Traveling light with a tripod - Gitzo G1058 and the RRS BH-25
Many of the best photo opportunities are nowhere near a road - that is a good thing in my opinion. Anyone who has done much hiking or backpacking knows first hand the effect weight can have on the enjoyment of the experience! To save weight, the tripod is usually the first thing left behind, but now it does not have to be.
I used to carry my entire camera bag and heavy tripod whenever I did any hiking. My thought process was - I never knew what in the bag I might need, and I just had to have a sturdy tripod, so I just toughed it out and brought everything. Well that attitude left me with a very painful shoulder injury that cut an extended trip short last fall, and sent me on the hunt for a better solution.
When it comes to tripods, I’m happy to report, I found the perfect solution: The Gitzo G1058 carbon tripod along with a Really Right Stuff BH-25 Ballhead. (Update: Gitzo has replaced this lightweight tripod with the Gitzo GT-0540 which has 4 leg sections, and the Gitzo GT-0530 for the three leg section version.)
This Gitzo / Really Right Stuff combination is reasonably steady - rated for a 9 pound load, while weighing in at just about 2 pounds. Friend, fellow photographer and backpacking guide Carl Donohue said he keeps his tucked behind his ear for easy access. Of course Carl was joking, but the point is well made. The thing is so light that I never think twice before packing it.
This is a new version of Gitzo tripod, they call their new carbon fiber tripods ”Carbon 6x”. One of the best features of the new series is the Anti-Leg-Rotation System or ALR. Most Gitzos use twist locks for extending and locking the legs. These are quick and easy to use, and don’t snag on vegetation and other obstacles. The complaint with Gitzos in the past is that the entire leg rotated requiring the photographer to use a careful process that included tightening higher sections tighter then lower and extending the legs in a specific order. Long story short, this is all a thing of the past with these new tripods. Extending and retracting the legs on this little guy is fast and easy, and you can do any section in any order. Unfortunately, they haven’t applied this new technology to their larger tripods such as their popular 3 series size.
The Gitzo tripod models ending with the number 8 are 4 leg section tripods. (Update: Now Gitzo seems to use a 30 for 3 section legs, and a 40 for 4 section. Their model numbering seems to always change and continues to be confusing.) Normally I opt for 3 sections for added stability and speed of setup / take-down. For a lightweight hiking / backpacking tripod, 4 sections are nice because it allows the tripod to collapse a little shorter than the 3. Typically 4 sections take longer to set up, but not with the ALR system - setup is nearly as fast as with 3 sections.
Really Right Stuff has been making specialized photography gear for years - I have many of their camera plates. For a small, light weight ball-head, the BH-25 does a great job. I wouldn’t want to use either of these with a long telephoto, but for wide angle to short telephoto use, this combination is hard to beat. It won’t replace my everyday tripod, but it will now go with me on all hikes, even ones where I might not have taken a tripod at all.
January 26th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
Ron:
Thank you for your recommendations. I am going on a Grand Canyon backpacking trip in April 2008 for 48 miles and backpack the Colorado Trail in July/August 2009 for 500 miles. I am looking at a light weight tripod that will support my Canon 20D and 16-35mm f2.8 or 24-70mm f2.8. I was seriously looking at the Gitzo G1058 because of it’s light weight but wasn’t sure if it was stable enough. Your article gives me the advice of experience. Since I already own the RRS BH-25 my rig will be just like yours.
Again, thank you.
Alan Eldridge
January 27th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Ron,
Woops, I meant to say the tripod will be a Gitzo GT0540. I also wasn’t sure to go with 3 or 4 legs. 3 legs are more stable and quicker to set up but 4 legs is taller and packs smaller. I will go with your advice and get the 4 leg model. Tripod and ball head total weight is about 2.4 lbs.
Thank you,
Alan Eldridge
January 27th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Hi Alan,
Wow, those should be two killer hikes! Have fun!
Ron
February 15th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Hello Ron. I’ve really enjoyed your site. And your photos are gorgeous.
My husband and I are both serious amateur photographers/backpackers here in Colorado and are looking for what you have described as your lightweight combo.
Could you tell me how small it folds up? We’re trying to find a new tripod combo to replace our heavy Bogens, not only for backpacking but also to be able to carry on in our luggage to go hike the Alps in May(a lifelong dream). Also, we’re really into being able to get close to the ground for our macro photography as well as wide angle shots with large flowers in foreground and mountains in background. (Muench like photos). Does this tripod allow you to get low to the ground for these kinds of shots?
Thanks. We’re almost befuddled with all the tripods available today, so your comments have been very helpful.
Valerie
February 15th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Hi Valerie,
I used to use Bogens as well - for the price, they are hard to beat, but this Gitzo setup is much lighter! I will measure it tomorrow and comment here.
Thanks,
Ron
February 16th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Hi again,
If I fold the clamp to the side, it is just under 20 inches long. If you remove the small head, it is just under 18 inches.
As far as going low, the legs will spray straight out so that they are parallel to the ground, but mine has a 9.5 inch center column that prevents it from going to ground level. I have not looked at removing the center column, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone like Really Right Stuff made an attachment so that you could remove the column. I suppose you could also cut it, but it is made of carbon fibre - don’t know if cutting that is a problem or not.
Hope that helps.
February 16th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
thank you SO much for taking the time to help. It’s a blessing to us that you would consider “befriendiing” a fellow photographer who wants to grow! It sounds like the perfect combination. I did note on some web sites that they are having “close out” sales on it, so guess they have discontinued the 1058. I’ll call RRS and see what they say.
Again, thank you.
Valerie
April 28th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Maybe a bit off topic but ever tried to do something like snowboarding with cheap gear?
May 9th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I updated the original post with Gitzo’s new model numbers.