Ultimate Landscape Travel Tripod: Gitzo 1541T + Markens Q3T + RSS PCL-1 + L Plate?

I'm looking for the ultimate traveling tripod (landscape) combo. I'm taking a 47 rough photo tour of Tibet, Xinjiang, and Western Sichuang (Eastern Tibet) -- some of the world's most remote and beautiful landscapes.

I need a very light, very flexible tripod setup up.

Currently, I have a the following tripod setup:

Feisol CT-3441S + RRS BH-25 + RSS FAS Clamp + L Plate

I had a chance to use this on a 3 month backpacking tour of asia.

Overall, I found this setup probably the lightest possible traveling setup, but I found it wasn't the best for me. First, the rubber cap on the bottom of the Feisol tripod fell off when traveling. And second, while I liked the weight of the Feilsol, I don't like how the legs don't feel very stable sometimes.

It's fine for most situations, but when compared to one of the tavelor Gitzos (my cousin bought one), there is really no comparison in terms of quality and stability. The Gitzo's twist locks are so much faster to use and they tighten better -- the Feisol tripod's locks don't tighten as much.

I also REALLY dislike the RSS BH-25. Yea, it's a good ultra light ballhead, but it's completely lacking the smoothness of one of the bigger ballheads. It worked, but I found the ballhead TOO small. The FAS clamp is subpar compared to the larger RSS clamps.

I used a 5D +17-40 OR 70-200L with the setup.

In short, the setup I had was ultra light, but it was never really "comfortable" for me to use. So, it's time to upgrade and replace the setup. It thought I could save money on a gitzo with the Feisol, but it turns out it's a decent budget replacement, but it's not the same at all. I'm upgrading the entire tripod setup now.

I'm seriously considering buying the Gitzo 1541T Tripod + Markens Q3T (updated version) ballhead + RRS PCL-1 clamp (I will use this as the actual clamp) + RSS L Plate.

My intended setup to use with this:

Canon 5D MkII
17-40L
70-200L 2.4
85mm 1.2 I (if I can afford it)
50mm 1.8

Can anyone comment on my new travel tripod setup? The Gitzo 1541T Tripod + Markens Q3T is WELL established travel setup on this forum -- probably the most popular setup for ultra lightweight travel. I;ll be taking a lot of landscape shots high high in the mountains on rough terrain, so i like the idea of directly attaching RRS's leveling clamp (PCL-1). With that clamp on, you don't have to fiddle with the tripod to make sure camera is level...you can level off the camera in seconds -- pretty damn convenient! I also want to take quite a few panorama shots, so the leveling clamp should prove effective there. I know it's heavier than the standard RSS clamps, but by directly attaching it to the ballheads as the clamp, it doesn't add that much more weight.

Has anyone used this combo yet? And what do you guys think?

Depending on your height, you might find the 1541T to be a little lacking in the tallness department, at least if you want to avoid using the center column. This is the only reason why I don't own one (I'm 6'0). I'm actually looking for a travel solution myself. So far I've settled on a Markins Q3 (regular version) and a Gitzo GT2541. I'll have to separate the two to fit the just-shy-of-22"-folded Gitzo in my carry-on, but at least the GT2541 can reach a reasonable height for me without needing the center column. The GT2541 will also be more stable with your big zoom in less than optimum shooting conditions.

Um, have you seen my review on this setup? Pretty much every question you could ask about the tripod and head has been covered in that thread. LINK

Yea, I read the thread about the tripod and the head. Most people don't seem to use the PCL-1 as the actual clamp, but opt to attach it the the clamp via a dove tail.

I was thinking this just adds more weight though since you end up with both the RSS Clamp + dovetail + PCL-1. I know you can just remove the PCL-1 from the clamp since it's attached via the dovetail, but this might be a bit of a pain to always do. You could leave it on permenently, but then you add all that extra weight to the ballhead.

What do you feel about just using the PCL-1 as the "clamp" on the ballhead? I never saw this question addressed specifically. Is there any disadvantages to using it as a clamp?

jjasc wrote in post #9736914
Yea, I read the thread about the tripod and the head. Most people don't seem to use the PCL-1 as the actual clamp, but opt to attach it the the clamp via a dove tail.

I was thinking this just adds more weight though since you end up with both the RSS Clamp + dovetail + PCL-1. I know you can just remove the PCL-1 from the clamp since it's attached via the dovetail, but this might be a bit of a pain to always do. You could leave it on permenently, but then you add all that extra weight to the ballhead.

What do you feel about just using the PCL-1 as the "clamp" on the ballhead? I never saw this question addressed specifically. Is there any disadvantages to using it as a clamp?

Not really. I use mine with the dove tail adapter, since I didnt want to make it my permanent clamp both because I dont take panos that often and because its a screw clamp).

Ben, did you end up going with you proposed combo: "I'm seriously considering buying the Gitzo 1541T Tripod + Markens Q3T (updated version) ballhead + RRS PCL-1 clamp (I will use this as the actual clamp) + RSS L Plate. "

I'm interested mostly in how you faired re: tripod head and plate pairints. I'm trying to go as light as possible and pair the 1541T with either the RRS bh-25 (or bh-30) or the Markens Q3T + PCL1. I'm okay dealing with some annoyances (e.g., people don't like that the bh-25 doesn't have tension when unlocked - but it is another 1/4 pound to go up to the bh-30...

Would be interested to hear where you ended up and how it has fared.

Best

^He has own sticky for it. Check it out!

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=740131

I use the Gitzo 1541T/Markins Q3T combo and the only drawback I've experienced is the lack of spikes on the 1541T. On rough terrain or a stony beach it can be a problem and I'm thinking about getting some spiked "boots" made for it.

Read this review for a comparison of the Feisol and the Gitzo you're talking about. I don't agree with you at all about the leg locks and the stability of the Feisol compared to the 1541t, both of which I've used for a while.I think the Feisol is extremely solid in that regard.

I think the only thing you might consider changing is the ballhead and perhaps the lever QR.

A bit of a late response, but yes I did. I've got the 1541T + Markins Q3 + PCL1 clamp on the Markins. I'm perhaps thinking of swapping the 1541T out for the 1542T, but from what I've seen, the "upgraded model" is more of a downgrade in everything but height.

I'm writing a review on my camera website about the 1541T + Markins + PCL1 clamp that I can put in the link for if you want. But so far I love the combo -- it gives you the best ultralight landscape tripod setup in terms of versatility. You could also opt to use the dovetail attachment so you you can use one of the regular RSS clamps though. I personally use the panning feature all the time, so for me it was fine to make the PCL1 the permanent clamp.