Larry Usselman
Active member
I took the plunge and ordered my first spotting scope...a Pentax PF-65. I was planning on mounting it on my inexpensive "no-name" photo tripod, but I'm having second thoughts about the wisdom of that choice.
The scope is very compact and fairly lightweight, so I don't think I need a massive, "won't-wiggle-in-a-hurricane" tripod, and I'd like to keep the entire combo as light and portable as possible without compromising too much in quality. I don't anticipate doing any digiscoping, although I would also like to use the tripod for mounting my Panasonic FZ-20 digital camera.
The first question concerns the tripod head. Do most birders use the pan-and-tilt style heads or ball heads? Are there advantages/disadvantages to either one?
Are there any specific tripod/head combinations that you think would work well with my new scope?
And of course, I'd like to keep the cost as low as possible. Definitely under US $200, and preferrably less.
Thanks for any input and suggestions.
The scope is very compact and fairly lightweight, so I don't think I need a massive, "won't-wiggle-in-a-hurricane" tripod, and I'd like to keep the entire combo as light and portable as possible without compromising too much in quality. I don't anticipate doing any digiscoping, although I would also like to use the tripod for mounting my Panasonic FZ-20 digital camera.
The first question concerns the tripod head. Do most birders use the pan-and-tilt style heads or ball heads? Are there advantages/disadvantages to either one?
Are there any specific tripod/head combinations that you think would work well with my new scope?
And of course, I'd like to keep the cost as low as possible. Definitely under US $200, and preferrably less.
Thanks for any input and suggestions.