I have a Leica Televid 82 and a Swarovski 80 HD here and I'm going to choose between the two. The Zeiss didn't get a call because I wanted wide angle views not 75x, but otherwise I bet the latest Diascopes are awesome. I'm still doing side by side testing with the Leica and Swarovski. They're really close in what counts.
So one of the things that's come up is how critical the head is. I bought a Gitzo GH1720 which isn't even coming close to cutting it. With an 80mm-class scope, there's way too much flex. When I try to center something in the field, it just moves and bounces back even at the lowest friction setting. Gitzo rates this head for 4kg, and these scopes are less than 2kg. To be fair, I think that's a maximum load rating and Gitzo does describe the GH1720 that it's for "compact" birding scopes. I wish they had been more specific.
I previously had a Manfrotto 401 Junior Geared Head. That head was solid and the gears were perfect for centering something in the field, but the whole action was a little too slow and took too many hands so I went looking for fluid heads.
I tried a Manfrotto 701HDV head but without a scope on it. It seemed smooth but I couldn't tell how much it would flex. It wasn't anywhere near as petite as the Gitzo GH1720. I thought I was going to get away with that, but precise pointing is critical to me, more than ultra-light weight.
Leica rebrands the Gitzo G2180, another 4kg head for their scopes. Swarovski has a head that appears to be their own manufacture.
Should I get the G2180, the heavier GH2720, the Swarovski head, or something else?
My tripod is a Manfrotto 3001BPRO. I've had this for a camera for years and it seems about right for the scope. With an 80-class scope, I'm not going for ultra-light but I do pack this to the field almost daily.
Advice is appreciated. Thanks
So one of the things that's come up is how critical the head is. I bought a Gitzo GH1720 which isn't even coming close to cutting it. With an 80mm-class scope, there's way too much flex. When I try to center something in the field, it just moves and bounces back even at the lowest friction setting. Gitzo rates this head for 4kg, and these scopes are less than 2kg. To be fair, I think that's a maximum load rating and Gitzo does describe the GH1720 that it's for "compact" birding scopes. I wish they had been more specific.
I previously had a Manfrotto 401 Junior Geared Head. That head was solid and the gears were perfect for centering something in the field, but the whole action was a little too slow and took too many hands so I went looking for fluid heads.
I tried a Manfrotto 701HDV head but without a scope on it. It seemed smooth but I couldn't tell how much it would flex. It wasn't anywhere near as petite as the Gitzo GH1720. I thought I was going to get away with that, but precise pointing is critical to me, more than ultra-light weight.
Leica rebrands the Gitzo G2180, another 4kg head for their scopes. Swarovski has a head that appears to be their own manufacture.
Should I get the G2180, the heavier GH2720, the Swarovski head, or something else?
My tripod is a Manfrotto 3001BPRO. I've had this for a camera for years and it seems about right for the scope. With an 80-class scope, I'm not going for ultra-light but I do pack this to the field almost daily.
Advice is appreciated. Thanks