Photo Blog News : Giotto’s Silk Road YTL Series

Giotto’s has launched a brand new range of tripods featuring a totally unique, patented design. The Giotto’s Silk Road YTL Series replaces the entire range of Giotto’s MTL tripods and comes with a new Y-shaped centre column (see cross-section above) allowing legs to be stowed in a much more compact fashion. The new Y-Tube column allows a 30% space saving versus the MTL range – while maintaining full strength, stability and weight capacity, the company claims. The Silk Road Series includes a range of tripods, which support up to 5kg, 8kg and 10kg of camera equipment. The new range also features graduated leg markings and new, patented Quick Easy Leg Lock adjustments for fast, accurate adjustment without taking your eye off the subject. On the models with 2 way centre column, there’s also a bubble spirit level built in and all models feature a swappable tripod thread. The aluminium models start at £100, while the carbon fibre versions are available from £220.

Giottos Press Release

Giotto’s launches patented brand new design for its core tripod range

Just when you think you’ve seen it all in the world of tripods – Giotto’s has launched a brand new range of tripods featuring a totally unique, patented design – enabling a 30% space saving while maintaining full strength, stability and weight capacity.

The NEW Giotto’s Silk Road YTL Series replaces the entire range of Giotto’s MTL tripods and features a new Y-shaped centre column, meaning a super slim 30% space saving when the tripod is packed down.

This uniquely shaped centre column brings a totally new dimension to tripod design – allowing legs to be stowed in a much more compact way, without the ‘bulk’ of tripods using traditional design.

Giotto’s is continually challenging the dimensions of photographic tripods – following on from the huge success of its award winning Vitruvian range – which adopted a space saving inverted design when the tripod is folded down.

The new Silk Road range is named after the historical network of interlinking trade routes covering East, South & Western Asia, parts of North & east Africa and Europe. New technologies were often traded along this route too – hence the inspiration for the Giotto’s Silk Road series.

The new Y-Tube column allows a 30% space saving vs the MTL range – while maintaining full strength, stability and weight capacity. The Silk Road Series includes a range of tripods, which support up to 5kg, 8kg and 10kg of camera equipment.

The unique Y-shaped column allows tripod legs to be stowed in a much more compact configuration.

Within the range there are 12 models with options including a 2 way column and a super versatile 3 way centre column, ideal for very low level shooting. The 3D column tripods have an included low-angle adaptor.

The range also includes models with 3-section and 4-section tripod legs – for additional height and compact stowage. The adjustable tripod legs have 3 ‘footprint’ settings – full height, mid height where the legs are slightly wider and an ultra wide setting for low level photography.

The new range also features graduated leg markings and new, patented Quick Easy Leg (QEL) Lock adjustments for fast, accurate adjustment without taking your eye off the subject.

On the models with 2 way centre column, there’s also a bubble spirit level built in and all models feature a swappable tripod thread – so you can easily change between 3/8” and 1/4” – meaning the Giotto’s Silk Road YTL range is compatible with any Giotto’s head and models from other manufacturers too.
For the ultimate grip in wet or uneven conditions, spiked feet are now available as an optional extra. The range is available in both aluminium and carbon fibre made from the finest quality components. Carbon fibre models are manufactured from the highest quality 8x multi layer carbon fibre to increase strength and reduce weight.

Key Features:
Brand new patented ‘Y-Tube’ centre column – enabling a 30% space saving
12 models including finest quality aluminium and carbon fibre
3 or 4 section tripod legs
Brand new Quick Easy Leg Lock (QEL) and graduated leg markings
Fully compatible tripod thread – works with any Giotto’s head or other standard thread tripod heads
Range of height settings – and optional extras including short centre column and spiked tripod feet

Guide retail pricing: from £100 for aluminium models and £220 for carbon fibre models. The Giotto’s Silk Road Series will launch at the SWPP Trade Show (11th – 13th January 2013) and ‘first look’ of the entire range will be on show at Focus on Imaging (3rd - 6th March 2013)

Product will be available in store & online from mid-January.

For more information, please visit http://www.giottos-tripods.co.uk