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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ailevin" data-source="post: 3508737" data-attributes="member: 140149">The Opticron MM3 60 is so far performing admirably on the Zomei tripod, both at home and in the field. I had my first meeting with birders at the Ballona Wetlands here in Southern California yesterday morning.  Although the weather threatened and skies were gray, we had nothing more than a few drops. I brought my Sightron 8x32 binoculars and the spotting scope and tripod.I had the binocular (with RYO ultralight harness) and scope (in padded homemade bag), notebook, and field guide in my backpack with collapsed Zomei tripod/head riding horizontally tied to the bottom of the backpack. This would be a reasonable setup for a trek, but since the wetlands tour was going to be just short walks between viewing sites, I decided to put the tripod/scope together at the car and just carry it over my shoulder.  I've figured out the minimum extension of the smallest leg segment to get the minimum height I want, and any other small adjustments can be made with center post.  The assembled scope and tripod is small, light, and easy to maneuver that way.  I like the fact that the 45 degree scope is a bit below my sight line, so I can use my binoculars above it and switch back and forth quickly. Though it was not particularly windy, the tripod/scope combination seemed fine in the wind.  I was never on ground that was very uneven where I needed to adjust the legs.  The tension adjustment I had been using at home was also just fine in the field, so I had to do  very little fiddling with the head, except occasionally locking the pan.  The range of altitude I used was a little greater than I normally use at home, because I was viewing birds in nearby trees rather my more typical shore viewing mode.  Yet the ball head did it's job well, and I had no trouble with wandering scope at higher altitudes.  OTH, I was not trying to track overhead flights with the scope either.  There seems to be no reason to lock the ball, unless I was going to carrying the scope/tripod to a new spot. The ball tension is enough to keep it on target as I study a subject.  The pan motion has no tension adjustment and I do tend to lock it if I am on one bird for a while. This makes the head essentially a one control head while in use. The 8x binocular and 15x scope is a nice combination.  I would find something in the binocular and then switch to the scope at 8x.  If it was flitting around but staying in the same area (a gnat catcher), I was able to track it pretty well in the scope at 15x and then increase magnification if it stayed put for a moment. If I lost it in the scope I could quickly catch it again in the binoculars.  Also, even without any higher magnification, and even at fairly close quarters, the difference in detail between 8x hand held and 15x tripod mounted is phenomenal.Of course this is a new toy and I need to see how it holds up to a variety of field conditions, but so far, this tripod and head seems just fine for a compact 2lb scope.Alan</blockquote>

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