A look at the perfect travel tripod.

Lost Canadian

Expedition Leader
I've been on the hunt for a tripod system that would pack extremely small, extremely light, as well as provide excellent stability while in use. A tall order to fill, I know. Thankfully my search didn't last long and lead me back to, who else, Gitzo. After looking at the competition, not much, and after reviewing the specs of the Gitzo carbon fiber traveler, I knew this was it. Now I already own a Gitzo mountaineer, which is light, weighing in at just 3 lbs, but folded it takes up a good 25+", even more with the ball head attached.

As I'm sure many of you may already know, hauling around an almost 30" tripod system while traveling can be cumbersome and somewhat of a pain, especially when you're taking public transit in a foreign country.

With upcoming travels of my own I went back and forth on whether I wanted to spend the money on another tripod but when B&H put it up for sale, with another $80 mail in rebate, still on and in affect by the way, I couldn't pass it up.

So here it is, all 2 lbs and 16" folded,..with a head attached!!! It arrived a few days ago and it's every bit a Gitzo, which is to say it is built beyond reproach. The level of detail and quality is top notch, just like its bigger brothers. It holds over 17 lbs, extends to 55", goes as low as ground level, and features Gitzos second generation G-lock leg system.
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Of course every tripod needs a tripod head to complete the package. This is where things got tricky. While Gitzo has great legs, it's face, err heads are less than stellar in use. I searched long and hard for the perfect head to match my little traveler and discovered that Really Right Stuff actually makes a ball head, specific for the Gitzo traveler. Perfect! The model # is BH-30 and this thing is a work of art. Cut and milled from solid aluminum, and built and assembled with the highest quality stainless steel hardware in the good old US of A. It's an extremely strong and smooth little head, a truly perfect match for the traveler.

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If you're a frequent traveler who requires a light but very solid tripod for your type of photography, this package is unbeatable.
 
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ywen

Explorer
Hey Gitzo actually came out with "semi" affordable legs!

I paid about $400 for my Feisol traveler carbon fiber legs and this Gitzo looks like it has better specs. Good deal for sure!
 

Lost Canadian

Expedition Leader
Yeah, it was almost too good to pass up. I searched around and B&H has the lowest price on this model by quite a margin. The camera stores in my area are actually selling it for over $650.
 

Michael Slade

Untitled
Nice legs! Nice head! (woah...)

Sweet details of it too. I'll be curious to see what you think of it in a year or so after you have lived with it for a while.
 

Scott Brady

Founder
how smooth does the head feel when panning? Would be nice to find a super-light tripod that could also work for video
 

Michael Slade

Untitled
I'd suggest getting a fluid head for video. TRUST ME. I tried to get away with the el-cheapo fluid head from Manfrotto and ended up going up a notch. I have been very happy with my 501HDV Pro fluid head.

Here's a piece that shows off what it can do.

I actually put a quick-release plate on the bottom of the head and when I want to shoot video I can put it on top of my Manfrotto geared head. It actually allows me to level out the video head very quickly so that when I pan my horizons are straight. It's quite the stack of heads, but it has worked great so far. If I wasn't switching back and forth from video to still, I'd just leave the fluid head on the carbon fiber legs and call it good.
 

ywen

Explorer
scot look into monopod 561BHDV. It's the current hype in event videography world. It's a great run n' gun solution much more flexible than a tripod. Obviously not as good if you're looking for a stable platform to set the camera on and be able to walk away etc...
 

Lost Canadian

Expedition Leader
I'll be curious to see what you think of it in a year or so after you have lived with it for a while.
Me too.


expeditionswest said:
how smooth does the head feel when panning? Would be nice to find a super-light tripod that could also work for video
It's fairly smooth, it still needs a little breaking in, but by no means is it an ideal head for video. I leave in a day for Cuba, and I'll be shooting a fair bit of video while there with this setup though, so I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.
 

Lost Canadian

Expedition Leader
Here's a video that gives you a look at how really small this guy is. Be warned, the video is in french.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9RQJHgKfCw"]YouTube - Présentaiton du GT1541T de Gitzo[/ame]
 

Every Miles A Memory

Expedition Leader
Great review Trevor! Thanks for taking the time to post it up

I like that you're from Canada, yet still say Made in the Good ol' US of A.....HAHA!!
 

Lost Canadian

Expedition Leader
I like that you're from Canada, yet still say Made in the Good ol' US of A.....HAHA!!
Hey, what can I say, I appricate quality. I'll take 'good ol' US of A' almost anyday over the all too common, and notoriously crappy alternative, 'Made in China'.

I'd also say 'che bella Gitzo' but it just doesn't roll off my english tongue as nicely. :elkgrin:
 

tdesanto

Expedition Leader
I've looked at this thread twice now and wondered too just how well this setup is working out for you...especially since I just went the opposite direction with a Gitzo 5541LS. It's not too heavy for me to carry, but it's quite bulky.
 

Lost Canadian

Expedition Leader
How is this combo working out for you? You like it as much as you thought?


I'm a happy camper...
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As a travel tripod I couldn't really ask for much more. It was small, super light, very packable, but what I found to be its most important feature, it was unobtrusive.

For instance, I was able to set up right next to workers in tight factory and shoot video and stills without being a burden and getting in the workers way, or taking up a big chunk of real estate.
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It was also small enough for me to transport around with it folded without drawing too much attention to myself, and it was light enough for me to simply carry in hand while I was walking around city streets. I doubt I would have carried my mountaineer around the city, which would have made getting some shots like these impossible.

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