Geared head for Feisol 3441?

[Riverman]

Hello from London

My first post here on the eve of my entry into the realm of large format. Shen Hao arrives tomorrow and now I'm looking to settle on a tripod. I found a helpful thread on the Feisol 3441 Traveller. Fits the bill as I'm going to be lugging my kit around on foot a lot (no car!)

However, I'm leaning towards a geared head as I plan to focus on architecture initially. Would the 3441 accommodate a Manfrotto 410 or is the weight of a geared head too much for a small tripod like the 3441?

Thanks

[photographs42]

Welcome to LF and the LF forum. I have a 3441 and two 410 heads but the 410 heads are on Bogan 3221’s. I don’t see any reason why the 410 wouldn’t work on the 3441. It is a bit heavy but it is one of the lighter geared heads. The main problem with a light tripod and heavy camera/tripod head is that it becomes top heavy, but if you are careful to adjust the legs so that the head is centered (gravity wise) on the leg/earth contact points, you shouldn’t have a problem.

The 410 is a pleasure to use for Architectural work BTW.

Jerome

[Brian Ellis]

I use the 410 on a Gitzo 1325 tripod. I also have a Feisol CT 3301 tripod with a RRS head. I've never tried the 410 on the Feisol - it's for toting around so I want it light - but I wouldn't hesitate to put the 410 on the Feisol if there was a reason to do so. As long as the legs on the Feisol were at the right height and angle so that it wasn't close to tipping over, I would think the heavier head would actually add some stability to the light Feisol.

[Really Big Cameras]

Riverman,

As others have stated, the CT-3441S will work with the Manfrotto 410 Mini-geared head, but it will make the rig a little top heavy - especially if you need to extend the center column to get a comfortable working height.

So, a couple questions:

How tall are you? Due to the light weight and incredibly compact size, the CT-3441S is an absolutely great tripod fior travel and backpacking. However, if you're taller than average you may have to extend the center column a few inches to get a comfortable working height. I'm taller than average, and prefer a tripod that can get to a comfortable working height without raising the center column. In fact, I prefer my tripods with no center column. Fortunately, Feisol makes several models, of various heights and weight, that come standard with a flat mounting plate in place of a center column. You can compare the height and weight specs of all the Feisol tripods here.

How important is compact size? You say you're going to be carrying it about on foot. Is absolute compactness a high priority, or just something that's small enough and light enough to carry around all that matters. Compactness is the forte of the CT-3441S, but Feisol makes other models that are small enough and light enough to carry in the field. For example than Standard Class models, while not quite as light and compact as the CT-3441S would be a good match for the 410 had and cost less than the CT-3441S. I personally prefer 3-section legs, but they aren't as compact as the models with 4-section legs.

As an experiment, I just placed my 4x5 ARCA-SWISS on the 410 head on top of a Feisol CT-3301 - without center column. I'm 6'4" and this combination provides a comfortable working height for me. For me, personally, I'd prefer this solution over the CT-3441S, which would require raising the center column 4 or 5 inches to get a comfortable working height. Of course, this is based on my height, my camera (the ARCA-SWISS is a rather tall camera) and preferences. I just wanted to point out there may be other products in the Feisol line that may (or may not) be a better match for your needs.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras

[Riverman]

Thanks to you all for your helpful replies. A three section standard Feisol plus the 410 sounds like a pretty good solution. I'll let you know how I get on.

That said - the question of a tripod seemed far less important this evening!

Everyone says large format photography is a slower, more contemplative process compared with other formats - too right I thought as I struggled for over an hour trying to suss out how on earth to open and close a Shen Hao TZ 45 IIB! It was literally the first time I had ever seen or held a 5x4 field camera and I had a devil of a job working it out (no thanks to the "operating instructions" that came with the camera) but I found some helpful threads on the forum to guide me.

Anyway - I'm now pretty competent at opening and closing the camera! One small step etc... After that little battle I realise I have a steep learning curve to climb before I can convert the pictures I see in my mind's eye to sheets of film. But I relish a challenge and this forum seems like an incredibly valuable resource for anyone making the leap to LF.

Thanks again for the tripod tips. Rest assured I'll be back before long with more newcomer questions. First task for tomorrow is to order my copies of Using the View Camera and Adams' the Camera!

All the best

[photographs42]

There is an old saying about the difference between a sailboat and a speedboat. If you are on a speedboat, you are going somewhere. If you are on a sailboat, you are already there. Working with LF is like sailing. Working with the large camera is a major part of the pleasure.

Jerome

[Frank Petronio]

One thing that always surprises me about these tripod selections is that people, even Kerry, mention that the tripod is a "comfortable working height".

I always thought it was better to have some extra height capacity in your tripod so that you could compose the photograph to be optimal -- which sometimes precludes always being at a comfortable height. Sometimes it may need to be a bit higher and you'll need to stretch or stand on something. Even for the nature/landscape photos that seem to be the focus here.

If your tripod simply extends to eye level, then all your photos will be from eye level or below... it seems kind of limiting. I can think of dozens of shots where being 6 to 12 inches higher made all the difference. That's not counting the times you can climb something to be higher, like the car's roof or a ladder.

[timparkin]

One thing that always surprises me about these tripod selections is that people, even Kerry, mention that the tripod is a "comfortable working height".

I always thought it was better to have some extra height capacity in your tripod so that you could compose the photograph to be optimal -- which sometimes precludes always being at a comfortable height. Sometimes it may need to be a bit higher and you'll need to stretch or stand on something. Even for the nature/landscape photos that seem to be the focus here.

If your tripod simply extends to eye level, then all your photos will be from eye level or below... it seems kind of limiting. I can think of dozens of shots where being 6 to 12 inches higher made all the difference. That's not counting the times you can climb something to be higher, like the car's roof or a ladder.

Interesting you should say this as I recently bought what I thought was a 'stupidly large' tripod, the Gitzo 3540XLS.. I wanted the tripod to have some extra height but the XLS was quite a bit more than I thought I needed. To give you an idea of size, if I open it to maximum height (no centre column), I can't put the camera on top of it as it's too close to the ceiling. I can also stand underneath it, and I'm 6'2"!

Never the less, within the first week I had used the full length of the tripod's legs twice. Actually I had used only one it's legs at full tilt whilst standing on a very steep hill and another whilst at the edge of a cliff.

Over the last month I've used the tripod's full length again a few times.. A couple of examples have been when in a boulder field and I wanted extra height. I could stand on a boulder and the reach the camera; another where I wanted to take a picture over a fence and I could spread the legs over the fence and stand on my stool to take the picture. Pretty much any place I can see I can position the camera.. This freedom is very satisfying.. The lack of centre column is also good for low angle shots..

Tim

[Jerzy Pawlowski]

Recently I got Gitzo 3541XLS (I am not sure what the difference between 3541XLS and 3540XLS) and it was real pleasure to use extra height on a steep slope and full height while standing on a large boulder (plenty in my area) as mentioned by timparkin.