Acratech GP-S & Feisol CT-3442

Copy that - my eye level is right at 65.5 inches, so that is probably OK. One last (I promise) question: Anti-rotation legs - Kerry sells the non-rotational tripods for about $90 less which my cheap dark side appreciates. Do you think it is worth the $90?

Spotfire wrote in post #14066548
Copy that - my eye level is right at 65.5 inches, so that is probably OK. One last (I promise) question: Anti-rotation legs - Kerry sells the non-rotational tripods for about $90 less which my cheap dark side appreciates. Do you think it is worth the $90?

Definitely get the anti-rotation legs. Makes setup/take down a lot easier. You really notice it when you work with four section tripods.

Thanks marcosv. I see you are a new 3442 owner - I would be interested in your opinion on the quality of the tripod.

Spotfire wrote in post #14066548
Anti-rotation legs - Kerry sells the non-rotational tripods for about $90 less which my cheap dark side appreciates. Do you think it is worth the $90?

It is absolutely worth it!

Hah! ... what those guys said. Love the anti-rotation legs.

Makes it easy-peasy to extend & stow the legs.

Spotfire wrote in post #14066680
Thanks marcosv. I see you are a new 3442 owner - I would be interested in your opinion on the quality of the tripod.

The quality of the tripod appears to be excellent. My friend who owns a series 2 Gitzo basalt tripod with an Acratech GP head was very impressed. He's considering buying one too.

As RandyS has mentioned, the GP-s ball head folds nicely between the legs of the tripod. The legs spread out slight, but, the whole thing still fits in the Feisol tripod bag. That bag is slightly tapered and is exactly 19" long. I can't put the tripod with ballhead in base first; I must put the tripod in feet first.

The 3442 was definitely the right tripod for me.

The slightly wider base allows the option of using the tripod without a center column. It's very quick/easy to swap the between the two options. Right now I'm using the tripod with center column, but, I carry the plate and tools to swap the center column out in the Feisol bag.

The legs extend smoothly and the locks are working really nice. I can extend/retract the legs faster than my friend can with his Gitzo.

The one problem I'm having with the 3442 is the fact that I'm five feet, six inches tall, and this tripod isn't quite the right height for me. If I extend the legs all the way, the tripod is about two inches too tall (without using the center column). If I keep the last section retracted, the tripod is slightly two short. Right now I'm using the center column raised about one third to one half of the way.

I did consider the traveler version, the CT-3441S, but, I wanted the option to go without center column or to try it with the leveling base. I'm glad I went this route. As far as I can tell, the 3441S is two inches shorter and has a slightly narrower base so it fits in carry on suitcases better.

On a whim, I did buy the leveling base. I haven't tried it yet. It's advantage is that it is supposed to tilt up to 30 degrees. The disadvantage is that it has a handle on the bottom that can't be removed or re-positioned for quick storage. So with ball head attached, you can't get the whole thing to the 19" length. I plan on getting a 25" padded tripod bag for times I'm not traveling or hiking.

The leveling base might have one other drawback. The handle on the bottom is attached to a screw that is attached the ball that the base rotates on. Tightening the handle causes a circular friction plate to press up against the ball to keep the ball from moving. No idea if how well that friction plate will hold against slippage.

The option I have for having a level platform to do panoramics with is to mount my GP-s ball head upside down. I don't want to do this because I would lose the "gimbal" head feature which I find handy when using a 400/5.6L or a 70-200/2.8 with a 2x TC.

Lastly, I want to say I was very happy with Feisol inc (www.feisol.net and on Amazon.com). I tried ordering via Really Big Camera, but, never got a reply to my email. Tried ordering on Amazon and found out that they sold out. Emailing Feisol, I found out that they were sold out everywhere, but, given my pending vacation trip, they offered to sell me their copy that was opened to take product pictures. That tripod arrived in a few days in perfect condition. I also was able to order a few accessories from Adorma just fine. So in short, I'm happy with Feisol's tech support.

Thanks marcosv. Sounds like it is working good for you albeit just a little too tall. Maybe you should try to find someone on this board to take it off your hands! I may know somebody in the market Still hemming and hawing over the 3442 or 3441T.

Spotfire wrote in post #14082970
Thanks marcosv. Sounds like it is working good for you albeit just a little too tall. Maybe you should try to find someone on this board to take it off your hands! I may know somebody in the market Still hemming and hawing over the 3442 or 3441T.

FWIW, there's a guy who turned his 3442 into a "traveller" version.

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=PYzs7YedN9M

RandyS wrote in post #13663891
...the wart in the design.

That is the spring loaded 'safety' pin they put in the clamp. On the surface, it's a good idea. When it fits into the holes/slots most plates have and prevents your rig from just sliding out if the clamp is loosened.

I know there are other manufacturers that use it (*cough*Markins*cough) and a lot of folks rely on the pin. But truth is that to me, it seems like the work of the devil. One of the advantages of a screw clamp (as opposed to a lever clamp) is that it can be partially released to slide a plate or rail in/out to adjust balance or macro focus or nodal point or ... . With these pins, you pretty much have to open the clamp all the way and lift your camera/lens/rail out of the clamp to reposition it. Most the time at least.

I've got an email out to them to see if there's a way I can remove or disable this pin without trashing my warranty.

UPDATE: Chrys from Acratech got in touch to say they don't condone removing the spring loaded pin on the clamp, as it's a safety feature. But ... she also let me know how to deal with it if I insist...

Hi Randy. I'm considering an Acratech lever clamp for use with RRS plates on view cameras, and had the same concern as you about being able to slide them fore and aft without snagging the pin. I emailed Acratech a week ago asking how to remove the pin, but no reply yet. How did Chrys indicate you should deal with it? Did you ever remove the pin on yours?

I registered here just to ask you this question on a 2 year old thread. Thanks in advance for your reply.

^ Sal welcome to the forum! Randy is the OP so he'll have an email from POTN that someone has posted to the thread so he'll likely reply.