Tripod

[nnmmaa]

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Stealthfixr posted a link to his review of the Feisol 3401 CF tripod. I agree with everything he wrote and I would like to amplify a few bits. I have had my 3401 for more than a year. It does what it is intended to do. I have used it in cold weather down to 15 degrees F, in water sand and mud. No problems at all. Stealthfixr mentioned the centercolumn lock and I agree that it is rather primitive. There is an option that improves that feature, but it costs more. This tripod is ideal for traveling and hiking. It folds down to fit, with head attached, into a standard checked suitcase (the medium size one). I have several cheap tripods in my closet and the Feisol is made differently and better. Buy the Gitzo if you want to be sure that all the gurus approve. But it costs twice the Feisol and you need to ask yourself if you are going to punish it on a daily basis or just use it when you can get away to enjoy your hobby. BTW, shipping from Taiwan was very fast (2 days) and they emailed me a jpeg of the shipping label.


I also use the Acratech "Ultimate" ball head because it is very light and sturdy, rock solid when tightened.  In addition to the head, I strongly receommend QR plates for your cameras. Do not scrimp on this. The plate is what is going to mount your camera to the quick release mechanism on the tripod head. The plate keeps the camera+lens from flexing and twisting, a cause of droop and creep after you have set everything.

[Sheldon N]

I also just went for a Feisol tripod with a Kirk BH-3 head - largely based on the review Stealthfixr posted.

I ended up going with the CT-3301N. This is the three section legset, which I prefer over the four section set due to lighter weight, greater stability, and less clamps to adjust (the length/height difference was not as important to me). I bought directly from the Feisol.com website and paid via Paypal, $170 + shipping for the legset.

The most interesting thing to me is what they've done with the center column on the new (N series) tripods. They upgraded to a carbon fiber center column, and improved the locking mechanism. They also designed a plate that allows you to entirely remove the center column and just have a solid flat platform to mount the head on. This is similar to the head style of the 1300/1500 series Gitzo tripods. I've also noticed that this is a popular modification being made to the 1227/1228 Gitzo's. Both Kirk and Markins are selling aftermarket plates that allow you to ditch the center column in favor of a platform mount.

I've always been a proponent of never extending my center column upwards, since you lose so much stability (converts your tripod into a monopod). Feisol's option to leave out the center column was a big selling point for me, especially since you can buy just the legset and platform w/o the center column at a savings of $40 ($170 vs $210). The weight reduction is significant as well. The weight of the legset w/o the center column is only 2.65lb. This is significantly less than the 3.4 lbs of the Gitzo 1227. The total weight of the Kirk/Feisol combo will be only 3.85 lbs, a significant improvement over my current aluminum tripod.

I'm curious to use the combo when it arrives, but I have no doubts that it will be a significant improvement over my Bogen 3001/486RC2 combo.

Hope this helps!

Sheldon

[nnmmaa]

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Stealthfixr posted a link to his review of the Feisol 3401 CF tripod. I agree with everything he wrote and I would like to amplify a few bits. I have had my 3401 for more than a year. It does what it is intended to do. I have used it in cold weather down to 15 degrees F, in water sand and mud. No problems at all. Stealthfixr mentioned the centercolumn lock and I agree that it is rather primitive. There is an option that improves that feature, but it costs more. This tripod is ideal for traveling and hiking. It folds down to fit, with head attached, into a standard checked suitcase (the medium size one). I have several cheap tripods in my closet and the Feisol is made differently and better. Buy the Gitzo if you want to be sure that all the gurus approve. But it costs twice the Feisol and you need to ask yourself if you are going to punish it on a daily basis or just use it when you can get away to enjoy your hobby. BTW, shipping from Taiwan was very fast (2 days) and they emailed me a jpeg of the shipping label.


I also use the Acratech "Ultimate" ball head because it is very light and sturdy, rock solid when tightened.  In addition to the head, I strongly receommend QR plates for your cameras. Do not scrimp on this. The plate is what is going to mount your camera to the quick release mechanism on the tripod head. The plate keeps the camera+lens from flexing and twisting, a cause of droop and creep after you have set everything.