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WTB light weight carbon fiber tripod

mwalker

Subscriber Member
Just fishing before I buy a new one.....Prefer a Gitzo. -60 61 inch height, 3 section, compact folded.
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Just fishing before I buy a new one.....Prefer a Gitzo. -60 61 inch height, 3 section, compact folded.
Mike I travel with both the Gitzo traveler tripod and the monopod that Guy refers to in his post. The GT1540T and the GM2560T. I use a small Leica ballhead(black ) with the smallest RRS clamp . Since I have an extra baseplate grip...I mounted a small RRS plate on the baseplate. All this plus the cable release fits into a Gitzo padded carry bag. I leave it packed and just throw it in my checked duffle bag. it stays protected and is always available. With that said ..I have only used it once on my last three trips. An alternative might be the small Leica table tripod ...which can be carried and braced against a wall,fence etc . I found my Gitzo s used but it took awhile.in both cases someone bought them for a overseas trip and then sold them when they returned.
 

mwalker

Subscriber Member
I've got a GT3540 w/ a RRS small ball but its to large to pack in my carry-on. I wouldn't necessarily need one but I plan on throwing a few portraits in the mix. I'm looking at the 1540.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Also for ball heads look at the Really Right stuff BH-25 for travel and for normal work the BH-40. I think they make some of the best ball heads around. So you have lot's of options out there but what has been named so far is probably the best and yes a leica table top tripod is very useful as Roger mentioned and also use as a chest pod.
 

Terry

New member
I just went through this process. The 1550T folds the smallest and extends the most because it has 5 sections. This model comes with a Gitzo ballhead that holds an M8 with no problem. I added an Arca plate to make it quick release for my RRS plates.

The 1540T does not have a head and is 2 inches longer when closed. However, because of one less leg section doesn't extend as tall (like a foot shorter)

The 1540T was just superceded by the 1541T which has a higher weight rating because of the G-lock closures which can't be used on the 1550T because the legs are a bit too skinny on that last section. Also, on the 1550T the legs close flush around the ballhead Which David Farkas tells me won't happen on the 1541.

I carried the 1550 with me in San Juan. I hooked it over the strap of my bag and I barely noticed it there. It was a bit too light for Jack's MF setup but he did fire off a couple of shots that he was going to look at. He is quite tall and didn't find the height to be a big turn-off. Maybe he can chime in here.

All on iPhone sorry for typing blunders!
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
It was a bit too light for Jack's MF setup but he did fire off a couple of shots that he was going to look at. He is quite tall and didn't find the height to be a big turn-off. Maybe he can chime in here.
Chiming in!

As it turned out Terry, those files were perfectly sharp and totally usable! So yes, that little pod fully extended -- but with my larger ballhead installed -- adequately supported my Mamiya outfit. I would say it is marginal for that use or for a pro-sized DSLR with anything larger than a 100-400 f4 zoom, but certainly can handle it on rare occasions as needed. No sweat for any normal pro or smaller DSLR and 24-70 fast zoom or my regular travel cameras, the M8's.

A note on total height. I am 6'-6" (just under 200 cm) tall. There are not any travel sized tripods that extend enough for me to use comfortably. My regular pod is the Gitzo 3540 XLS which extends about a foot taller than I am. I am normally a big fan of tripod height, especially when you need to place the tripod downhill from your shooting position. However in a travel pod, I find for the times I need and actually bother to use a tripod, stooping over to view and compose is not a problem. Especially when you factor in the added compact size and lightweight carry convenience; after all, a tripod left in your hotel is totally useless when you need it -- and I've found myself in that position more than once :)

My current travel pod is an older Gitzo 1228 LVL, which is still one of the tallest extending 2 series CF pods, and with the pivoting arm a very flexible pod to allow you into positions other pods cannot manage. (The design is very good and Gitzo still offers it in the new 6x CF.) But I will likely be replacing it with a 1550T like Terry's -- with the flip over legs it's just a great design for travel, and about 2/3rds the weight of my older 12 series.

OTOH, if you want a great deal on a lightly used 1228 LVL let me know! :ROTFL:

Cheers,
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
This is a tough decision . As I travel more and do more street type photography....weight is the biggest issue. Navigating small airports with cameras,computer and duffle isn t as easy as it used to be(thats probably me). I now lay everything out and really challenge myself to cut down. You trip sounds arduous ...so I would be thinking a backpack and a small messenger style bag for both laptop and M8s . The tripod wouldn t make the cut. But if you decide to get one the Gitzo travelers are the best.
 

robsteve

Subscriber
As I said to Guy in is Monopod thread, It may be cheaper to get a bigger suitcase. I am thinking about that myself. My original Mountaineer will fit in a carry on size suitcase if I take the leg sections apart, but my next size suitcase is a big plastic Delsey that can sometimes be too big if you don't have enough clothes and stuff to pad the gear from rattling around in it. I am probably going to look for a suitcase just over the carry on size, big enough to fit a a full sized gitzo tripod.

I did a quick search on Delsey and came up with the style bag I am looking for. It has a 29" inside dimension, long enough for the tripod.



This seems to be a more expensive line. I bought my big Delsey in France to carry two cases of wine home and I think it cost $50.
 

Terry

New member
The problem I have with the GT1540T is that its max height is 52.8". I hate bending over.
The 1550 is taller than the 1540. Also, I have the 2541L and in a big but barely allowable carry on with wheels it will only fit diagonally with head removed. It is much less convenient to travel with.
 
Mike, I also have the Gitzo traveler 1550T with head and have been very happy with it. I also have a Really Right Stuff BH55 for my heavy duty rig and called RRS to get the smaller BH25 to put on the Gitzo 1550T. The nice guy at RRS informed me there wasn't much difference in features between the head that comes with the 1550T and the BH25 so I purchased the lever quick release plate (with bushings) to put on the 1550T head. It works great and I can remove it and use it on my monopod when I want. Like Jack, I put a RRS plate on my spare M8 bottom plate (the Leica grip obsoletes the original bottom plate). The combination works great for the M8. The only downside is the ball head does not have an independent panning axis (the BH25 doesn't have it either) so it is tough to do panos. I have considered getting the RRS panning clamp (PCL-1) to use instead of the the quick release lever clamp to get around this limitation.
 

mwalker

Subscriber Member
Mike, I also have the Gitzo traveler 1550T with head and have been very happy with it. I also have a Really Right Stuff BH55 for my heavy duty rig and called RRS to get the smaller BH25 to put on the Gitzo 1550T. The nice guy at RRS informed me there wasn't much difference in features between the head that comes with the 1550T and the BH25 so I purchased the lever quick release plate (with bushings) to put on the 1550T head. It works great and I can remove it and use it on my monopod when I want. Like Jack, I put a RRS plate on my spare M8 bottom plate (the Leica grip obsoletes the original bottom plate). The combination works great for the M8. The only downside is the ball head does not have an independent panning axis (the BH25 doesn't have it either) so it is tough to do panos. I have considered getting the RRS panning clamp (PCL-1) to use instead of the the quick release lever clamp to get around this limitation.
Mark, what is the height of the 1550T?
 
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