Looking to lighten my camera gear weight a bit, and thought I’d start by finding a lighter weight tripod. Currently using a Feisol CT-3472, but he’s a big guy and after a 10 mile hike makes me want to chuck him into the nearest river. The CT-3442 would lighten my load by 1.4 pounds, but I’m concerned about how much stability I would give up in wind or water. Would love to hear any experiences using the CT-3442.
Heaviest setup - Nikon D750 with a 70-200mm F2.8
Depends what camera you’re shooting with, but most likely you will be fine with that. I’ve been using a CT-3441T for years and have never had a problem, it is very light. Granted I shoot with a Fujifilm so my camera is light, but with good technique you can get away with a much smaller tripod. I used to have a massive Gitzo that I cannot imagine going back to.
Good point, added the camera info to my question. Currently using the Nikon D750 with the heaviest lens being a 70-200mm f2.8. The camera body is light, the lens is the heavy part.
@Susan_Porter According to the specs, the tripod will support 55 lbs… That should be plenty adequate for your setup. Specs (at B&H) are Here
To prevent unnecessary load on the camera’s lens mount, be sure to use the collar mount on that lens.
I hope this helps.
-P
I owned a ct-3442 for a couple of years
Paired it with a RRS head and had a Feisol leveling base/bowl
Stability was very good, weight excellent. Was an ideal size to travel with
Really my only complaint was I am very tall and this tripod does not extend as tall as I would like
Came across a few locations where that was limiting
Would not have changed tripods for that reason though, mine became a victim of January Atlantic Ocean in New England
Watching it swirl around some rocks for awhile before sinking was quite depressing but going in to get it could have meant death
Thanks Preston. I really love that collar mount. Bought the lens from a friend and they sold it with the mount. Makes the balance and usability so much better.
Oh my! That had to be a horrifying moment watching it swirl around like that. Hopefully you can chuckle at it now. I plan on going to Ireland in March, you have me thinking I should tie some paracord on the tripod.
Glad you like the tripod weight and found the stability to be good. I’m pretty short, so height sound be good.
Susan, I used a “heavy duty” Feisol tripod for several years. I still have it, but it’s in MD, where I won’t be for another week, so I can’t ID the model exactly. I used that successfully with a Canon 5D3 and the 400mm F5.6 or the Canon 75-210 F2.8, without stability problems. I shoot almost exclusively from a tripod so it got lots of use (~20,000 shots per year). Because I do a lot of very low angle, macro work, I wore out the leg locks in less than 3 years to the point that one leg would collapse spontaneously. It’s a design flaw based on a soft metal pressing against a much harder metal, so that the soft metal wears away with use. If you mostly use the full upright mode, your probably fine for many years, but beware if you use the lower angles on a regular basis.
Susan: it was not a happy moment.
Was a lapse on my part that caused it, I setup the tripod on a rock edge at a weird angle a little too fast and it was not secure. Had my backpack with camera behind me, turned around to get my camera out and while I did that a gust of wind came and toppled the tripod.
It really was not a Feisol stability issue but a user error, didn’t think it would have happened in the few seconds while I got my camera out but it did.
I take a little more care now making it is secure and good news is my camera and lens were fine.
I made myself feel better buy purchasing an upgraded model that reaches much taller.
I also notice on this model which I have had for about 2 years now that the leg locks are much better made and taking apart and then reassembling the legs is much easier. My new model is a much more expensive RRS model though so not exactly a fair comparison. For the price I thought the Feisol CT-3442 was an excellent tripod and I almost rebought it, but thought I would remain depressed if I did not opt for the upgrade.
I also partially due to this incident now have metal spikes on the bottom of my tripod feet, you can add those to the feisol. Gives you a little more height, makes a good self-defense device but more importantly makes it grip onto rocks, sand, dirt much better with the spikes rather than the standard rounded bottom feet ; just have to remember to change them out if you will be using your tripod indoors.
Stability wise though I think it will do a good job for you and you will appreciate the weight savings. It has no center column which is a big plus in my book both for stability and allowing you to get very low.
Matt,
I am so happy to hear the camera wasn’t included. My first thought was, I hope his camera didn’t go too. Had my own tragic accident a little over a year ago in the Subway of Zion National Park. Had the camera and tripod all nicely setup when I dropped the lens cap in the water. When I bent to get it, I clipped the camera with my backpack and sent the whole thing crashing onto the hard rock and water. Sadly the camera didn’t make it. Tripod has a ding or two but still works great. Those spikes and a bit more care probable would have saved it.
Not having the center column is one of the things I’m looking for. I like to do closeups in nature, so getting low is a must.
Glad you are happy with the RRS tripod. They do put a lot of care into their products.
Thanks again for the advice and your experience!
Mark,
Thanks for the warning on the design flaw. I do tend to get down low on occasion, but it sounds like I do it less than you do.