Photography News issue 26

Photography News Issue 26 absolutephoto.com

First tests

Accessories First tests We get our hands on the latest kit and share our first impressions – so you know whether or not to add it to your wish list

Reviews by Roger Payne and Will Cheung

Gitzo GT1555T Traveler Kit £820

Specs

The legs are made from Carbon eXact tubes, for excellent stiffness and stability

For many years, Gitzo’s been setting the standard for lightweight travel tripods, and the GT1555T is the latest arrival. It sells for £640 on its own or £820 for the kit, which includes the GH1382TQD ball head (£265). The GT1555T is a five-section carbon-fibre tripod whose legs fold back over themselves for compactness. The folded profile is minimised thanks to the head, which allows the legs to fold flat. The legs are made from Carbon eXact tubes, for excellent stiffness and stability evenwith narrower legs (the fifth leg section has a diameter of 11mm). Legs are locked in place with Gitzo’s renowned G-lock twist grips. Twist grips save space and weight, and are less prone to loosening over time. An internal O-ring also keeps out dust and sand. The really great thing about the G-lock system is that only a firm twist is needed to tighten the legs. This is a five-section pod, which helps keep size down but makes set-up slightly slower. The legs have two locked splayed positions – for normal and low‑level shooting – but the legs can be used at in-between settingswith no problem except, perhaps, on polished floors. Very low camera positions are possible by reversing the centre columnorusingtheveryshortcentre column. No ballast hook is supplied but one can be accommodated.

In the box GT1555T and GH1382TQD ball head, carrying strap, short column Max height 131.5cm Max height (centre column fully extended) 148.5cm Min height 30.5cm Closed length 35.5cm Weight 1.42kg Max load 10kg

How it rates

Verdict Gitzo tripods aren’t cheap but

there’s a reason for that: they are precision-engineered from the finest materials and offer incredible stability for their size. The GT1555T most definitely punches well above its weight and I’d be happy using it even with a full-frame DSLR and the centre column fully extended which is not something that I would normally recommend. In many situations, it’d perform as well as many larger, heavier tripods, but the fact that it offers great stability in a compact form makes this kit good value.

200mm is the limit for this pod. Shutter release was either with a remote control or a combination of self‑timer and exposure delay mode. A 300mm lens mounted on a full‑frame camera rather than on a tripod with a mount is not really a fair test, but I wanted to push this travel pod, and I did get a couple of rejects, which might have been due to a gentle breeze and the long lens. With shorter lenses and the centre column fully extended, I had no problems. I enjoyed the GT1555T’s company especially when I covered 13 miles around Buttermere. I wouldn’t even have attempted such a walk with a normal-size tripod. WC

With the GH1382TQD ball head, a slimline head designed for the Series 0 and 1 tripods that accepts Gitzo D plates and most Arca-Swiss-style plates. I did remove a screw from the top‑plate to make fitting some of my Arca plates easier. The ball action is smooth and I didn’t miss an adjustable friction control because the head doesn’t loll when the locking knob is slackened. A quick twist of the main lock and the camera’s position is secured. I used this tripod and head with a Fujifilm X-T1 and a variety of lenses, but a sterner test came with a Nikon D800, including the 300mm f/4 PF lens – Gitzo suggest this kit comes

GH1382TQDball head Material Aluminium Quick release Yes Independent pan lock Yes Ball friction adjust No Weight 390g Max load 11kg

Pros Stable, size, weight, takes Arca plates, looks the business, cover, attractive looks Cons Price

Contact gitzo.co.uk