Home Credit is one of the few century-old shops in the photography industry, founded in 1917 in France, producing photographic peripherals, during World War II, it used to manufacture gun mounts and machine gun mounts for the French military, and after the war, it turned to the production of tripods, which has since become a benchmark in the global tripod industry. In 1992, Home Credit was acquired by the British Vitec Group, which also owns well-known photographic equipment brands such as Manfrotto, National Geographic, and Lowepro.
 
Home Credit is the ultimate tripod for many veteran photographers, and if you have a budget of more than 5,000 yuan, then Home Credit will be one of the best choices. As one of the top brands in the industry, the carbon fiber used by Home Credit is unusually comparable, with a stiffness-to-weight ratio that leads the competition, and it is very light when stored. The G-knob at the joint of the tripod provides reliable protection against dust, and can work even in the freezing cold of -30 degrees. The die-cast one-piece triangular seat provides excellent stability, and the granular black and white texture on the surface feels delicate and textured, which can satisfy consumers who have a paranoid pursuit of equipment.
 
Home Credit tripods are divided into four series according to the bearing capacity, mini traveler series, traveler series, mountaineer series, and system series.
 
The mini traveler series is a desktop tripod, with a height of 12.5-17.5cm, two adjustable sections, the mini figure is easy to set up anywhere, and the triangle can be used as a lightweight selfie stick, and the workmanship is quite rigorous and solid, but the price of 1500 yuan is still quite amazing compared to competing products of the same level, but it is already the lowest price tripod product of Home Credit.
 
The Voyager series is positioned as a full-size portable tripod, with a maximum height of 122-154cm, all with a reverse folding function, the number of leg sections is up to five sections, the storage length is controlled between 35-45cm, and the weight is mostly within 900-1500g, which can be easily packed into the backpack, but unfortunately it does not have the function of splitting the monopod. The price of the tripod is 5000-6000 yuan, and the price of the gimbal set is about 7000 yuan.
 
The maximum height and bearing capacity of the mountaineer series tripod have been significantly improved compared with the traveler series, the maximum height can reach 180cm, with the gimbal and camera, it can easily reach a height of 2 meters without obstruction, and the load generally reaches 18-21 kg, but the mountaineer series does not have a reverse folding function, the storage length reaches 50-70cm, and the weight is 1600-1900g, which is not convenient for storage and carrying, suitable for car families or fixed scene shooting, and the price of a single tripod is also about 5000-6000 yuan, Flush with the Traveler series.
 
The system series is known for its stability and bearing capacity, the product load is more than 25 kg, up to 40 kg, in addition to the diameter of about 40mm of the three giant feet, the most significant feature is the cancellation of the central axis, can further improve the stability, the triangle spreads out, like a bell tripod. However, due to the lack of a central axis, it is inferior to the climber series in height, and the general height is only 150-160cm. However, one of the GT5563GS has a total of 6 legs, a height of 278 cm when unfolded, and a weight of 40 kg, which is the tallest tripod on the market, and at only 3.56 kg, it is hard to imagine that such a behemoth can be easily lifted with one hand. In addition to GT5563GS, most of the products in the Systematic Series are priced between 7000-8000 yuan, which is not much higher than the Mountaineer series.
 
Home Credit products are known for their light weight, with the exception of the desktop-grade Mini Traveler series, which is made of aluminium, and the rest of the product line is made of carbon fiber. Although there are many tripod products made of carbon fiber on the market, the carbon fiber material is anisotropic, and the weaving method and modulus are not the same. Home Credit is significantly ahead of other brands in terms of basic performance such as stability and carrying capacity. In terms of manufacturing process, Gitzo uses carbon fiber with higher modulus to weave the thin leg tube to maintain the stability of the tripod when it is fully opened, and compared with the tripod of the same Manfrotto, the Gitzo generally has a stronger bearing capacity under the same weight.
 
Home Credit has more than 100 models of tripod products alone, but it is not troublesome to figure out the product line of Home Credit, thanks to the high degree of standardization of Home Credit naming, which makes a good demonstration for the industry. Home Credit's numbering system consists of three parts: two-letter, four-digit number, and letter suffix, taking GT1545T as an example:
 
The first letter G stands for GITZO. The second letter T stands for Tripod, which is the abbreviation for tripod, and K is the abbreviation for Kit, which stands for gimbal set. High-end tripods are often sold separately from the gimbal, GT1545T only the tripod part, if you want to use it normally, you need to purchase a separate gimbal, GK1545T-82TQD is a version with a gimbal, of course, the price is also one or two thousand yuan higher.
 
The first digit 0-5 represents the load-bearing, 0 and 1 are generally the Traveler series, 1-3 is the Mountaineer series, 3-5 is the Systematic series, and GT1545T is the product of the Traveler series. There is not much difference in the price of different series of Home Credit, so you can buy it according to your needs. Generally, SLR or mirrorless cameras are paired with set lenses, and it is recommended to choose 0-1 level tripod products, which can take into account portability and practicality. If you have a telephoto lens similar to 70-200 focal lengths, the 2-3 product is fully competent, but if you are equipped with a high-end camera or super telephoto lens, you need a tripod of 3 or more.
 
The second digit indicates the material, 3 for aluminium alloy and 5 for carbon fiber, and almost all of Gitzo's tripods are currently made of carbon fiber. The third digit indicates the number of leg segments, usually the more leg segments, the shorter the storage length, but the stability will be slightly reduced. The GT1545T is a four-section leg tube with a storage length of 42.5 cm, and the GT1555T is a five-section leg tube with a storage length reduced to 35.5 cm. The fourth digit indicates the product iteration, and the higher the number, the closer the release time.
 
The last letter reflects the functional distinction of the tripod, for example, T stands for Travel, and the Traveler series all end with T, which can be folded back to reduce the storage length; L stands for elongated type, and the version with the L suffix is about 15cm longer than the version without the suffix; S stands for System and Professional, and most of the Systematic Tripods end with LS, which represents the strongest professionalism in the whole series of products.
 
Most of Home Credit products are priced between 5,000 and 8,000 yuan, which is one to two times higher than that of competing products in the same class. In terms of craftsmanship and materials, Home Credit is worthy of the king's status, and the products in its class are outstanding in terms of lightness and portability, and have excellent reliability. Although the standard warranty period is only one year, it can be increased to 5 years after registration, and it can still be used for more than 10 years, especially for people who need to set up tripods in cold areas or muddy places, reliability is critical. However, the Gitzo tripod is functionally decent, lacking common practical functions such as transverse central axis and split monopod, which are ubiquitous in the product line of Gitzo's brother Manfrotto, and consumers who are looking for functionality may have regrets about this.