Lightest (real) Tripod challenge

[Colin M]

For shorter trips with reasonable daily mileage I’m using this:

Siuri 1205x and RRS BH-25 head with a screw in top. Total weight is 943g (head 142g, tripod 799g). I sure wish Siuri would cut down the height and lighten the base to get it to more like 450g + head, that would be fantastic.

What are you using? I’d like to keep this to traditional tripods that are capable of holding at least a mirrorless, be at least 24″ in height, sturdy enough for 10 second night exposures and can orient a camera in horizontal and vertical orientations.

[Ian]

How/s the BH-25 treating you and what sort of camera/lens combos are you using with it?

I’ve been pondering the idea of buying the BH 40 or BH 30, but since I’m adding an L bracket to my camera and won’t need to use the ball head in portrait mode, I may be able to err towards one of the smaller ball heads and possibly the BH 25.

 

[Colin M]

I really can’t think of an instance the BH40 is ever necessary, it’s such a beast! The BH30 is much more practical and can handle pretty much any weight 99% of photographers ever need. A 300 2.8 is no problem for it, a 600 f/4 might be but is that really a concern for anyone but a very small subset of photographers?

I have the 30 for work and the main difference to the 25 isn’t the stability, it’s the extra panning ability and the friction lock. The 25 holds a DSLR with heavy lens (like the unbalanced 85L) with no trouble at all. I’m constantly amazed at how well it works. The real issue with that sort of combo is that there’s no friction when you turn the lock off so you have to be careful when releasing it so the camera doesn’t flop about. Yes, at the extremes there are stability issues with the 25 but with the focal lengths I use (sub 200) it’s never an issue.

So basically, if weight is a concern, I use the BH25 with a mirrorless setup (Xpro-2) or DSLR with commonly used lighter landscape lenses like the Nikon 24 1.8.
If weight isn’t a concern, I use the BH30 especially if I’m going to be using longer glass that makes the camera really front heavy. When I’m shooting commercial stuff the 30 is the go-to as I don’t have the time to fiddle around.

[Ian]

Oh joy my first attempt at a response disappeared, although I’m having some network issues so the problem is likely on my end.

I appreciate your thoughts on the RRS ball heads.  I’ll likely go with the BH 30 for the time being as my camera is an A6000 and I don’t have anything that reaches beyond 210mm at the moment.

The trail pix system is great from a weight perspective, but a) how do you use it at night for astrophotography when your trekking poles are being used to support your shelter, and b) the optional third leg is pretty flimsy; moving forward, I’ll likely leave it at home and just bring a third trekking pole.

My next tripod will likely be the Sirui T-025X in carbon fiber and replace their ball head with the BH 30.  Reported to weigh 1.8lbs with their ball head and important for me, folds up to 12.5 inches.  For trips where I’m more concerned about weight, I’ll opt for one of my Gorilla Pods, Ultra Pod, or my aforementioned Trail Pix system.

 

[David Thomas]

Not germaine to this request for a fully-functional tripod, but I just had an idea:

For a SUL tripod function, take a 1/4-20 bolt, keep the threads intact and cut/sharpener the head end down to a spike.  Keep a thin nut on it (to lock the camera in place and a slightly larger nut as sacrificial drive point.  Thread the sacrificial nut on, and beat it into a tree, stump, wooden staff, icy lake or firm ground.  Remove the sacrificial nut during use as a tripod (monopod, I suppose).

[Colin M]

Haha, David, I love the creativity! I wouldn’t want to ruin trees ect but this is how good ideas are formed!

Ian, the 025x is pretty nice, weighs a few grams less than mine. I’d give pretty hard thought to if you want to do a 25 or a 30 for the head, the 30 is a lot heavier. Either way, going with a screw on platform vs. a quick release plate saves a ton of weight too so you can always switch up depending on your needs. But I’d get one of each.

