Swarovski ATC: which lightweight tripod? (1 Viewer)

[mbb]

Seeing these pictures I'm wondering: shouldn't it be possible to give this scope a perfectly stable and balanced 3D printed or molded, lightweight 'shoe' that would have an ArcaSwiss bottom plate and/or with 2 screw threads (like Opticron,or for 1 screw and 1 antirotation pin). With 'balanced' I mean with that foot's base being just below the center of gravity.
This should be easily possible, as there is already 1 screw thread and a base that is fixed (not rotating collar at the bottom), giving together all that is needed for stable and not-rotating fixation.
It could even hold a small slot to attach the eyepiece cover or such (can be handy in windy situation) or other small additional bonus. It could even exist in a solution that is a SOC+foot, 2-in-1.
Swarovski should give that with the scope. Or maybe some 3rd party could make that?

 

[ReinierB]

Hello, new owner of the ATC, I searched for a compact, lightweight, stiff, easy to carry on my backpack tripod+head. I went to different photo stores to try some models. Not really convinced by ultra compact ones due to lack of stability IMO (peak design carbon tripod and another brand I forgot) and bigger ones were really stiffer but really heavier of course....

As mentionned before on this post, gitzo 1545T seems to be perfect but no shop near of my home own it. Futhermore, the small gitzo is to expensive for me. So, I decided to search for something approches gitzo performances for cheaper.

I found LEOFOTO LX-254CT for €314 (with ball head). I found a very small fluid video head on amazon, SMALLRIG 3259.

LEOFOTO LX-254CT Tripod has a really great build quality, with good finitions and some interesting features : rubber handle, center colum hook, flipping legs, tall enough for a 1.80m tall guy, metal feet included, short colum included, 10 years warrantly. Stiffness and stablility is really good IMO. It weights 1065g .

Smallrig 3259 video head is really cheap (€50) and featherweight (244 g), it's correctly fluid but a little bit hard for panning (but smooth), IMO it's perfect for slow movements. However, counter balance power is really poor... So I need to adjust cursors very precisely to hold ATC on horizontal position.

So it's a 1300g kit, wich is very versatile, strong enough, easy to carry and mid price range.

Now I have to test it for months on the field to confirm my first feelings.

Some photos for you

(sorry for englisk mistakes)

Are you still happy with this combination?

 

[biowizard]

I am thinking about getting the new Swarovski ATC. I don't have a car so a tripod/scope were never really an option for me. I don't think I'd bring it along often. This new Swarovski could be a real game changer for me.

Any thoughts on good lightweight tripods for it? I was looking at the lightest Swarovski one (CCT carbon):

CCT compact carbon tripod - SWAROVSKI OPTIK

www.swarovskioptik.com

But it is still 1.5kg. Is this the lightest you can go without losing stability and user comfort?
Of course, It's pricy too at almost 1000 euros. I'd be to happy to hear any good, cheaper competitors.

I'll try to go and test both the scope as a few tripods in the coming weeks.

I've just come back from a holiday in St Lucia, West Indies, where I took my (oops, sorry, Kowa TSN-3) out for the first time in several years. Normally I take my Swaro EL 10x50 bins instead. My scope has a fixed-power 30x WIDE eyepiece.

When at home, I use a heavy Manfrotto beast of a tripod that I bought in 1986 together with the above scope, and it is solid as a rock. But too heavy for travel.

So instead, I used my Manfrotto BeFree travel tripod (the larger model, in Aluminium). Fully extended, it was a bit wobbly for the TSN-3, unless I let go and gave it 5-10 seconds to settle down. But collapsed to its smallest height and placed on a solid concrete table, it was perfectly usable and stable.

I expect I would need a heavier duty tripod for (say) the STX 95 or similar, especially when zoomed in at a higher magnification.

 

[jb b]

Goodnight all,

I'm thinking of buying a spotting scope soon, I'm thinking about the new ATC from Swarovski. I intend to use it for its lightness, I am often on foot or by bike for my birdwatching practice.

There is the important question of the tripod !

