20x80 Binoculars Platform

[johnno]

Hi All,
Well Platform may not be quite the word,(but it,s the best one I could think of).

Anyone who has the 20x80 Binoculars,with the looong Barrels HAS to be a little concerned about the stresses,caused by these Barrels just hanging there.
Not to mention the Vibration they cause.

I think the pics,tell the Story.
The Bolts used under the ends of the Barrels are Nylon,the framework is Aluminium.

Regards.
John

[BerzerkerNerd]

Hi Johnno, I like the 'noccy platform, the tripod looks looks like a camera style- do the locking mechanisms cope with the weight at angles or are the binocs well weight centred.

Recently bought a pair of Meades 9*63 astro's while collecting money for bintel 10" dob. so am interested in making a similar (smaller) adapted mount for them. For the record I am very happy with the Meade BN, for $180 the are surprisingly versatyle and build quality is acceptable with noice focusing properties- even taken them to birdwathing group! (just dont pan to close to sun), optics are good, with 20 mm eye relief you can track birds while sporting sunglasses. I agree that binocular views are special and a welcome relief at times to having a bleary eye. Any other info on your BN mount?
Steve M

[johnno]

Hi Steve,
The tripod is meant for a camera,I got it off Ebay,for around $25.00,
The tripod handles the weight quite ok.

The problem was,because the binoculars were mounted right on top of the tripod,they wanted to nosedive,and self destruct,as soon as you loosened the locking bar.

By mounting them further back,it allows you to balance them much better.

Of course,if you do tilt them past their balance point they will still want to fall forward,or backwards, ( this is allways going to happen with ANYTHING tripod mounted),but you CAN now lock them in position.

The cross bar,and Nylon bolts,are there to reduce the vibration on those long barrels,which they do VERY well.

Your Meade 9x63s sound very nice,and would be very good for Astronomy,and bird watching.
But,like all of the higher powered,heavier Binoculars,they work much better when mounted

Regards.
John

[Merlin66]

I found it easier for the big Bino's (15 x 80) to set them up in a frame to look down into a first surface mirror ( ex-photocopier) when observing more than, say, 30 deg above the horizon. That way the eyepieces didn't steam up and I never dropped them!

[BerzerkerNerd]

Hi merlin, that insight is highly profound (for me) and appreciated, it goes to show that in the realm of optical projection that the boundaries of viewing are only limited by logic and in what is affordable to work with.

Steve M