Silvermesa
Member
I thought I would share my experiences regarding my quest for a solid tripod that can be used at eye level in windy conditions with a Swarovski ATS 80HD scope with 20-60 zoom eye piece.
End Result- No tripod is perfect.To get a really steady tripod used at eye level I bet it would have to weigh over 10 lbs.
I have just purchased my first scope approximately 6 weeks ago and I had a Bogan 055 aluminum tripod left from my photography days of 15 years ago. The 055 worked well until the wind got over 15 mph and the vibration would start when it was being used at eye level. I am 5'8" tall.
A friend of mine recommended Gitzo and so I started an exhaustive research on this site and a number of photography sites. I finally decided to purchase the new Gitzo 3541 LS which recently replaced the 3540 LS. It is a nice light tripod at around 3.8 lbs.
I found the 3541 to be nice but when the wind got appx. 25 mph you would start to have vibration. This is with all legs out with the 4th section out 4.5". At up to 60x zoom magnification if you put two hands on the legs you can get the vibration down to an acceptable level. At 25 mph, if you only have two leg sections extended you have no shake at 60x zoom magnification with no hands.
During this process I learned I like to view standing upright and not close to the ground on my knees. So, I started my quest for something more stable. After much more research, I purchased the Gitzo 5541 LS which is the replacement for the 5540.
The 5541 weighs about 6.5 lbs. so it definitely would be a car tripod. The end result is with all 3 sections fully out and the 4 th section out about 4 inches it is pretty steady in high winds. It however is not perfect and you may have to lightly hold two hands on the legs to minimize vibration at around 30 mph winds. Once you start to lower it,it gets steadier the less the legs are extended. So, yes it is steadier than the 3541 but not rock steady either.
I tried several things in my testing process. I tied a 10 lb. weight to the hook under the flat plate and barely had the weight touching the ground to prevent the wind from moving the weight. It did very little to dampen vibration. I received the best success from putting both hands on separate legs to dampen vibration, as the vibration comes up thru the legs. I also used these tripods with the 4th leg not extended and got some vibration also. This told me that the 3 leg vs 4 leg debate was not the problem in this situation. In addition, I would light lay my hand on top of the scope and it did not dampen the vibration so to me that proved that the tripod head (Bogan 3130) was not causing the vibration and it was coming thru the legs.
I am a amateur at all of this and do not claim to know how other tripods would have done. My hope in posting this is to have other new people consider how they want to use their tripods and try to make their choice accordingly.(Used at eye level,ground level,high winds,no wind,by the ocean,etc.etc.)
Photographers speak highly of the Gitzo line. I think spotting scopes with a zoom may put additional demands on a tripod that large zoom lenses may not? These are my experiences with the above tripods. Nice and fairly light, but not absolutely rock solid. I'm not sure any of us could carry an absolutely rock solid tripod?
Photography web sites I reviewed for other peoples experiences include naturescapes.net,luminouslandscapes.com, nikonians.org, photo.net or you can do a google search under gitzo tripods.
Please note that as you increase scope zoom magnification you increase the demands on a tripod. If you are viewing something up close at 60x magnification in high wind it is more demanding than if you zoom out to 20x at a long distance in high wind.
My use for a tripod is to view animals. I like to travel, to the Western United States and those areas can have substantial wind. As you can see, I have spent about $1500.00 and still don't have in my opinion a rock solid tripod. I have learned we all judge rock solid in different ways. I will use the 3541 when I backpack and the 5541 as a car tripod. I do agree the carbon fibre is better at damp proofing than aluminum, but it is not as solid as I hoped it would be. The end result is that sometimes I will just have to lower the tripod to get it more steady in tough conditions.
I do like several things about the Gitzo. The new twist lock legs are very easy to work with the 1/4 turn leg lock. I also like the lightness of the carbon fibre but it does come at a cost in dollars and ultimate stability.
Photos are below. (1st photo-Bogan 055 on left,3541 middle,5541 with Swarovski ATS 80 HD and Bogan 3110 head.3rd photo, flat plate screw.4th photo)Note the first leg of the 3541 is the same size as the 3rd leg of the 5541.
