The Gitzo GT1532 is a tripod in Gitzo’s Mountaineer line. The GT1532 is the smallest of this general purpose line. The weight is low enough to qualify it as a travel tripod, but the folded length is too long to fit in a carry-on. This, in addition to Gitzo’s marketing for the tripod, make me place it as all-purpose. The GT1532 performs well, in line with what we expect from the modern Gitzo tripods.
| Name | Gitzo GT1532 Mountaineer |
| Class | All Purpose |
| Yaw Stiffness | 661 +/- 2 Nm/rad |
| Yaw Damping | 0.147 +/- 0.015 Js/rad |
| Pitch Stiffness | 1705 +/- 9 Nm/rad |
| Pitch Damping | 0.68 +/- 0.068 Js/rad |
| Retail Price | $700 |
| Weight | 2.93 lbs (1.33 kgs) |
| Manufacturer weight rating | 22 lbs |
| Maximum Height | 51.7 in (131.3 cm) |
| Minimum Height | 15.2 in (38.6 cm) |
| Max Height with Center Column | 61.4 in (156.0 cm) |
| Center Column | Yes |
| Base Diameter | 2.0 in (5.1 cm) |
| Folded Length | 24.5 in (62.2 cm) |
| Folded Circumference | 9.5 in (24.1 cm) |
| Folded Volume | 176.0 cu. in. (2.9 liters) |
| Leg Material | Carbon Fiber |
| Leg Sections | 3 |
| Primary Leg Angle | 25.5 deg |
| Leg Locks | Twist |
| Top Tube Diameter | 25.3 mm |
| Second Tube Diameter | 21.7 mm |
| Third Tube Diameter | 18.0 mm |
| Exchangeable Feet | Yes |
| Foot Type | Rubber |
| Bottom Hook | Yes |
The stiffness and damping data are the averages of 10 trials for each measurement. The reported error is the standard error, except in the case of the damping data. I have set the error in the damping at 10% as the standard error metric does not appropriately capture the error in fitting to the data. All of the reported specifications are measured, with the exception of the weight rating. The tripod is measured at full height, with the center column down.
Example data for oscillations about the vertical axis of the tripod:
That’s just sexy.
Example data for oscillations about the radial axis of the tripod:
As pretty as the yaw data is, the pitch data is a mess. It was reasonably stiff, but something weird was going on. You can see the sharpest peak, the second highest, is the correct line. The fit at least is good.