Ultralight tripod needed - under 800g (1 Viewer)

[Winterdune]

Hi all,

I've been trying to find a super lightweight tripod to use with my angled Nikon ED50, as an ultralight hiking setup. The tripod doesn't have to be full size as I'm happy to crouch/sit when using it, so a max height of about 30 inches (not using a central column) would be OK, and it doesn't need a fluid pan as I'll be using it on birds in trees etc rather than in flight, but it does need to be nice and easy to move the head and lock it securely in place - not opposed to ball heads in that respect. Carbon fibre would be best, in terms of weight vs stability.

I've struggled to find anything suitable so far. Can anyone suggest anything that would fit the bill?

Thanks,
Sean

 

[dalat]

You may consider a monopod. Works well up to about 30x, especially when used with a movement dampening foot.

 

[Sc0tty]

Compact Travel Tripod

Hi all, Increasingly I am finding myself taking short overseas trips, usually 3-5 days in length, primarily for work trips but also specific birding holidays. Usually on such trips I opt to take a large cabin bag on the plane rather than splashing out on an additional checked suitcase. I am...

www.birdforum.net

 

[DMW]

I use the Velbon Ultra Maxi L with my ED50 for lightweight travel. It's 900g if I remove the detachable section of the centre column, and is pretty compact. I think this model is discontinued but the Velbon Ultra 355 looks very similar.
I won't claim it's amazing, but for use as you describe it is adequate and it's not expensive.

 

[Winterdune]

Thanks folks. I'm going to try the Benro Slim - slightly more than 800g but seems the best bet to me - also found a cheap one on eBay 😊.

 

[4John]

Thanks folks. I'm going to try the Velbon Slim - slightly more than 800g but seems the best bet to me - also found a cheap one on eBay 😊.

Winterdune,

I looked long and hard at tripods for my ED50 10+ years ago and ended up with the Slik Sprint Pro, now in its third generation. Its 1.18kg including the 3-way head which I binned. I found it very spindly/springy, a bit like using 3 thin bamboo garden canes, but I am 5ft 11 inch tall and use a straight scope, so I was using it at near enough as tall as it would go. Unfortunately the lighter the tripod the less stiff it is. I got fed up with lugging round an unstable piece of kit and switched to a monopod, which immediately made much more sense because it was much stiffer and lighter than the tripod. However, as Dalat has pointed out you will need a "foot" to damp twisting. I use something like this :

Konig KN-TRIPOD45 Aluminium Monopod Single Leg Tripod extendable | eBay

 

[Winterdune]

Thanks John. If the Benro Slim is no good I'll try one of those!

 

[Alexis Powell]

I use the Velbon Ultra Maxi L with my ED50 for lightweight travel. It's 900g if I remove the detachable section of the centre column, and is pretty compact. I think this model is discontinued but the Velbon Ultra 355 looks very similar.
I won't claim it's amazing, but for use as you describe it is adequate and it's not expensive.

I also use the Velbon Ultra Maxi and Luxi tripods, which were replaced by the Velbon Ultra 455 and 355 models, respectively, which seem also to be discontinued (yikes! they are unique!) but are still available. These tripods are unique for their speed of deployment to reach amazing maximum heights. For anyone interested in them, please know that their stock weight and bulk can be cut SUBSTANTIALLY by replacing the stock head with a small ballhead of good quality. I use the BH-25 from RRS with an Arca-type plate system, but there are cheaper equivalents that are also superb, like those from Leofoto.

--AP

 

[DMW]

I also use the Velbon Ultra Maxi and Luxi tripods, which were replaced by the Velbon Ultra 455 and 355 models, respectively, which seem also to be discontinued (yikes! they are unique!) but are still available. These tripods are unique for their speed of deployment to reach amazing maximum heights. For anyone interested in them, please know that their stock weight and bulk can be cut SUBSTANTIALLY by replacing the stock head with a small ballhead of good quality. I use the BH-25 from RRS with an Arca-type plate system, but there are cheaper equivalents that are also superb, like those from Leofoto.

--AP

Interesting, thanks. I weighed the stock head and it's 250g, and I can see a Leofoto ball head at 66g, which is indeed a very weight significant saving. Might well give it a go.

 

[Montereyman]

Even if you do not buy it from BH Photo Video their website is the best around. I can search on tripods and filter for legs only or ones with a head and by length when collapsed and load capacity, etc. Then I check the negative reviews and decide if they apply to my situation.

The least expensive good tripods use a center brace mechanism so the legs can be less still. A tilt head is also going to save money and weight and be better than a ball head for a scope.

 

[Charles13]

The lighter it is, the more you start feeling like you're holding a noodle in the wind! If you're down with a ball head, I’d recommend the Manfrotto Befree Advanced in carbon. It’s super light (1.4 kg) but stable enough to keep your ED50 from swaying like a tree in a storm. It’s easy to adjust, too – no wrestling with it like some cheap knockoff.. If you're hunting, for something lighter, check out the Vanguard Veo 2. Its smaler, but make sure it’s sturdy enough when you're low to the ground... or you might end up chasing your scope all over the place!One more thing: never forget that the tripod’s weight should vibe with your scope’s weight.
Carbon is the ultimate choice, if you want a ballance of lightness and stabillity – otherwise, you’ll be fighting that tripod - all day. And I love that you’re prioritizing portability – trust me, after a few hours on the trail, you’ll be thanking yourself!

