safaridreaming
Well-known member
Hey all,
I recently upgraded my tripod and head setup and thought I'd provide some feedback after a weekend of use in a variety of locations (field and home).
Previous to this I used a Manfrotto 055xprob aluminium tripod for around 10yrs.
This tripod has served me well in all sorts of uses - in photography/videography (with a ball head) and more recently with my spotting scopes and a small 80mm APO refractor (astro viewing) and I've been looking around for a while to get a tripod that is bit more robust, particularly in the field.
I've also wanted to upgrade to a carbon fibre tripod for sometime.
Initially I was looking at a Sirui N-3203X. I've been a fan of this brand for since i heard about it, however pricing in Australia and limited stockists meant that I've had no opportunity to get my hands on one prior to committing to purchase.
So the quest continued for a decent tripod. I also considered the Manfrotto 057 professional tripods, but one of my requirements was a centre column.
In the end i came across Induro and really liked the reviews I read. I also had a chance to inspect one at one of the boutique camera stores in Perth. Amazon had a really good deal for Induro in May so I ended up purchasing a couple of Induro CLT 403 tripods.
The tripod is amazing. You can see quality all around from the twist lock mechanisms on the leg sections. This is a 3 section unit, with a 9 layer weave of carbon fibre. The primary leg section has a diameter of 36mm, with the 2 smaller sections having diameters of 32mm and 28mm. My Manfrotto 055 has a PRIMARY leg section diameter of 28mm with the thinnest section at 20mm.
The centre column on the Induro is also 32mm thick with a large friction clamp that tightens as you rotate the central knob. This is by far the best mechanism I have seen to secure a centre column at any height in the 300mm range of travel.
remaining features are fairly standard offerings - multiple leg angle settings, 60mm base plate, centre column can be inverted or swapped out for a shorter column (supplied).
the Induro is significantly more stable than my Manfrotto 055 was, both at home and in the field. Small vibrations are not noticeable at all, and larger vibrations dampen very quickly. Best thing is it weighs the same as my 055xprob.
My normal tripod head is the Manfrotto MVH500ah which has universally positive reviews for use with spotting scopes, however on the weekend I got the opportunity to try a Sirui VA-5 head. Now this is Sirui's smallest pan/tilt fluid head. The next one up is the one that typically competes with the MVH500ah and that is the Sirui VH-10 then the Sirui VH-15.
The amazing thing about the Sirui VA-5 is its weight capacity relative to its size.
Its a 600g head with a capacity of 3kgs so (on paper) more than adequate for using with the spotting scopes. The Zeiss Diascope 85mm is my biggest scope and comes in around 2.1kg.
To inspect, the VA-5 is a beautifully machined compact work of art. There are NO plastic parts on this. Its entirely made from aircraft grade aluminium right down to the pan handle.
I thought I would have some issues getting the right balance on the tripod head with the scopes, particularly since the plates on this unit are not very long, but I was surprised. The plate has enough travel in it for me to be able to balance both my Swaro and Zeiss scopes perfectly. The head also has adjustable drag on the tilt/pan functions so once set correctly, the head holds its position in any angle without falling away.
Both scopes look positively oversized on this head and I had many comments on how the head was holding the scopes at whatever position I left them.
IN the field this weekend I was primarily on grass and some soft sand. On both terrains, scope and head provided a very stable platform for bird watching. Even with 75x magnification on the Zeiss, I had no issues with vibration or movement.
at night, I used the Induro tripod and Manfrotto MVH500ah head to mount my 80mm refractor scope for some star gazing.
The scope with a 2" diagonal and eyepiece weighs in around 4.5kgs but again, the tripod handled this with aplomb. Viewing Mars at around 100x magnification was no issues with the tripod/head combo dampening vibrations very quickly.
All in all, I'm very happy with the VA-5 head. I would seriously consider replacing the MVH500ah heads with this one if it wasn't for the fact that the VA-5 is too small to handle my telescope whereas the MVH500ah (while perhaps overkill for the spotting scopes) handle the refractor with no issues at all.
