Carry On: Gitzo G1297

Tom Yeager of Girdwood, Alaska for Newsweek
2008 © Brian Adams

I hated using tripods until I bought the Gitzo G1297 in 2007. I always thought of tripods as heavy, awkward, and in the way; for the most part, I would use my Slik tripod only out of guilt for having bought it. The Gitzo G1297 changed that; after I bought it, I found myself looking for more ways to use it, and carried it with me to every shoot. The Gitzo G1297 is made of the volcanic rock basalt, which makes it 20% lighter than an aluminum tripod like my old Slik. It's a three-section tripod, standing at 5" when fully extended, so it's actually usually more than what I need with my Hasselblad set-up, and the legs are retracted with the classic Gitzo twist system. (I find with this system it is easier to retract and bring the legs back up with one hand.)

For the tripod head, I use a Bogen ball head (Product 468MGRC2), which is a nice basic head with tension control, which really helps with heavier cameras. Other than that, the Bogen ball head is nothing to scream about, but I'd recommend to anyone especially for a first tripod set-up.

Carry on, carry on.