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GEAR: Feisol CT-3371 tripod
Tutorials and Reviews
Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 138
Feisol CT-3371 tripod
Review by Scott Quier.
I ordered the tripod I thought would fit my needs from their secure web-site. Ordering process was simple and smooth. As soon as I created an account with them (a requirement), I received an e-mail, part of which is quoted here:
By ordering your FEISOL equipment from our shop, you can take advantage of several great benefits:
. Official FEISOL Distributor for the USA and Canada
. 3 Year Warranty on all new products
. Shipping from North Carolina, USA
. No International Bank Transfer Fees and Hassles
. Warranty and Return Address in the USA
. Repair Service in the USA
. Easy to use Online Shop
. Product Reviews you can read and write
. Pay with Pay Pal, CreditCard, Bank Transfer, Money Order or Check
. DHL Tracking Number provided for purchases in the USA
. Support Ticket System
As soon as I completed the order (on a Saturday, 21 March), I receive the usual confirmation. On Monday (23 March), I received an order status update, indicating the tripod had been shipped. But, no tracking number, no mention of which shipping company was used. Four hours after I got the update from Feisol, I got an e-mail from FedEx providing me with the tracking number - from which I was able to determine expected delivery date. The package arrived on Wednesday, 25 March. Doesn't get much better than that.
When I opened up the shipping box, the product box was completely surrounded by shipping peanuts. Packing was good.
Opening the end of the product box, I see black fabric. Hmmm ... I didn't remember that the tripod came with a bag.
The tripod in the bag
In a plastic bag
One of the legs
The tripod base - just for a sense of scale
With the Acratech Ultimate Ballhead, again for a sense of scale
The coupler - A 3/4 (+/-) turn of the lock gets you from tight to loose enough to extend/collapse the leg. Loosen the coupler and the leg slides very nicely, no bumps, no muss, no fuss. Tighten it down a bit and it's SOLID.
Collapse the leg in just a touch, press the top portion of this catch and the legs will open out to 1 of 3 different lock positions, the last being almost flat.
A couple of images to give a sense of the size of the largest tube (there are three sections). The specs say the top section is 37mm in diamater. Disassembly of a joint shows the tube thickness to be on the order of approx 1.0mm - 1.1mm thick - that's the best I can do with the crude measuring tools I have at hand - no micrometer
Finally, a Really Right Stuff BH-55 PCL with my 50D and Ef 70-200 f/2.8L IS. You can't see it here, but there's a metal eye-hook that looks able to support a good 15kg - 20kg screwed into the underside of the tripod base - just the thing for adding a little more stability to the device.
Inital over-all impressions are that this tripod is everything I could ever want. It's tall when extended - 61", with legs extended, about 8" more than I'll ever need. It's short when collapsed, some 26" which is short enough for my check baggage. And, it's light - lighter than my Manfrotto 3021BN by a good bit - makes up for the beast of a ballhead.
I had the opportunity to use the tripod last night at a local photography club meeting/shootout. Let us just say that the tripod/ballhead combination got some attention! This is alright, among friends - I hope that's not a foreshadowing of what I can expect to encounter on a regular basis.
In short all I can say is that I'm very impressed! It's going to take a bit of time to get used to the twist locks (I'm used to the clamp levers on my Manfrotto). That having been said, it was nice to extend the legs to the desired / required length, mount the camera to the ballhead and have everything just SOLID. It's just head and shoulders above anything I've ever experienced.
I guess you can say that I'm pretty happy with the purchase and the performance it promises to deliver.
Review by Scott Quier.
I ordered the tripod I thought would fit my needs from their secure web-site. Ordering process was simple and smooth. As soon as I created an account with them (a requirement), I received an e-mail, part of which is quoted here:
By ordering your FEISOL equipment from our shop, you can take advantage of several great benefits:
. Official FEISOL Distributor for the USA and Canada
. 3 Year Warranty on all new products
. Shipping from North Carolina, USA
. No International Bank Transfer Fees and Hassles
. Warranty and Return Address in the USA
. Repair Service in the USA
. Easy to use Online Shop
. Product Reviews you can read and write
. Pay with Pay Pal, CreditCard, Bank Transfer, Money Order or Check
. DHL Tracking Number provided for purchases in the USA
. Support Ticket System
As soon as I completed the order (on a Saturday, 21 March), I receive the usual confirmation. On Monday (23 March), I received an order status update, indicating the tripod had been shipped. But, no tracking number, no mention of which shipping company was used. Four hours after I got the update from Feisol, I got an e-mail from FedEx providing me with the tracking number - from which I was able to determine expected delivery date. The package arrived on Wednesday, 25 March. Doesn't get much better than that.
When I opened up the shipping box, the product box was completely surrounded by shipping peanuts. Packing was good.
Opening the end of the product box, I see black fabric. Hmmm ... I didn't remember that the tripod came with a bag.
The tripod in the bag
In a plastic bag
One of the legs
The tripod base - just for a sense of scale
With the Acratech Ultimate Ballhead, again for a sense of scale
The coupler - A 3/4 (+/-) turn of the lock gets you from tight to loose enough to extend/collapse the leg. Loosen the coupler and the leg slides very nicely, no bumps, no muss, no fuss. Tighten it down a bit and it's SOLID.
Collapse the leg in just a touch, press the top portion of this catch and the legs will open out to 1 of 3 different lock positions, the last being almost flat.
A couple of images to give a sense of the size of the largest tube (there are three sections). The specs say the top section is 37mm in diamater. Disassembly of a joint shows the tube thickness to be on the order of approx 1.0mm - 1.1mm thick - that's the best I can do with the crude measuring tools I have at hand - no micrometer
Finally, a Really Right Stuff BH-55 PCL with my 50D and Ef 70-200 f/2.8L IS. You can't see it here, but there's a metal eye-hook that looks able to support a good 15kg - 20kg screwed into the underside of the tripod base - just the thing for adding a little more stability to the device.
Inital over-all impressions are that this tripod is everything I could ever want. It's tall when extended - 61", with legs extended, about 8" more than I'll ever need. It's short when collapsed, some 26" which is short enough for my check baggage. And, it's light - lighter than my Manfrotto 3021BN by a good bit - makes up for the beast of a ballhead.
I had the opportunity to use the tripod last night at a local photography club meeting/shootout. Let us just say that the tripod/ballhead combination got some attention! This is alright, among friends - I hope that's not a foreshadowing of what I can expect to encounter on a regular basis.
In short all I can say is that I'm very impressed! It's going to take a bit of time to get used to the twist locks (I'm used to the clamp levers on my Manfrotto). That having been said, it was nice to extend the legs to the desired / required length, mount the camera to the ballhead and have everything just SOLID. It's just head and shoulders above anything I've ever experienced.
I guess you can say that I'm pretty happy with the purchase and the performance it promises to deliver.
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