Travelling with tripods
A compact, lightweight tripod should be on every travel photographer’s gear list. And a good one will last you a lifetime
No one likes lugging a tripod around with them. The extra bulk means heavier bags which, when out and about shooting, is a pain in the neck (and often the shoulders and back too). Leaving your tripod at home, though, is asking for trouble. City locations never look as good as they do at night, but without a decent camera support you’re going to be frustrated. More often than not, architecture, interiors and landscape photography also require the stability of a decent tripod. So what to do?
Well, tripod manufactures are wise to the painful deliberations of the travel photographer and have been producing lightweight, portable tripods for a number of years now. We’re not talking tabletop supports here – although these too can be very good – but rather fully functioning, well-designed tripods with proper heads that you can rely on to deliver the goods. Here are three such models from three of the world’s leading tripod manufacturers. Which would we recommend to take away? Read on to find out.
Manfrotto 190MF3 plus 460MG head
Price: £295 www.manfrotto.co.uk
On first sight, the Manfrotto 190MF3 looks like any normal tripod, although when you pick it up, its light weight is instantly noticeable. This is a ‘MagFiber’ model (which to the rest of us means that it’s made from a combination of carbon fibre and magnesium metal). Each leg is broken down into three sections, which explains why it’s the largest tripod in this test when folded up. The flip side of the coin, however, is that it’s also the strongest when erect and the quickest to set up. Leg clasps are controlled by tough resin-plastic levers whose stiffness can be adjusted using a supplied Allen key, and each leg can be positioned independently at any angle between 0 and 90˚. For awkward shooting angles, the centre column can be removed and reversed, or positioned sideways as a short boom.
We tried out the 190MF3 with a 460MG pan-and-tilt head, which offers a high level of control. It also uses Manfrotto’s standard quick-release plate, which is amongst the best we’ve used. The movements of the 460MG are not as smooth as other heads we’ve encountered, though, and this wouldn’t be the head of choice when weight isn’t a priority. Both head and legs include a handy spirit level, though, which is a useful extra, and a carry strap to aid portability.
Velbon Sherpa Pro CF540 plus PHD-41Q head
Price: £310 www.velbon.co.uk
Like the Manfrotto 190MF3, this offering from Velbon is more or less a full-sized tripod when extended, but zips up small when compacted – smaller than the Manfrotto in fact as its legs collapse into four sections, rather than three. This does impact slightly on the Sherpa Pro’s stability, but not so much as to cause real concern. The leg catches are the grip and twist type, which personally we find more awkward to use than simple plastic catches, especially in cold weather, although the legs move in and out with more ease than the Manfrotto once the catches are off.
Once again, each leg can be positioned independently and the centre column can be removed and reversed for low-angle work. There’s no option for horizontal placement, though.
Again, carbon fibre construction is used to good effect and the
overall weight of the tripod plus the pan-and-tilt head we used here is impressively light. Foam leg warmers are also included instead of a
carry handle.
So, nice legs. What about what’s up top? The PHD-41Q head is, sadly, not quite up to the standard of the Manfrotto 460MG. The large pan-and-tilt handles attempt to improve handling, but struggle thanks to the slightly off-alignment positioning of the pan-and-tilt axes. The friction in the head’s movements is also a bit on the light side, and seems to be either completely locked or as free as a bird. Thankfully, the standard quarter-inch screw thread on top of the tripod can take any head, so it’s always possible to shop around.
Gitzo Traveller GT1550T
Price: £465 www.gitzo.co.uk
The Gitzo Traveller has something of a heritage, and this version of the classic portable tripod is something of a minor miracle. Weighing in at only 1kg, the Traveller employs a clever design where by all three legs pivot upwards through 180° to lie flush with the tiny (included) ball and socket head. This design means the unit is just 35.5cm long when folded – small enough to go in a gadget bag, or even be attached to it.
Each of the Traveller’s carbon fibre legs is broken down into five sections, though from the rigidity of the unit at its full 146cm working height you’d never know it. A small retractable hook on the bottom of the centre column is included, which is useful for hanging a stone bag, to add some extra stability in high winds.
A ball and socket head is included and works well with a minimum of fuss. There’s no spirit level on this one though, which is a shame. Once again the centre column can be reversed for low-angle shooting and each leg positioned independently of the other for
extra versatility.
Despite its diminutive proportions, the Traveller kept a Nikon D200 with 17-55mm f/2.8 steady in a number of positions. Impressive since this combination of camera and lens weighs more than the tripod itself.
