For 4X5 Field camera Gitzo Carbon fiber or Aluminum

[Songyun]

Hi, I have a bogen 3001 which doesn't support my field camera very well. I decide to buy a Gitzo 13XX tripod(as my last tripod). The question here is should I buy a carbon fiber one or an aluminum one? Some people suggest that Aluminum tripods is heavier and better for large format. What about hanging something under the carbon fiber tripod, will that make it as steady as the aluminum tripod?

[CXC]

I feel that carbon is superior; the only reason to prefer aluminum is the lower price.

Gitzos with a center column come with a hook on the bottom of the column, if you like that technique. A Gitzo 13xx, carbon or aluminum, should suffice for just about any 4x5; I personally use mine with 8x10 and wouldn't upgrade under any circumstance.

[Ron Marshall]

I hesitated to spend so much on a tripod, but I am very happy I did. I have a Gitzo 1227. It is perfect for my 3lb Toho. If you are going to do any hiking with the camera go for CF, your legs and back will thank you.

[David Rees]

I use my G1348 with my Wista DX 5x4, and it normally is more than enough tripod for the job. I used to use a (heavy!) Graf Studioball head with it, but being left-handed, found it awkward, so moved over to an Acratech Ultimate head. That is a very light, and stable combination. However, wind can be an issue with 5x4, so I swapped out the flat plate on the G1348 for the rapid column, and then replaced the column with the short version (G1339, I think). This permits a hook to be attached to the base of the centre column, on which I hang my camera bag for some additional stability. My bags are so full of stuff that they press against all three legs, adding not only weight, but also dampening vibrations from the wind.

Having used CF tripods (I started with a G1228, which I still keep for extended hikes) for a number of years now, my aluminium tripods never come out of the cupboard any more. I should sell them, because I can't imagine a circumstance in which I would want to use them. CF is expensive, but once owned, never regretted.

[evan clarke]

Hi,
I have a 1325 Gitzo and the same Gitzo tripod configutation in aluminum. The carbon one is much, much steadier..Evan Clarke

[Bruce Watson]

I hesitated to spend so much on a tripod, but I am very happy I did. I have a Gitzo 1227. It is perfect for my 3lb Toho. If you are going to do any hiking with the camera go for CF, your legs and back will thank you.

Same here. Excellent combination. Well worth the money!

[Brian Ellis]

I have both a Gitzo aluminum and a Gitzo carbon fiber tripod. The aluminum one has a permanent home in a corner of my garage. I haven't used it in years, it's just too heavy to be carried comfortably for any distance.

[squiress]

I bought two CF tripods in the last couple of months. Both are Benro, which is a Chinese clone of the Gitzos. I have the 128 and just got in a 328. Both are 4 segment legs and I couldn't be happier with them. I got mine off of Buy it Nows at Ebay. Have compared them to their Gitzo counterparts and they are of excellent build quality and 50-60% of price of Gitzo. As well I bought a Benro ball mount that is clone of ArcaSwiss B2?. Wonderful and cheap. Will it hold up? Who knows, but they are certainly working out well for now. I have both 3221 and 3243 Bogen tripods and they weigh a ton by comparison to CF.

Stew

[Frank Petronio]

I would love to see a Benro in person.

The only drawback with CF is that I am used to tossing my metal tripod into a large Lightware Cargo Case with all the light stands and durable gadgets. A CF tripod would get major fatal dings if I tried that. Yet I'll be damned if I give up one of my precious two checked bags for a tripod, and putting a CF tripod into a case to put inside of a larger bag would sacrifice a lot of precious cargo room too (but it might help me stay under the 50# airline limit, hmmm).

A 1227 Gitzo CF for light travel without anything else does look attractive. Do you really think the Benro is equal to the Gitzo?

[Songyun]

Thanks everybody for your opinion, I think I will go with the 1327. Yes it is expensive... the tripod and a head might be more expensive than my 4X5 camera. I know when you start with 4X5 it is not very expensive, but when you get serious, everything is expensive. Hope this gonna be my last tripod. By the way, how do you carry tripods? gitzo has a bag for the 13XX, but that is very expensive.

And How about tripod heads? I tend to buy arca swiss B1, I have a pan tilt head bogen 3030, but the tilt part is not very smooth, especially arround horizontal level.