The stability of a 3 section tripod will still be a little better than a 4 section one, even with the new Gitzo leg locking setup. That last leg section is smaller, and thus more flexible. But the difference is now less because the new leg locks minimize any movement at the locking point.
The setup time is not a big issue at all. It is now very fast to setup and take down either a 3 section or 4 section with the new leg locks, so I would not worry about that part.
When I use a 4 section tripod and know the shot requires the best stability, I simply live with the last section not extended or only extended a little, and stoop down to view and adjust he shot. I then of course follow up with using a remote release, and sometimes mirror lock up. And timing a shot for lulls in the wind, or shielding your camera from wind using your body, are both helpful with a smaller tripod like the series 2.
The overall length of the tripod can be important for travel or hiking, but it really depends on how you travel, and what is comfortable for you.
Also the 4th leg is not of the same strength as the 3rd and if you are on a hill you'll notice that. So the only reason I may choose 2541 is that it is more compact for travel.
I choose a 2541 over the 2531 because I wanted a more compact size for backpacking and travel. I am very happy with it and has been very sturdy for my needs. I have used it with my 5D Mark II and 100-400 lens without a problem.
you just suck a few leg sections back in and the issue drops to irrelevence. the lower you go the less profile you want. the advantage of the 4 section is you have more to work with.
I don't think that in almost any instance, with the new G-locs, that there is a measurable difference in stability. The specs are identical too.
I'm a big fan of 4 section legs especially on the smaller tripods where you are likely to be doing travel. Longer than 22" is longer than the airline's carryon size, they seem to fit poorly on a backpack, and when getting in and out of cars and boats they hang up on things, and finally, when on a backpack and walking in the woods they seem to snag everything. The shorter collapsed size of the 4 section really helps solve all those problems.
I'm very conscious about size and weight because I travel quite a bit, so choosing the 4 section for the smaller folded dimensions made a lot of sense. I paired it up with a BH-40 LR1 and absolutely love love love the combo.
I also have the 2541 with a Gitzo 1278m ballhead with a Gitzo quick release plate that i plan to upgrade to the RRS LR2 soon. 4 Leg is as stable as you'll need for most anything. I've been able to put a 400 2.8, with 1.7tc attached to a D700 with MBD10 and it held up very well. G-lock works very well and the best part about this set up is that it fits in to my rolling carry on that i carry my clothes in so that I don't have to worry about it dangling off the side of my Think Tank backpack.
I'll chime in with agreement that now the 4 section Gitzos are as sturdy as the the 3 section ones.
Gitzo engineers have told me that while 3 section tripods used to be more stable than the 4 section ones, the introduction of the G-lock legs about two years ago made the difference negligible.
I currently use a 3 section 3 series, but if I had to buy one today I'd definitely go with the 4 section for the folded size advantage.
I've used the 2541 with the arca Z1 last weekend to trip to Death Valley and put them thru sands/wind/dusts, etc... They seem to hold up very well without any issue.
However, with the 2541 with 4 sections extended all the way in the tallest configuration, and with the center column removed, just the Z1 attached directly to the mounting post, I sometimes felt that the leg spreads were not spread far enough to prevent it from tipping over since my gear is kind of heavy (canon 1ds Mk2 and 24-105mm F4 or 16-35mm F2.8 II). However, if I spread it out to the next locking angle, then it is too low. Is my concern unwarranted? I do see the need to hang my back-packing bag under it to make it more stable and I did that, since I'm nervous that my camera and lens would tip over.
Now, with that said, there does not seem to be any other issue other than may be spike feet would make it more stable and I tried not to use the forth sections as much as I could and most of the time, I did not have to use them (and it saves time to close them up when not in use).
I'll need to clean the sands off the legs (not yet...had to go back to work). Any advises on cleaning the 2541 and the ball head?
