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Message: <blockquote data-quote="etudiant" data-source="post: 3458254" data-attributes="member: 48052">The small scopes do add dramatically to the magnification available, but that just accentuates the shake problem.I've carried an ED50 for some years and have wrestled with several tripods and monopods to try to make it effective. My $0.02 is that a tripod defeats the purpose, you triple the weight and inconvenience, so the times you actually use the scope shrinks. Unfortunately, hand held is beyond me as well, it is just too hard to get a reliable sighting when the bird is bouncing around in the FoV. There is no small stabilized scope either, afaik, so the only option left is a monopod. That helps get a decent view, not as good as with a tripod but way better than hand held. Velbon sells a very compact model, their Super 8:<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Velbon-portable-monopod-Ashinomi-aluminum/dp/B00N3IFEM0/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1474506035&sr=1-1&keywords=velbon" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Velbon-portable-monopod-Ashinomi-aluminum/dp/B00N3IFEM0/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1474506035&sr=1-1&keywords=velbon</a>  It packs very small for travel, has good length and is robust enough to serve as a walking stick in between serving as a scope support.That said, imho you might still be better off with a stabilized glass, at 18x you're well into scope territory, no tripod is needed and you can use both eyes. They are heavy though, no fun for anyone with shoulder issues....</blockquote>

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