I'm tripod shopping. I dont use a tripod all the time although I think if I had a decent one I'd use it more often than the best buy crap I have now. My bank account doesnt allow for gitzo. I've read a lot of good things about these but I'm interested to here if anyone here uses one. It has its shortcomings but they're mostly things that could be done better for people who use their tripod daily/professionally. For $185 with a bag, it seems to be a pretty decent value.

 

I have a Gitzo carbon model, but I find the twist tight connectors slow. I have a few others, they are all faster to break down and cheaper too. This is much cheaper than they were a few years ago. I think you need to handle it before you make a decision.

 

A few thoughts:

1) I'm not a fan of the twist lock connectors.
2) Is there a provision to have a short column? You won't be able to get a low perspective with a long column like that (unless you want to take a hack saw to carbon fiber. )
3) Remember that in addition to the tripod legs you need to get yourself a head.

If you haven't read it already, see this thread: tripod advice

My current setup is a Bogen 3221 tripod with a 488RC4 head.

Hope that helps a little.

Dave

 

No hacksaw required

Im not a twist lock fan but Im not sure its a dealbreaker. I'd like to save a few bucks here and put it towards the head if possible.


Dave,
How about a review of your setup if you have a minute.

 

Not all twist locks are created equal. My Leitz Tiltall has given me 20 years of solid perfomance and will probably go another 20 — or more!

From what I can see, I like this Fiesol a lot & plan on checking it out soon. It looks solid, light, and more vesatile than my workhorse.

 

Quick Review

Bogen 3221 Legs: The positive locking leg connectors and light weight aluminum legs are nice. Plus, since it's aluminum, I feel comfortable just leaving the tripod in the back of my MINI and not worrying if something I place on top of the tripod is going to damage the legs. I have a feeling I would be quite a bit more "protective" of a carbon tripod.

The one issue I had was trying to go low. Bogen provides a little plastic piece to take the place of the center column to go low, but it wasn't as stable as the metal center column and required the removal of the head from the long column. Another option I considered was a short column that Bogen makes for the 3221, but I didn't want to spend the money on that, only to have a rarely used long column. I never used my center column extended very far, so my final solution was to cut my center column down. I'm 5' 7" (5' 8" on a good day. ) and cutting the center column down had no impact on me for being able to use the tripod at a normal standing height (legs fully out). I'll take a photo if you're interested to show this more clearly.

From the looks of it that Feisol tripod may have a similar provision (plastic part that interfaces to the tripod legs when shooting from a low perspective). Just be aware that this may not be as stable having the actual center column.


488RC4 Head: I like this ball head quite a bit. The attachment plate is pretty good sized too, so it makes for a nice stable platform. The quick release feature for the plate is pretty intuitive, and has a two stage release function to prevent accidental release of the plate. I honestly don't have any complaints about the head and it was fairly reasonable at $90 (B&H).

Overall I'm very happy with the current setup (especially after chopping the center column).

 

Dave,
Thanks for the quick write up. Extending the centercolum always looks like a risky proposition to me unless its some ginormous tripod. I wouldnt think of doing it on my discount special. The Feisol's center column is a 3 piece design. The top part is about 2.5" long and the tube screws into that, then the hook screws into that, you can make your center column short or long by removing the longer tube. Pretty neat setup.

Tsukiji,
Are you familiar with these at all? I read good things about them on Nikonians but I'd like a second opinion.

 

The Gitzo mountaineer or whatever it is called in carbon seems much more damage proof than aluminum. I have had porters in Kenya stand on it and it ignored it. Very tough and very similiar to the this Feisol judging by the pictures.

I would say that the tripod is very personal. Not as personal as the balance of the camera obviously, but still, you are going to be lugging it and trying to use it without looking. My use was birding, so you are always trying to load a scope and not lose the bird in the foilage. So feel and speed are really important. The carbon is a lot nicer to touch in the dead of winter or the heat of the desert than aluminum also.