Cahanc
Cahanc
Hi, first time posting in this forum, hello to all. I wanted to share with the birding community a few GREAT items that I found recently. The first is a tripod head made by Rim Country MFG and sold @ Outdoorsmans.com for $699-. The head is rated to be able to handle 20+lbs of gear. I am currently using a Kowa 883 with a Sony A6300 or A7lll camera on it and the head is fantastic. The head pans and tilts only and I have never felt I needed more than that for what I do with it. It is made if aluminum and weighs just 23oz. The fact that its made of aluminum and no plastic parts except for the little handles you tighten for Pan/Tilt and plate holder makes it feel very well built. I can set the drag pretty light and it holds my set up very solid with no slip at all. I have not put near 20lbs on it so I cannot speak to that part of it.
I had the Manfrotto 128RC head and even when I cranked down on the tilt it still felt wobbly and would slowly creep on me so I went in search of a better head. I came across this head and website while doing internet research and although I am no hunter, a lot of people in the hunting community use high end optics and they have some great gear that I found to be very helpful with my set up and stability and I wanted to put the word out on this head. You can put the handle on one of four places on the head, left and right front, left and right back. It also comes with Arca-Swiss and RC2 convertible parts so you can use whatever system you are currently using.
I have a Manfrotto 190CXPro4 tripod with this head and it now feels like I imagined a solid platform would feel. I LOVE how easy it is to set the drag and not worry about creeping when I am trying to focus on the bird.
It is pricey but I opted to pay the money and I don't fell a bit of regret as this feels like such a quality piece of gear that I will have for years and years to come. 23oz and no plastic parts was a huge draw for me. I am reading what I wrote and I suppose I should say that I am in no way affiliated with any of these companies, I work in the tree care industry in California, I do however get excited about great quality products that make digiscoping better and easier for me!
I also found a bino case on the same website made by Marsupial gear that I love. It comes in three sizes so you can choose whichever you need. It has a harness that holds them far more secure than my old Vortex or Swarovski elastic harness. This is a case with a large top flap that is held either open or closed by neodymium magnets so if its closed it stays closed and your binos are out of the weather, if you open flap and push it down the magnets at the bottom hold the flap down securely and you can easily reach in a grab your bins with one hand or two. It doesn't zip shut like a bino case but its the next best thing to carrying your binos in their case on your chest. The harness holds them high on your chest and when you bend over they don't flop down. The case is made by Marsupial Gear and its another great product that crosses over from the hunting community. I am not making any kind of supporting statement about hunters or what they do or any kind of political statement either, I am just saying this gear works great for birding.
Happy birding and may all your shots be in focus and properly exposed!!
I had the Manfrotto 128RC head and even when I cranked down on the tilt it still felt wobbly and would slowly creep on me so I went in search of a better head. I came across this head and website while doing internet research and although I am no hunter, a lot of people in the hunting community use high end optics and they have some great gear that I found to be very helpful with my set up and stability and I wanted to put the word out on this head. You can put the handle on one of four places on the head, left and right front, left and right back. It also comes with Arca-Swiss and RC2 convertible parts so you can use whatever system you are currently using.
I have a Manfrotto 190CXPro4 tripod with this head and it now feels like I imagined a solid platform would feel. I LOVE how easy it is to set the drag and not worry about creeping when I am trying to focus on the bird.
It is pricey but I opted to pay the money and I don't fell a bit of regret as this feels like such a quality piece of gear that I will have for years and years to come. 23oz and no plastic parts was a huge draw for me. I am reading what I wrote and I suppose I should say that I am in no way affiliated with any of these companies, I work in the tree care industry in California, I do however get excited about great quality products that make digiscoping better and easier for me!
I also found a bino case on the same website made by Marsupial gear that I love. It comes in three sizes so you can choose whichever you need. It has a harness that holds them far more secure than my old Vortex or Swarovski elastic harness. This is a case with a large top flap that is held either open or closed by neodymium magnets so if its closed it stays closed and your binos are out of the weather, if you open flap and push it down the magnets at the bottom hold the flap down securely and you can easily reach in a grab your bins with one hand or two. It doesn't zip shut like a bino case but its the next best thing to carrying your binos in their case on your chest. The harness holds them high on your chest and when you bend over they don't flop down. The case is made by Marsupial Gear and its another great product that crosses over from the hunting community. I am not making any kind of supporting statement about hunters or what they do or any kind of political statement either, I am just saying this gear works great for birding.
Happy birding and may all your shots be in focus and properly exposed!!
