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Archive 2014 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light

  
 
Doctorbird
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


Minimizing equipment weight (and size) is always a desirable goal, especially when traveling with Super Teles and their accoutrements.

Having had some experience with the strength and lightness of carbon fiber (CF) during my younger windsurfing days, not to mention the applications to the America's Cup boats etc., I have been placing my trust into a lightweight CF tripod to support the Super Teles (up to the 600mm II. I don't have anything heavier).

The Gitzo GT1544T 4 section CF tripod weighs in at only about 1 kg, measures only 16" collapsed, and gets lost easily in a suitcase or carry on luggage. A 1DX + 600 + TC + a Gimbal Mount might weigh in just below the stated load capacity of 8 kg, a value which may be set by the structure of the joints and not the CF elements themselves.

I have been traveling with this tripod for more that a year now without incident. It's much easier to schlep around than a full sized model, and with the legs together it's light enough to even double as a 'monopod' on which to rest the rig. One loses about 6" of footprint stability with the legs fully apart compared to a full sized model so some care is involved in this respect. In fact, safety dictates that a neck strap be generally utilized with this setup, especially when modifying rig configurations.

Here's a picture of the tripod with a 500mm II + a 2X TC mounted with a CB Gimbal head, taken March of 2013 at Gatorland. A lighter Gimbal could further reduce the heft.

Db











May 15, 2014 at 03:29 PM
Monito
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


Gitzo carbon fibre tripods are made by Canon? I highly doubt it. Perhaps the thread should be moved out of the Canon forum.


May 15, 2014 at 03:35 PM
Gochugogi
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


That looks a little scary...


May 15, 2014 at 03:47 PM
PetKal
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


I guess dB is really exploring the interaction between light CF tripods and Canon heavy gears.

Well, dB, I do not use my tripod much, however, in addition to load carrying capacity, there are obviously issues of rig vibration caused by wind and also by us touching/operating the camera etc. Any comments on that 2nd issue ?



May 15, 2014 at 03:47 PM
johnctharp
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


Monito wrote:
Gitzo carbon fibre tripods are made by Canon? I highly doubt it. Perhaps the thread should be moved out of the Canon forum.


If it had been Nikon, Sony, or anyone else, it would have been too heavy. Those guys just wouldn't understand .



May 15, 2014 at 03:57 PM
Monito
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


Maybe the Gitzo tripod has more MPixels?


May 15, 2014 at 04:10 PM
bwchase
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


That is good, probably has a higher IQ also.


May 15, 2014 at 04:23 PM
chez
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


I'm not sure I would be putting that much weight onto that tripod. I got a feisol that rivals that gitzo and the most I'll put onto that setup is a 5d2 with a 300 f4 and then I am very cautious with it ensuring the legs have full contact before turning my back on the gear.


May 15, 2014 at 05:05 PM
skibum5
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


Since I got a carbon fiber tripod and ultra light weight arca swiss p0 monoball reverse I do find that I bother to make use of a tripod a lot more than I did before.



May 15, 2014 at 05:43 PM
Jim McCann
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


Sorry, but it's not a tripod when you have the center column extended like that. Just sayin.'


May 15, 2014 at 06:31 PM
StillFingerz
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


PetKal wrote:
I guess dB is really exploring the interaction between light CF tripods and Canon heavy gears.

Well, dB, I do not use my tripod much, however, in addition to load carrying capacity, there are obviously issues of rig vibration caused by wind and also by us touching/operating the camera etc. Any comments on that 2nd issue ?


To follow-up on Peter's vibration question, I'd wonder about any 'flex' issues, seems with a heavy rig of that size there would be forward 'flex' at the tripod column/head base/screw, not to mention the legs, given it's full extension. Without some substantial weight between the legs stability of the entire set-up 'looks' suspect; kind of scary for 20K of gear

Do enlighten DB
Jerry



May 15, 2014 at 06:35 PM
Sneakyracer
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


I have the GT1542T and it is a very good tripod but I almost always take something heavier. The GT1542T I have is great for all my uses from Canon 5D3 w/ 70-200mm to Medium Format Digital. But I generally want a tripod that has more height (for uneven terrain) and more solid feel (I sometimes hang my bag from the center), specially during windy weather.

The Gitzo Traveller tripods are amazing for the weight, or lack of. Ideal for long hikes.