I also use a gorilla pod when weight is a real concern. Doesn’t work at night and is pretty limiting but when I’m doing weeks of 30+ mile days I’m just not going to carry 2lbs of tripod!

[Ian]

Not a tripod per se but I’m enamored with the Platypod.  Seems like it wouldn’t take too much for them to add three fittings so this could be used not only on the ground but with three trekking poles like the TrailPix.

[Colin M]

Big part of a “real” tripod is the ability to level on uneven ground so the Platy and other devices are out.

Really surprising to me that there are no better options out there. If my Siuri had a carbon base plate or even just lightened it a bunch and was 2 sections shorter it would be right around 1lb with a head and plenty stable for the types of camera’s backpacking photographers tend to carry. I only need to support about 1.2lbs so pretty much every “serious” tripod is overkill! I may have to resort to modifying the Siuri….

[Nick Smolinske]

The Trailpix can level on uneven ground, if you have adjustable-length trekking poles. I don’t recommend the accessory pole that they offer as a 3rd pole, I just bring a BD z-pole for my 3rd pole instead.

It’s certainly not as sturdy as a “real” tripod, or as functional – but I’ve done plenty of night photography with mine using UL trekking poles (two Locus Gear CP3s and a BD z-pole). If it’ll keep my camera perfectly still for 2 hours of star trail exposures, that’s good enough for me.

If you don’t use trekking poles then the weight goes up, of course – but it’s still around one pound total weight for 3 poles + the trailpix. Normally my added weight is only 8-ish oz (one z-pole + trailpix), or just 4 oz for the trailpix if someone else in my party has poles.

[Colin M]

Thanks for that Nick. Hearing you’ve had success with it is encouraging. I use poles but at least one pole, if not two, are used to hold up my various tents. As most of my shooting is early morning or at sunset, that makes it not a great option for me.

[Nick Smolinske]

Colin,

It helps that I live in AZ and love to cowboy camp. So most of the time the tent stays in my pack (or at home). When it does rain, I probably wouldn’t want a tripod anyway.

The other nice thing is that I have a mid that works with a single pole plus an extender. So if I’m hiking with a partner and we have 4 poles between us, then I have enough for a tripod regardless of our tent situation.

[Jake J]

I’ve been eyeing the Manfrotto Compact Light Aluminum Tripod. Weighs in at 921 grams with the ball head. Not too shabby for 65 bucks. Should pair well with the Nikon DL18-50 I plan on upgrading to as soon as they are available. Havent had a chance to lay hands on one so I cant comment as to the quality of it.

[Rex Sanders]

Colin wrote:

I sure wish Siuri would cut down the height and lighten the base to get it to more like 450g …

I’d like to keep this to traditional tripods that are capable of holding at least a mirrorless, be at least 24″ in height …

You could remove lower leg sections on your Siuri to get close to your 24 inch spec, then cover the bottom opening with a crutch tip, duct tape, or Sugru. Probably won’t get to 450g, but you’ll lose significant weight.

Maybe a monopod with lines and stakes to hold it up? Some CF monopods are under 400 grams; adding another 30 grams of lines and stakes plus your favorite tripod head, and you’re ready to go. Takes longer to set up, but you are saving weight.

Or a dedicated adjustable trekking pole with tripod adapter, lines and stakes. Then you have a spare trekking pole, too.

— Rex

[Colin M]

Rex, I actually tried taking out the legs and it was a very minimal amount of weight. I forget the exact weight but removing the lowest 2 sections was only something like 275g. The weight is really in the base plate, that is more than 1/2 the mass. If they reduced the plate or even made it of carbon I bet it could loose 300g or more when combined with a bit less height and less leg sections. My dream is a sturdy tripod that’s a minimum of 36″ with a small ball head and 1 lb. It’s doable but no company has committed as it’s a limited market I guess.

As above, treking pole tripods aren’t an option as my tents require my poles and I generally shoot at sunset then again in the middle of the night, both times I’d want my tent to stay up.

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