Advice for first spotting scope (+ tripod) (5 Viewers)

[Elkhornsun]

Most of the tripods made for use with scopes are more expensive and less stable than ones for still photography. One gains nothing with a fluid head that is going to cost more and weigh more than a regular pan/tilt head. The fluid head is important for people shooting videos where smooth pans are critical.

An alternative to a scope is higher power binoculars. With 12x50 binoculars I have far less need to carry a scope and tripod in the field. Where scopes are great is with a group where many people can share a scope and the scope isolates the subject in the scene.

 

[Hermann]

Most of the tripods made for use with scopes are more expensive and less stable than ones for still photography.

That's not true. All the Gitzo tripods, all the Manfrotto tripods and so on are just that - tripods. They can be used for all sorts of things, and they don't care whether you put a camera or a scope on top.

One gains nothing with a fluid head that is going to cost more and weigh more than a regular pan/tilt head. The fluid head is important for people shooting videos where smooth pans are critical.

Wrong again. How much field experience to you actually have using scopes in the field?

An alternative to a scope is higher power binoculars. With 12x50 binoculars I have far less need to carry a scope and tripod in the field. Where scopes are great is with a group where many people can share a scope and the scope isolates the subject in the scene.

No. 12x50 is 12x magnification. And that's it. With scopes you can use far higher magnifications - and in many situations you need more magnification. A lot more magnification. High power binoculars are NOT an alternative to scopes.

Hermann