I emphatically disagree. The Manfrotto 190 might be OK for use with moderate telephoto lenses on cameras but is IMO inadequate for even a 50 mm travel scope.
A few summers back I was out in heathland with other birders and after dusk we were successful in finding Nightjars. One of the birders had his ATS80 on a Manfrotto 190 with him, and when Jupiter came up I trained the scope on the planet. At 60x it was impossible to focus the scope because the merest touch of the focusser set off disturbing vibrations. The owner has since acquired a significantly more stable tripod and donated the 190 to the Campaign Against Bird Slaughter.
John
