Three Legged Monsters
As I honed my photography skills, and focused my shooting style on genre and methodology, I became more reliant on one item, more than most others, the tripod!
Whether I am shooting LandScape, StreetPhotography, Travel, Nature, Wildlife, even Beauty & Fashion or Beauty & Glamour … a tripod has always been by my side and within arms reach; allowing me to stabilise my camera far greater than hand-holding it, and hence making me achieve getting shots at far slower shutter speeds than I would have been able to without it.
As such, I have grown my “garden” of tripods to cover various needs, travel and packing requirements. From the behemoth Gitzo, to the featherweight Gitzo, to the small Really Right Stuff, to the very tiny Really Right Stuff. Each has its unique usage and purpose, and I can’t see myself ever going out without one packed with me.
Each of my tripods are coupled with a Really Right Stuff ballhead, these I will cover under a separate post so as not to clutter this.
The Behemoth, this is a large rugged Gitzo tripod, coupled with the Really Right Stuff (RRS) BH-55. The flagship of Gitzo that’s been with me for the best part of the past 10 years. Sadly, it is currently AWOL / MIA, as I can’t seem to locate the one I keep in Saudi; but luckily I have a couple in UK, which should be sent back to me in the course of the next few weeks (as of my writing of this). This is the tripod that sits in my car all year ‘round, as it is my workhorse that can go from ground level all the way to 180cm.
The Featherweight, this is an odd one insomuch as it fits in my shoulder bag, at 29cm folded length, and weighing in a mere 900g! Yes, under 1kg, yet can take the weight of a camera set-up up to 5kg, practically anything I throw at it bar the larger lenses! So, why have this and the Behemoth, the behemoth is far sturdier, especially, and gives that added feeling of security for leaving the camera mounted and unattended. Not that the Featherweight ever had an issue, it’s just that feeling at the back of one’s mind. This tripod I have it coupled with the RRS BH-30 ballhead.
The Small RRS; like all RRS these are made to surgical equipment standards, and you get that feeling as soon as you unpack the tripod. It just doesn’t get any better than this in terms of ruggedness, precision design, quality and robustness. This is a small tripod, in that its legs only stretches to a maximum of c. 60cm; not an issue for me as most of my LandScape work is done at knee-level height, as I love low-level shoots. I have it coupled with the RRS BH-40 ballhead, and together they can take anything I throw at them. It’s not a lightweight of a tripod as it is built from aluminuim, unlike the two Gitzo that are carbon fibre.
Then there’s the tiny RRS tripod, that’s more of a ground / table-top tripod, the TFA-01 Ultra that’s so small it can fit in to one’s pocket. Weighing in a mere 135g, yet can support camera gear weighing as much as 6.5kg! It’s perfect for throwing into the camera bag just in case one wants to get that shot that needs the added stability. Coupled with the BH-30, make for an ideal tiny take-and-forget tripod.
These are my four trusted tripods that have been with me, some since 2009!
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