Best travel tripod, no budget limit

As with the Roadtrip, the fifth leg section becomes pretty skinny. The bottom section of the GT1545T is the same as the fourth section of the GT1555T (14.7mm). The bottom section of the GT1555T is skinnier (11.2mm), so I would expect more vibration if not less stability. I have the 498RC2 head for use with my Manfrottos and sometimes a monopod, but I can't see using it with a travel tripod as it is too long and bulky. Only reason I keep it is because the RC2 quick release is sometimes convenient, but Arca-Swiss heads are more compact for travel. You can also use an L bracket to eliminate creep.

Just my thoughts!

I have te Gitzo 1550T, an earlier incarnation of the one that you are considering. It is remarkably stiff considering how spindly the legs are, however if it were a 4 section leg then it would be stiffer.

So long as the 1545T will fit your travelling needs then it will be a better tripod in actual use. The 5 section Gitzo travellers are better than you would expect - the 4 section ones are a little better still.

I always prefer the fewest number of leg sections possible, but one has to be practical when it comes to travel.

I have to ask - I have the Feisol 3441T which folds to a bit longer, but extends higher.

It's basically less than half the price. What makes the Gitzo that much better? The feisol is lightweight with large/sturdy tubes, still folds under 20" (18.9")...

I like to put myself in the budget isn't a factor - I'd like the quality too, but what's the actually delta between these tripods besides price?

Extremely helpful and thank you!

Thanks!

I was also briefly looking at the GT2545T, but don't think it makes much sense over the 1545T. The 2545 only gains four pounds of rated load, but it folds about eight inches longer. I don't anticipate needing that much load when traveling, so will probably opt for the 1545.

Now that I have the Gitzo tripod nailed down, I am looking at other brands like Feisol and RRS. With regards to Feisol, looking at the 3441, S vs. T. I am 5'7" on a good day, so not sure I need the T, especially since the folded length is increased two inches. Not sure if it's worth it for me, but still debating.

Scratch that. Just pulled the trigger on the 1545. Woot woot!

I have played with that model in my local camera shop and it is certainly a nice tripod - well all the Feisol tripods that I have tried are good/very good. Thy make quality products but they are not cheap!

This is the only UK listing I could find for your tripod:

https://www.amazon.co.​uk …vel-without/dp/B00779OLJ8

This beastie (hardly a travel tripod!) cost me £8 more recently:

https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …4_SECTION_SYSTE​MATIC.html

Yup £374.29, and that is the most expensive of my 4 Gitzo tripods!

A lot depends on where you live. I hear that Gitzo support is terrible in the US, here in the UK I can get a part for a 10+ year old tripod within 4/5 days at not too silly money.

Ming-Tzu wrote in post #18257231
Scratch that. Just pulled the trigger on the 1545. Woot woot!

So, how do you like the 1545 with RRS BH-30 after a year of use? Pros and cons? Does the BH-30 ball head pair well with the 1545?

Like you, I've been debating between the 1555 (14" folded but 5 leg sections) and 1545 (16.7" but 4 leg sections). I prefer less sections, but in spite of only 2.7" difference in folded length, I'm heavily leaning toward the 1555. I find the 14" folded length irresistible. I can easily toss it even in my smaller carry-on bag. But would love to hear from you about your experience with the 1545 since you got it a year ago, particularly if you've had any opportunities to air travel with it.

If you visit Dave Berryrieser's blog The Center Column and sort the far right column by descending there is one clear "best" travel tripod and that is the RRS TFC-14. Dave's blog is a breath of fresh air as it's based on comparative quantitative tests that can be repeated.

Dave is a mathematician and he's working to improve his ranking methodology, which is currently stiffness by height over weight and which he believes is penalizing taller tripods somewhat. So these rankings may shift a bit when he figures that one out. He's still in the early stages of presenting these evidence based measures of tripod stiffness and damping but even his initial findings can act as a guide based on data rather than opinion. He's also started work on ballhead stiffness.

peter_n wrote in post #18596255
If you visit Dave Berryrieser's blog The Center Column and sort the far right column by descending there is one clear "best" travel tripod and that is the RRS TFC-14. Dave's blog is a breath of fresh air as it's based on comparative quantitative tests that can be repeated.

Dave is a mathematician and he's working to improve his ranking methodology, which is currently stiffness by height over weight and which he believes is penalizing taller tripods somewhat. So these rankings may shift a bit when he figures that one out. He's still in the early stages of presenting these evidence based measures of tripod stiffness and damping but even his initial findings can act as a guide based on data rather than opinion. He's also started work on ballhead stiffness.

