A Nice Touch From Feisol

[Brian Ellis]

I own a Feisol CF tripod that cost about a third of what my Gitzo cost and that has been a great tripod to take on hikes because of its low weight and good stability. The end cap on one of the legs recently disappeared. I was just going to let it go, it's no big deal to lose a tripod leg cap, but when I learned that Kerry Thalman is now a Feisol dealer or distributor in the U.S. I asked him about a replacement. A week or so later I received (by registered mail no less) a small box from Taiwan. The box contained three end caps. No charge for the caps, no charge for the postage. Thanks Feisol and Kerry, it's nice to see excellent customer service for such a small item.

[h2oman]

Which model are you using? And for 4x5? (I know these things have been covered before - just wondering about your personal experience.) I'm pondering a move to CF someday...

[mrladewig]

I don't know what Feisol Brian is using, but I've been happy with my Velbon 630 carbon tripod for the 4X5. Its light and stable and works well. I think you'll find a carbon tripod would be an excellent support for your camera and a significant reduction in pack weight.

[Mark Woods]

what about 8x10?

[mrladewig]

what about 8x10?

I don't shoot an 8X10, but I'm sure there is an acceptable CF tripod. I've shot my C-402 rail on the Velbon/Acratech combo and its been fine. The C402 is a pretty heavy chunk of camera and the tripod didn't have any trouble with it. My Tachihara 45 is no problem at all.

But I think if I were going to shoot an 8X10 on a Velbon, I'd go up to the next size tripod (El Carmagne 730). If you're looking at Gitzo, I think their 3530 would be the rough equivalent. I'm not sure what the Feisol equivalent is, but I'll bet Kerry might know. They have a larger leg diameter and more torsional rigidity.

Its kinda difficult to compare tripods between makes as each manufacturer applies their own scale of weight rating (there is no standard). I think looking at leg diameters and spider dimensions is probably the best way to compare equivalent tripods. Obviously there can be differences in strength and stability of the various tripods, but I don't think there is as much difference in the leg strength as in the leg lock mechanisms. This is I think where Gitzo does stand out and I think it helped them boost their weight capacity on the last series of tripods.

But my Velbon is getting the job done very well at 1/2 the price of a Gitzo 1530 or 2530 and getting the job done is important to me. Like most I'm not made of money. Feisol, Velbon, Giottos and Slik all make a decent CF tripod for much less money than Gitzo.

Mel-

[Greg Lockrey]

The largest Feisol is the 3471 which I use. I would expect that it would be fine for most 8x10's. I use mine with a hybrid Sinar P/Canon 5D that weighs a ton that I use to copy large pieces of art work. Their customer service is second to none btw. They will own the world if this keeps up. ;)

[Mark Woods]

Gentlemen, thank you very much. I'll contact Kerry when the time is right. I have 2 8x10s, one is a 2D and the other a Sinar P -- and it is a beast.

[Songyun]

Anyone knows the difference between 3442 and 3441 and 3441S, Does the 3441s has anti twist lock?

[Jan Pedersen]

Kerry is great to deal with. Bought a 3401 and believe that is a good 4x5 tripod but i needed one for 8x10 so instead Kerry is getting a 3471 which i think will be here next week. It's my luck that he is local to :)

[Brian Ellis]

Which model are you using? And for 4x5? (I know these things have been covered before - just wondering about your personal experience.) I'm pondering a move to CF someday...

I use the CT3301 but primarily for digital though I did occasionally use it for my 4x5 Tachihara and it was fine. As for experience, search here for "Feisol" and you'll find quite few posts from me and other users.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Gentlemen, thank you very much. I'll contact Kerry when the time is right. I have 2 8x10s, one is a 2D and the other a Sinar P -- and it is a beast.

For the Sinar P, particularly if you use long lenses or do tabletop work with it, go for a 5-series Gitzo. I'm using a GT5540LS and Arca-Swiss B2, but I also use it for 11x14" and 7x17", bird photography with a 600/4.5 and 35mm camera, and other things. If you're just using it for the Sinar, the Sinar Pan-Tilt head might be a better alternative. I've posted a photo of that setup for a food shot here--

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showpost.php?p=311080&postcount=13

The lens on the Sinar is a 36cm/4.5 Heliar with a synched Luc-type shutter on the front.

[Frank Petronio]

Even though that's a big boy tripod David, it still looks like it's a wee bit top heavy... ;-)

[Peter De Smidt]

I second David's recommendations. For an 8x10 field camera, a Gitzo rational series 5 head is outstanding. It has a nice big top plate. For a heavy Sinar, though, it's not so good, mainly because the Sinar rail clamp has a fairly small base, and it'll tend to twist on the Gitzo head. For the Sinar, you really, really should get a Sinar pan/tilt head. The top is exactly the right size, and there's a stud in the right place which keeps the rail clamp from spinning.

[Tomaas]

I own a Feisol CF tripod that cost about a third of what my Gitzo cost and that has been a great tripod to take on hikes because of its low weight and good stability. The end cap on one of the legs recently disappeared. I was just going to let it go, it's no big deal to lose a tripod leg cap, but when I learned that Kerry Thalman is now a Feisol dealer or distributor in the U.S. I asked him about a replacement. A week or so later I received (by registered mail no less) a small box from Taiwan. The box contained three end caps. No charge for the caps, no charge for the postage. Thanks Feisol and Kerry, it's nice to see excellent customer service for such a small item.


Feisol may have sent the part to you but I suspect it's more about Kerry taking the time to make the request on your behalf.

IMHO, this would be more indicative of Kerry's commitment to customer service.

I had a similar situation with a Bogen tripod. Bogen wanted to charge me for the replacement part. I contacted the regional representative and he had the part sent to me without charge.

Tomaas

Best