Best travel tripod, no budget limit

I just saw this
http://www.adorama.com …-tripods-with-a-new-twist

Since my purchase of my new Canon 5D Mark IV, I decided to buy a new travel tripod. I was looking for a light weight, carbon fiber, with a ball head. The tripod would have to support the weight of a Tamron 150-600mm lens, and 2X extender, and my heaviest Canon camera. I selected the Nest NT-6294CTB, with ball head, for a price of $249.00. It is weight rated at 45 lbs, well over my criteria. The Nest Carbon Fiber system has a very nice finish on all parts. The locking system at the top of the legs is a slide type lock, the telescoping legs are 1/4 turn twist locks, in 4 sections in each leg. The center column takes this tripod to be 6' 6" high. There is a strong hook on the bottom of the center section to add sand bags for more stability. The legs will lock from 90 degrees to several stops until fully closed. One of the legs can be removed and used for a monopod. It came with only one mounting plate, but spares can be purchased too. I bought mine from the "Cameracottage.com" the owner is the National Distributor for Nest. Other Nest products include a very nice gimbal head. The owner of the Camera Cottage, Carter, is a wildlife, and landscape shooter, in Glacier National Park, and Yellowstone National Park. His store also rents cameras, lenses, and tripods for the pros who shoot in the Parks. Carter used to guide photographers into the Parks, but since expanding his store, he does not guide any longer. The store is located in Billings, Mt.

Gitzo series 1 traveler with compact ball head of choice.

That was my choice too. I have an old Gitzo 1550T (because it was cheap) with a Triopo RS3 on top a surprisingly good setup.

Previously I always considered my Gitzo 2 series Mountaineer as the minimum useful size but, with a little care, the 1 series Gitzo travellers are very good + fold up nice and small!

I just got an RRS TQC-14 and put my RRS BH-30 ball head on it. It's a very good setup and I'm happy with it but when I add in tax and shipping to the cost, I'm sitting here looking at an $1,100 tripod...

I'm post #36 and probably opinion #36 but check the Manfrotto Befree series.

https://www.manfrotto.​us …2BTWhMRPvU94ioa​AvnM8P8HAQ

Some reviews at https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …ompact_travel_c​arbon.html.

yinro wrote in post #18144889
Gitzo series 1 traveler with compact ball head of choice.

Their quoted closed length (i.e. 16.73in for GT1545T) is for the reverse-folded length, right? What's the length "normal"?

I do love my Feisol 3441T, but every time I think about it I just wish it closed a bit shorter!

That is the price of quality!

Look at it this way, you won't be "upgrading" or replacing it for several decades or more - so it's cheaper in the long run!

I have no idea how old my Gitzo traveller is (old model bought used and superseded at least once/twice?) but it looks and functions like new.

Buy the best tripod = buy once!

F2Bthere wrote in post #18119086
The 3-Legged Thing tripods are fantastic. They use standard Arca-Swiss plates, they fold up small and are quite stable and strong. (A little trip to YouTube will reveal people crazy enough to demonstrate the strength by balancing themselves on the tripods).

I have one that I am quite happy with which is at least three generations back. Which brings up the most interesting aspect. This little British company entered the tripod market as an upstart and brought very sophisticated engineering to the creation of a better tripod. And the innovation continues at a surprising rate.

Our local store finally started carrying them and the current generation is a huge step up because of all the small details they have improved. Just the feel of the knobs and the ease with which they lock and unlock...

There are less expensive alternatives which have similar specs, but the details and stability are much better.

I suppose that 3LT's quality control is still a work-in-progress. The 3LT Equinox Leo with AirHed Light ball head that I had purchased had some quality control issues. The twist locks were loose on some legs and required over-tightening. Otherwise, one or more leg sections would collapse under load. While it felt fairly stable overall considering its small size, five leg sections, and two center column sections, it just could not compare to the Gitzo GT1555T. I sent the 3LT Leo back to B&H, and the replacement one had other problems.

It's disappointing since 3LT markets its tripods as having equivalent build quality with less cost compared to alternatives from Gitzo, RRS, etc. It seems that 3LT is releasing new products without necessarily learning from their previous ones.

The one thing I really liked about the 3LT Leo was the included carrying bag. It fit the tripod and head perfectly, and it was very lightweight and collapsible for transport. With how expensive Gitzo is, all Gitzo tripods should ship with a decent bag. Instead, Gitzo only included a carrying strap for the GT1555T.

kaitlyn2004 wrote in post #18172426
Their quoted closed length (i.e. 16.73in for GT1545T) is for the reverse-folded length, right? What's the length "normal"?

