Review: Feisol CT-3442 tripod, Photoclam PC-40NS ballhead

ddong wrote in post #8174444
Photo Clam ballhead is good, but not Feisol tripod. I'll go for Gitzo for next purchase.

what do you not like about your Feisol?

Can you let me know why you went with the 3442 instead of the 3402 which is about $100 cheaper and has similar specs (the largest difference max height which is 7 inches lower) ? The 3442 seems to be in a higher class (tournament vs. standard) but I am not sure how that relates to functionality and performance.

Same question for the choice of 40NS ballhead instead of the 33NS. The load capacity on the 33 is 66lbs which should be sufficient.

The Flying Turtle wrote in post #8184804
Can you let me know why you went with the 3442 instead of the 3402 which is about $100 cheaper and has similar specs (the largest difference max height which is 7 inches lower) ? The 3442 seems to be in a higher class (tournament vs. standard) but I am not sure how that relates to functionality and performance.

Same question for the choice of 40NS ballhead instead of the 33NS. The load capacity on the 33 is 66lbs which should be sufficient.

Honestly, when I first started looking at Feisol tripods I was pretty sold on the 3441s. After talking with Kerry a bit through email, and explaining what I planned on doing with the tripod he suggested I move up to the 3442 with the centre column kit. His reasoning was such that while both would be sufficient, the 3442 will handle the vibrations a bit better and can handle larger lenses better too.

I think I disregarded the 3402 from the start because it was too short for what I was looking for. The max height was important for me, seeing as I'm not exactly short.

Same went for the PC-33NS, although I was considering the 36NS more so than the 33NS. Kerry once again suggested the 40NS because it's slightly larger it'll handle the vibrations better and thus would be better for the occasional larger lens use too.

My first thought was that he was just trying to upsell me, but I thought about it and realized he was right. Also, they weren't much larger/heavier than the ones I was considering already so it wasn't a tough choice.

In the end, I am glad I went with the 3442 and 40NS over the 3441s and 36NS. I feel it suits me better, and thus far I've used them in windy weather, at the beach in crashing waves and the vibrations haven't been an issue for me yet.

Thanks for the detailed answer. I will take your points into consideration when I make my choice. I just need to decide if those differences are worth $200 to me knowing how I will use the tripod.

MrGreen,

On your Feisol CT-3442 Carbon Fiber legs with the CT-3442CC centre column kit, if you bought just the legs and not the center column kit, could you still mount your ball head on there, and would this make the CT-3442 similar to a Systematic Gitzo set of legs in that case?

MrGreen wrote in post #7645025
The tripod: Feisol CT-3442 Carbon Fiber legs with the CT-3442CC centre column kit.

It's very light, being under 3 lbs with the centre column kit.

I noticed in the Fesiol table of specs that the center column adds close to 18 inches to the max height. Is the CC kit a single piece, or is it available as a two-piece column? The really big camera site doesn't have any info on this...thought you may have an idea.

argyle wrote in post #8221933
I noticed in the Fesiol table of specs that the center column adds close to 18 inches to the max height. Is the CC kit a single piece, or is it available as a two-piece column? The really big camera site doesn't have any info on this...thought you may have an idea.

The CT-3442 as a one piece center column. The only Feisol tropod models than have a two-piece center column kit are the CT-3441S (the two-piece center column is standard) and the CT-3402 (the two-piece center column is optional).

Kerry Thalmann

ChrisMc73 wrote in post #8221876
MrGreen,

On your Feisol CT-3442 Carbon Fiber legs with the CT-3442CC centre column kit, if you bought just the legs and not the center column kit, could you still mount your ball head on there, and would this make the CT-3442 similar to a Systematic Gitzo set of legs in that case?

The Feisol CT-3442 comes standard with a circular flat mounting plate. This mounting plate has an industry standard 3/8" mounting head for attaching a tripod head directly to this flat plate - no center column necessary. It also comes with a hang hook that screws into the bottom of the mounting stud.

This plate is removable and can be replaced with the optional center column kit or leveling base. These different options (flat plate, center column kit, leveling base) can easily be swapped in the field). It takes about a minute to perform the swap using a small allen wrench that comes with the tripod.

Kerry Thalmann

ReallyBigCameras wrote in post #8222224
The CT-3442 as a one piece center column. The only Feisol tropod models than have a two-piece center column kit are the CT-3441S (the two-piece center column is standard) and the CT-3402 (the two-piece center column is optional).

Kerry Thalmann

Last question...are the center columns interchangeable between the models? i.e. will the two-piece model work on the 3442?

argyle wrote in post #8222380
Last question...are the center columns interchangeable between the models? i.e. will the two-piece model work on the 3442?

