Best tripod head for spotting scope? (1 Viewer)

[The BulbMogul]

I guess we're all gear freaks to a greater or lesser extent, but you're not going far with that set-up.
I was reminded of this thread Crazy world of Leica and some pertinent comments on post nos. 23, 28 and 31.

why am I not going far with that setup may I ask and how far is not far..?

 

[Tringa45]

why am I not going far with that setup may I ask and how far is not far..?

I'm guessing you are not a birder as mobility is a requirement for most and that gimbal head, balance rail (why?) and a total weight of around 8 kg would be a handicap in the field.
As one member in another thread pointed out, your ostentatious display of expensive products (as in your signature) without any constructive contribution is rather tiresome.

 

[BoldenEagle]

...if one pulls the locking lever directly away from the head it will extend out to where one can adjust the tension. Worked like a charm. My VH-10X works the same way.

Ahh, why I didn't think that; my Berlebach UNI tripod has same mechanism in each leg locking levers...Thank you very much for the tip!

That leaves my Sirui VH-10X with just one mechanical fault, which is the jamming click stop mechanism.

Regards, Juhani

 

[Hans Weigum]

why am I not going far with that setup may I ask and how far is not far..?

Excessive (and useless) weight is just one aspect, as mentioned elsewhere. Lack of stability of this setup is even more important.

Tripods and their accessories should improve stability (=lack of motion).


Flexibility is opposite to stability


With the resistance against deflection under load in each cross section of a structural element being constant, deformation increases (more or less) proportionally to the length of this structure under the same load.


Therefore leaf springs must extend longitudinally better to deform elastically.


Or, if you aim at the opposite, a stable setup (like a tripod): Keep things as short as possible.


Your setup however, BulbMogul, in all its complicated dimensional extension must definitively behave like a (somehow) folded leaf spring.

HW

 

[fazalmajid]

For my Meopta Meostar S2 HD 80mm scope, I use a ProMediaGear Katana Jr gimbal head. I've seen creditable knock-offs by Benro and Leofoto, but they are not that much cheaper.

ProMediaGear Katana Junior Gimbal Review

The Katana Junior gimbal from ProMediaGear is a lightweight photographic gimbal for your tripod, capable of holding any long lens setup you can think of. Let's find out how it compares to the competition...

shuttermuse.com

For my 50mm Opticron MM4, I recently got a Manfrotto Befree 3Way fluid head, but I haven't had the opportunity to use it in the field yet. The panning control is inadequate, however, so most likely it will go back.

 

[Elkhornsun]

For my scope I use a Sirui L-10 pan head that weighs only 11.6 ounces and functions perfectly. Very stable and very easy to adjust the tension and no need for the added complexity or expense of a tilt function. It comes with a Arca-Swiss compatible clamping mechanism and a Arca-Swiss plate. It works equally well on a monopod for heavy binoculars. With its Arca-Swiss clamp and I put a compatible $20 rail on the foot of the scope.

I avoid scope only tripods and prefer to have tripods and heads that I can use for my cameras and lenses and binoculars as well as my scope. I avoid tripod legs that have a lot of flex and do not trust the manufacturers' load capacity specs which are usually greatly overstated.

 

[tx2ad]

Just arrived yesterday, but in limited use so far, the Slik 520VH seems quite good.
I have not tried the Sirui VA5X, but I have a hard time imagining that it could be much different/better.
The Slik is less expensive and is made in Thailand like all of Slik’s top end gear.