
Originally Posted by
Alan Lillich
We just bought a 3541LS from B&H for $520 after rebate. I see they still have that price, but the 3541LS is out of stock and can't be put into a shopping cart. If you could I would without question spend the extra $100.
We've had a 2530 for a few years. We bought it to keep the weight down on long day hikes. We use up to a Nikon 200-400 with D300 and 1.4 TC on it. It is marginal with that gear, about a pound less than the current Canon 500 f/4. Good enough if your technique is good, but you can tell it vibrates in a heavy wind. I think it is OK with an 80-400.
Another consideration is if you ever want to do long sunrise, sunset, or night exposures.
The 2 series is probably OK for the 400 f/5.6, but weight is not the only factor. The Gitzo catalog used to have a nice section talking about focal length and torsional rigidity. You need a stiffer tripod with a longer focal length. I'm sure they are biased, but they suggest limiting the series 2 to 200mm.
Here is an extract:
We’ve tested our tripods with the most popular lenses on the market to identify which Series provides the best stabilisation performance for different focal lengths. For example, we recommend Series 2 tripods for use with 200mm lenses. If you decide to use a 200mm lens on a Series 1 tripod, you’ll need to pay more attention to keeping your equipment steady and may have to avoid critical conditions like strong winds. On the other hand, if you use your 200mm lens on a Series 3 tripod, erring on the safe side will allow you to use your system in the most critical conditions without having to worry about image stabilisation.