I think I'll stay consistent and look for lightness (I already have an "old" aluminum Slik photo stand that weighs 2.5 kg).
I'm considering the leofoto "LS-224c" or "LS-254c" tripods, to be used without a column to avoid vibrations.
I would like to take the LS-224c for its lightness (720 g without the ball joint and without the column). The height is 117 cm. Is it enough ?
If we add a video head (8 cm?), plus the height of the ATC (14 cm), we get 139 cm. My height is 175 cm. Will it be okay?
Thank you for your opinions !

 

[Hermann]

I think I'll stay consistent and look for lightness (I already have an "old" aluminum Slik photo stand that weighs 2.5 kg).
I'm considering the leofoto "LS-224c" or "LS-254c" tripods, to be used without a column to avoid vibrations.
I would like to take the LS-224c for its lightness (720 g without the ball joint and without the column). The height is 117 cm. Is it enough ?
If we add a video head (8 cm?), plus the height of the ATC (14 cm), we get 139 cm. My height is 175 cm. Will it be okay?

Light is nice. Too light is a recipe for disaster when the tripod topples over. I personally would always go for a somewhat heavier tripod than the Leofoto, to have some reserves for windy days.

In addition, I think a height of 117cm is not enough for you if you are 175 cm tall. I'd definitely get a larger tripod, simply because you'll need more height when you look, say, at a bird high up in the sky. Or in a tree. Or when you are on uneven ground. I'd go for a tripod that is at least 135 cm. I also think middle columns are not really that much of a problem as long as you don't have to extend them too much. IME 20 cm are no problem at all - provided the manufacturer of the tripod knew what they did.

My personal recommendation would be as always when it comes to lightweight tripods the Gitzo GT1545. It's a lot taller than the Leofoto you mentioned, and it weighs 1080 gr. Granted, more than the Leofoto, but you'll gain a lot of stability. And height.

Hermann

 

[jb b]

Thank you very much Hermann for this reasoned answer. So I forget the "small" Leofoto, I have to go up a size. The Gitzo GT 1545 has a very contained weight, its only drawback is a higher price compared to a leofoto LS-254c.

So thank you very much for this opinion, I must definitely eliminate the Leofoto LS-224c, I wanted to go for the lightest.
They say in France "The best is the enemy of the good".

 

[Malsam]

I use a marsace xt-26s with an extension rod MTY-45 for STC. Initially bought for the ATC but decided to get STC instead hence add an extension to have it taller. Easy to setup and weighs almost nothing. Very good mobility set with the compact nature of the STC.

Head wise I’m using the included head, good enough for the STC but its not a gimbal or a fluid head without a lever.

 

[bcskr]

Over the years I’ve had a variety of carbon fiber tripods to go with light and small scopes (Nikon, Opticron, and now the ATC), and some were better than others, but none were really good. Primarily due to Herman’s high praise for the Gitzo 1545, I spent the money and tried it out today. High quality construction. Windy conditions. It‘s a keeper. Best lightweight tripod I’ve owned.

 

[Stuarts vision]

I was having a lot of trouble with the scope loosening on the tripod so I fashioned this.
The U bracket at the front prevents the scope from loosening as it can't rotate on the base plate. The small screw at the back can be nipped up if required to touch the bottom of the base plate thus exerting a little pressure pushing the scope down into the u bracket at the front. However, i find there is no need to tighten the small screw . Due to the length of the arca base plate I can see the locking screw and can tighten as required without removing from the tripod.
Hope this helps if you are experiencing the same problem.

 

[ANK]

I was having a lot of trouble with the scope loosening on the tripod so I fashioned this.
The U bracket at the front prevents the scope from loosening as it can't rotate on the base plate. The small screw at the back can be nipped up if required to touch the bottom of the base plate thus exerting a little pressure pushing the scope down into the u bracket at the front. However, i find there is no need to tighten the small screw . Due to the length of the arca base plate I can see the locking screw and can tighten as required without removing from the tripod.
Hope this helps if you are experiencing the same problem.

Interesting handicraft work. But I wonder if a decent tightening of the screw of the exchange plate would not have been enough.
That was the case for me: six months ago, I screwed the exchangeable plate on very tightly and have had no problems with my ATC since then.
But maybe it's because I used a Euro coin to tighten it...