Veteran Member Registered: April, 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 2,054
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 30, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $279.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Strong, light-weight, well-made. | | Cons: | None | |
Feisol is commonly thought of as a poor man's Gitzo. I have no experience with Gitzo, but I just can't imagine what else one would need from a tripod that you can't get from Feisol. Larger models or ones with a greater load capacity are available, always at a truly significant savings over the comparable Gitzo.
The model reviewed here is from Feisol's "classic" series, meaning their standard models, and I just couldn't be more pleased with the quality of construction. I have used it outdoors quite a bit, including at the beach, and it never missed a beat. This is a "rapid" model, meaning it has the anti-rotation, rapidly deploying leg locks. It was $64 more than the equivalent non-rapid model, well worth it, in my opinion. On non-rapid models, leg sections other than the one you are tightening/loosening tend to rotate, which can be very annoying.
I went with a three-section model, mainly for the convenience of only having to mess with two locks per leg, and because when fully extended, it is exactly the right height for me (including the attached head, and I'm about 5'9"). Plus, with a three-section model the smallest diameter section is thicker than with a four-section. Combine that with one less joint per leg, and I would think it would be at least a little more stabile than the equivalent four-section. I have found mine to be very stabile, especially considering how light it is (about 2.5 lbs.) The only reason I could see going with a four-section is if you absolutely had to have the smallest collapsed length possible. But that's just me.
Feisols are available with or without a center-column. I went without, because, again, it is the perfect height anyway, and the center-column would add weight, cost, and a bit less stability when extended.
Feisol also makes the very popular "Tournament" series. The main functional difference with these, is the ability to fold the legs over backwards with some heads, resulting in a very compact collapsed length. It should be noted, though, that these models are considerably wider at the head platform, if that is important to you. The equivalent tournament model to mine also weighs about about a quarter-pound less. It also costs an additional $109.
Overall, I would say my Feisol is the one photographic accessory that I am most pleased with. The carbon-fiber construction is top-notch, the locks are made of metal with rubber coverings and work exactly as you would want them to, you even get that expensive-sounding "slide-whistle" effect when collapsing the legs. Mine came with a basic carrying bag. I bought separately one of the more deluxe padded bags that Feisol offers, and they are also reasonably priced. They also offer other accessories such as spikes, leveling bases, etc..
If you want to research Feisol, I would suggest visiting Feisol.net rather than .com. .net is actually the N. American Feisol site, but it seems to be a much more complete site than .com. Also, the NA Feisol rep told me that B&H and, I think, Adorama should be carrying their products soon, but, as of this review, that has not happened yet.
It is generally accepted as good advice to buy a really good tripod right off the bat, rather than going through several cheap ones looking for a bargain. It's good to know that with Feisol, you can buy that really good one AND get a bargain. Wish I had known that a few years ago.
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