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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

lightweight carbon fibre tripod and head (1 Viewer)

Jason Bugay Reyes

Jason Bugay Reyes

Well-known member
Malaysia
im using manfrotto 190v and 701 head for my nikon ED82 and does digiscoping using srb-griturn adapter.

it is getting heavy now for myself as i does lots of birding around the rainforest and im looking for another alternative because soon i'll be adding shotgun mic and flash recorder too.

so i would like to ask which one is suitable for my requirement ?

manfrotto, gitzo or swarovski tripod and head ? price does not matter <--- wedding gift hehehe :-O

thanks !
 
Hello,

Since no one else has replied, I will add my two cents. I have a Kowa 883, which is of similar weight to your Nikon. I use the Velbon CF630 legs (these are flip lock carbon fiber -- and might go by a different model number in other countries) and the Manfrotto RC 700 head, which gives me a combination weighing only 4.5 pounds.

I really like the legs, but I am not completely satisfied with the head. It is functional enough, but there is no separate locking mechanism for the vertical and horizontal pan functions, and you need to tighten the pan knobs quite tight to prevent the scope from flopping around when you are carrying it. But I do not know of another lightweight head that does not present some sort of quandary. Some have been having good success with the Velbon FHD-51Q, but others report durability problems with it.

One other thing to consider is that if you get light legs, but have a heavy head, your total apparatus will be heavier at the scope end, and it may be somewhat more awkward to carry the scope in the manner you show in your avatar.

Hope this makes sense,
Jim
 
horukuru said:
im using manfrotto 190v and 701 head for my nikon ED82 and does digiscoping using srb-griturn adapter.

it is getting heavy now for myself as i does lots of birding around the rainforest and im looking for another alternative because soon i'll be adding shotgun mic and flash recorder too.

so i would like to ask which one is suitable for my requirement ?

manfrotto, gitzo or swarovski tripod and head ? price does not matter <--- wedding gift hehehe :-O

thanks !
Click to expand...

I recently bought the Gitzo GT2530 Mountaineer 6x legs and the Swarovski FH101 head for use both with my Leica APO 77 scope and with a Nikon Fieldscope which I intend to buy in the near future. It replaced my ancient Manfrotto, a very good tripod in many ways, but hard to set up and too heavy.

The only faults I have to find with the new tripod and head so far is the collapsed length (inconveniently long at 29") and the need to periodically tighten the quick-release plate which tends to loosen with use (if I could make the purchase over again, I would seriously consider the 4-section model which collapses down to under 24"). Apart from these faults I'm very satisfied with this equipment: it's beautifully made with smooth tilt and pan movements (which lock down reliably for transport), is light in weight (4.3 lbs), is very stable (particularly since unless you're over 6 ft. tall there's no need to extend the center column), and is very quick to set up and take down, and I recommend it highly. It is not, of course, inexpensive, but then you say cost is unimportant to you.

Hope this helps.
 
hio fugl,

what is the total weight with your setup ? and how much does it cost for the swarovski head ? i've searched from the net but couldnt find the price hehehe :)
 
Horukuru,
The Swarovski CT 101 Carbon Tripod Legs are nice to use, light weight and solid. The Manfrotto 501 head is a good head to use when you have a large scope and equipment mounted on it, if I don't have to pack it far it is the one I like to use. The Swaro FH 101 head is smooth and being light weight is terrific to pack around with. The down side of the 101 is the head tilt knob has to be tightened to support a large scope and then is not as smooth when panning up and down. It does have a convienent lock knob for when you are on target that works well and can be released to pan up and down. The trick would be to have both heads for different conditions. I have not had the opportunity to use Gitzo. Good Luck and Congratulations!
 
Horukuru,
I kind of arranged some info on the idea that the Tripod price isn't the object, than the two other items that could be reviewed are the Weight and Load Capacity;
The Gitzo GT1530 is 2.5lb w/ 17.6lb capacity
The Gitzo GT1931 is 3.1lb w/ 15.4 capacity
The Swaro CT101 is 3.1lb w/ 11 lb capacity
The Gitzo GT2530 is 3.1lb w/ 26.4lb capacity
The Velbon 630A is 3.4 lb w/ 13.2 capacity
The Gitzo GT2931 is 3.6lb w/ 22lb capacity
The Manfrotto 055MFV 4.4 lb w/ 15.4 capacity
The Velbon 730 is 5.1lb w/ 17.6lb capacity
The leg-lock on the Swaro & Velbon Tripods are flip type and the Gitzo is a twist collar.
The some different Heads could be;
The Gitzo G2180 is 1.26lb w/ 8.8lb capacity
The Manfrotto 128RC is 2.3 lb w/ 8.9 capacity
The Gitzo G2380 is 3.0 lb w/ 11lb capacity
The Wimberley Gimbal is 3.15lb w/ a lot of capacity
The Manfrotto 501 is 3.3lb w/ 13.2lb capacity
Just to help on review and it would be interesting to see if anyone has a definite positive experience to say about one product of each or definite negative experience that some one may have had, with these legs & heads or other legs/heads.
Regards,
Greg
 
Hi Greg,

The Gitzo G2180 is the one I use, on Velbon CF 530 legs. Total weight is just under 2 kilograms. The load capacity of the Gitzo head is stated as 4.5 kgs in my instruction booklet. The head has a built-in balance controle that allows a stated max.2.5 kgs backward load. I use it with a 65mm Diascope. With all the digiscoping equipment Horukuru intends to use the head may not be the appropriate one, though it is the lightest, and very sturdy. Just too much load for a small head.

