The great tripod & head thread!

[nameBrandon]

Out of curiosity, how do you all take something like a larger Gitzo series 4/5 tripod that only folds down to 29" or so on an airplane? I guess it might fit in some really big luggage piece, but if it was just myself traveling, I probably wouldn't have very much/large luggage.

Clearly this is why travel tripods exist, but curious what one does if they're not willing to compromise on the tripod.. Travel bag for the tripod and check it as luggage?

 

[dchew]

Out of curiosity, how do you all take something like a larger Gitzo series 4/5 tripod that only folds down to 29" or so on an airplane? I guess it might fit in some really big luggage piece, but if it was just myself traveling, I probably wouldn't have very much/large luggage.

Clearly this is why travel tripods exist, but curious what one does if they're not willing to compromise on the tripod.. Travel bag for the tripod and check it as luggage?

Whenever I travel with a tripod I check a bag. It is the primary criteria for the size of checked luggage I buy. Roller bag duffels are my goto for checked luggage because they are longer in general. I am not willing to use a tripod shorter than a 24L.
Dave

 

[nameBrandon]

Whenever I travel with a tripod I check a bag. It is the primary criteria for the size of checked luggage I buy. Roller bag duffels are my goto for checked luggage because they are longer in general. I am not willing to use a tripod shorter than a 24L.
Dave

I don't have any roller duffles, didn't even occur to me. Great solution!

Not taking anything shorter than a 24L? I like your style, sir.

 

[Godfrey]

I have carried-on tripods up to 30" long when folded in a tripod bag, it becomes my "personal item".

However, my Feisol CT3442 legs fold to 19 x 5" and fit in my usual carry-on rollaway if I think I need a large, tall tripod, and the PD Travel Tripod is smaller than that, only 16 x 3.5" folded in its case, and fits into even my small backpack. I only very rarely need more than one of these two tripods for anything: they do a fine job for my photography with even my heaviest, largest, longest-lensed kit (Hasselblad 500CM + Sonnar 150mm + CFVII 50c).

While I admire you guys who go traipsing off into the mountains and woods, setting up gear in driving wind and lashing rain storms on steep slopes adjacent to the precipice, I'm not a landscape photographer: it's not my thing to do it...

G

 

[dchew]

Here is one example, but there are countless other brands and sizes:

REI Co-op Big Haul Recycled Rolling Duffel - 34" | REI Co-op

With wheels that easily roll over gravel and cobbles, and room for a whole family's gear, the REI Co-op 34 in. Big Haul rolling duffel will get you there—even if "there" is way off the beaten path.

www.rei.com

I try to find ones that are not too heavy, but that is a problem with roller duffels. 10 lbs is pretty typical for this size. This is the largest one I have because I might have boots, tripod(s), ice axe, trekking poles, tent, etc. For trips in the wheelhouse of what Godfrey described above.

I also have this one, which is half the weight and still holds a 24L if you remove the head:

Osprey Ozone 75L Wheeled Luggage | REI Co-op

The Osprey Ozone 75L/26" wheeled luggage uses a lightweight design to help prevent baggage scale overages. Perfect for bringing a ton of gear on any trip.

www.rei.com

Dave

 

[nameBrandon]

While I admire you guys who go traipsing off into the mountains and woods, setting up gear in driving wind and lashing rain storms on steep slopes adjacent to the precipice, I'm not a landscape photographer: it's not my thing to do it...

No traipsing necessary.. I bought a "project" SUV and did a bunch of off-road modifications to support my landscape photography efforts.. Gets me most of the way there!

Here is one example, but there are countless other brands and sizes:

REI Co-op Big Haul Recycled Rolling Duffel - 34" | REI Co-op

With wheels that easily roll over gravel and cobbles, and room for a whole family's gear, the REI Co-op 34 in. Big Haul rolling duffel will get you there—even if "there" is way off the beaten path.

www.rei.com

I try to find ones that are not too heavy, but that is a problem with roller duffels. 10 lbs is pretty typical for this size. This is the largest one I have because I might have boots, tripod(s), ice axe, trekking poles, tent, etc. For trips in the wheelhouse of what Godfrey described above.

I also have this one, which is half the weight and still holds a 24L if you remove the head:

Osprey Ozone 75L Wheeled Luggage | REI Co-op

The Osprey Ozone 75L/26" wheeled luggage uses a lightweight design to help prevent baggage scale overages. Perfect for bringing a ton of gear on any trip.

www.rei.com

Fantastic, thank you!!

 

[anyone]

No traipsing necessary.. I bought a "project" SUV and did a bunch of off-road modifications to support my landscape photography efforts.. Gets me most of the way there!

Now that's a whole new level of photography-related GAS!

To be not completely offtopic: most of my work with a tech cam I do with a series 3 Gitzo. The series 5 I use almost exclusively with long lenses. And sometimes I even take a Gitzo series 1 with the tech cam, if it has little wind.

 

[Godfrey]

No traipsing necessary.. I bought a "project" SUV and did a bunch of off-road modifications to support my landscape photography efforts.. Gets me most of the way there!

