New Gitzo 1028 enough?

[andrew_ito]

According to Gitzo's website, they are coming out with a new

carbon fiber tripod, the 1027 & 1028. These tripods are around

1.75 lbs. That's half the weight of my Hakuba CF tripod. Since

they are rated to hold up to 6.6 lbs. I wonder if that would be

sufficient to hold my Ebony 23S steady. The camera weighs in

at 3.97 lbs. plus my heaviest lens is a Nikkor 65mm, f/4 (around

a pound). By the numbers it seems to be workable. But by real

world experience, are Gitzo's weight ratings accurate,

conservative or optimistic? Do any of you Gitzo CF owners have

any comments in regards to this? My other cameras I'd use with

this tripod are the Mamiya 7 and Canon A2E with VG-10 grip and

a 70-200 2.8. I'd probably buy an Acratech ultimate ballhead for

this tripod. I would probably save around 2-3 lbs. from my

current Hakuba CF tripod and Foba Super Mini ballhead. Would

I see any significant loss of stability with this lighter setup?

Since I backpack with a tripod setup this would be a significant

weight savings. What do you think?

[geoffrey_james]

If it's any help, I did a three month project amd book on Paris with a Phillips Explorer and shorter Dagors, all on the lightest gitzo CF reporter tripod. Admittedly it's not a windy city and you have hard sidewalk underfoot. A warning, though. I was in Newfoundland for the NYTimes Magazine when the platform of the central column came off. I later epoxied it back in and put a turnbuckle around the top of the column, and it's fine. But without a heavy spare Gitzo, I would have been screwed. The Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland is no place to get gear.

[roger_michel]

my experience is that gitzo pods hold much more than their rated weights. if you have a problem with stability, you can always hang a bag of something (dirt, rocks, lens cells, cheap wine) from the hook on the center column. you will be fine.

[joshua_i._divack]

I found the 1228 unsatisfactory for a Wisner Traditional 4x5. The 1325 does the trick.

[wilbur_wong]

Andrew

I haven't seen the 10xx. Gitzo's ratings as far as I am concerned are conservative on leg sets. They are optimistic regarding their ball heads. (BTW how were your workshop photos?)

[ed_candland1]

well most folks seem to think of the 12xx as the min. for LF and the 13xx better. I own a 1325 and really like it. So the 10xx would be even lighter duty than the 12xx or 11xx. I'd be carful.

[geoffrey_james]

Wilbur Wong's point about the ball head is a good one. I use the smaller Arca Swiss and find it absolutely first-rate.

[ethan]

Well the only smaller tripod I've used is the aluminum explorer

G2220 I believe? Which was a little unstable mostly because of

the leg locks (the infinitely adjustable legs were great for low

angles difficult situations but the locks weren't as stable as a

traditional set up). But it did OK for a while. I upgraded to a 1349

carbon. Great tripod but a little bit of overkill. a 12** would have

done fine for the weight (Canham DLC, and Super Angulon f 5.6

90mm). But it really depends on what you're doing and your

needs. Nick Nixon uses a 12** series with an 8x10 wisner and a

10** with a DLC. And I can't speak for the Acratech ballhead but

the Arca swiss I have is VERY nice.

Good luck!

[lars ake vinberg]

Andrew,

I'm currently in Australia/NZ traveling with my G1128 and Ebony SW23. This combination is okay for travel, but I am a little skeptical against an even tinier tripod - especially since your 23S weighs 0.5 kg more than my SW23 and has more extension, requiring more stability.

But if your weight requirements are extreme then you might be OK with proper technique. It's always a compromise, though - I use my 1348 whenever I can travel by car.