have saved myself from an expensive camera repair bill. In my latest video, I head to Beardown Tors on Dartmoor National Park to capture landscape photographs and to share my thoughts on my new lightweight tripod.

Some Accidents Are More Preventable Than Others

I’d known for a while that I needed to replace one of my tripods. It had served me well for many years, but it was a little too lightweight for what I wanted to use it for, and it had a broken foot. My continued use of this tripod was an accident waiting to happen.

Sure enough, I left the replacement of that tripod a little too long and I had an inevitable accident. Some careless placement of the tripod legs and a gust of wind was all that was needed to send my ZV-1 crashing to the ground. Cameras smashing on rocks never results in a cheap repair bill.

While the ZV-1 was being repaired by Sony I decided that it was past the time to get a replacement tripod. Fortunately for me, K&F Concept had just released a new carbon fibre tripod and they wanted me to try it out (with no strings attached).

Though I’m a little ashamed I let such a preventable accident happen, I thought by sharing my experience I might be able to prevent someone else from having an expensive accident. In the video below I head to Beardown Tors on Dartmoor for a spot of landscape photography and tell you all about my new K&F Concept SA255C1 Carbon Fibre Tripod.

If you'd like to pick up one of these tripods, the kind folks at K&F Concept have shared the following discounts with me:

Website - K&F carbon tripod: https://bit.ly/3fVcaHl Coupon code: KF10UK (10% discount, valid until 31/12/2021）
Amazon - K&F carbon tripod: https://amzn.to/3wSD5dU Coupon code: KFCUK007 (10% discount, valid until 30/06/2021）

Beardown Tors Landscape Photographs

Here are the landscape photographs of Beardown Tors on Dartmoor that you saw me capture in the video.

Beardown Tors #1 - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 26mm, f/13, 0.5 secs at ISO 64. — **Beardown Tors #1** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 26mm, f/13, 0.5 secs at ISO 64.

Beardown Tors #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 26mm, f/13, 0.4 secs at ISO 64. — **Beardown Tors #2, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 26mm, f/13, 0.4 secs at ISO 64.

Beardown Tors #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 24mm, f/11, 1/5th secs at ISO 64. — **Beardown Tors #3, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 24mm, f/11, 1/5th secs at ISO 64.

Beardown Tors #4, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 24mm, f/11, 0.5 secs at ISO 64. — **Beardown Tors #4, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 24mm, f/11, 0.5 secs at ISO 64.

Julian Baird 30/11/2017 Julian Baird 30/11/2017

Landscape Photography with the Mactrem AT64C Tripod

In the blog this week I take the Mactrem AT64C Carbon tripod on location to shoot some landscape images to see how it copes with real-world situations. Join me in my video review as I photograph long exposures at Dawlish Warren, use a long lens at Colmer's Hill, and take panoramic images from Pilsdon Pen. Finally, I give you my thoughts on this tripod. Is it worth buying?

Reviews On Location

When Mactrem reached out to me to review their AT64C carbon tripod I thought it would be a great excuse to go out and do some landscape photography. Not that I really need an excuse. I fairly well self-motivated when it comes to landscape photography!

For this review, I didn't want to just unbox the tripod and discuss the technical specs from the comfort of my home. That would be a bit boring wouldn't it? So I thought I would do my review a little differently. I would put the tripod to use in some real-world scenarios, capture some images and share my thoughts on both the photography and the tripod.

By doing this I would not only educate the viewer on the tripods performance on location but for anyone just interested in landscape photography there would be something there for them as well.

Reviewing to Mactrem AT64C Tripod

So regardless if you want to know more about this tripod or you just want to see me shoot some landscapes, I hope you enjoy this video:

I do hope you enjoyed this video and that you either found the review helpful or just liked the photography bit.

If you want to purchase one of these tripods then you can purchase one from Amazon.co.uk by clicking on this link here. Also, until 15th April 2018, if you enter the code UWSN5IQD at checkout, you will receive £15 off the price of the tripod.

So what tripod and head do you use? Would you like to see me do more product reviews on location like this one? Let me know in the comments below.

PS. Keep reading as below I'm going to share with you the images that I took at all the locations, along with some shots of me using the tripod.