GEAR: Feisol CT-3471 Rapid
Coming from Manfrotto 055XPROB and an old Gitzo traveler, I was looking for a more sturdy tripod,
especially for landscape photography and long time exposures some kind of mandatory.
After reading reviews and recommendations, I read about FEISOL tripods.
With some comparison and budget decision(!) the FEISOL Classic Large Tripod CT-3471 Rapid was my choice.
Ordering and shipping was quite easy and fast done from the FEISOL website and the tripod arrived within 2 days,...and that a week before Xmas.
Unpacking the tripod I was very impressed, well packed, it came with a padded tripod bag, all tools and the maintenance instructions. Actually it's easy to dismantle for cleaning if necessary.
I was a bit worried first, not to have overdone, as due to the larger tubing 37mm (1.46") it appears quite big. Well it is a heavy duty style tripod, made for high loads up to 12 kg, so it would suit (D)SLR with large telephoto lenses or even medium or large format photography.
With an optional levelling base it would be suitable for larger video cameras.
But then the CT-3471 (2.3kg) is not lightweight, has less than the Manfrotto 055XPROB (2.4kg) I had before BUT it is by far a more stable unit.
The 4 Section, Carbon Fibre Platform Tripod was meant to be attached to a backpack,
which with the 56 cm (22.05") folded length is possible, actually its shorter then the 055XPROB with 65.5 cm (25.8").
I didn't go for the optional center column as the height of 154cm or 60.63" without tripod head, was enough for me.
With the Sirui Ballhead K-40X and the 5D M II on top of the lot, in some set ups I need to be on toe tips despite I am 6 ft tall.
The head base on the bigger Feisol 'Classic Rapid' series is screwed with three M6 countersink screws to the tripod and can be removed and replaced with an optional levelling platform or the center column.
It has preset leg angles at 25,75 and 90 degrees and angle locks are easy to use.
The twist locks at the legs featuring FEISOL's Rapid system so you need only one hand to adjust it.
For me it checks all boxes,
- lightweight but sturdy
- luggage and backpack size
- height and variable the angles
- Carbon Fibre and water resistant
- budget wise its not as expensive as a comparable Gitzo
All in all, I can highly recommended the Feisol Classic Large CT-3471 Rapid.
