Hiking tripod for Kowa TSN-663M (1 Viewer)

[BrècheduSalude]

Hi everybody,

I've finally decided to buy myself a scope and I just chose the Kowa TSN-663M. I now have a really hard time finding myself a suitable tripod ; i go on hikes a lot, 2 or 3 times a week so I would like a compact and lightweight tripod, but also I'm 2 meters tall (6"4 ft) and I'm afraid that a 1,4m high tripod will be too short to be confortable.
I've looked into Gitzo travelers, Sirui and many others but i'm starting losing it and getting more and more confused.

I am looking for a tripod that weights between 1 and 1,5 kg MAX (2,2 to 3,3lb) head included, my budget is about 200 to 400 euros (max 340£)

Do you think the Sirui T-1204XL Traveler + Rotule E-10 would fit accordingly?

https://www.kamera-express.fr/sirui-t-104xl-traveller-rotule-e-10

Do you have any other suggestions ?

Thanks for reading me,

BrècheduSalude

 

[Hermann]

I've finally decided to buy myself a scope and I just chose the Kowa TSN-663M. I now have a really hard time finding myself a suitable tripod ; i go on hikes a lot, 2 or 3 times a week so I would like a compact and lightweight tripod, but also I'm 2 meters tall (6"4 ft) and I'm afraid that a 1,4m high tripod will be too short to be confortable.
I've looked into Gitzo travelers, Sirui and many others but i'm starting losing it and getting more and more confused.

If you're 2 meters tall, you've got a problem. Most tripods will be too short. And the ones that aren't too short won't be all that light. Also lightweight tripods that are stable enough for a scope are expensive. The best lightweight tripod I found - I'm 1.92 meters tall - is a Gitzo 1545T. And even that tripod might be a bit short for you.

I am looking for a tripod that weights between 1 and 1,5 kg MAX (2,2 to 3,3lb) head included, my budget is about 200 to 400 euros (max 340£)

Do you think the Sirui T-1204XL Traveler + Rotule E-10 would fit accordingly?

I tried a Sirui 1204 once, and found it wasn't stable enough for a medium sized scope (Nikon EDIIIA). Too much vibration in even a slight wind.

Have a look at this website: The Center Column

Hermann

 

[chill6x6]

I have the 1545T and in fact use it with a TSN-664M but I don't think it's tall enough for you. The Travelers are nice lightweight tripods BUT....I really like my Mountaineers a lot more even though they are heavier and more expensive. Take a look GT2543L. It's heavy and expensive but it would probably work with your angled scope.

 

[Tringa45]

If you were considering a straight scope then you would have a problem, but with an angled scope a maximum tripod height of 150 cm should be perfectly adequate.
The tripod head will add another 10 cm and the ocular height of the scope another 15 cm. Get a pan and tilt head such as the Gitzo GHF2W or Sirui VA-5X instead of a ball head.
At 2 m your eye level is 190 cm when viewing horizontally, but considerably lower when viewing through an angled scope. The only constraint would be if you also wanted to train your scope on the night sky. Then, tilting the scope lowers the eyepiece and brings it toward or even below the horizontal.
Tripod choice is almost always a compromise of stability and portability (and expenditure).
Even a 5 kg tripod will show tremors at high magnifications in a stong wind. Attempts at focussing at high magnifications can induce vibrations in flimsy tripods and make this impossible, so don't consider anything with lower leg sections much less than 20 mm diameter.
There are probably dozens of tripods that would meet your requirements, but one suggestion is the Novoflex TrioPod with 3-section aluminium legs for about €340 and a height of 153 cm. It is a modular system and the manufacturing quality surpasses just about everything else on the market.
I have a TrioPod with carbon fibre legs but that pushes the price up by €170 for a weight saving of 300 g.
Novoflex now have a version, the TrioPod M with centre column but that is heavier, more expensive and probably less stable.
The only disadvantage of not having a centre column is the rather awkward height adjustment in hides, but if you want to share the view with others much shorter than yourself, you only need to rotate an angled scope in its sleeve. The Kowa 663 M has this facility.

John

 

[jring]

Hi,

I agree that a tripod with 1,50m height will be fine. I just checked my setup and the upper edge of my fluid head is at 1,51m. I am 1,88m and when I use my angled scope alone, I just look down into the EP no need to bend my back.

So with a 1,50m tripod, 10cm head and 15cm scope an observer of 2m height should be fine.

I personally prefer to have a little bit of center column for height adjustments when used in a group. The rotating collar method works too in most cases if you don't have a stay-on-case or one that allows for that.

Joachim

 

[BrècheduSalude]

Thank you all for your replies !

I have actually changed my mind and bought a TSN-553 instead of the 663M because it is a lighter and more compact scope and therefore it meets my requirements better than the 663M.

About the tripod, i was hesitating between the Sirui T1204 XL Traveller, the Leofoto LS-254, the LS-255 and the Slik Lite Cf-422, but they don't produce it anymore, it was replaced by the Slik Sprint Pro III

SPRINT PRO III 3WAY BK / GM – SLIK Global

3rd generation travel tripod; SPRINT PRO III series incorporates well-accepted SLIK original R.F.M. (Rapid Flip Mechanism) for quick and easy leg opening adjustment. The SPRINT line of tripods can greatly improve photo by stabilizing your camera, which is critically important for sharp...

slik.com

which i bought in secondhand for about 60e, it includes a video head, otherwise i would've chosen the Smallrig Selection head CH10.

all these tripods weight less than 1,3 kg (3lb).

thanks again, good birding everyone!