Tripods – Taking a Stand

Picking a tripod is like picking a bag – and the solution for many is the same – to own more than one! There is a bewildering array of styles, weights and budget levels. Fortunately, as with bags, the makers go to some lengths to publish extensive brochures which are more than sales pitches, they actually help you decide what to buy. However, we arrived at our test choice in consultation with the experts from both Manfroto and Gitzo, at Focus on Imaging. As with bags, trade shows and our own Convention are good places to buy these products, as you can be guided to your choice by experts in the product range .

The driving criterion for Paul Gallagher was weight, combined with the ability to hold a 5x4 field camera. Paul often carries his gear some way into the hills and weight is crucial. This led inevitably to the selection of carbon fibre as the most efficient material in terms of weight and performance. The tripods we eventually decided upon were the Manfroto 055 MF3 and the Gitzo GT 3450. The salient features are tabled.

Both performed well but the Gitzo got Gallagher’s vote for its speed of setting up and the sturdier central column arrangement. Matters were evened out with the head choice, as he insists on a geared head for the precise adjustments of the field camera for horizon levelling and having the standards vertical (when required). The Manfroto reigns alone for a geared head and it has performed flawlessly over a substantial test period, in all kinds of weather and environments (he’s still a big kid at heart and likes to play in the sand! – Ed.).

It puts it into perspective that the combined head and tripod weights are around 80 per cent of the weight that the ultralight backpackers aspire to, so the additional cost of carbon over other solutions is a good investment. It is one of the decisions that the landscape photographer often has to confront, particularly if they climb high. Out in the wilds it is often windy, needing a heavier tripod, but by definition you are reluctant to drag the extra weight uphill! One solution is to attach a climbing sling to the central column of the tripod, stretch it almost to the ground and then apply the final bit of tension with a big climbing boot! This causes the tripod to punch well above its weight for the cost of an extra bit of fiddling before you can shoot.

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