Tripod/head combo? (1 Viewer)

I'm ready to buy my first spotting scope, and I think I'll likely go with a angled Vortex Razor. I'd love to go with a more expensive alpha, but budget constraints are limiting.

Regarding tripods/heads, I'm new to all of these, and the options are many, so some advice would be appreciated.

Regarding tripod legs, between the Manfrotto 190 series and 055 series, it seems from reviews/etc that the 055 have some advantages in stability/height, but both are well-regarded. Given that I'm leaning towards a larger scope, would the 055 be worth the increased cost?

Regarding heads, I'm deciding between the Manfrotto 128RC and 701HDV. It seems that the 701 is a better fit for digiscoping (something I think I'd like to explore in the future), with the sliding plate, but I'm not sure if the price difference is worth it. I'd love to hear from people with real-world experience with these.

Thanks in advance.

bcl05 said:

I'm ready to buy my first spotting scope, and I think I'll likely go with a angled Vortex Razor. I'd love to go with a more expensive alpha, but budget constraints are limiting.

Regarding tripods/heads, I'm new to all of these, and the options are many, so some advice would be appreciated.

Regarding tripod legs, between the Manfrotto 190 series and 055 series, it seems from reviews/etc that the 055 have some advantages in stability/height, but both are well-regarded. Given that I'm leaning towards a larger scope, would the 055 be worth the increased cost?

Regarding heads, I'm deciding between the Manfrotto 128RC and 701HDV. It seems that the 701 is a better fit for digiscoping (something I think I'd like to explore in the future), with the sliding plate, but I'm not sure if the price difference is worth it. I'd love to hear from people with real-world experience with these.

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

I have owned/used quite a number of tripods and (personally) would steer you towards Gitzo but they are hideously expensive! Back in the real world a basic Manfrotto 55 is an excellent piece of kit for the money, it's a bit on the heavy side but you will have to spend a fair bit more to get something better. As to heads I use the 701 HDV and am quite happy with it, though a friend of mine has the 128 and it is far from shabby!
I have not tried the Vortex Razor scope, but from what I read, it is very close to the top scopes in performance ( their bins compare reasonably well to my Swaros). Given your choice of scope I would not compromise on support and suggest a 701 + 55 as a starting point.
If you have time (and determination!) hunt around the used market - my Manfrotto 701 (new) and Gitzo carbon 3 series (used) totalled not a great deal more than a new Manfrotto 55 alone - I paid 150 quid so it's worth looking around!

Thanks - I got the Manfrotto 055CVX and the 701 head with the Vortex Razor scope. Very happy so far! Big trip next week so I'll get very used to carrying it around...