feisol tripod---where to buy from??

[holymuchos]

looking to get the 3401N Feisol tripod. seems to be light enough (and tall enough) for me, as i do lots of hiking/traveling. where did you guys purchase your's from?? from feisol directly, or 3rd party??

picture from feisol's website:
http://www.feisol.com/english/3401npm.jpg

currently i don't have very large glass (17-40 being my heaviest). but one day i may get the 70-200. which ballhead would you recommend (i usually do landscapes)? are the feisol ones good?? kirk?? benro?? i've done lots of research for tripods, but the differences in heads still boggles me. my budget for the head would probably be around 200-250. (i don't want to skimp too much on the head, as i know this is a very integral part).

thanks guys!! :D

philip

[DocFrankenstein]

I'd say Acratech ballhead. It's extra 50 bucks, very light and will hold your future 70-200 nicely.

That's what I'd buy.

[lostdoggy]

I bought mine thru Threshold Concept:

http://www.thresholdconcepts.com/photo.htm

[holymuchos]

thanks for the advice, i'll check out threshold concepts. oh and it seems that i got a $100 cash back for being a good customer of my credit card company, so my ballhead budget just went up to $300-350. hopefully now i can get something good.

philip

[Littlefield]

I have the same tripod and love it for hiking and put a Kirk BH-3 on it .Make sure you get a L bracket too. I got mine thruough Threshold their US dealer in CA no problem .
Regards Don

http://www.kirkphoto.com/ballheadbh3.html

[JohnJ80]

Direct from feisol seems to work well.

I would not buy one of their ballheads, personally.

My choice for ballheads for this would be:

RRS BH40,
Kirk BH3
Markins M10

Order the BH40 with the lever clamp on it (costs more, but way worth it).

Order the other two without the clamp - just the stud and then order a RRS lever clamp and use that on it (screws on with a dab of locktite).

I'd also pass on the center column and get the Markins tripod base (check to make sure it will work - call markins).

The feisol should be fine but I have heard of some problems if they get some hard use. For standard stuff or in studio, should be fine.

J.

[holymuchos]

The feisol should be fine but I have heard of some problems if they get some hard use. For standard stuff or in studio, should be fine.

J.

what exactly have you heard about them? this tripod will get its fair amount of field use (hiking/backpacking), probably no studio. is there another tripod that you would suggest in the 200-300 range??

[holymuchos]

My choice for ballheads for this would be:

RRS BH40,
Kirk BH3
Markins M10

with the new money i received, i am seriously considering the markins m10. looks to be a substantial piece of equipment, yet light enough for outdoor use. thanks for the suggestions!!

[JohnJ80]

what exactly have you heard about them? this tripod will get its fair amount of field use (hiking/backpacking), probably no studio. is there another tripod that you would suggest in the 200-300 range??

I heard about a crack in the CF near a joint. Feisol made good on it.

However, the it is hard to bond dissimiliar materials, and CF is tough anyhow to bond to other things (like metals). I think Feisol will have a good product - looks very promising. Getting to reliability takes feedback and process adjustment and that requires lots and lots of user hours over time.

I'd stretch a bit and get one of the Gitzos for the application you are talking about. Gitzo's have a reputation for taking a beating (mine does) and they keep working like there were right out of the box. Look for a 1227 or 1228 used - I think you might find the prices there down a bit due to the introduction of the 1257/8 last year. Either that or the lower cost basalt series.

If you are using it for non rugged duty, I think a Feisol would be fine. But, if it is 'mission critical' and out in the boonies, I'd be looking at the reliability. There is nothing that would p**s me off more than lugging it into the backcountry, having it fail and then having to carry it around as useless weight for a while.

J

[lostdoggy]

The problem I have with the Feisol and by no fault of Feisol is it is subscetable to fine sand getting trap beteween the tubes making it difficult to ext. It was my fault for not cleaning it after opening it.

The other thing I don't like is the twist locks. They are a pain to open in the cold with gloves on. Now I got strong grip but w/ winter gloves on its difficult to turn. I prefer flip locks but they have their problems too.

The thing I like about it is its light to carry.

[JNunn]

Have a look at Benro tripods. They are moisture and dust sealed, extremely light, have the new N6 carbon fiber and are nearly identical to Gitzo. I have a feeling that they'll be almost as expensive as Gitzo soon too.

They have a complete selection of Ball heads as well. I have both the KS-1 and KS-2 heads, which are very similar to my Kirk BH3 head, but $200.00 less. I was going to buy the Kirk BH1 when I first heard about Benro, and I'm glad I didn't. These are very high quality ball heads with fit and finish equal to Kirk, Arca Swiss, and RRS, but waaaaayy less money!

[holymuchos]

Have a look at Benro tripods. They are moisture and dust sealed, extremely light, have the new N6 carbon fiber and are nearly identical to Gitzo. I have a feeling that they'll be almost as expensive as Gitzo soon too.

i've looked at benro. they seem to be nice. the only reason i was going to go with feisol over benro was because the feisol seems to be about 1 lb lighter, has the ability to remove the center column for direct connection of the head to the legs, and retains the same max unextended height while being a few inches shorter when collapsed.

philip

[mikechong]

I've got a Feisol 3301N... ordered directly from Feisol. It was shipped very quick. Unfortunately, the packaging wasn't the best. There was no bubble wrap or anything around the tripod. Just put in plastic wrapping and in the box. That + rough handling by the postal ppl resulted in one of the levers you press to change the leg angle being broken off. I have to praise the customer service though. I e-mailed them about it and they immediately sent me the replacement part and instructions. Only took like 2 minutes for me to fix it. They even sent an extra part :P.

Very happy with the tripod. I had been using low-end Manfrottos before and this is much nicer. I was pleasantly surprised with the twist locks. Much better and smoother than my old Manfrotto 390B twist locks.

Paired it with a Markins Q3. Would have liked to go for the RRS BH40, but was a bit more than I wanted to spend.