Feisol 3441 "Traveler" Tripod

[Ted Harris]

I have now been using the Feisol 3441 tripod for 3 weeks and it has made two round trip plane trips. It is a real delight. The weight is a hair under two pounds and it folds up to less than 17 inches which means that it fits easily in a rollaboard case approved by all airlines. I carry my Toyo AII, lenses, etc. in a gear bag that fits under my seat or in the overhead and the tripod goes in the rollaboard with my clothes.

Fully extended it reaches to ~ 5'4" without the center column. I am 5'10" so with the addition of a ball head it is a good height for me. I have used it with my Toyo AII, with a Fuji Finepix with an older, heavier 70-210 AF lens and with a Noblex. Additionally, one of our workshop participants at the last Fine Focus Workshop used it with his Ebony SV45U. For all the applications tried so far the 'pod has proven to be solid and stable. Whebn I am not traveling I use a heavier tripod but the Feisol 3441 is absolutely perfect for travel. Additionally, yesterday I took it on a fairly strenuous 4 mile hike and it was a delight to carry .... hardly felt it strapped to the pack at all. Our workshopper who used it for three days was equally impressed. He came to the workshop with a Gitzo Traveler and,while it has approximately the same specifications as the Feisol 3441, it was way too light to deal with his Ebony which the Feisol handled with ease.

BTW, I find the fit and finish of the Feisol to be excellent. Some say not quite up to that of a Gitzo but I sure didn't see any difference out of the box and now three weeks of hard use in the field later there is certainly no difference .

[Ben Chase]

I have now been using the Feisol 3441 tripod for 3 weeks and it has made two round trip plane trips. It is a real delight. The weight is a hair under two pounds and it folds up to less than 17 inches which means that it fits easily in a rollaboard case approved by all airlines. I carry my Toyo AII, lenses, etc. in a gear bag that fits under my seat or in the overhead and the tripod goes in the rollaboard with my clothes.

Fully extended it reaches to ~ 5'4" without the center column. I am 5'10" so with the addition of a ball head it is a good height for me. I have used it with my Toyo AII, with a Fuji Finepix with an older, heavier 70-210 AF lens and with a Noblex. Additionally, one of our workshop participants at the last Fine Focus Workshop used it with his Ebony SV45U. For all the applications tried so far the 'pod has proven to be solid and stable. Whebn I am not traveling I use a heavier tripod but the Feisol 3441 is absolutely perfect for travel. Additionally, yesterday I took it on a fairly strenuous 4 mile hike and it was a delight to carry .... hardly felt it strapped to the pack at all. Our workshopper who used it for three days was equally impressed. He came to the workshop with a Gitzo Traveler and,while it has approximately the same specifications as the Feisol 3441, it was way too light to deal with his Ebony which the Feisol handled with ease.

BTW, I find the fit and finish of the Feisol to be excellent. Some say not quite up to that of a Gitzo but I sure didn't see any difference out of the box and now three weeks of hard use in the field later there is certainly no difference .

Ted,

I've got a Gitzo G1410 (yes the 8 lb monster) with a A/S B1, that I use with my Technikardan. Do you think the 3441 would be a good travel tripod when I'm backpacking for this setup? I typically just bring two lenses, the heaver of the two being the 90mm f4.5 Rodenstock Grandagon (the newest).

I took the G1410 backpacking through Denali for a week, and it was probably overkill for what I need on a backpacking trip.

What I need is a sufficiently stable platform that packs much easier, and is a hell of a lot lighter than my current setup.

From what I've seen in terms of price, I'm considering the Feisol over the Gitzo carbon fiber models.

[Ted Harris]

Ben,

The Technikarden is only about a pound heavier than the Toyo AII ... don't know about the Ebony so I would thinkit would work just fine. The rated load capacity of the tripod is more than twice the weight of the Technikarden. Remember though that I chose this specific model Feisol for a very specific need. In your case where the folded lengthis not as big a concern I would opt for oneof the larger models, either the '71 that many folks here use or the new model that was just announced and is a hair larger than mine. Overall I feelthe Feisol is the equal of the Gitzo in everything except price .

[Eric James]

Ben,

I recently started using the Gitzo 2530 with an Acratech V2 ballhead for my Ebony 4X5. This combo weighs just 4 pounds! I don't know how heavy your camera is but I would guess that a tripod of this weight would be fine. If I'm shooting high enough above the ground I use the center hook to weight the pod - this certainly stabilizes things in many situations. Lately, ground firmness and wind are my greatest obstacles - and I doubt that a pod as beastly as a 1410 would overcome the problem of spongy tundra. It's always a tradeoff, but I find I'm more anxious to hit the trail with a lighter pack; no matter how sturdy my tripod, I won't capture sharp photos if I don't leave home. If you hiked Denali for a week with a 1410, YMMV

[Ben Chase]

Ben,

I recently started using the Gitzo 2530 with an Acratech V2 ballhead for my Ebony 4X5. This combo weighs just 4 pounds! I don't know how heavy your camera is but I would guess that a tripod of this weight would be fine. If I'm shooting high enough above the ground I use the center hook to weight the pod - this certainly stablizes things in many situations. Lately, ground firmness and wind are my greatest obstacles - and I doubt that a pod as beastly as a 1410 would overcome the problem of spungy tundra. It's always a tradeoff, but I find I'm more anxious to hit the trail with a lighter pack; no matter how sturdy my tripod, I won't capture sharp photos if I don't leave home. If you hiked Denali for a week with a 1410, YMMV!

