Feisol purchase (Todd question?) imminent

Todd,
I've seen you profess your love for the Feisol 3342 in a search through the forum and have seen some pretty favorable comments. I have some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket and I was thinking of getting one of these. Can I ask why you went with the 3342 over the 3442 and traveler series? You said you also purchased the rapid, but I think I am leaning more toward the base model to keep the price down and I was attracted to the 3442 more compactness when folded. I also have some monies for Mike's Camera but they only carried the Gitzo (of this quality) and I'm not enthused about paying that much. Thinking Feisol legs and maybe a head from Mike's or just save that Mike's money for something else (lens someday)?

I have an old Velbon 60 from 2002 that I am tired of lugging around and need something for travel, backpacking, and any future additions to the family (which would probably cancel out the travel, so lets call it backpacking ). Thanks in advance

I'd recommend a Kirk or RRS head. My 2 cents - I converted to all Kirk more than 10 years ago and all I buy is "L" brackets when I get a new body.

If you read through some of those posts re: Feisol tripods, you may have seen me link them to the PhotoClam series of ballheads, sold by a Feisol dealer. Great price for an excellent ballhead!

I bought the 3442 in favor of the 3342 last year. It's a rotating leg model because Feisol didn't offer anti-rotation at the time. I went with the 3442 because it was overall more compact than the 3342, folding up to a shorter length when fully retracted because of the four leg segments vs three. I needed it to be small enough to fit into my carry-on bag and the 3342 would have been borderline. The difference between the two comes to about 4 inches when folded up which can be the difference between it fitting somewhere and not. On the flip side, I have to deal with three locks per leg vs two on the 3342. This makes my 3442 take a little longer to set up and break down and can also slightly diminish stability (though I think that concern is overblown.)

I also went with the trend of getting the PhotoClam ball head to go with the Feisol legs. John is right that it's a great price for an excellent ballhead.

I got the three-section instead of the four-section just to make for a quicker set-up.

I got a PhotoClam head with mine and have been entirely happy with it so far. I've never used any other quality ball head, though, so I can't compare.

I have a Feisol 3401. Small, compact, cheap, and sturdy. I did not need the legs to flip, so saved the cash since its only $220. The 3401 is already plenty compact too and very light. I forego the center column, so it gets lower. I'm 6'4" and I have to stoop a little but its worth it for the lightweight of the Feisol. It is a nice lightweight travel/backpacking option to pair with my regular tripod a Gitzo 1325.

I pair mine with a Kirk BH-3 and it will support my large format camera.

Feisol is a good lightweight choice.

I have the 3342. I'm 6'4" and wanted more height with fewer leg locks to hassle with, and was specifically looking for something without a center column, for less weight and more rigidity. I don't mind the fact that the legs rotate; in fact, I find them a little easier to work with than my gitzo with anti-rotation. I use it pretty extensively for hiking and multi-day backpacking. I bought the gitzo later because it's the only tripod that goes taller than me. If Feisol had made one that size, I'd have bought one from them.

Do keep in mind that the leg tips tend to fall off. I rubber-cemented mine on. The spot where the legs connect to the base needs to be tightened every couple of months with a simple allen wrench.

Most of the time, I pair it with an AcraTech "ultimate ballhead" for a very light combination. I also bought a Feisol CB 50-d ballhead as the AcraTech is starting to droop a half-millimeter or so and I need to send it back in to them for some work. (The AcraTech is most excellent: I've used it hard for eight years or more). The Feisol head is very nice for the price. I've never used or seen a PhotoClam in person, so I can't comment on them.

On the note Mark made about the leg tips falling off, I lost one of my original feet as well. When I contacted Kerry at Really Big Cameras (where I bought my tripod) about it he sent me a new set of tips that are deeper and stay on a lot better. I guess Feisol recognized the problem and started making deeper foot cups that stay on better. A new tripod bought bight have the new, deeper, tips. Just FYI.

Make that a trifecta about the rubber tripod feet falling off on the Feisols. A small blight on an otherwise excellent tripod. So be sure to glue 'em on.