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| On the summit of Ben Nevis |
Following an interesting thread on Twitter prompted by AlexRoddie’s follow-up review of the Trailpix ultralight tripod I’ve been thinking about tripods and backpacking.
The first question is of course whether you need one. Say no
to that and you’ve saved some weight and bulk but also limited the scope of your
photography. I didn’t carry a tripod for quite a few years. In fact it never
occurred to me to do so. Looking back at my pictures of the Pacific Crest Trail
and Continental Divide Trail I wish it had. Two types of image are missing from
those trips. Low light shots –dawn, dusk, night skies – and many
self-portraits. The few of the latter I have were taken by people I travelled
with or by balancing the camera on a boulder, tree stump or pile of stones - that’s
why I’m quite often sitting down in the few pictures I have!
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| On the Pacific Crest Trail - camera balanced on a rock |
So the two reasons for carrying a tripod are low light
images and, for solo backpackers, self-portraits that go beyond close-up
selfies. Often I’m taking pictures of myself not as a selfie but to show
someone hiking, cooking, pitching camp and doing other activities.
Modern cameras with in-built stabilisation and good results
from high ISOs do mean that reasonable images can be taken in low light
conditions where it wouldn’t have been possible with low ISO films but even so
I’ve not found I can handhold them for starry skies or even a dark sunset.
It was after my 1985 CDT walk that Peter Lumley, the
publisher of Footloose, an outdoor
magazine I was then editing, asked me why I didn’t use a tripod. I suspect he’d
have liked more pictures of me for my articles on the trail. I remember that I
replied ‘too heavy’. Rather than argue Peter showed me his own tripod. I don’t
remember much about it except that it felt amazingly light. I borrowed it for a
forthcoming trip to Iceland and was delighted with the opportunities it opened
up. I’ve carried a tripod on every trip ever since.
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| On the Moine Mhor |
Looking for my first tripod after the Iceland walk with an
arbitrary maximum weight of 1kg I quickly realised that most tripods were
indeed too heavy, and that included ones described as ‘lightweight’. Only a few
budget and ‘travel’ tripods seemed worth considering. I ended up with a Slik
500G tripod which, as the name says, weighed 500 grams. I took it on my walk
the length of the Canadian Rockies in 1988. By the end of the walk the centre
column wouldn’t tighten anymore but I had taken quite a few pictures I couldn’t
have taken otherwise. I replaced that tripod with a 600 gram Cullman 2101
Backpack tripod which I still have and which has proved excellent. It went on
five multi-month walks and dozens of shorter ones. Eventually the ball head
would no longer hold the camera firmly but given the use the tripod had had I
couldn’t complain. At some point I’d also purchased an expensive Gitzo Loisir
tripod as a possible replacement. It was more compact than the Cullman but
heavier at 790 grams and not as tall. It did have a good ball head though so I
transferred this to the Cullman. I still have the Loisir but haven’t used it in
many years.
When I changed from SLRs to smaller, lighter mirrorless cameras some seven
years ago I started to think about a smaller, lighter tripod and eventually
bought a 281 gram Velbon V-Pod. This has also proved excellent and has lasted
longer than I expected. I used it on my Scottish Watershed walk and it’s been
on many other trips.
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| Night in the Lairig Ghru, taken using Velbon V-Pod tripod |
There are of course limitations to lightweight tripods. They
don’t have the height of heavier tripods and there’s little point extending the
centre column as it’ll almost certainly wobble. The V-Pod extends to 80cms
without using the centre column which I find just adequate. Only extending the
legs as far as necessary is wise too, again to avoid the chance of it wobbling.
Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of light tripods is the lack of wind
resistance. If there’s more than a breeze they can easily blow over. Something
heavy like a stuffsack full of stones can be attached to the bottom of the
centre column to stabilise them but this doesn’t stop them shaking in a strong
wind. I long ago accepted I wouldn’t be taking tripod shots when it was very
windy
What about mini tripods? I’ve tried a few of these and I do
have a Joby GorillaPod. I rarely use it though. I find such tiny tripods too
low for most uses. Anything much shorter than the V-Pod would be too limiting
for me.
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| From the left: Benro A530F, Manfrotto Digi, Cullman Backpack, Gitzo Loisir, Velbon V-Pod |
I also have two heavier tripods, one of which I very
occasionally take on day walks. The Manfrotto 724B Digi Tripod weighs 1432
grams and was bought for use at home photographing gear, books, magazines and
other stuff. Then just last year I bought a 1330 gram Benro A350F tripod for a
very specific purpose – photographing transparencies on a light box, which
requires a reversed centre column. I can’t imagine taking either of these
tripods on a backpacking trip. I’m aware though that many regard these as
lightweight tripods.
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| From the left: Manfrotto Digi, Benro A530F, Cullman Backpack, Gitzo Loisir, Velbon V-Pod |
Good though it has been my V-Pod is somewhat battered now. I
hope it lasts a fair bit longer but I won’t be surprised if it doesn’t so I’ve
been looking for a replacement. Read Alex Roddie’s post to see why I’m not
considering the Trailpix. I’d buy another V-Pod but it’s been discontinued. The
nearest Velbon offers now is the Summit Tripod at 396 grams. That’s the
heaviest I’d consider. Maybe I’ll buy one before it disappears too.