May 15, 2014 at 06:46 PM
JakeB17
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


Jim McCann wrote:
Sorry, but it's not a tripod when you have the center column extended like that. Just sayin.'


Yeah, such a light weight tripod with a center column raised like that doesn't look so safe with that much weight on it.

It wouldn't trust it as far as I can throw it. I typically use a feisol 3371 with no center column for super tele/gimbal head shooting and I wouldn't trust much less in terms of weight capacity and build.




May 15, 2014 at 07:29 PM
wordfool
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


Not trying to be snarky and I know every little bit counts, but I'm puzzled why one would be concerned about shaving a pound or two off the weight of a tripod when one is schlepping a 500mm lens and 1-series body around? I'd be more concerned about ensuring $16K of camera gear doesn't fall on the ground.


May 15, 2014 at 09:24 PM
EB-1
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


Damn. Some wind and you would be sorry.

EBH



May 15, 2014 at 09:28 PM
Chumma
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


It is the inverse of "size matters".


May 15, 2014 at 09:34 PM
anscochrome
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


I think I would be more confident with this-weight be damned: http://tinyurl.com/n6mz7mx


May 15, 2014 at 10:02 PM
jasonpatrick
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


I used a similar CF tripod with a long lens (500mm f/4 IS/1D3 combo) for a few months before I got a sturdier tripod. I still miss the little one sometimes when I travel.

As far as the vibration... the stability is better than hand holding. I just kept the IS on and the shutter speed north of 1/500 - usually more like 1/1250. I wouldn't expect this set-up to work for long exposures or even to do much more than a monopod would. But for me there was a lot to offer having my lens/camera combo pointed in the right direction all the time vs holding it by my side and picking it up when I wanted to photograph something. If you have a RRS (or similar) foot, you can really balance the lens out nicely so that it doesn't pull one way or another on the tripod. I also used a black rapid strap that never came off of my neck.

I realize this is an abomination to most...1. because this is a gear board and 2. there are better gears for the job.
Crap. Now I feel all turned around. Where does one turn in their photographer card? Does Fred take them?




May 15, 2014 at 11:33 PM
Doctorbird
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


Peter, Jerry, etc. Thanks for your interest and comments.

Not trying to proselytize anyone here, just sharing my own experience and of course willing to hear your opinions too.

First, 20 lbs of gear isn't all that heavy to support. My CF windsurfing boom was more than sufficient to support my own body weight plus the dynamic forces associated with vigorous sailing. You can tell from the image in the original post that there is very little visible flex in the legs of the tripod. It looks spindly but it's stiff. And the hinges and locking joints so far seems solid enough. I have to trust Gitzo here.

If the joints are strong enough and the CF elements stiff enough, the actual geometric configuration of the support is irrelevant as long as there is enough footprint to support the rig provided that the center of mass (the important parameter) of the camera/lens setup is affixed properly. Even a pole fixed into a large enough flat base plate with a tripod mount on top could conceivably work as a support - like a pole lamp. A tripod configuration of course is more advantageous on uneven surfaces.

I found this setup quite useful when locking onto a bird and waiting, sometimes much longer than I can handhold, for it to do something interesting before I take the images, as in some of the examples here.

There may or may not be more sensitivity to body interaction as compared to a 'hefitier' setup but this is not usually an issue in daylight at the usual high shutter speeds, and invoking the lens IS will also help in this regard. Certainly more stable than hand holding in the same situation.

Of course for BIF's hand holding is more effective, and I usually dispense with the tripod in this situation.

I haven't tried it for long exposure shots but I see no reason that it won't work provided one take the usual precautions - mirror lockup, cable release or delay shutter , etc.

As far as wind disturbances and the like, perhaps a bit more of the same preventative measures as a 'normal' sized tripod is in order but it does not preclude its use in these situations. Note that the GT1544 provides the usual hook at the bottom of the center column on which to hang a stabilizing ballast.

As I mentioned a not too insignificant downside is the slightly smaller footprint of the tripod (but the less to kick and trip over) which hasn't proved disastrous - so far. And again, even with a normal size tripod I try to always use the neck strap as a further prevention against a catastrophic event.

And aside from the weight advantage, the size also matters when packing for air travel.


Db
































May 15, 2014 at 11:38 PM
Doctorbird
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · In Praise of Carbon Fiber - Traveling Light


Jason: thanks for the mostly corroborative post. We seem to have been writing almost simultaneously,

Db



May 15, 2014 at 11:43 PM
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