Travel tripod for Swarovski ATX65 scope, (1 Viewer)

[Ken George]

Hi all, I'm getting old, the knees aren't what they used to be, and kit weight reduction when travelling is now a consideration. I'm thinking of buying a Gitzo GK1545T-82TQD Series 1 Traveler Carbon Fiber Tripod with Center Ball Head to go with my Swarovski ATX65 travel scope. Anybody using this combination? At just over 1kg and 42cm long when folded, it's less than a third of the weight of my other two tripod/head combinations. As a tripod, it gets very good reviews from the camera crowd, so I'm assuming that it will work equally as well as a scope mount. Any feedback or alternative suggestions much appreciated.

 

[4 The Birds1]

Hello Ken and welcome!

Have a look in the tripod section of birdforum here:

Tripod and Heads

www.birdforum.net

Ballheads are lightweight, but most have more movement than ideal: their ability to not only pan and tilt up and down (which is what a 2-Way or Video Head does, and what you want for scope use) but to also tilt sideways is a destabilizing disadvantage.
(There are a few ballheads on the market where the lateral movement is or can be locked out, but they aren't necessarily cheap or very lightweight. Brands include Flexshooter, Acratech, Markins).

Edit: the weight of just over a kilogram appears to be for the tripod alone (1.055kg) whereas the set with the ballhead weighs 1.45 kg, per Gitzo's website.
You would get reasonably close to that if you combine the tripod with a lightweight 2-Way head such as Sirui's VA 5, reported on by BF member Yarellii and others here:

Sirui VA-5 vs Manfrotto MVH500AH (visual comparison)

While searching for a head/tripod combo for my ATS65 I've come across different suggestions, but three kept repeating: Sirui VA-5, Manfrotto MVH500AH and 128RC. I've opted to get the two first ones, one for the scope, to be used on the field and one for home use. I'm opening this thread to...

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