Gitzo 1127 stable enough for 4x5?

[Andrew Ito]

I've heard that the Gitzo G1127 has been recommended as a lightweight tripod for 4x5 use, but am wondering if it's not stable enough. I have the G1228 and it's fine for my Ebony SV45Ti with my lens set. Most of my lenses are all lightweight so weight isn't that much of a factor. Total weight won't exceed the 10 lbs the 1127 is supposed to hold. Question is, is it stable enough? I prefer the lighter weight of the 1127 plus the fact that there are fewer leg locks to deal with. I'm not a tall guy 5'5", so the max height isn't all that much of a factor either. Is the 1228 that much better than the 1127?

[Jean-Marie Solichon]

I have not the 1127 but regularly use a 1197 (basalt) for DSLR and Rolleiflex TLR.
I once tried a 5x4 Tachihara on this tripod and would not recommend this combo at all.

[Harley Goldman]

I use the 1127 for backpacking and travel with a 4x5. I generally use it with a Toho, but have used it with my Arca F Line Classic and got by. For its weight, it is very stable. If conditions are breezy, I either fill a mesh bag with rocks and suspend it from the hook on the center column or use an elastic cord from the hook and hold it with my foot. Both really stabilize it. It is not a 1325 (my everyday tripod), but for what it is, it works quite well.

[Ron Marshall]

My 1227 easily handles my 3 Lb Toho, and I am sure that a 1127 would also suffice, but I personally wouldn't want to go much heavier on a 1127.

[Jack Flesher]

tIf you already own the 12, I say why bother with the minor weight savings of the 11? However the Fact is I carry a 1325 as my 4x5 PACK pod and 1548 for out of the car work -- and I do own a 1228 too -- so maybe I'm not the one to ask ;)

[Eric Brody]

I own an 1127 which I use for my medium format cameras. I have placed my Toyo 45A on it in a pinch and it works ok but I agree with a previous poster that the difference between the 1127 and the 1228 is probably not enough to warrant another purchase. At least I would not spend that much money for that small a weight saving. If you look at it from the point of view of $/pound, you are spending a scary amount of money for a minimal difference in weight, probably in the range of hundreds of dollars per pound, sounds like the price of gold, not carbon fiber.

[Steve Kefford]

Andrew,

I use the 1157, and it works fine. It does however feel a little unstable with the center column raised fully. I bougth this one recently, mainly for my 35mm work, and was pleased that it was still ok for my LF. However, I do have a series 3, and use this one if kit weight is an issue.

Steve

[Andrew Ito]

Thanks for the replies guys. I actually have both the 1228 and the 1127. I had the 1228 which I was using as my normal pod, but bought the 1127 because it was pretty cheap and I'd heard that it's usable for light 4x5 setups. My SV45Ti isn't a 3 lb Toho, but it's not super heavy either. The reasoning behind getting the 1127 in lieu of the 1228 isn't so much for weight, although that was a consideration to a lesser degree. I was interested in less leg locks as well. Having come from a Bogen/Manfrotto fliplock, the twisting Gitzo locks are somewhat of a pain to use and having less of them appeals to me. The weight savings is a plus also. So, I'm going to wind up selling one of them and was wondering which should go. I still have the larger Bogen/Manfrotto 441 but wanted a smaller tripod that I can use for hiking/travel/backpacking.

[Tony Ilardi]

Somewhat late to the repsonse, but: I use an 1127 (with an Acratech UBH) with an Ebony RW45. I originally bought this model tripod to use with Leicas, but about six months later decided to start using large format again, bought the Ebony, tried it on the 1127 and have not felt a need to move on. The set-up is stable; I sometimes hang a 3 lb. weight from the center column for added stability (a couple of water bottles would do as well). I proabably would have opted for a 1227 if I had the Ebony at the time I purchased the tripod, but the RW45 is light and I have found this tripod set-up more than satisfactory. Incidentally, I am in the camp that prefers the Gitzo twist lock to the flip locks -- probably all those years using a Tiltall.

[phaedrus]

No one has mentioned the most attractive variant of the Gitzo 1127, the 1127 LVL. That's what I use with a Manfrotto 410 geared head (making it a Gitzotto setup, sorry, just feeling silly). LVL means that it has a levelling setup for the center coloumn, very useful in field work.
I find that it is stable enough for my Ebony SV45U2, deadening vibrations much faster than the aluminum Manfrotto legs that originally were on the 410 head. I've yet to use it with a long lens, though.

[Jim Rhoades]

Another point of view. I have a 1228, that fourth section made me nuts. Plus the skinny little leg is the same size as the 1127. A chain is as strong as it's weakest link. I never understood how a 1228 and a 1227 could have the same weight rating. I just bought a 1257, the best of a couple of worlds. 3 section legs, lighter than the 1227 and with anti rotation legs very fast to set up and break down. Unless involved with serious backpacking or world travel I'd stick with a 12 series. The 11 is top notch for M/F.

[naturephoto1]

Hi,

I got a Gitzo 1257LVL with a Markins M20 head to use as my lightweight and Backpacking tripod with my Linhof Technikardan 45S. Otherwise I use one of the Gitzo 1300 series version tripods for usage. I replaced the center column with the Gitzo short column, but had a custom pvc spacer made so that the hook and level could be used at the bottom of the tripod. The spacer can be removed so that the tripod can be brought down to the ground.

Rich

[QT Luong]

I've used it in the past with my Canham. My main issues were that the footprint was too small, and the height also a bit too low.

[claudiocambon]

I thought I would ask a related question here rather than post a new topic. I am looking to get a sturdy but lightweight tripod for my Technika, and the Gitzo carbons seem to be the best (and, like getting punched in the stomach, one can recover from the blow of the price!). I see kudos for the 1257/8 range here in this thread. How about either the 1327 or the 2258? Is the 1327 too much tripod? Is the 2258 enough? Any advice would be great.

[Rainer]

As Jean-Marie i´ve tried the 1197 Basalt with my Arca 4x5 and find it a viable combination under certain circumstances (no wind, lazy photographer - and that´s me).
But you are certainly pushing the limits with any other 1-series Gitzo as well.
As mentioned above the small footprint makes me some kind of nervous as well.

[Ron Marshall]

I use my 1227 with my Sinar 5x7. It is rated for the weight but it is really not stable enough. I will eventually get a second tripod.

A good friend uses a 1327 for his Technika and is always envious of the light weight of my 1227. But at the same time he is nervous about the stability of his 1327, so I am sure that he would never be really content with a 1227.

I bought it mostly for hiking with a 3 Lb Toho, and a light ballhead. If you need a tripod for hiking then the 1227 would be it, otherwise go for the 1327 or a Basalt in the same class.