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The best spotting scope for a monopod?? (1 Viewer)

W

wachipilotes

Well-known member
Hello
I have a monopod (also a good tripod) and I would like to buy a small spotting scope to be able to use it with this, for more or less long trips, to go very light but to have greater capacity for resolution and magnification to observe more detail than a binocular ...
My questions are:
- With the monopod is a straight or 45º spotting scope better?
- What size is better, 50mm or 60 / 65mm?
- And finally, what magnification is better, so that the image does not shake too much, an eyepiece fixed, or a zoom?

Do you have any experience with this type of material?
Thank you very much in advance for your comments ..
Wachi
 
Not a fan of using a monopod at all when using a telescope. However, if you are after a portable lightweight unit then it has to be a smaller unit......50mm. As regards straight or angled, it will be almost impossible to view flying birds or anything above the horizontal so for me it would be a straight body version with a fixed magnification.
So, which brands. In the UK, one would be looking at an Opticron MM ED right up to most expensive Kowa 55mm Prominar.
Finally, have you considered a four section lightweight tripod rather than opting for a monopod?
Just reread your post, you want to utilise your existing monopod, understood.
 
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Hi Wachi,

wachipilotes said:
- With the monopod is a straight or 45º spotting scope better?
Click to expand...

If you have the monopod already, then the question is really, does the height suffice to raise a straight scope to eye level? If not, an angled scope is really the only option you have.

Regards,

Henning
 
thanks for your comments,
I really look for the option of the monopod since for certain walks or walks I want to go very light, to be able to reach certain places .., on the other hand, the monopod that I have exceeds me in height,
What magnification would be adequate so that the image does not shake? approximately?
Thanks again..
 
I would suggest no more than x 30, preferably something like a wide angle x 20 will offer good light, and comfortable viewing........if you can get a fixed mag. eyepiece.
There is a combo on sale here that I used to have, a Nikon Fieldscope 50 42mm ED with a x 27W MC II eyepiece - for me it was brilliant for the 10 years I had it.
P
 
Hi Wachi,

wachipilotes said:
What magnification would be adequate so that the image does not shake? approximately?
Click to expand...

I have the Nikon ED50 with the 13 - 40 zoom lens. It allows you to adjust the magnification to the conditions, which according to my impression might be more important than having the best image quality under optimum conditions.

It's a good little scope, but of course something bigger and heavier (and more expensive) will outperform it.

Regards,

Henning
 
It is generally said on astronomy forums that monopods are good for magnification up to 12-16x, with that said you might want to consider binoculars at that magnification instead of a spotting scope

I do use a monopod for my 20x spotting scope and it works well, but it still has some shakes
 
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Hi Wachi,

wachipilotes said:
What magnification would be adequate so that the image does not shake? approximately?
Click to expand...

Another thought: If the monopod alone is not sufficiently stable, it might be worth a try to combine it with a shoulder stock, which almost eliminates shake along one axis.

I actually tried a shoulder stock with my hand held Nikon ED50, and found that combination to be quite effective:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2807320

Regards,

Henning
 
And with this stock shoulder, are you able to use the ED50 with the zoom?

By the way, would it be possible to use a small and lightweight tripod instead of a monopod? I mean, to occupy and weigh more or less the same?
Thanks
 
I use a Nikon ed50 with a Sirui monopod as my daily birding set up. Because the Sirui has 3 feet it is effectively a tripod and obviates the need for a hide clamp when in hides. I wouldn't leave it unattended in the way in which you can with a regular tripod but the speed in which it can be deployed and the light weight make it my preferred combination over my Swarovski 65 mm and Velbon carbon fibre tripod..
 
I took a straight Nikon ED50 w/16xEP on a monopod to Peru one time and was quite content except when wanting to share sightings with another. In which case a tripod would have been better. At other places I also used it handheld on a shoulder stock (BushHawk) with the same 16xEP and it was particularly useful in a vehicle where it could be rested on the window ledge.
 
Hi,

bcskr said:
At other places I also used it handheld on a shoulder stock (BushHawk) with the same 16xEP and it was particularly useful in a vehicle where it could be rested on the window ledge.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I wasn't aware of the Bushhawk shoulder stock before. It seems to be very versatile, adjustable, and fully-featured ... though all these neat metal parts probably incur a weight penalty, I suppose.

Regards,

Henning
 
I use my Celestron Hummingbird 9-27x56mm ED on a Gitzo Monotrek. It´s a lightweight and very mobile solution. The scope is fixed the whole day even when I´m using the Gitzo as walking stick. With a proper technique it is not difficult to stabilize the scope sufficiently.
 
I use a Gitzo monopod with my 30x75 Swarovski draw tube telescope quite regularly.
I never use my Swarovski ATS 65mm scope with the monopod. I always use a tripod attached to my "Mulepack" and have no problem with mobility- added bonus does not hinder the use of binoculars whilst walking.
 
I like the shoulder stock idea also and I’ve been experimenting, trying to replicate it by squeezing my monopod (not extended) under my armpit, almost horizontally, with my ballhead mounted straight 65mm Pentax. And with my 82 degree/ 14mm eyepiece it handles the 27x magnification quite nicely.

pic of scope and monopod in “shoulder stock” position ...
 

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