Tom Maxwell
Forum Enthusiast
I recieved half of the stuff today. The stuff from B&H, meaning the tripod, leveler and leg pads. OT, I guess I just cant understand those who post bad things about B&H on these forums. I have had nothing but great success in dealing with them. I ordered the stuff on Saturday and I call Monday morning to talk about the leveling pad and possibly cancel that part of the order. Sorry! Too late, the order was filled Saturday evening and on the truck the same day. The truck was headed out (8:04 Monday). Oh yeah, sorry but that leveler won't work on the 12XX series tripods. No problem, here is the RMA number, send it back when you get it.
Anyway, the leveler will not work on the 1227/1228 or any 12 series tripod. At this point I am taking sours grape approach to the issue and saying that if you want the 1227/1228 series over the 13XX or 14XX series you are really concerned about weight anyway. The leveler would just add more weight so who needs it. us the bubble levels on the tripod head and level it that way.
So the leveler is going back tomorrow. Thats $160 off my excursion.
My first impression when unboxing the tripod was, "Huh, this is it!" No shiney metal, no crank, no braces between the legs, no real handles to screw or clip. I paid $450 for this? I paid less than half of that for my Bogen 3051, and look at all the shiney parts and knobs on it! I thought, "Man I am a sucker!" But after playing with it for a while I have come to the conclusion that yes it is worth the price. Not because it has $450 dollars worth of metal and knobs but because it is probably the lightest, simplist to use, and smoothest tripod I have ever used. So far I am very impressed with the simplicity of this tripod. The three section legs easily release and slide in and out effortlessly. And the center pole moves equally as smoothly up and down after a half twist of the release knob. That is it! No fluff, no bright lights, no fancy gears and gadgets, just a very very very light weight and smoothly operating tripod. Sometimes it is hard to accept, but in this case we are paying for simplicity, lightweight, and smooth operation. This Carbon Fiber tripod fits the bill well. And if I were a nature photographer, I wouldn't mind carrying this thing all day long up and down hills.
I will say that while this is a very sturdy and reliable tripod, it seems to me to be a little too light weight for my RZ. The brochure says it will work for anything but the really long RZ lenses but I don't know. I like the lower center of gravity and heavy mass provided by my 3051 when I place a heavy MF camera on top. In all fairness, there is hook on the bottom of the center pole to hang some kind of weight. Presumably this would be a camera bag as I it defeats the purpose of having a light-weight tripod if you have to carry extra weight for it. I think it will work very well with my 35mm and DSLR gear. Others might think it is overkill in the price department for a set of legs. To each his own.
I also ordered the leg pads for this tripod. Basically these are just pieces of that cylindrical gray pipe insulation available at home stores with a nicely knited sock over them. Again, probably not much in some peoples eye for $30 but they do give the tripod a nice look and will come in handy when flinging the tripod over my shoulder. Since the tripod is carbon fiber and not metal, the pads really do not provide insulation to keep my hands from freezing to the metal on cold days. I think these are OK and give the tripod a nice look but they are certainly not a necessity by any means.
Since I havn't yet received my Kirk Ballhead, I can't comment on it. But I am looking forward to trying it out with the L braket that I ordered for my D1X. I am hoping this combo will give me the easy and solid flip from horizontal to vertical and vice versa that I am looking for. I presently have a Bogen 3047 pan head on it and it seems to work just fine. Although I am concerned that the head weighs more than the tripod.
This is a great tripod for 35mm or DSLR field photography. It is super lightweight and works smoothly. It is pretty much impervious to weather and dust. Those with heavier cameras or those looking for a heftier set of legs may want to consider the larger models.
Anyway, the leveler will not work on the 1227/1228 or any 12 series tripod. At this point I am taking sours grape approach to the issue and saying that if you want the 1227/1228 series over the 13XX or 14XX series you are really concerned about weight anyway. The leveler would just add more weight so who needs it. us the bubble levels on the tripod head and level it that way.
So the leveler is going back tomorrow. Thats $160 off my excursion.
My first impression when unboxing the tripod was, "Huh, this is it!" No shiney metal, no crank, no braces between the legs, no real handles to screw or clip. I paid $450 for this? I paid less than half of that for my Bogen 3051, and look at all the shiney parts and knobs on it! I thought, "Man I am a sucker!" But after playing with it for a while I have come to the conclusion that yes it is worth the price. Not because it has $450 dollars worth of metal and knobs but because it is probably the lightest, simplist to use, and smoothest tripod I have ever used. So far I am very impressed with the simplicity of this tripod. The three section legs easily release and slide in and out effortlessly. And the center pole moves equally as smoothly up and down after a half twist of the release knob. That is it! No fluff, no bright lights, no fancy gears and gadgets, just a very very very light weight and smoothly operating tripod. Sometimes it is hard to accept, but in this case we are paying for simplicity, lightweight, and smooth operation. This Carbon Fiber tripod fits the bill well. And if I were a nature photographer, I wouldn't mind carrying this thing all day long up and down hills.
I will say that while this is a very sturdy and reliable tripod, it seems to me to be a little too light weight for my RZ. The brochure says it will work for anything but the really long RZ lenses but I don't know. I like the lower center of gravity and heavy mass provided by my 3051 when I place a heavy MF camera on top. In all fairness, there is hook on the bottom of the center pole to hang some kind of weight. Presumably this would be a camera bag as I it defeats the purpose of having a light-weight tripod if you have to carry extra weight for it. I think it will work very well with my 35mm and DSLR gear. Others might think it is overkill in the price department for a set of legs. To each his own.
I also ordered the leg pads for this tripod. Basically these are just pieces of that cylindrical gray pipe insulation available at home stores with a nicely knited sock over them. Again, probably not much in some peoples eye for $30 but they do give the tripod a nice look and will come in handy when flinging the tripod over my shoulder. Since the tripod is carbon fiber and not metal, the pads really do not provide insulation to keep my hands from freezing to the metal on cold days. I think these are OK and give the tripod a nice look but they are certainly not a necessity by any means.
Since I havn't yet received my Kirk Ballhead, I can't comment on it. But I am looking forward to trying it out with the L braket that I ordered for my D1X. I am hoping this combo will give me the easy and solid flip from horizontal to vertical and vice versa that I am looking for. I presently have a Bogen 3047 pan head on it and it seems to work just fine. Although I am concerned that the head weighs more than the tripod.
This is a great tripod for 35mm or DSLR field photography. It is super lightweight and works smoothly. It is pretty much impervious to weather and dust. Those with heavier cameras or those looking for a heftier set of legs may want to consider the larger models.
