Tripod advice please

[Billy Boy]

I recently purchased a scope but didn't get a tripod at the same time for financial reasons. I knew a friend was going to let me use his so there wasn't a problem. The problem is now that he wants it back, so I need to get one.

His tripod is a Slik one and cost £80, It's a good sturdy tripod but I would like to get away with paying half that...or maybe £50 at a push. Can I get one for that price without compromising anything i.e sturdiness etc?

Does anyone recomend a lightweight one or even a clamp?

Any info would be appreciated.

Billy Boy

[Geoff Brown]

if you've got a half decent scope don't stint on the tripod. Look at the Manfrotto range, way over your budget but built for a life time of hard use.

[Billy Boy]

Thanks Geoff, I'll have a look and see what they've got to offer.

Billy Boy

[Ian Hart]

I'd not bother with Manfrotto's, too expensive.

Try Slik or Velbon models although these are still out of your price range! You'll need to spend £60+ IMHO.

IH

[Ragna]

Try e-bay there's plenty of good used tripods on that site.Apart from a few scratches not much to go wrong so buying second hand should not be a problem.Manfrotto make very good tripods and are very popular so there should be plenty of second hand ones about. What size is your scope.

[Tim Allwood]

got a Manfrotto and a Manfrotto head - very nice but I never use em because they're too heavy for me and I NEVER take em abroad as they're just too much of a pain to travel with.

Depends what kind of birding you do.
You can get away with using bins for a very large part of the time. As I've mentioned before I use a shoulder pod and find it ideal. In a hide u dont even need a tripod. Nothing worse than being at Cley or Titchwell when all the birders come in with their massive scopes and pods and take ten minutes to very noisily set them up and bang them everywhere......

you may get a sec hand Slik D2 for a good price tho Billy.....

[Billy Boy]

Thanks all, I've had a look at some Manfrotto ones and did find them a bit too expensive. My scope is a Nikon RA II angled 25-60 so I'ts not very big, so I don't really want/need a big lavish tripod. There's a shop I've just heard about in Derby that sells new and used goods. They do second hand Slik, Velbon & Manfrotto so I'll give them a call and see what they say.

Billy Boy