I do love my Feisol 3441T, but every time I think about it I just wish it closed a bit shorter!

Yes, the closed lengths quoted by Gitzo for the 1 series tripods are the reverse-folded lengths. A fully collapsed center column measures about three inches above the tripod spider, so you could add that to the quoted closed length to arrive at a rough approximation of the so-called "normal" collapsed length.

This is a good question since certain use cases would work best without having to fold the legs back when moving from location to location. However, folding the legs is quite easy and fast on the GT1555T, so it should not be an issue for most.

yinro wrote in post #18144889
Gitzo series 1 traveler with compact ball head of choice.

I agree that this is the best option currently available if one has an unlimited budget. However, I would not recommend Gitzo's kit ball heads unless maximum compactness is required. While Gitzo has certainly improved its travel ball heads over previous generations, there are better alternatives available from RRS and others.

^ I'm also not a fan of Gitzo ballheads but I do like their tripods - my 3541LS systematic is in it's 6th year. Very few (maybe one?) companies make both quality heads as well as tripods. I wasn't impressed with my series-1 traveler though and ultimately replaced it with a Benro traveler which is now well into it's 7th year, my most used tripod and still steady as a rock. With no budget the OP might be interested in a new travel tripod from RRS, the TFC-14. Also RRS prices are increasing across the board 5-10% on Jan 1, 2017.

Great thread guys.

Debating between the 1555T and the 1545T from Gitzo, which I will add the RRS 30 and the plate for my 5dm3

I like the 14 inch folded length of the 1555t but not the five section legs, which the 1545 doesn't have. Also, the 1545 is a bit taller at max height. Hmm

Also wondering about the L bracket vs regular arca plate from RSS. L Plate on the camera isn't really that compact in the bag but hmm

Thoughts? Wanna use the setup for backpacking across Scandinavia and Italy later this year.

Ming-Tzu wrote in post #18256931
Also wondering about the L bracket vs regular arca plate from RSS. L Plate on the camera isn't really that compact in the bag but hmm

Thoughts? Wanna use the setup for backpacking across Scandinavia and Italy later this year.

I have both an L-plate and a standard. The L is great for extended portrait sessions. For in-and-out-of-the-bag use, (including travel!) I prefer a standard plate, and drop the cam into the notch on the ball head for the vertical shots.

This also means that if I'm in the middle of shooting horizontals and want a couple verticals, I just loosen the ball friction a little bit and *bam*, I'm vertical. I found myself doing that for quick changes even with the L-plate mounted.

A change to vertical using the L doesn't take much time, but, it does require your attention, and you may lose a moving subject.

I'm holding on to the L. In my shooting it's a necessity for people and panoramas.

Thanks for the information!

Here's what I have on my Potential Buy list. Need to figure out my needs first, but wanted to put a list together:

Tripod

• I already have two Gitzo GT3542XLS tripods for home and local use, but for travel, I currently have a MeFoto RoadTrip. Was considering the MeFoto Backpacker for something more compact folded up, but don't think it's that stable from what people have said.
  
  
• Currently looking into the GT1545T vs. GT1555T. The 1555 folds down to 14 inches compared to the 16.7 inches for the 1545, but the 1545 is about 6 inches taller at max height. Might opt for the 1555 since the extra six inches doesn't seem like much but the 2.7 inches in decreased folded length is huge.
  
  
• The thing that's holding me back with regards to the 1555 is the five leg sections, compared to the four leg sections of the 1545. Other than the few extra seconds to setup and break down the 1555, are there any other disadvantages of a five leg vs. four leg tripod? Stability?
  

• Currently, have two Manfrotto 498RC2 for my Gitzo and Mefoto tripods, but notice there is a bit of a dip after I set it. Not too big of a deal but annoying.
  
  
• Looking at the RRS BH-55, with possibly adding the leveling plate. This head would be for home use.
  
  
• Question for me is, clamp vs. screw. Leaning towards the clamp due to convenience and compactness, unless people think the screw is more secure?
  
  
• For travel, looking at the BH-30 vs. BH-40?
  

• Will probably get both the RRS L plate and the regular RRS plate. The L plate would be used when I'm home and local, but too bulky for backpacking use I think, which is where the regular plate would be better.