Stedi stock for angled ED50? (1 Viewer)

Has anyone got experience using a stedi stock with an ed50A or similarly small, angled scope? I just purchased an ed50 w/ 27x eyepiece to help out with waterfowl, shorebird, and point count surveys and was wondering if a stedi stock would be more user friendly than a tripod (sometimes I have to walk over a mile to the spotting location). The tripod I have is neither light nor compact, but I'll keep it in my field vehicle for times when needed (i.e. scanning areas within short walking distances).

Thanks,
Justin

Hi Justin,

jremmons said:

Has anyone got experience using a stedi stock with an ed50A or similarly small, angled scope?

Click to expand...

I used a Nikon 50A experimentally with a shoulder stock of my own design, and found the combination to be quite stable, though of course not as stable as a regular tripod.

My design is meant for 3D printing and can be downloaded free from here:

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

You'll also find photographs and a short description there.

(The picture shows the straight ED50, but I also have an ED50A, and to my surprise, ergonomically the angled scope seems to work better with the shoulder stock than the straight one.)

Here's a link to an older thread in which some of the pros and cons of different shoulder stocks were discussed ... the Stedi Stock is mentioned, too:

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=3583460#post3583460

Regards,

Henning

It helps, but it is no miracle. I found it cheaply made and pretty inflexible, especially if you use an angled version of the ED 50.
I'm a happy ED 50 user, with a full complement of eye pieces and tripods, but have found that the
Velbon Super 8 mono pod is the most flexible compromise I could find.
Tripods give a better view, but are a bother to set up and to strike, plus they are heavier.
The Cullman mono pod is better as a shoulder stock, but too short to reach the ground.
Perhaps one of the mono pods with feet would be even better, but that adds bulk, which is anathema to the traveling birder. I've not yet tried them.

Henning: Thanks for the info, I don't currently own a 3-D printer and since this is a work related purchase, I'm not sure we have a vendor in the system for such a tool. That is a neat idea though, and I wish I owned one. Thanks for the thread about shoulder stocks.

Etudiant: Thanks for your thoughts. The main reason I was thinking a shoulder stock or maybe a shoulder pod (although I'm having trouble locating the one recommended, another Cullmann product actually) was the compact size and ease of carry. A monopod may suffice, but I've never used one. I have also been looking to get the stay-on holding case as I can almost hand-hold the view fairly steady even without a case, but it appears that this case is no longer available for purchase.

Hi Justin,

jremmons said:

I have also been looking to get the stay-on holding case as I can almost hand-hold the view fairly steady even without a case, but it appears that this case is no longer available for purchase.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure there ever was a stay-on case for the ED50A. I have the Nikon case, but it clearly can't stay on as it covers the lens.

One birder I've seen just cut around the front edge of his case and made it open-able, perhaps with some velcro or something to keep it closed.

There is a stay-on case for the straight ED50, but that is for hand-held use only as the case attaches via the tripod screw. Accordingly, if you want to use the tripod screw, the stay-on case will have to come-off :-(

Regards,

Henning

Hauksen said:

Hi Justin,



I'm not sure there ever was a stay-on case for the ED50A. I have the Nikon case, but it clearly can't stay on as it covers the lens.

One birder I've seen just cut around the front edge of his case and made it open-able, perhaps with some velcro or something to keep it closed.

There is a stay-on case for the straight ED50, but that is for hand-held use only as the case attaches via the tripod screw. Accordingly, if you want to use the tripod screw, the stay-on case will have to come-off :-(

Regards,

Henning

Click to expand...

Nikon USA used to also sell a stay on case for the angled ED 50, very similar to the Cley Spy UK offering. It is a solid case, with a hand sleeve built in, much better than trying to make the basic case work with velcro. The 'bay may be an option.
Hauksen is quite right that the stay on case latches to the scope using the tripod fitting. I removed the attached screw and zip tied on the case, leaving the tripod foot free.
The Cullman shoulder pod is periodically on auction, but is too short to use as a regular monopod. A regular monopod is more flexible and can be used either as a Finn stick or as a shoulder stock, provided you add a ball head.

I have tried shoulder stocks and monopods, but I much prefer a tripod, even if flimsy. The one that I use is an older equivalent to the current Velbon Ultra 455 model. The pan-tilt head that comes stock on that tripod is _ridiculously_ heavy and awkward, so _much_ bulk and weight can be shed by replacing it with a small ballhead such as the RRS BH-25. Following such modification, this tripod is _super_ lightweight and compact. Unlike other small tripods, it has the virtue of being able to be adjusted _extremely_ quickly from ground level to full standing height (I am about 6 feet tall and use a straight scope). In those regards, it has no competition, at any price. Sure, it's inevitably a bit flimsy at full height, but when surrounding vegetation is low enough, it can be set at intermediate heights and is then much more sturdy. If you want to go even lighter and more compact, there is the 355 model. If you don't mind more weight and want more sturdy (but still tall and fast) you can choose the 555 model, but at that point I'd be looking at a small carbon fiber tripod instead, even if it were slower to deploy.

--AP

Stedi-stok are good bits of kit, yes plastic, yes looks cheap but work well in field, I use one with a Niken ED 50 on a tripod strap as part of my field equipment on bird surveys. It is a lightweight piece of equipment if walking miles through crops without too much too snag on anything unlike most camera designed shoulder mounts. My only down is that being in the UK I cant source another to have as a spare. Have they really gone out of business....is there any left in USA that i can get shipped over for a reasonable price....