Thanks for Berryrieser's blog link with lots of interesting stuff. I couldn't find the reference to the RRS TFC-14 as the "best" tripod, though, although I have no reason to doubt it whatsoever. I'd be very happy with any of the RRS tripods.

As many experienced would say, there really isn't one tripod that can meet all of each individual's satisfaction criteria. There has to be a compromise at some point depending on each individual's unique needs. I have a Gitzo GT4553 Systematic Tripod that I've recently acquired that I'm very happy with but I'm not going to fly anywhere with it. It's staying home or for my road travels. I'm now looking at a minimalist tripod and head for air travel as I have a major one coming up for a month. By "minimalist" I even tried to go Gorilla Focus route in the past. For my personal needs, anything over 17" is out. Although the 16.7" Gitzo 1545T might offer a bit more stability with its 4-section legs over the 14" Gitzo 1555T with its 5-section legs, I'd probably end up compromising stability for the minimalist portability that 1555T offers. After all, it's only going to support my 5DIII and 16-35 f/4 IS. As long as it can handle long shutter speed shots under normal breeze conditions, I'd be satisfied -- but that's what I really don't know about. This reviewer did his own tests of the 1555T (which he claims as "the best travel tripod":

https://www.the-digital-picture.com …-Carbon-Fiber-Tripod.aspx

The specific section where he talked his load capacity test of the 1555T:

"I started the GT1555T's gear capacity testing by putting a Canon EOS 5Ds R and Canon EF 600mm f/4 L IS II USM Lens on top of the fully-extended GT1555T. Indoors, vibrations took roughly 7-8 seconds to dissipate. This duration says to me that the tripod is being used beyond its realistic load capacity and even a light wind outdoors would set up unending vibrations. That said, if a fast-enough shutter speed was used (and image stabilization was helping out), it is possible to make 600mm f/4 work on top of the GT1555T. Of course, this is a very top-heavy setup and caution would be required in this regard.

As the center column is retracted, vibrations slowly diminished, but even with the center column fully retracted, vibrations still lasted around 6 seconds, a rather long time. Retract the leg sections and the center column and vibrations from the 600mm f/4 lasted only about 1-2 seconds, similar to some of the best full-size tripods fully extended. That is impressive performance from this little tripod.

I next mounted a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens to the 5Ds R. With 400mm vibrations lasting 1-2 seconds with the legs full extended and center column retracted, I'd give this use the green light. Vibration duration increased (as they always do) when the center column was extended and at 4 seconds fully extended, I'd hesitate to use this combination for slower shutter speeds without image stabilization. Retract the lens to 100mm and the fully-extended GT1555T settled out vibrations in about 2 seconds, indicating to me that it handles this load nicely.

Overall, relatively-speaking, this little tripod turns in exceptional load capacity."

And,

"Want to know how strong a tripod's leg locks are? Fully extend one leg, tighten the leg locks and, while keeping the leg vertical (not spread), pull straight down, gradually increasing pressure until significant weight is applied. Note that exceeding the weight limit of a tripod could break it (I do so at my own risk), but quality leg locks will not retract under the pressure of my weight (170 lbs / 77 kg). That is asking a lot from this compact model, but the scale read over 100 lbs (45 kg) before an only-moderately-tight leg lock began to slip. That's impressive.

To further test the strength of a tripod, also testing the chassis' strength, I fully extend the tripod legs, spread them to the first stop on a non-slippery surface and then hang from them. Again, exceeding the weight limit risks breaking the tripod (and there is a chance that I will hit the ground fast if that happens). The GT1555T's legs show some flex beginning, but amazingly, this little tripod holds my entire weight. With that data point, I know that the Gitzo GT1555T Traveler Carbon Fiber Tripod is up to holding even my most valuable gear."

SYS wrote in post #18596287
Thanks for Berryrieser's blog link with lots of interesting stuff. I couldn't find the reference to the RRS TFC-14 as the "best" tripod, though, although I have no reason to doubt it whatsoever. I'd be very happy with any of the RRS tripods.

Click on the link in my post above #55 and that gets you to his travel tripod rankings. Then run your pointer along the light blue column headings and stop at the last column header on the right and click twice. Now you should see a list of travel tripods that he's tested starting with RRS TFC-14, then Gitzo GT1542T Traveler, etc, etc. This shows the travel tripods he's tested in descending order, with the RRS TFC-14 at the top and the Sirui T-025X at the bottom of his rankings.

I read Bryan Carnathan's review of the Gitzo 1555T a while back. I'm only interested in four features with potential tripod purchases; how rigid is it, how quickly does it damp vibration, how much does it weigh, and what's the folded length? The first two are seriously important and the last one is a nice to know (I prefer 4 leg sections).

