Normal use: D800 + ZF21/ZF100/50mm long exposures at night or with 10-stop ND
Occasional use: D800 + 300 f4(now)/f2.8(near future) for birding
I would like to carry it for travels so weight is a factor too.. Usability, Weight and price are important in that order..
1) Gitzo 2541 + RRS BH-40
2) Gitzo 3541 (LS?) + RRS BH-55
3) I may also consider RRS tripods... but not sure to which series is RRS TVC-24 (33 is kind of heavy) comparable to..
If you can find one of the older discontinued Gitzo 3541LS tripods and get a good price on it, that is a way to save a little weight. But the new Gitzo 3542LS is the same weight as the Really Right Stuff TVC-33. All three are similar in their maximum height. If you want 4 leg sections, you are right that the RRS TVC-34 is a little more weight than the Gitzo 3542LS. Remember that the RRS tripods use larger leg diameters than Gitzo for the comparable series, so they perform better.
Your future need to support a 300 f2.8 lens would point toward one of the larger series of tripods. You might skimp by with a TVC-24, but I would not consider the Gitzo 2541 for a big lens.
Definitely include RRS tripods for your consideration.
I use the TVC 24 with leveling base and a PCL-1 panning clamp (as my low-profile head) for my lightweight travel tripod. It is probably most similar to a Gitzo 3 series CF.
The TVC-33 is more similar in spec to my Gitzo 5541LS---but weighs about two pounds less!
Jul 19, 2012 at 10:24 AM
Lars Johnsson Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
kdphotography wrote:
Definitely include RRS tripods for your consideration.
I use the TVC 24 with leveling base and a PCL-1 panning clamp (as my low-profile head) for my lightweight travel tripod. It is probably most similar to a Gitzo 3 series CF.
The TVC-33 is more similar in spec to my Gitzo 5541LS---but weighs about two pounds less!
The TVC-33 is more similar in spec to the latest Gitzo series 2 than the series 5
I can't keep up with all the different Gitzo naming conventions, although I know the latest Gitzo releases addressed minor issues with the previous 3 and 5 series.
I do know that the TVC-33 is very close in spec to my Gitzo 5541LS---I guess it's considered old stock now . I would have bought the TVC-33 but RRS hadn't even announced their tripod line yet. Still happy with my 5541LS, but the TVC-24 is seeing a lot more use on location!
Thanks a lot for the inputs guys... I got a Gitzo GT3541LS like new for a decent price... will also go with BH-55 (but feels a little too much for travel...)
I found 3541LS and TVC-24L to be very similar with almost all of the specs.. I heard the RRS was better but was open to both options considering the price difference...
. I would have bought the TVC-33 but RRS hadn't even announced their tripod line yet. Still happy with my 5541LS, but the TVC-24 is seeing a lot more use on location! 
"Occasional use: D800 + 300 f4(now)/f2.8(near future) for birding"