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Sass Quatch
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Registered: Oct 8, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 359
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Review Date: May 1, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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Light weight
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Cons:
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It is top heavy and easily tips over breaking your camera.
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I still take this tripod out for 5x7 or smaller cameras. There is a hook on the bottom of the center column. Hang your bag on it or bring a plastic bag which can be weighted with stones, earth or whatever. Otherwise if you bump into it with a heavy camera on top, it may go over. It also could be toppled by the wind. It is an OK tripod, but Gitzos are now made in Italy, not France, and are not quite as good as they were. I do still have three of them. The aluminum Gitzos are better, though heavier. Recommended with reservations.
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 May 1, 2009
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Taoguy
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Registered: Feb 12, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 739
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Review Date: Aug 16, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $590.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Very light weight, therefore I use it more. Compact so as my cameras go it goes.
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Cons:
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None
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For myself, a tripod should be as easy to use as the camera. A natural extension of the camera. I own several but this is my first carbon. I have used the 1228 LVL, for the last 9 months. I find I have increased my tripod usage as it subs as a monopod as well, lightweight, compact means it travels well.
May be a tad light for the heavier L lens but it has almost become a permanent attachment to my camera and I see the results. Don't always extend the bottom section if I need a little more security from vibes.
Using the 1228 w/ B-1 , I find it meets 98% of my needs. The more I use it the more I like it.
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Aug 16, 2006
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Stono
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Registered: Dec 4, 2005
Location: Norway
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Aug 13, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $520.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Though small and handy VERY solid and rock stable. Can handle my Canon 1ds MarkII and heavy L-lenses with ease! It is lightweight and can easily fit into a suitcase.
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Cons:
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It is expensive, but when thinking about all the-not-so-expensive tripods I have owned over the years, all of them disappointed me at the end of the day. Not so with this guy!
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Had it for about one year and it has been a joy! It has worked great in frost and snow north of the polar circle, in dusty southern deserts, and in hot and humit tropical rainforests.
Yes, I travel a lot - and this tripod is a great travel companion. No regrets at all, not even the price taken into account.
If you really want the best lightweight tripod around, go for this one!
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Aug 13, 2006
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RedRebel
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Registered: Oct 13, 2005
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 181
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Review Date: Dec 10, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Build quality, weight, working height, folded size, ALR twist locks
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Cons:
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Expensive, but it feels it will last for ever (which I hope for the price)
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Remark: I am talking about the NEW G1258 6X carbon with the new anti rotating leg locks and rapid center column.
I paid 524 euro's for it in the Netherlands that is approx $445.
Specs:
weight: 1.4 kg
Full extended: 154.5cm
Full extended center column down: 131.5cm
Three upper legs extended center column down: 100.5 cm (very sturdy)
Folded size: 55cm
This is a very robust trippod. It is dificult to decide between the 1298 Basalt and this one, but in the end this one seemed more stable and dampens vibrations better. A long story short; Carbon is stiffer then Basalt, but when you are less demanding have a serious look at the 1297 (very sturdy, comparable or better) and 1298 (less sturdy) trippods.
You should keep in mind that there is not one trippod that you will carry by plane with a big smile on your face. Also it's smaller brother the 1158 is still quite beefy (same overal diameter when folded) is about 7 cm shorter and 400 gr lighter...but by far not as sturdy as this one....and for the price difference...
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Dec 10, 2005
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eeprete
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Registered: Jun 4, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 3733
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Review Date: Jan 20, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $450.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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4 section tripod
Carbon Fiber build
lightweight
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Cons:
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leglocks (but not nearly as frustating as many users may make them out to be).
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Overall this is a great tripod that is an excellent travel tripod and collapses down to a short height that can be packed on the back of a camera bag or even thrown in a small suitcase.
The leglocks are a minor nuisance, that will not frustrate you nearly as much, once you practice and use them.
One of my bigger complaints is cost. Although well made, it's still a tripod that is quite pricey, even with it's excellent build quality. Gitzo would probably sell twice as many of these if they were priced at about 375-400, here in the U.S. With the price closer to 450, it make consumers question and search for a cheaper tripod under the $400 price point.
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Jan 20, 2005
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ken11011
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Registered: Jul 10, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 65
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Review Date: Apr 12, 2004
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $380.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Light and Great for Travel, very stable and will hold up to a 400mm.
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Cons:
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Pricey
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I have had this tripod for about a year now. It is light and great for travel and hiking. At first I had second thoughts about the leg locks but once I got use to them I really like them. For one they don't get hung-up on branches while hiking. I find it very stable. I use it more than my last pod because I don't mind carrying it.
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Apr 12, 2004
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Tapeman
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Feb 21, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 523
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Review Date: Apr 12, 2004
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $425.00
| Rating: 4
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Pros:
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Great compromise between weight & rigidity. Small enough for traveling.
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Cons:
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Spendy
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Apr 12, 2004
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Unregistered
Offline
Location: United States
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Review Date: Apr 2, 2004
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $450.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Light. Very stable. I actually like the Gitzo twist locks.
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Cons:
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$$$... but you get what you pay for.
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No, it's not as tall or stable as the larger Gitzos, and it's not as cheap as metal tripods of comparable stability. However, if you want the best tripod light enough you'll forget it's strapped to your pack, look no further.
Will support anything up to 300mm f/4 very well. I have sucessfully used a 500mm f/4 IS, but I wouldn't reccomend trying that too often.
As for the Gitzo leg locks, I'm not sure what the fuss it about. Yes, it's non-inutitive. Yes, if you over-tighten it's a pain to do. Just turn on the TV to entertain you and practice setting up and breaking down the tripod for half an hour. Once you get the hang of it it's faster than flip locks (my opinion), and doesn't snag on branches.
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Apr 2, 2004
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Andy Biggs
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Registered: Sep 16, 2002
Location: United States
Posts: 1620
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Review Date: Nov 28, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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lightweight
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Cons:
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center column makes for less stability, leg spread not wide enough
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If I had to do it over again, I would get either a different tripod, or two different tripods. This model sits in between what I actually need, in that it isn't lightweight enough for overseas travel, and isn't large enough for using large lenses. I guess I would go for an 1127 for overseas travel, and the 1548 for domestic use.
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Nov 28, 2003
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Jack Flesher
Offline
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Registered: Oct 23, 2002
Location: United States
Posts: 3489
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Review Date: Mar 31, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $400.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Compact and lightweight; When folded without the head attached, it fits inside a 22" carryon suitcase; VERY sturdy for its weight.
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Cons:
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Gitzo's twist leg-lock system is horribly inconvenient in use.
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This is a superb tripod for travel or regular use with smaller lenses. The legs spread wide to allow for ground-level shooting, yet when fully extended the tripod is both comfortable and sturdy enough for my 6'-6" frame to use. The twist leg-locks are inconvenient at best, requiring both hands to effectively lock and unlock; an adjustable tension lever-lock would be a far better solution here.
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Mar 31, 2003
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John MacLean
Offline
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Registered: Jan 11, 2002
Location: United States
Posts: 390
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Review Date: Mar 30, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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compact and feather weight
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Cons:
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too many leg locks
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I sold this and got a G1227 a year ago. My only beef was the 3 leg locks per takes what seems to be an eternity when you're in a hurry to setup.
It does fit nicely into luggage which makes it a great traveling pod.
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Mar 30, 2003
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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11
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44124
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May 1, 2009
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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100% of reviewers
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$459.29
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.20
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7.00
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8.3
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