 

[Winterdune]

In the end I got an as-new Benro Slim carbon fibre from ebay for £35 and it suits my needs really well. Just over 1kg and very well made.

 

[TheBlackGrouse]

Ultralight hiking setup?

For this I have an ultralight Gitzo Traveler and a RRS monopod. They have more or less the same weight but a head is needed for the tripod. Even with a lightweight head the combination is 1.5x heavier than the monopod. Admittedly, 400 gram extra, it's doable...

However, it's all about the hassle of setting up. At the end of the day, with a tripod, on too many occasions you didn't use it, too much trouble.

With a monopod, you walk while holding it in your hand, fully or half extended, put it down, attach the scope with one click and start looking. For short distances the scope stays attached although I always hold the strap (in the same hand) for safety reasons.

You don't lose much detail because of the monopod. As Dalat said, it's works fine at 30x. And even more if you practice a bit with putting the foot in the sand.

Overall: less weight, easier carry, faster setup, freedom of movement.

The only reason I keep my tripod is because maybe I'll buy an angled 80mm scope for lakes, mudflats, heathland, dunes etc. in the future, for static observation.

 

[Winterdune]

I go out with binoculars and a camera too, so don't want to carry anything in my hands, and a tripod rather than a monopod enables me to share views of distant birds/mammals etc with companions. I'm really happy with the Benro Slim. Each to their own.

 

[TheBlackGrouse]

I go out with binoculars and a camera too, so don't want to carry anything in my hands, and a tripod rather than a monopod enables me to share views of distant birds/mammals etc with companions. I'm really happy with the Benro Slim. Each to their own.

Of course, each to their own, all roads lead to rome, I'm just sharing my experience

On birding days I take my 10x42 binos, heavy camera with tele, scope and monopod with me. Depending on the circumstances, equipment is in my backpack or in my hands. Backpacks are getting better, usability has become a priority of optics designers, the search never ends.

 

[4John]

Of course, each to their own, all roads lead to rome, I'm just sharing my experience

On birding days I take my 10x42 binos, heavy camera with tele, scope and monopod with me. Depending on the circumstances, equipment is in my backpack or in my hands. Backpacks are getting better, usability has become a priority of optics designers, the search never ends.

Absolutely - each to their own. Ultralight hiking set up?

I carry my binoculars round my neck and my ED50 scope on a Velbon RUP-4 monopod (nla) 470g with a Velbon QRA-3 Quick release head (nla) 54g, total weight 524g with a folddown foot robbed from one of these :

Konig KN-TRIPOD45 Aluminium Monopod Single Leg Tripod extendable | eBay

It's perfectly useable up to the x40 maximum magnification of the Nikon ED50 zoom (light and atmospheric conditions permitting) with the foot down, and my foot on it. I use a safety line from a D ring on the ED50 case to the top of the monopod just in case the scope becomes loose on the QR plate, as there's no anti-rotation pin. I either carry the monopod with scope attached in my hand, or slung from my shoulder on a strap like a rifle.

 

[Steve Babbs]

. I'm really happy with the Benro Slim.

So was I until today, when one of the leg sections came out and won't go back in. I have no idea why as it's happened before and I just put it back in.

 

[Winterdune]

It's perfectly useable up to the x40 maximum magnification of the Nikon ED50 zoom

Is it x40 or x30 max with the MC zoom on the ED50?

 

[TheBlackGrouse]

Absolutely - each to their own. Ultralight hiking set up?

My current setup isn't exactly lightweight, I agree.

For more than 10 years, I didn't take my Swaro ATM 65 with me. In those days it was binos and a camera with a smaller tele (Canon 100-400 LII). There was simply no room for a tripod and scope. But I missed a lot of birds at larger distances.

This year, I traded my Swaro for the STC 17-40 x 56. Now I carry binos, scope, camera and monopod.

Let's say it's a relatively lightweight solution when you need all three. My backpack weighs 9 kg, with extra jacket, food, water it's at least 10 kg.

Admittedly, it took a few years before I had the (almost) perfect backpacks, two mountaineering packs from Mammut (50 l) and Mountain Hardwear (70 l).

 

[Hermann]

Is it x40 or x30 max with the MC zoom on the ED50?

a. 20-45x (on the 60mm Fieldscopes) = 13,3-30x on the ED50 (early units without multicoating, later units are multicoated)
b. 20-60x (on the 60mm Fieldscopes) = 13,3-40x on the ED50 (all units are multi-coated)

In other words: The ED50 has two thirds the focal length of the 60mm Fieldscopes. So you divide the magnification of any given Nikon eyepiece by 3 and multiply the result by 2.

Hermann