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Ron Marshall
6-Jan-2012, 11:35
Please give me your thoughts on the quality of your Feisol tripod.

A friend is considering a purchase. They are much less than comparible Gitzo's, so if similar in quality it's a go.

Eric Woodbury
6-Jan-2012, 11:45
I have had a Feisol for about two years. Moderate use. I also have two Gitzos, one for the 45 and a bigger one for the 57. All carbon fiber. I got the Feisol for its lighter weight and lower cost. It is a fine tripod. Good value and plenty good enough. I have had only one complain and that is that the little rubber covers on the feet came off long ago. No big deal. If you get one, glue those things on.

Gitzo is a stronger, more heavy duty tripod that will probably take more abuse and last longer under harsh conditions. Paraphrasing Voltaire, 'better is the enemy of good enough'. That could be the case with Gitzo.

ljsegil
6-Jan-2012, 12:05
Enjoyed a 3772 for the last two or so years, use it for a Canham 8x10 with lenses up to 3+ lbs and as long as 30" with good stability, as well as assorted lighter weight cameras. Very happy with it, handles the weight well, seems to damp quickly, sets up quickly and easily (compared to my previous Manfrotto) with a very good positive locking action on the legs. My rubbers have remained on without glue (not to get too personal here). Somewhat bulky but light for that bulk, straps nicely to the side of my Photobackpacker P2 Kelty. Recommend it highly (though I have never used a Gitzo).
LJS

Drew Wiley
6-Jan-2012, 12:06
I bought one of the largest Feisol tripods as a lightweight option to my Ries for 8X10
work. I supports the camera just fine. Nice and sturdy, and half the weight of my
wooden Ries. But definitely not in the same league in terms of abuse suvivability or
sheer bully mass. And I would concur, the legs don't seem as tough as my Gitzo carbon
fiber tripod, of which I own the earliest Mountaineer version, used for 4X5 backpacking.
I haven't looked at the current Gitzos. I bought the screw on stainless spike feet for
the Feisol, which certainly improves the traction. As far as quality goes, I'm quite happy with my Feisol purchase, but don't consider it a direct substitute for something
heavier.

mpirie
6-Jan-2012, 13:04
Another positive report on Feisol 3371 from me.

I bought the spiked feet for mine and it makes a big difference to the stability. It's relatively light and very well built. I have several Manfrotto's (including a CF model) but prefer to use the Feisol, it's bigger, more stable and well made. It doesn't come with a centre column but height-wise it doesn't really need it by the time you put a head on it.

Mike.

Tim k
6-Jan-2012, 13:12
Thumbs up for mine. Its 33 something. It was the largest 3 section leg at the time.
Also a thumbs up for Kerry.

Tracy Storer
6-Jan-2012, 13:13
My principal complaint is that I would like more positive leg position stops like the Gitzos have.
Otherwise, when I don't want to carry the Ries, or another tripod, it's a nice lightweight addition to the kit, especially for the price.

Brian Ellis
6-Jan-2012, 14:43
Mine is very high quality, the collars are easier on the hands than my Gitzo. Plus the customer service is great. When I lost an end cap for one of the legs I contacted Feisol (maybe through Kerry, I don't remember) and within a few days a box containing about 10 caps arrived on my doorstep, no charge.

jeroldharter
6-Jan-2012, 18:19
I have two: one of the largest size for 8x10 and a smaller one for 4x5. Excellent quality, no problems. They come with two hex wrenches for tightening anything that might come loose. I also bought a Feisol monopod which is excellent. I would not hesitate to buy another Feisol. I think they are the best value.

John NYC
6-Jan-2012, 21:24
I have a Feisol and use it with my Wehman 8x10. No complaints except I think I would prefer a different locking mechanism for the leg sections. No big deal though. Gets the job done and it is light.

Tom Micklin
6-Jan-2012, 21:41
I own a Feisol tripod and a monopod.
I have one of the smaller tripods and it works great for 4x5 and medium format.
I also have the spiked feet on the tripod and think it's a good idea.
Dealing with Kerry is a major plus.
Got rid of both the Ries and Gitzo after just a short time working with the Feisol

Robert Oliver
6-Jan-2012, 22:10
absolutely love my feisol... great purchase. I have been abusing mine for years. Sand dunes... frozen weather... salt water... backpacking abuse

I bought it because I needed the absolute lightest legs that could hold my 4x5 steady.

aside from minimal cleaning, no complaints whatsoever

Scotty230358
7-Jan-2012, 01:12
I have used a CT3342 mated with a Manfrotto 410 head. It supports my Walker Titan (around 6lb) and Nikkor 450m lens just fine. I use stainless steel spikes when on soft terrain and rubber feet on hard surfaces. No issues with stability or durabiliity. Its much easier to carry than my old Manfrotto 55 with its 029 head. Overall I would recommend one, especially if you are getting on a bit but still enjoy fairly long walks.

mpirie
7-Jan-2012, 01:26
My 3371 is mated to a Manfrotto 410 geared head too but there is a problem with this pairing......

The head has a relatively narrow base which is much smaller than the relatively large head mount on the 3371.

The effect of this is that you don't get too much vertical tilt back because the control knob of the head hits the tripod head plate. Forward tilt is fine.

It's not too much of a problem in practice, but something you should be aware of.

Mike

engl
7-Jan-2012, 06:30
I use a Feisol 3441T and love it.

Keep in mind though that Feisol builds their tripods differently from Gitzo. Feisol is using legs of bigger diameter but with thinner walls. This results in more stable tripods (for a given weight, just look at a 1kg Gitzo 1541T compared to 1kg Feisols), but also a tripod less likely to survive a beating.

polyglot
7-Jan-2012, 23:19
I have a 3442 and love it. Bought it for 6x7 use and it's had a lap of the world now with no issues whatsoever. It is also quite sturdy enough to support my Toyo 45A.

I was originally planning on also buying a 3371 for LF use but now see no need to bother, the little 3442 is good enough and I don't shoot 8x10 or anything silly like that.

Jim Graves
8-Jan-2012, 11:11
I use the 3441 for 4x5 and the 3472 for whole plate and 8x10. Love them both.

The 3441 rubber feet do need to be glued (mine is an early model CT 3441 so they may have remedied that.) The 3472 feet are fine.

I have used the 3441 with my wooden whole plate and even a light weight 8x10 and it holds them fine ... but I don't really recommend it for regular use that heavy.