GrahamWelland
Subscriber & Workshop Member
I've only had the Alpa GON system for a couple of weeks but here is some of my initial feedback based on field use.
1) Beautifully made. Once you lay hands on it there's an almost irrestible desire to own one. Irrational in much the same way all Alpa cameras have that certain quality, precision and solidity in their construction which makes them highly desirable. However, to be fair, that's testament to Alpa design but precision manufacturing by Novoflex for the tripod system (or Seitz for the camera system).
2) Individually each component is relatively light but when you assemble both GON modules you'll find that the head is surprisingly dense and results in a top heavy tripod system. I found the GON head assembly with panning clamp to feel heavier than my CUBE. I'm sure that it isn't but that's how it feels.
3) Knobs - be very careful to ONLY use the gold controls for adjustments. The black knobs, whilst smaller, are easy to grab by mistake and they are what hold the whole thing together. It's a matter of habit which is easiest with the GON modules but the panning head assembly has two similar sized knobs arranged one above the other. I would hope that this is something Alpa / Novoflex look at carefully because you need to be careful and getting it wrong can be disastrous.
4) The tripod base / legs - the tripod base is somewhat narrow compared to most larger tripod systems. It's not too much of a concern when the tripod legs are extended but if you're shooting low I find it more stable if I set the legs for a wider stance. With the pair of GON modules on top it is definitely top heavy which exacerbates the narrow tripod base design.
5) Leveling base - works as expected. The lock is pretty small and I'd prefer something a little bigger / easier to use. I guess it's size appropriate for the tripod base unit but just a little small for my fingers.
6) Legs - love the fact that Novoflex mark lines on the top leg segment which makes it super easy to adjust the legs to the same length compared to what I normally do which is calibrate using the width of my hand holding the legs to approximate the same top tube length.
7) Cost - erm, well it says Alpa on it. :facesmack: I now have arguably the world's most expensive travel tripod system ... hey, you only live once and see my signature line below! :thumbs:
8) I found that most of the time I only used the leveling base unit with a single GON module and panning head. It's a really nice travel kit when configured like this. I carry the other GON module in my bag and put it on if I need it. (Why? See #2).
9) The panning head has very easy to use smooth or clickstop adjustment. Very nice implementation without having to pull out/push in pins etc like some other head systems.
1) Beautifully made. Once you lay hands on it there's an almost irrestible desire to own one. Irrational in much the same way all Alpa cameras have that certain quality, precision and solidity in their construction which makes them highly desirable. However, to be fair, that's testament to Alpa design but precision manufacturing by Novoflex for the tripod system (or Seitz for the camera system).
2) Individually each component is relatively light but when you assemble both GON modules you'll find that the head is surprisingly dense and results in a top heavy tripod system. I found the GON head assembly with panning clamp to feel heavier than my CUBE. I'm sure that it isn't but that's how it feels.
3) Knobs - be very careful to ONLY use the gold controls for adjustments. The black knobs, whilst smaller, are easy to grab by mistake and they are what hold the whole thing together. It's a matter of habit which is easiest with the GON modules but the panning head assembly has two similar sized knobs arranged one above the other. I would hope that this is something Alpa / Novoflex look at carefully because you need to be careful and getting it wrong can be disastrous.
4) The tripod base / legs - the tripod base is somewhat narrow compared to most larger tripod systems. It's not too much of a concern when the tripod legs are extended but if you're shooting low I find it more stable if I set the legs for a wider stance. With the pair of GON modules on top it is definitely top heavy which exacerbates the narrow tripod base design.
5) Leveling base - works as expected. The lock is pretty small and I'd prefer something a little bigger / easier to use. I guess it's size appropriate for the tripod base unit but just a little small for my fingers.
6) Legs - love the fact that Novoflex mark lines on the top leg segment which makes it super easy to adjust the legs to the same length compared to what I normally do which is calibrate using the width of my hand holding the legs to approximate the same top tube length.
7) Cost - erm, well it says Alpa on it. :facesmack: I now have arguably the world's most expensive travel tripod system ... hey, you only live once and see my signature line below! :thumbs:
8) I found that most of the time I only used the leveling base unit with a single GON module and panning head. It's a really nice travel kit when configured like this. I carry the other GON module in my bag and put it on if I need it. (Why? See #2).
9) The panning head has very easy to use smooth or clickstop adjustment. Very nice implementation without having to pull out/push in pins etc like some other head systems.