Yes, the spongy tundra was certainly an issue...I was cursing myself for not bringing some frisbees to put the tripod legs on.

Alternatively, I'm also looking at the Gitzo GT3540LS, which is about $600 - $650. It's irritating that I can't find a 2-series Gitzo without a center column, otherwise I'd be looking at the 2 series Gitzos. I NEVER use a center column.

[Ben Chase]

Ben,

The Technikarden is only about a pound heavier than the Toyo AII ... don't know about the Ebony so I would thinkit would work just fine. The rated load capacity of the tripod is more than twice the weight of the Technikarden. Remember though that I chose this specific model Feisol for a very specific need. In your case where the folded lengthis not as big a concern I would opt for oneof the larger models, either the '71 that many folks here use or the new model that was just announced and is a hair larger than mine. Overall I feelthe Feisol is the equal of the Gitzo in everything except price .

Yes, it's pretty much impossible to ignore that price point. Especially now that you've demonstrated some confidence in it after travelling a couple times.

[Eric James]

It's irritating that I can't find a 2-series Gitzo without a center column, otherwise I'd be looking at the 2 series Gitzos. I NEVER use a center column.

Many of the new Gitzos (including the 2530) come with what's called a Ground Level Kit - or something like that. For me, I get the hook that I want with the old short columns; for you, you get a pod with a center column that converts to a pod with (essentially) no center column. The platform unscrews from the top of the column; the hook unscrews from the bottom of the column; the column gets tossed into a box of photo junk; and the platform and hooks are rejoined - semi-permanently with locktite if you wish - to provide a tripod with a center hook, low minimum height, and no center column. It's really quite nice.

[Ben Chase]

[QUOTE=Eric James;248266]Many of the new Gitzos (including the 2530) come with what's called a Ground Level Kit - or something like that. For me, I get the hook that I want with the old short columns; for you, you get a pod with a center column that converts to a pod with (essentially) no center column. The platform unscrews from the top of the column; the hook unscrews from the bottom of the column; the column gets tossed into a box of photo junk; and the platform and hooks are rejoined - semi-permanently with locktite if you wish - to provide a tripod with a center hook, low minimum height, and no center column. It's really quite nice.[/QUOTE

Wonder how the leg locking functions in comparison with the Feisol. I am getting a little tired of the big "antler" twist locks on my 1410.

[Brian Ellis]

"Wonder how the leg locking functions in comparison with the Feisol. I am getting a little tired of the big "antler" twist locks on my 1410."

I have the Gitzo 1325 not the 1410 so I can't make a direct comparison. But FWIW, I much prefer the collars on my Feisol to the collars on the 1325. With the 1325 my hands end up raw if I've had the good fortune to make a bunch (say 15 or so) photographs in a day and twisting the knobs is uncomfortable regardless of the number of photographs made. I've never had that problem with the Feisol, the collars are smooth, not rough like the Gitzo 1325, but easier to grip because of their hectagonal (?) shape. My Feisol also has a hook that can be used for stabilizing and padded upper legs which make it very comfortable to carry. Plus a carrying case that I never use but it's there if I want it. And compared to my 1325 with a Bogen 410 geared head the Feisol feels like a feather. All in all a combination that's very hard to beat for $210 including shipping.

I was glad to see Ted's report. I've been praising the Feisol for some time here and was beginning to think I might deluding myself or proselytizing too much.

[Ted Harris]

I'll add more praise. I hate twisting collars on tripods. One of my main objections to Gitzos. Like Brian, I find the collars on the Feisol much more pleasantto deal with (even though I still hate 'em). The padded upper legs, forgot ll about them but they may a nice cusion when you want to carry the 'pod on your shoulder from point an to point b without removing the camera and fully collapsing it. This is also a good place to underscore the quality of these tripods. It's impossible for me to make a side-by-side comparison to a Gitzo in any real detail since the two I own are 1) aluminum and 2) old and beat up. The comparison of the Feisol 3441 to the Gitzo Traveler during the last workshop did make me smile almost to the point of laughter though. The Feisol waas as ice or nicer and operted jsut as smoothly. The laughter came when thinking about the price of the Gitzo and its inadequacies versust he Feisol.

As Brian noted, they all come with cases, hooks, etc. Mine even had two Allen Wrenches to tighten legs screws, a nice thought and touch.

Finally, Brian didn't you mean $310? If there is one for $210 I'll go get another!