Traveller's tripod for backpacking

[anil_sud]

<p>Looking for a traveller tripod to use on a backpacking trip. Will need to support the weight of a Canon 5DIII with 70.200 2.8L II which is a combined weight of about 5.5 pounds.<br>

I'm about 5'6" and don't mind if I have to hunch over to use when the legs are fully extended (I usually shoot crouched down anyways without extending tripod legs unless I actually need the elevation).<br>

Would be nice to get down close to ground level without reversing the center column and I would consider buying a short post center column if the option is available to bypass this.<br>

Weight and stability/ease of use/flexibility are more important than cost so willing to pay a bit more if the features justify it.<br>

Right now I'm considering the Gitzo Travellers 1542T vs the 1544T but open to other suggestions. I plan to use a Markins ball head with QR if the profile is slim enough to allow the legs to fold back onto the head.<br>

I also only rarely ever extend the center column so the shorter the center post is (if not able to swap out) the better.</p>

 

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>Feisol CT-3441 + CB-40D is an option. I have one and it serves me well. IMHO all these tripods (Feisol + many others) are Gitzo Traveller copies so if you can afford the Gitzo...</p>

[phillips]

<p>I have been using the 1542T for a couple of years with the RRS BH-30 head for my Nikon D800 with 14-24mm, 24-70 mm and 70-200 mm (f/4) lenses. This combination allows the legs to be folded back into the head and fits into the Gitzo bag. It has worked out very well-stable, compact, and lightweight.The center column of the 1542T can be removed and the head mounted on top of the base plate if desired to further reduce the weight or for ground level shots.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>A short column is preferable to inverting a longer column. Inverting the column also inverts the camera, making its controls harder to see or reach. If you don't have live view, it's almost impossible to use the viewfinder. You can't, in general, merely loosen the collar to change the column. It takes some disassembly and piecemeal re-assembly to make sure the bushing is not damaged in the process.</p>

<p>A column is very useful for closeups and portraits, but not so much for anything else. It's much easier to adjust a column than the legs for a certain height. A short (stub) column is easy to carry in a spare lens compartment. </p>

<p>An interesting alternative is a Gitzo Explorer, in which each leg is independently adjustable to any angle, and the column tilts as well. There is a separate clamp on each moveable angle. In use, you hold the camera where you want, adjust the legs and clamp everything down. You don't have to reverse the column. You can simply tilt it straight down if you wish. It does everything reasonably well, at the expense of a more complicated setup, less height, and a little less load bearing capacity.<br>

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/548397-REG/Gitzo_GT2541EX_GT2541EX_6X_Carbon_Fiber.html</p>

[anil_sud]

<p>Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond.</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>In case this is still in time to be relevant, I'm using a Velbon REXi L as a travel tripod (which I think has recently been replaced by the Ultra 655). It's not especially light, although it's not heavy either, but it folds down very short, sets up unusually quickly, is more than solid enough for the kit you're suggesting, and is cheap (a quarter the price of the Gitzos) - although unless they've fixed this on the 655, it benefits from having something wedged between the legs in transit. I'm sure the carbon fibre route is lighter (my other, bigger, tripods are carbon; checking, there's 300g or a can of cola in it compared with the Gitzos you mention), I've just never been bothered with a few grammes once you're taking the head, L-plate, camera and several lenses into account. The Ultrek series are shorter and invert the legs around the central column, but the permanent column makes them less solid. The REXi and 644 fold normally, so shortness is more important in a head than girth - which might advocate a RRS head (I use a Triopo RS-3, but you can probably do better if you value refinement over capacity). I won't claim the REXi is as solid as the Gitzo, but it gives my Manfrotto 055CXPro3 a run for its money, and I'm not <i>that</i> blown away by the strength of the smaller Gitzos. I'd not worry about stability with the load you're looking at. Just an opinion - I'll stop advocating the Velbon when it dumps my kit on the ground, but so far, so good. Besides, Gitzos have bitten me more than once (the grips on the legs pinch if your hand is in the wrong place), so I have reason to dislike them.<br />

<br />

For extreme portability, I've been known to use a Tamrac ZipShot with a D810 and a 14-24, and I've used a Velbon VTP-777 with a DSLR, but they're both extremely precarious when doing so and probably won't hold a 70-200. The same could be said of even the biggest Gorillapod. Worth a look if you're desperate and want something that fits <i>in</i>, not <i>on</i> a bag, though.</p>