Sounds like Brett Weston ... I think it was him who said that if a viewpoint to shoot from was more than 20 yards from where he could park the car, it simply wasn't interesting enough.

G

 

[jng]

No traipsing necessary.. I bought a "project" SUV and did a bunch of off-road modifications to support my landscape photography efforts.. Gets me most of the way there!

View attachment 186677

Fantastic, thank you!!

Hey that looks like one of Graham Welland‘s camera bags!

 

[docholliday]

Sounds like Brett Weston ... I think it was him who said that if a viewpoint to shoot from was more than 20 yards from where he could park the car, it simply wasn't interesting enough.

G

It's not that it's not interesting...you just don't have enough assistants (the truly functional camera bags)!

 

[MGrayson]

I'm a hand-held shooter 99% of the time. But the more I think about the LF photographers I've seen, the more I realize how much their PoV mattered, and why so many had stepladders next to their very tall tripods. (AA had a platform on top of his car!)

 

[nameBrandon]

I'm a hand-held shooter 99% of the time. But the more I think about the LF photographers I've seen, the more I realize how much their PoV mattered, and why so many had stepladders next to their very tall tripods. (AA had a platform on top of his car!)

I'm driving out to Colorado in a month, and then driving out to Glacier National Park in Montana in September for a photo tour, will definitely be shooting from the top of the car when I spot good shots from the roadside.

 

[nameBrandon]

Damn you Dante..!

Gitzo Series 5 (GT5543XLS ), bowl, gitzo leveler, and Arca Swiss L75 ordered.. Tripod family portrait coming up later in the week.

 

[docholliday]

Damn you Dante..!

Gitzo Series 5 (GT5543XLS ), bowl, gitzo leveler, and Arca Swiss L75 ordered.. Tripod family portrait coming up later in the week.

The GT55xx may seem heavy and bulky at first, but you'll really enjoy working with it...especially when you see the results as a 3-6' print, you'll know it was worth every penny. Despite the seemingly large amount of hate in general for Gitzo in lieu of Sirui and Benro, there is a certain amount of satisfaction knowing that if you get shake, it's not the support platform. As a production shooter, the piece of mind is having one less piece to worry or think about. Congrats on your new family member!

 

[anyone]

The GT55xx may seem heavy and bulky at first, but you'll really enjoy working with it...especially when you see the results as a 3-6' print, you'll know it was worth every penny. Despite the seemingly large amount of hate in general for Gitzo in lieu of Sirui and Benro, there is a certain amount of satisfaction knowing that if you get shake, it's not the support platform.

The series 5 is actually not that heavy, just a bit bulky due to the large leg diameter and also the larger top plate.

 

[docholliday]

The series 5 is actually not that heavy, just a bit bulky due to the large leg diameter and also the larger top plate.

I know...I own a GT5541. I don't think it's bulky nor heavy. But, most people tend to compare it to the typical consumer-weight tripod and swear that it's really heavy. My "travel" tripod is a GT3542L and that's about the lightest I'd every carry or use. And, when I'd go out with an 8x10, it was still lighter than the camera itself!

 

[nameBrandon]

The GT55xx may seem heavy and bulky at first, but you'll really enjoy working with it...especially when you see the results as a 3-6' print, you'll know it was worth every penny. Despite the seemingly large amount of hate in general for Gitzo in lieu of Sirui and Benro, there is a certain amount of satisfaction knowing that if you get shake, it's not the support platform. As a production shooter, the piece of mind is having one less piece to worry or think about. Congrats on your new family member!

Ultimately, that's what pushed me in this direction. I had looked at some other (relatively) comparable tripods but the theme I kept running into in research was that Gitzo was worth it in the end. Hopefully this is a 'buy once, cry once' situation!

 

[Mexecutioner]

Damn you Dante..!

Gitzo Series 5 (GT5543XLS ), bowl, gitzo leveler, and Arca Swiss L75 ordered.. Tripod family portrait coming up later in the week.

Attaboy! I am glad you put an end to the suffering. Nicely done!

 

[Mexecutioner]

I know...I own a GT5541. I don't think it's bulky nor heavy. But, most people tend to compare it to the typical consumer-weight tripod and swear that it's really heavy. My "travel" tripod is a GT3542L and that's about the lightest I'd every carry or use. And, when I'd go out with an 8x10, it was still lighter than the camera itself!

I agree, I have a GT5561SGT giant, I have taken it out on the field and it is not that heavy for me. The thing is a beast and crazy stable. I have smaller Gitzos that are more convenient for airline travel, but for the ultimate stability the giant always does the trick.

 

[MGrayson]

As a hand-held shooter, I haven't thought too much about height - above my head, anyway. So today I walked around taking pictures at eye level and held up high over my head using an RRS TFC-14 as a flagpole. The differences were even more than I anticipated.

Untitled by Matthew Grayson, on Flickr

Untitled by Matthew Grayson, on Flickr

Hmmmm...