Not really. The only center column kit that is available with the two piece column is the CT-3402CCKit and it uses a different mount than the CT-3442. You could buy both center column kits and use the two-piece column from the CT-3402CCKit with the mount from the CT-3442CCKit, but I'm not sure why you want to do this.

I'm 6'4" and even with the one-piece center column from the CT-3442CCKit, the maximum height is more than I need. Are you concerned that the CT-3442 with the one piece center column won't be tall enough for you? Go back and look at the photo in MrGreen's review that shows the column fully extended and the camera above his head. I believe MrGreen is 6'3" or 6'4". That should give you an idea how tall the CT-3442 is with the one-piece CT-3442CCKit. Do you really need something taller? If so, the longer one-piece CT-3342CCKit might be a better option than a two-piece center column from the CT-3402CCKit.

Kerry Thalmann

ReallyBigCameras wrote in post #8222246
The Feisol CT-3442 comes standard with a circular flat mounting plate. This mounting plate has an industry standard 3/8" mounting head for attaching a tripod head directly to this flat plate - no center column necessary. It also comes with a hang hook that screws into the bottom of the mounting stud.

This plate is removable and can be replaced with the optional center column kit or leveling base. These different options (flat plate, center column kit, leveling base) can easily be swapped in the field). It takes about a minute to perform the swap using a small allen wrench that comes with the tripod.

Kerry Thalmann

Kerry...I'm trying to find comparable tripods to the Gitzo GT3541LS that are not as expensive; thought maybe this Feisol was, but I haven't examined the other Feisol models yet.
The Feisol 3471 appears to be pretty similar, its a few inches taller than the GT3541LS too and half the price.
This model, 3442, is a little shorter than the GT3541LS, but similar.
Can the Feisol pads be taken off the legs?
Do you know what Feisol models compare to the GT3541LS?

ChrisMc73 wrote in post #8222464
Kerry...I'm trying to find comparable tripods to the Gitzo GT3541LS that are not as expensive; thought maybe this Feisol was, but I haven't examined the other Feisol models yet.
The Feisol 3471 appears to be pretty similar, its a few inches taller than the GT3541LS too and half the price.
This model, 3442, is a little shorter than the GT3541LS, but similar.
Can the Feisol pads be taken off the legs?
Do you know what Feisol models compare to the GT3541LS?

Chris,

The Gitzo GT3541LS is what Gitzo classifies as a Series 3 model, which is their designation for a tripod with 32mm diameter legs. Their Series 2 models have 28mm diameter legs, and their Series 4 models have 37mm diameter legs (they have never offered any Series 4 models in carbon fiber - only aluminum).

Here's a complete list of the leg diameters (which refers to the outside diameter of the top leg tube) all Gitzo tripod series from 00 - 5:

Series 00 - 16mm
Series 0 - 20mm
Series 1 - 24mm
Series 2 - 28mm
Series 3 - 32mm
Series 4 - 37mm
Series 5 - 41mm

Fesiol doesn't make any models with 32mm diameter legs, only 28mm and 37mm. So, there isn't really a Feisol model that is directly comparable to a Gitzo GT3541LS.

The Feisol CT-3442 has 28mm diameter legs. So, while it has a functionally similar mounting system (interchangeable flat mounting plate and center column mount) to the Gitzo Systematic, the leg diameter is the same as the Series 2. Gitzo does not offer a Series 2 model with the Systematic type of mount. That feature is only available in their Series 3 and Series 5 (41mm diameter legs) models.

The Feisol CT-3471 has 37mm diameter legs. As Gitzo does not make any Series 4 models in carbon fiber, there isn't any Gitzo model that is directly comparable to the Feisol CT-3471/CT-3371 (or CT-3472/CT-3372).

The included foam leg pads on the Feisol tripods are not intended to be field removable. They are rather tight fitting, and it would be very hard, perhaps impossible, to remove in a non-destructive way. Of course, if you don't ever intend to re-install then, you could always cut them off.

Kerry Thalmann

Thanks Kerry, that was an awesome explanation. So I'd have to consider in the Feisol either the 3442 or 3471, and those would be as close to the GT3541LS I could get, this make sense now with the information you've shared. Thanks so much! I need to weigh my options now.

I just purchased the Feisol 3442 without a center column and the photo clam pc-44ns ballhead from Really big cameras. I'm 5'11" and I'm comfortable taking pictures without the additional height of the center column. It folds up quickly into a nice tight package and is easy to carry around. Both the tripod and the ball head appear to be well made.

ddong wrote in post #8174444
Photo Clam ballhead is good, but not Feisol tripod. I'll go for Gitzo for next purchase.

I have the Feisol CT 3442 with a Photoclam NS 40 head and the Feisol CT 3472 with a Photclam PC 54 NS head and have nothing but good things to say about them. All were purchased from Really Big Cameras with excellent service from Kerry