Based in Tokyo I work mainly as a commercial photographer, but also shoot fine art images for galleries in Japan and overseas. I also shoot for some camera manufacturers and frequently travel the world to present my work at photo exhibitions and art fairs. When I have free time during my travel, I go out, explore and shoot.
When travelling I always have to consider baggage allowance weight restrictions, so the choice of camera equipment to take is very important. In recent years the performance of digital cameras has improved tremendously, so usually I travel with a high performance mirrorless camera or compact camera as my main camera. I always travel with a tripod, because it is necessary not only to prevent camera shake when shooting in dark environments, at night, or with a deep depth of field and low aperture, but also to shoot with stable composition and accurate focusing.
I recently visited Kamakura, an ancient capital of Japan along with Nara and Kyoto. Three amazing locations with time-honored temples, shrines and historical sites, plus plenty of nature and surrounded by mountains in 3 directions. The aim was to shoot imaginative landscapes with the theme of “wabi sabi” (austere refinement, quiet simplicity), and Japanese sense of beauty. I took with me Gitzo’s new Traveler Kit GK1545T-82TQD (tripod GT1545T + ball head GH1382TQD) for its lightweight, compactness and rigidity.
My main priority when choosing a tripod is camera stability and speedy operation. However, weight, compactness and portability are also important, particularly when I am shooting on location.
My impression of the new Traveler Kit GK1545T-82TQD is that it is easy to use, and very stable considering its compact size.
In the town of Kamakura you need to walk a lot, and many of the sidewalks are so narrow that when you need to walk past somebody you need to step onto the street. The Traveler’s legs can be folded back 180° so it is extremely compact and can easily fit in a backpack, or it can be carried on the shoulder using the clever shoulder strap that comes with the tripod. You can carry the tripod horizontally by connecting the shoulder strap to the dedicated points at both ends of the folded tripod, or vertically by connecting both ends of the strap to the point on the neck of the tripod. I thought that the vertical position was very good for walking, because the low center of gravity is less tiring, and takes less space around your body.
The ball head (GH1382TQD) that comes as part of the Traveler Kit, is a nicely designed product with a very precise user friendly locking mechanism. The compact camera plate is compact and discreet and does not get in the way, when shooting hand-held. The plate can be fixed firmly onto the camera using the supplied hex wrench or a coin, and even if you don’t have the tools with you, you can rotate the screw with your fingers, which is very convenient when in a hurry to switch the camera or lens.
The plate locking mechanism is a screw knob design. It is quite speedy because you can fix or remove the plate by simply turning the screw knob, unlike lever types that require 2 steps – unlocking, and opening / closing the lever.
I am not good at making fine composition adjustments with a ball-type head, which is why I usually use a 3-way head, which is much easier to make horizontal and vertical adjustments. However, on this new ball head, the ball moves very smoothly (Gitzo says the ball is coated by tungsten disulfide, a lubricating material used in bearings and engine pistons) and stops with moderate friction, so I don’t feel the jerky movements that I have experienced with other ball heads.
The leveling bubble is located towards the rear of the camera, making it very easy to see when I’m maneuvering the camera, so I can adjust the leveling comfortably.
There are independent knobs for pan locking and ball locking, both are fast and feel firm to operate, and achieve quick, precise composition adjustment. They were much easier to use than I expected.
Regarding the legs, I’ve always felt that compact tripods are not stable enough, because of the slim tubes used on the lower leg sections. However, I found that with this tripod (GT1545T), the legs did not bow or wobble even when extended to the maximum. According to Gitzo it uses the latest stiff carbon tubes called “Carbon eXact”, and the lower section of the tripod has a diameter 28% larger than its predecessor. I’m even confident that it would be stable enough if I used my DSLR with a standard zoom lens.
When adjusting the leg length, lever locks are popular for their ease of use and speed, while twist locks have merits for their simple, compact, and light mechanism. The twist locks on this tripod have a curved designs with an indent in the middle, which makes them really easy to grip with my fingers, and very quick to extend / close as well. When gripping the twist locks the feeling of the material is high quality and provides plenty of grip.
This tripod is much taller than the predecessor model, thanks to the structure and space saving design of the new twist locks. When I extend the centre column, the viewfinder on my camera comfortably reached my eye level (I am 184cm tall), I would expect that to be tall enough even for taller photographers who shoot using the viewfinder.
What I really liked about using the Traveler tripod was the functional design and the easy-to-use leg angle selectors. With most tripods, when changing the leg angle you have to take several steps like lifting the selector with your finger, change the leg angle, then pushing back in the selector again. But with the Traveler it’s much easier because you just slide the selector sideways and change the leg angles. It’s really quick and comfortable to operate, particularly when setting up the tripod with different leg angles on uneven surfaces, or when folding the legs to store the tripod.
When shooting from a low position for a different perspective, some tripods cannot actually go that low even if you change the leg angles, because the centre column will hit the ground. With the Traveler tripod, you can removing the centre column and replace it with the supplied short column enabling it to get much closer to the ground. This adjustment can be made without any tool, and it is easier and faster than the previous models.
For me the perfect travel tripod must not only be stable, compact and easy to use, but also be beautiful, refined and designed in such a way that it is pleasure to own.
The new Traveler tripod kit is a beautiful, well thought out design, emphasized by the way the head fits perfectly between the folded legs. It uses materials with a premium feel and muted colors, which blends stylishly with casual or formal clothing, and has the presence that harmonizes well with the backdrop of any location.
The GK1545T-82TQD kit (tripod GT1545T + head GH1382TQD) meets all of my requirements for a travel tripod, and will become my essential companion on my travels in the coming years.
