I am 6'5 and have happily been using the Gitzo GT1931 Basalt tripod with my Arca B1 head for some time. When I started getting into longer exposure shots, I was starting to become unhappy with the image quality coming from some shake. This was mainly because where I was shooting was over a fence or a gate of some sort, and I had to extend the center column of 1931 to be able to clear those obstacles. As has been reinforced many times, shooting with the center column constantly raised is less than ideal.
So I decided to invest some funds on a tall pod. Unfortunately, the operative term here is funds. Many of them. The tripod that I decided to buy was the Gitzo GT3541XLS. At a little under $900, these sticks are not cheap by any means. Almost 3 times as expensive as the GT1931.
My first observation when opening the box to the 3541 was that it was about the same size as my 1931. The plate is much larger, and the legs on the 3541 are thicker, but overall size was not that far apart.
Weight wise, they're also pretty close. The 3541 weighs approximately 4.3 pounds where the 1931 weighs 3. For long hikes, you may notice the extra pound, but just in handling them, they feel pretty similar. Not like one is twice the weight of the other. Keep in mind that basalt is heavier than CF though, so if weight is you only concern, then the 3541 is double the weight of something like the popular 1541T.
Size wise, this is pretty much where the similarities end. The 3541 is HUGE when expanded. As mentioned, I'm 6'5 and can stand under the 3541 when it is fully opened.
As for features, both have the ALR and G-Lock features. The 3541 has a leveling bubble on the plate whereas the 1931 does not. Both can be brought down to ground level as their legs can expand out at a full 90 degree angle. The 3541 is a 4 section set of legs, whereas the 1931 is 3.
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