Velbon CF legs are very good, IMO.

Regards, Ronald
 
Ronald,
The Velbon 530A is 2.8 w/ 8.8 capacity.
The G2180 weighs 1.26 w/ 8.8 capacity.
What is the weight of the scope & eyepiece and maybe camera gear that you have used with it? Yea I know that crazy metric/pound...
Thanks for the reply,
Greg
 
Incidentally, I see you did not include the Manfrotto 700RC2 in your list. At only 1.1 pounds, it would be the lightest head on your list. Has a maximum capacity of 5.5 pounds. Not sure how it would be for digiscoping though.

Jim
 
Last edited:
Gitzo Traveller and fluid head = 1.45 kg

I've just bought a Gitzo GT1541T tripod and a G2180 fluid head. I've weighed the two together: they're a mere 1446 g (excluding the panning/tilt handle). My sample of the tripod on its own weighs 978 g.

I've taken this setup out briefly with the ED50 A and found it to be surprisingly stable with the legs fully extended and, of course, mega light.

When pointing the scope right up into the tops of the trees (i.e. scope almost vertical), I had to crouch down to look through the eyepiece... not sure how annoying that's going to be during long-term use... I shall find out.

However, I don't intend having to point the scope upwards at that extreme angle too often, and I also plan on using this setup whilst sitting on a camping stool, so I won't have to extend the tripod to its maximum all the time.

I haven't tried digiscoping with this setup yet, so I can't comment on the stability for taking pictures. Neither have I used this setup in windy conditions yet.

Next week I'll have time to use this tripod and head a lot more with my ED82 A. I'm intrigued as to how well they'll work together.

The tripod can apparently handle 8 kg and the head 4 kg. Both items are absolutely beautiful pieces of engineering! The controls on the fluid head are very easy to use, and it has a counterbalance control that can apparently balance up to 2.5 kg of offset weight. The counterbalance can be adjusted and disengaged very easily and quickly.
 
Last edited:
greg g said:
Ronald,
The Velbon 530A is 2.8 w/ 8.8 capacity.
The G2180 weighs 1.26 w/ 8.8 capacity.
What is the weight of the scope & eyepiece and maybe camera gear that you have used with it? Yea I know that crazy metric/pound...
Thanks for the reply,
Greg
Click to expand...

Scope is a 65mm Zeiss Diascope angled with 23x WA eyepiece and weighs 1330 grams total; plus a cable tie sighting of 1 gram.
I have no digiscoping equipment and use the scope without a soc.

Regards, Ronald
 
Horukuru,
The Gitzo GT1530 is 2.5 lb w/ 17.6 lb capacity.
The Manfrotto 701rc2 is 1.76 lb w/ 8.8 capacity.
I was told that the head usually has a weight capacity of 2 to 1 compared to the weight of your scope/gear.
Ronald's scope and eyepiece weighs approx. 3 lbs and his head is rated for 8.8 and he says it works fine. The head, scope and eyepiece weight total is still less than the 2 to 1 ratio for the legs/tripod.
The Gitzo products are very nice if you want well made equipment.
Does anyone know if the 2 to 1 ratio is the usual maximum weight you try to have with tripod legs and heads? I would tend to guess that some manufacturer's level of "capacity" is different then another manufacturer's determination.
 
mark_s said:
I haven't tried digiscoping with this setup yet, so I can't comment on the stability for taking pictures. Neither have I used this setup in windy conditions yet.

Next week I'll have time to use this tripod and head a lot more with my ED82 A. I'm intrigued as to how well they'll work together.
Click to expand...

aha u have they same scope as mine. im using srb-griturn adapter for digiscoping and i'll wait the result with ED82 A from you :)
 
The guideline of a ratio of 2 to 1 if applied, the head weight capacity requirement needs to be minimum twice the overall weight of the product attached to the head. Example: The scope + eyepiece = 1,330 grams, the fluid head capacity would be a minimum of 2,660 grams. 2.66 kg to 1.33 kg = 2 to 1 ratio. (5.85 lb to 2.93 lb). On review if this ratio guideline is to be followed, what if you are using a scope with camera gear that has a long extension attached to your scope, would the leverage need to be taken into account for the capacity of the head?
 
Jim,
I didn't list all the equipment because there are so many options, as an example of different heads:
The Manfrotto 700rc weighs 1.14 lb w/ 5.5 lb weight capacity
The Veldon FHD 51Q weighs 1.30 lb w/ 5.5 lb weight capacity
The Manfrotto 701rc weighs 1.76 lb w/ 8.8 lb weight capacity
The Manfrotto 3130 weighs 2.20 lb w/ 8.8 lb weight capacity
Greg
 
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