Originally posted by Pål Jensen A 1kg tripod is useless for general outdoor photography. It cannot withstand wind (commonly found outdoors) and it does not have the mass to prevent vibrations and keeping the tripod solidly connected to mother earth on less than optimum substrates
I disagree, even the strongest Gitzo system tripods can have have their stability compromised depending on
how you use it, and the surfaces you place it on. Using a tripod isn't a simple matter of extending the legs composing the shot and taking it, there is extensive technique and planning ahead involved especially with long lenses. With wide angle lenses such techniques aren't as necessary but they still can be the difference between getting the shot and not. With my lighter tripods I often use my camera bag on a bungee to counteract vibrations and strong winds, having a heavy weight close to the ground lowers the centre of gravity and greatly enhances the stability of a tripod considerably. Using a tripod head that has a low profile head on it like the low profile Ballheads made by Gitzo do wonders for enhancing stability. Also spreading out the tripod legs and using a lower angle will often compositionally improve your images and from a stability standpoint lower the centre of balance of the tripod and assist in keeping vibrations to a minimum.