Gitzo Rational R3+ Tripod for Vintage Photography DSLR Medium Format France

Gitzo Traveler Series 1 (GT1545T with 82TQD head) Gitzo.com | $1,014.99 (~$600 street)

Specifications

• Max. height 141cm (55.5"), or 164.5cm (64.8") with center column
• Min. height 42.5cm (16.7"), or 33cm (13.0") with included short center column
• Folds to 42.5cm (16.7") with 11cm (4.3") diameter
• Weighs 1.5kg (3.3lb) with accessories
• 10kg (22.0lb) load limit
• Two leg angles, four leg sections
• Separate pan and tilt/roll controls
• Bubble level included
• Swappable feet and head
• Shoulder strap included

Description

In terms of its list pricing, the Gitzo Traveler Series 1 is the most expensive travel tripod in this roundup. Significant discounts at retail mean that it's actually a wash in terms of pricing against its upstart rival from Peak Design, though.

The Traveler Series 1 ships with a short center column that installs without any tools, but it can't get nearly as low as the Peak Design regardless.

For around $600 street, the Traveler Series 1 gives you the most generous maximum height of the group by around 11cm. And with a maximum load of 10kg, it also bests its nearest rival by almost a full kilogram, making it a great choice when shooting with heavier DSLR cameras and longer lenses.

But its size and load-bearing capabilities come at a cost, because it's also the heaviest in the group, and the largest once folded. And even with its included short center column installed, it only retracts to just fractionally lower than the Peak Design and MeFoto tripods can manage right out of the box. That being said, the center column is reversible, which allows you to position a camera (upside down) between the legs, for ultra low-level shooting if required.

With a bubble level, degree scale and pan lock, the Gitzo 82TQD head is great for panos.

In use

If size, weight and cost were no object, there's little question that the Traveler Series 1 is the tripod I'd choose every time. It's the best-built and sturdiest of the bunch, even when extended to its maximum height, and the included ball head has silky-smooth panning and a well-positioned bubble level. It also accepts optional 1/4-20" threaded feet, and you can switch the ball head for, say, a video head without needing any extra accessories.

But for a travel tripod, size and weight clearly matter. The Gitzo is larger when folded than the similarly-priced Peak Design tripod, which overall is also fuller-featured and still nearly as sturdy.

The Gitzo includes a nice, clear bubble level beneath its quick-release plate, and a sandbag hook in the spider.

And while a strap is included, it attaches only to the tripod itself, making it a bit fiddly to use since there's no lower attachment point. Instead, a long velcro section at one end of the strap encircles the bottom of the tripod legs. Or you can attach both ends to the strap lug on the side of the spider, which doubles as a hook for sandbags, but then it's unbalanced and swings around as you walk.

Nor does the strap offer any way to store the short center column or the three different hex/Torx keys required for maintenance. And the included drawstring bag is both surprisingly flimsy at this price point, and isn't compatible with the strap at all.

A short center column accessory is included in the bundle, but there's nowhere to store it except a surprisingly flimsy drawstring bag.

What we like

• Superb build quality
• Extremely sturdy
• Great ball head
• Generous maximum height

What we don't like

• Heaviest and bulkiest of this group when folded
• Expensive
• Flimsy drawstring bag and fiddly shoulder strap
• Nowhere to store accessories