Here's some pics.
I recently upgraded my tripod and head setup and thought I'd provide some feedback after a weekend of use in a variety of locations (field and home).
Previous to this I used a Manfrotto 055xprob aluminium tripod for around 10yrs.
This tripod has served me well in all sorts of uses - in photography/videography (with a ball head) and more recently with my spotting scopes and a small 80mm APO refractor (astro viewing) and I've been looking around for a while to get a tripod that is bit more robust, particularly in the field.
I've also wanted to upgrade to a carbon fibre tripod for sometime.
Initially I was looking at a Sirui N-3203X. I've been a fan of this brand for since i heard about it, however pricing in Australia and limited stockists meant that I've had no opportunity to get my hands on one prior to committing to purchase.
So the quest continued for a decent tripod. I also considered the Manfrotto 057 professional tripods, but one of my requirements was a centre column.
In the end i came across Induro and really liked the reviews I read. I also had a chance to inspect one at one of the boutique camera stores in Perth. Amazon had a really good deal for Induro in May so I ended up purchasing a couple of Induro CLT 403 tripods.
The tripod is amazing. You can see quality all around from the twist lock mechanisms on the leg sections. This is a 3 section unit, with a 9 layer weave of carbon fibre. The primary leg section has a diameter of 36mm, with the 2 smaller sections having diameters of 32mm and 28mm. My Manfrotto 055 has a PRIMARY leg section diameter of 28mm with the thinnest section at 20mm.
The centre column on the Induro is also 32mm thick with a large friction clamp that tightens as you rotate the central knob. This is by far the best mechanism I have seen to secure a centre column at any height in the 300mm range of travel.
remaining features are fairly standard offerings - multiple leg angle settings, 60mm base plate, centre column can be inverted or swapped out for a shorter column (supplied).
the Induro is significantly more stable than my Manfrotto 055 was, both at home and in the field. Small vibrations are not noticeable at all, and larger vibrations dampen very quickly. Best thing is it weighs the same as my 055xprob.
My normal tripod head is the Manfrotto MVH500ah which has universally positive reviews for use with spotting scopes, however on the weekend I got the opportunity to try a Sirui VA-5 head. Now this is Sirui's smallest pan/tilt fluid head. The next one up is the one that typically competes with the MVH500ah and that is the Sirui VH-10 then the Sirui VH-15.
The amazing thing about the Sirui VA-5 is its weight capacity relative to its size.
Its a 600g head with a capacity of 3kgs so (on paper) more than adequate for using with the spotting scopes. The Zeiss Diascope 85mm is my biggest scope and comes in around 2.1kg.
To inspect, the VA-5 is a beautifully machined compact work of art. There are NO plastic parts on this. Its entirely made from aircraft grade aluminium right down to the pan handle.
I thought I would have some issues getting the right balance on the tripod head with the scopes, particularly since the plates on this unit are not very long, but I was surprised. The plate has enough travel in it for me to be able to balance both my Swaro and Zeiss scopes perfectly. The head also has adjustable drag on the tilt/pan functions so once set correctly, the head holds its position in any angle without falling away.
Both scopes look positively oversized on this head and I had many comments on how the head was holding the scopes at whatever position I left them.
IN the field this weekend I was primarily on grass and some soft sand. On both terrains, scope and head provided a very stable platform for bird watching. Even with 75x magnification on the Zeiss, I had no issues with vibration or movement.
at night, I used the Induro tripod and Manfrotto MVH500ah head to mount my 80mm refractor scope for some star gazing.
The scope with a 2" diagonal and eyepiece weighs in around 4.5kgs but again, the tripod handled this with aplomb. Viewing Mars at around 100x magnification was no issues with the tripod/head combo dampening vibrations very quickly.
All in all, I'm very happy with the VA-5 head. I would seriously consider replacing the MVH500ah heads with this one if it wasn't for the fact that the VA-5 is too small to handle my telescope whereas the MVH500ah (while perhaps overkill for the spotting scopes) handle the refractor with no issues at all.
Here's some pics.