If others have experiences they would like to share feel free to chime in. Others experiences, are bound to help people who are needing to make a new tripod choice.
End Result- No tripod is perfect.To get a really steady tripod used at eye level I bet it would have to weigh over 10 lbs.
I have just purchased my first scope approximately 6 weeks ago and I had a Bogan 055 aluminum tripod left from my photography days of 15 years ago. The 055 worked well until the wind got over 15 mph and the vibration would start when it was being used at eye level. I am 5'8" tall.
A friend of mine recommended Gitzo and so I started an exhaustive research on this site and a number of photography sites. I finally decided to purchase the new Gitzo 3541 LS which recently replaced the 3540 LS. It is a nice light tripod at around 3.8 lbs.
I found the 3541 to be nice but when the wind got appx. 25 mph you would start to have vibration. This is with all legs out with the 4th section out 4.5". At up to 60x zoom magnification if you put two hands on the legs you can get the vibration down to an acceptable level. At 25 mph, if you only have two leg sections extended you have no shake at 60x zoom magnification with no hands.
During this process I learned I like to view standing upright and not close to the ground on my knees. So, I started my quest for something more stable. After much more research, I purchased the Gitzo 5541 LS which is the replacement for the 5540.
The 5541 weighs about 6.5 lbs. so it definitely would be a car tripod. The end result is with all 3 sections fully out and the 4 th section out about 4 inches it is pretty steady in high winds. It however is not perfect and you may have to lightly hold two hands on the legs to minimize vibration at around 30 mph winds. Once you start to lower it,it gets steadier the less the legs are extended. So, yes it is steadier than the 3541 but not rock steady either.
I tried several things in my testing process. I tied a 10 lb. weight to the hook under the flat plate and barely had the weight touching the ground to prevent the wind from moving the weight. It did very little to dampen vibration. I received the best success from putting both hands on separate legs to dampen vibration, as the vibration comes up thru the legs. I also used these tripods with the 4th leg not extended and got some vibration also. This told me that the 3 leg vs 4 leg debate was not the problem in this situation. In addition, I would light lay my hand on top of the scope and it did not dampen the vibration so to me that proved that the tripod head (Bogan 3130) was not causing the vibration and it was coming thru the legs.
I am a amateur at all of this and do not claim to know how other tripods would have done. My hope in posting this is to have other new people consider how they want to use their tripods and try to make their choice accordingly.(Used at eye level,ground level,high winds,no wind,by the ocean,etc.etc.)
Photographers speak highly of the Gitzo line. I think spotting scopes with a zoom may put additional demands on a tripod that large zoom lenses may not? These are my experiences with the above tripods. Nice and fairly light, but not absolutely rock solid. I'm not sure any of us could carry an absolutely rock solid tripod?
Photography web sites I reviewed for other peoples experiences include naturescapes.net,luminouslandscapes.com, nikonians.org, photo.net or you can do a google search under gitzo tripods.
Please note that as you increase scope zoom magnification you increase the demands on a tripod. If you are viewing something up close at 60x magnification in high wind it is more demanding than if you zoom out to 20x at a long distance in high wind.
My use for a tripod is to view animals. I like to travel, to the Western United States and those areas can have substantial wind. As you can see, I have spent about $1500.00 and still don't have in my opinion a rock solid tripod. I have learned we all judge rock solid in different ways. I will use the 3541 when I backpack and the 5541 as a car tripod. I do agree the carbon fibre is better at damp proofing than aluminum, but it is not as solid as I hoped it would be. The end result is that sometimes I will just have to lower the tripod to get it more steady in tough conditions.
I do like several things about the Gitzo. The new twist lock legs are very easy to work with the 1/4 turn leg lock. I also like the lightness of the carbon fibre but it does come at a cost in dollars and ultimate stability.
Photos are below. (1st photo-Bogan 055 on left,3541 middle,5541 with Swarovski ATS 80 HD and Bogan 3110 head.3rd photo, flat plate screw.4th photo)Note the first leg of the 3541 is the same size as the 3rd leg of the 5541.
If others have experiences they would like to share feel free to chime in. Others experiences, are bound to help people who are needing to make a new tripod choice.
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