Tripod question from a newbie (1 Viewer)

I am considering purchasing a tripod for my camera (Canon SX1). I hope to purchase a spotting scope sometime down the line (maybe next year), so I would like it to be able to handle both - my camera now, and a scope/digiscope someday.

I've heard that for scopes, you should not use tripods intended for cameras (too wobbly in certain cases).

Does anyone have some basic advice for what I should look for? Are scope tripods generally useable with cameras alone, so I could get one now in anticipation of the future scope? Any recommendations?

I plan to read up on the subject, but getting any info from you guys who used them would be priceless. Thanks!

Most tripods are purchased for cameras. I don't know of any manufacturer who offers a scope-specific tripod.

The biggest difference between scope use and camera use, in my experience, has been in the choice of head. Ballheads, for instance, that are very functional for cameras, are a disaster for scopes, since all three directions of adjustment are lost when a ballhead is loosened.

Pan/tilt heads with a low number of adjustment points are best for birding scopes, since tracking a moving bird with a single handle often garners the best results. Manfrotto makes a tripod head that is very popular with birders. It has one tension screw for the pan and one for the tilt, and both are adjustable in terms of tension, so that you don't have to completely lock them down in order to get a smoothly moving scope when viewing a moving target. These are fluid heads. I don't have the model # handy, but Eagle Optics and other retailers can help with that.

Pan/tilt heads with small knobs are difficult to use in the field. The model I've talked about has a fairly long handle, making it very easy to use without constantly having to grab for the adjusters.

I use a Slik carbon fiber tripod, one of the less expensive models. It works very well, is very light, and serves all my purposes for use with the camera and the scope. I use the Manfrotto head I've discussed for the scope and a Kirk ballhead for my camera.

Hope this helps. Best of luck in your purchasing decision.

Thank you so much for the input
!

I agree with most of what Steve says, but here are a couple of other considerations.

Twist locks or flip locks? Comes down to personal preference really. Flip locks can be easier to 'learn', and I've seen some people get into a complete mess trying to use twist locks for the first time. There is a knack to it, and it helps to do them in a particular order. It's probably true that the very best tripods use this system, though later models also incorporate anti-twist leg sections which makes them easier to 'learn'.

3 or 4 section legs. 3 are generally more stable as they have less joints, and because the bottom, narrowest section is thicker. Get a 3 section for birding unless you need a particularly short one for travel/packing. It helps greatly if the the legs can open up to different angles, especially if you want to work low to the ground. Most better quality tripods can do this and will allow you to get down to a few inches from the ground. A short (or no) centre column helps here.

Also, make sure, for scope use, that you can get it up to the height for your eyes, and anyone else who will share the scope, using as little of the centre column as possible. Centre columns are the weak points of most tripods & can introduce a lot of extra wobble!

Lastly, about heads. I have a Manfrotto 055 as my main tripod, for which you can purchase additional centre columns as an accesssory. This means you can have a ball head or 3-way head for photography, and a fluid 2-way head for birding. Give some thought too to a suitable quick-release system for the head. It helps if all equipment you intend to use on the tripod has a Q/R plate using the same fitting. Makes things much quicker, and means that the threads on your camera/scope don't wear out so quickly. Some heads have built in Q/R clamps, while others have a flat plate so you can choose a system that suits you.

Hope this helps.

The Manfrotto tripod head model number is 3130.