Tripod head recommendations for scope (1 Viewer)

etudiant said:

Thank you, Alexis, for your insights. They help define the problem
Among the Sirui offerings, I could not find a simple fluid pan head, just a range of ball heads and a gimbal head, which is really too big for my needs.
The Gitzo is more head than I'd had in mind price wise, so have ordered this very inexpensive and purportedly Arca Swiss compatible unit via Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Andoer-Tripo...00P22ORAK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
It is probably marginal for photography, but should be adequate for scoping. I'll post impressions once it arrives and gets used.

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I'll be interested in your experience with the Andoer head. It is super cheap, Arca compatible, and weighs 1.3 lb, which is a nice combination of features. Hope it is smooth and robust.

If that doesn't work well enough, I think the Sirui VA-5 Ultra-Compact Video Head is what you might want. It is a fluid head with spring counterbalance, weighs 1.3 lb, and costs $119 from B&H.

Yes the Gitzo is pricey ($250 if you are lucky), but it is only 1.0 lb and locks with a single big dial.

The Berlebach heads are super expensive (like $450+) in USA. The 553 is not what I'd call light weight in a birding context. The 510 looks to be closer to being compact, but it is still 1.5 lbs.

--AP

etudiant
I'm afraid you have it wrong way round. With the far greater magnification of a scope any shake affects the view far more than a camera A 88 mm scope is somewhere around 2700m in photographic terms plus being longer than all but the most exotic of the big prime it has a larger area for wind to effect. This is why I use a Manfrotto 502 with my big Kowa but a simple Sirui ball head for most photo work. I do have a gimbal head for telephoto work fo birds.
Steve

Stephen Mark said:

etudiant
I'm afraid you have it wrong way round. With the far greater magnification of a scope any shake affects the view far more than a camera A 88 mm scope is somewhere around 2700m in photographic terms plus being longer than all but the most exotic of the big prime it has a larger area for wind to effect. This is why I use a Manfrotto 502 with my big Kowa but a simple Sirui ball head for most photo work. I do have a gimbal head for telephoto work fo birds.
Steve

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You make a very good point! I am always seeing people with Alpha scopes on flimsy tripods and inadequate heads.

My scope is an old Kowa TSN 4 and the birders down at Goldcliffe were gobsmacked when I turned up with it perched on the top of a Gitzo 3 series Systematic - I don't think that they had even seen a tripod like that!

I am, primarily, a photographer and use the longest (currently produced) Canon lens - 800 F5.6 L IS. This lens is a breeze to support compared to my ancient Kowa scope! Scopes are far more demanding on support than cameras/lenses in my experience.

Stephen Mark said:

etudiant
I'm afraid you have it wrong way round. With the far greater magnification of a scope any shake affects the view far more than a camera A 88 mm scope is somewhere around 2700m in photographic terms plus being longer than all but the most exotic of the big prime it has a larger area for wind to effect. This is why I use a Manfrotto 502 with my big Kowa but a simple Sirui ball head for most photo work. I do have a gimbal head for telephoto work fo birds.
Steve

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Hi Stephen,
I'm no photographer, so can't really compare the situation, but have noted that photographers appear quite concerned about good tripod stability. Had not thought that for scopes the need was greater.
For my setup, a Nikon EDIII on a Velbon Ultra Maxi tripod, I've not felt any stability problem with the original Velbon PH 157 head. Unfortunately, the experience with an arca compatible ball head was not that positive, hence the search for an arca compatible pan head. This is admittedly not big Kowa territory, low weight and small size are priorities for me, along with budget.

Thanks for the suggestions / explanations. Managed to get hold of a second hand Gitzo 1720 which seems good so far, but will probably adapt the plate at some point.