Tripods: Anti-rotation legs... worth it?

Hi,

Well, I'm about to invest way more than I ever thought I would in a new tripod/head system. Looking at Feisol CT-3441T w/ Photoclam 33NS head. This thread is not to discuss merits of one tripod or head vs another, but rather the merits of ARL legs.

I've only owned el-cheapo tripods in past w/ levers. The Feisol has twist legs.

Can someone 1) describe the differences in setup/takedown of a tripod w/ twist legs having ARL vs one without the anti-rotation legs and 2) what issue/problem does ARL address?

Thanks a bunch!

I tried a Basalt Gitzo once that didnt have ARL, and it was super annoying how when you tried to loosen the tightening screw the leg would rotate with it and it wouldnt loosen quickly or easily. Thats why it was such a big deal with Feisol and other Gitzo competitors started offering that feature too.

if speed of setup is an issue for you, then ARL are certainly better. if not, it doesn't take that much longer to set up once you figure out how to pull out the legs. you just have to hold the leg above the twist lock when locking or unlocking the legs. with ARL you can unlock all 3/4 locks at once.

I only had real experience with two tripod legs, Manfrotto and Gitzo. Both can be undone with one hand, where the Manfrotto is a snap lock, the Gitzo is using a twist lock. I'm usually adjusting the legs of the tripod with one hand while the other is holding the top of the head with the camera. In this case, it's extremely handy to have the anti-rotation legs.

If they legs required two hands to adjust, that would be somewhat annoying but depending on the price I could live with it. It's just a matter of time and how fast you need to set up your tripod.

Anyone else on this one? How much longer does it take to set up w/out the ARL feature? I know if money were no object that it's a good feature... just trying to understand how much of a difference (in time, hassle) it is?

Thx for the responses thus far. Any Feisol owners out there care to chime in as well?

Thx again all.

I have the CT-3301 without the anti-rotation legs. I've never had anti-rotation legs, so I don't have anything to compare it to. But, I don't find the twist locks to be too annoying, I've had it for two years and have not felt the need to ever upgrade because the legs rotate.

Barso23 wrote in post #10025601
Anyone else on this one? How much longer does it take to set up w/out the ARL feature? I know if money were no object that it's a good feature... just trying to understand how much of a difference (in time, hassle) it is?

Thx for the responses thus far. Any Feisol owners out there care to chime in as well?

Thx again all.

i've owned twist locks with and without ARL. for me ARL is a must-have feature. if you aren't buying a gitzo take a look at benro or induro.

ed rader

I don't think it's so much time as it's hassle. So when you figure a non-ARL legs, you need to at least hold one leg, while unlocking/locking, repeat for each section of the tripod. You do the same with ARL legs, expect you don't need two hands. In some cases, the legs might be a bit tight and don't drop down by them selves, on my Gitzo, I need to pull them down a bit with my hand, so it's handy to be able to do everything need with one hand.

Is it worth it? I heard the Feisol price difference is $100, which I think is good, but it's getting close to the price of used Gitzo legs. It's all up to you. To get an idea, just try unlocking your current tripod, do you use two hands or one? If you use one (like I did with my old snap locks) then ARL will feel more natural and easier to transition. If you use two hands (one hand on the leg, other on the lock) then ARL might not be a big benefit.

Either way, order from a store that accepts returns incase you want to change your mind.

Good luck!

One REALLY nice feature with Gitzo's ALR that I use everytime I open my tipod is the ability to unscrew each screw on a leg and then pull it all the way out and tighten them. Without ALR you cant just loosen all the leg screws and pull, you can to loosen one at a time then extend, then tighten, then the next section, etc.

ben_r_ wrote in post #10025689
One REALLY nice feature with Gitzo's ALR that I use everytime I open my tipod is the ability to unscrew each screw on a leg and then pull it all the way out and tighten them. Without ALR you cant just loosen all the leg screws and pull, you can to loosen one at a time then extend, then tighten, then the next section, etc.

Is that really true about "you can't just loosen all the leg screws and pull..." without ALR? Here's a post I saw somewhere else? Would this not work?

http://www.pbase.com/a​rjunrc/image/54653032

Barso23 wrote in post #10025798
Is that really true about "you can't just loosen all the leg screws and pull..." without ALR? Here's a post I saw somewhere else? Would this not work?

http://www.pbase.com/a​rjunrc/image/54653032

You can loosen all the legs and pull them down without ALR with a 3 segment tripod. Loosen the lower of the two twist locks, then the higher one, pull both down, then tighten the higher one and then the lower one. With a 4 segment one you would have to grip the leg to loosen it or use the method that you've linked. (I haven't tried it so I don't know if it would work, as I only have a 3 segment tripod)

Just to add, I believe you can unlock a non-ARL legs to drop them, by unlocking the bottom to top but there's a question about how tight are the locks to begin. If say the bottom lock was tighter then the top, all of the legs would twist will trying to loosen the bottom, then you still need to hold the legs again. It's just some frustration added to a simple process of dropping the legs.

For saving time, I would estimate that it would take twice as long to deploy a non-ARL tripod vs a ARL tripod.

ALR makes twist locks almost as convenient as lever locks. Without ALR, opening, closing and adjusting twist lock legs requires at least two hands.

You can lock and unlock non-ALR tripods with one hand but you have to do it in a set sequence. For unlocking the leg sections, you always have to start at the bottom and work your way up. For locking the leg sections, you have to start from the top and work your way down.

ALR tripods are just so much easier, and quicker, to lock and unlock.

Without anti-rotation legs, the order in which you unlock the locks makes a difference. Also, how tightly you tighten each lock also makes a difference. Basically, you have to start with the bottom most lock when extending and lock starting with the top most lock. Also, if you don't tighten the twist locks down enough, then you will need to tighten the next lock first before you can doing anything with the twist lock that you are working on.

Think about it this way, if you are extending the leg, then you will need to start with the bottom most leg lock. If you did not tighten the second bottom most leg twist lock enough, you will first need to tighten the second bottom most leg lock before unlocking the bottom most leg lock. If you don't do it, the bottom most leg lock will rotate without releasing the leg lock.