With David Berryrieser's blog we have all of these factors and more, with open technical documentation of the reasoning behind the test procedures, and repeatable scientific methodologies across a very broad swath of tripod types. He only started his blog in January and so far he's tested 29 different models ranging from a series-5 Gitzo systematic to a series-0 Sirui traveler. I'm attracted to his work because he focuses on what I consider to be the two main qualities a really good tripod must have: rigidity (stiffness) and vibration dampening.

peter_n wrote in post #18596899
Click on the link in my post above #55 and that gets you to his travel tripod rankings. Then run your pointer along the light blue column headings and stop at the last column header on the right and click twice. Now you should see a list of travel tripods that he's tested starting with RRS TFC-14, then Gitzo GT1542T Traveler, etc, etc. This shows the travel tripods he's tested in descending order, with the RRS TFC-14 at the top and the Sirui T-025X at the bottom of his rankings.

I read Bryan Carnathan's review of the Gitzo 1555T a while back. I'm only interested in four features with potential tripod purchases; how rigid is it, how quickly does it damp vibration, how much does it weigh, and what's the folded length? The first two are seriously important and the last one is a nice to know (I prefer 4 leg sections).

With David Berryrieser's blog we have all of these factors and more, with open technical documentation of the reasoning behind the test procedures, and repeatable scientific methodologies across a very broad swath of tripod types. He only started his blog in January and so far he's tested 29 different models ranging from a series-5 Gitzo systematic to a series-0 Sirui traveler. I'm attracted to his work because he focuses on what I consider to be the two main qualities a really good tripod must have: rigidity (stiffness) and vibration dampening.

Yes, now I see the ranking. Thanks. Hope to see more models being tested in the future. Sure better than mere opinions of users. I'm now leaning more toward the 4-section Gitzo GT1545 vs. the 5-section GT1555 due to rigidity question. Ordered both to see for myself: rigidity, folded length for portability, etc. Again, thanks for the link. We should have that on our sticky section for future references.

SYS, I’m wondering if you could give a review of the Gitzo GT4553S. I’m interested in that tripod, but don’t see any reviews online.

For background, I have an old Gitzo Travler Series 1 GT1541T with Markins Q3i ballhead. It has served me very well for many years. But on a trip to Seattle, the tripod had issues with a long exposure at night at 200mm focal length (it was slightly windy, center column extended), which annoyed me. So I’m looking for a stronger travel tripod.

There’s the Series 2 Traveler, or I’m considering the GT4553S because it folds up pretty short (for a non-Traveler). One drawback of the GT4553S is the big tripod hub that makes it fold up like a pyramid instead of a cylinder. But I recently saw this site that shows replacing the Gitzo hub with a Markins hub (the TH-230 would fit the GT4553S), which is small enough to makes it fold up into a cylinder shape. The Markins hub also reduces the total weight. I’m wondering whether that modification would make it a great travel tripod (vs. my current Series 1 or new Series 2 Traveler).

Here’s the site that talks about the mod. http://www.websiteopti​mization.com/speed/twe​ak/travel-tripod/

CEITam wrote in post #18638408
SYS, I’m wondering if you could give a review of the Gitzo GT4553S. I’m interested in that tripod, but don’t see any reviews online.

However you want to mod the tripod, you'll have to do it at your own assurance, knowledge and risk, as I can't tell you anything about it. However, I can tell you about the tripod itself.

Let's just say that, whenever I need a solid footing, GT4553S is what I go to: moon shots, long exposures (don't know HOW MUCH wind it can handle, though, as I haven't had a chance to test it in such conditions) air shows with my Gimbal head, etc.

I love love love this tripod. It's solid and reliable. At 18.9", it's great for air travel, as well, since it'd fit in a carry-on case. The only reason why I prefer a much lighter GT1545 for air travel purposes is my aging body and I don't plan on using it in windy conditions much when I travel. I also hike a lot, so GT1545 is more ideal. But if your primary shooting involves long exposures with varying windy conditions, then I'm sure you'd love GT4553S. Its max height is 53.5" and it's perfect for my height (5' 8") without stooping. That's with the RRS BH-55 ball head and 5DIII. But I prefer to stoop a bit, so I don't extend the legs fully. Its load capacity of 55 lbs should most likely meet your heaviest gear and plus. I don't have a single negative thing to say about the tripod. Let me know if you want to know anything else about the tripod that I haven't mentioned except the hub mod part.

And what's wrong with the way it folds up? Just not being cylinderical? Once it goes inside the provided bag, who cares?