Price when reviewed
It doesn’t have a hidden ‘phone clamp, an EasyLink accessory connection point or an articulating centre column, but the Gitzo Légende Tripod is an elegant, well-made tripod that, when you’re out with your camera for the day, does much of what you need very well.
Its legs have high-quality twist locks that take just a quarter turn to unlock and lock, so you can extend them quickly. Plus, the leg angle adjusters are chunky and easy to use whether you’re setting one of the two shooting angles or packing the tripod away. And, thanks to its substantial locking knob, the included tripod head is easy to lock tight so your camera won’t slip or sag during a long exposure.
While the Gitzo Légende Tripod feels built to lats, it’s good to know that after registration, it’s covered by a free unlimited extended warranty and 70% of the parts are user-replaceable.
The Gitzo Légende (GK 1545T-RTI) tripod is a special edition Gitzo Series 1 4-section Traveler tripod that is supplied with a kit that includes a matte silver aluminium Center Ball Head and an ‘Eco Leather’, cruelty-free, environmental-friendly, and non-toxic synthetic leather carrying strap.
It’s built from 170 parts and is designed to be repaired rather than replaced. All of the parts are replaceable and 70% of them are said to be user-replaceable with the part being shipped at no extra cost.
The Légende Tripod is available to order now through Indiegogo.com and will ship in May 2021. It’s listed as retailing for $799 (£575) but the first 200 can be bought at £374/$519. There are also 100 super-early bird kits that comprise a Légende Tripod, Légende Backpack and Gitzo Mini Traveler for £503/$699.
Follow the link to Indiegogo.com for more information and ordering.
Gitzo used its Carbon eXact carbon fibre tubing for the Légende’s legs while the leg locks are made from aluminium.
Each of the legs can be set two one of two shooting angles (25° or 70°) and they can be flipped up through 180° for storage or transport. When the legs are folded in this way and the centre column is retracted, the Gitzo Légende tripod is 43cm in length.
When the four-section legs are fully extended and the centre column is at its highest point, the Gitzo Légende has a shooting height of 165cm. However, the standard centre column can be replaced by a short one that’s supplied in the kit. When this is fitted and the legs are splayed to their widest, the tripod’s height is reduced to a little under 31cm.
Alternatively, the centre column can be removed and inverted so the camera is upside down and ready for close to ground-level shooting.
Should extra stability be required, Gitzo supplies a hook that can be screwed into the bottom of the standard centre column to hang a weight.
The Gitz Légende Traveler Tripod kit includes a Center Ball Head from Gitzo’s professional range. This is made from steel and aluminium components and features both a friction-control knob and a panning release to help control camera movements.
As the tripod head’s quick release plate is Arca-Swiss compatible, it can be used with Gitzo D profile plates as well as Arca-Swiss type plates.
There’s a bubble level on the head to help keep the horizon level.
While Gitzo hasn’t given the Gitzo Légende any exciting extras beyond the invertible or swappable centre column, it’s an extremely well-made, high-quality tripod.
Gitzo recommends that the tripod is limited to use with lenses that have a maximum focal length of around 135mm to 200mm, but the maximum payload is 8Kg. It’s not designed to support long, heavy lenses for wildlife photography, it’s intended for carrying on days out walking and for landscape or macro photography.
At 1.45Kg, the Gitzo Légende is heavier than the carbon fibre Peak Design Travel Tripod (1.27Kg), but it has a maximum height that is 12.6cm taller. It also has a more conventional design, which means its packed-down length and diameter is a bit larger, but it can still fit easily into the average tripod carrier on a backpack, including the Gitzo Légende Backpack, without seeming too cumbersome.
There’s a fabulous feeling of quality about every aspect of the Gitzo Légende Tripod. The three leg locks, for example, have excellent grips and they all fit under your hand so they can be rotated together to extend the tubes. A quarter turn being enough to loosen and tighten them.
Thanks to the large knob for the head lock, that’s also easy to lock tight, while the friction control enables you to set the degree of freedom of movement to suit the camera and lens.
In a nice touch, the screw on the quick release plate has a coin slot, Allen key socket and a flip-out handle, so all preferences are catered for. Its lock is also refreshingly uncomplicated. There’s still a simple safety catch, but the lock is opened and closed by turning a knob, there’s no pulling or flipping of a secondary release.
