Tripod size?

[DJVege]

Hi guys,

I'm not sure if I'll need one yet for my 15x 70s, but I thought it would be a good idea to get one anyway. My questions is: What size/height(at max) should I be looking for? Any suggestions?

Thanks.

...DJVege...

P.s. My binoculars have arrived in Brisbane! Will be picking them up in 2 weeks time.

[DobDobDob (Ron)]

Hi

I'm no expert, far from it actually, but I have had a pair of 20x80 for a couple of months now and they weigh 2kg's. I would answer your question by saying, "as high as possible". I know that's vague, but if you a trying to view the zenith at all, then it becomes very difficult. I have had a parallelogram made for me, by another forum member, and this is something that sits on top of the tripod, gives greater height and lets the user view directly overhead without bending knees and without getting a sore neck.

There are plenty of threads in this forum, just do a thread search on 'parallelogram' and you will be fine. Btw, I have a couple of tripods, different styles sourced from different places and they are exactly the same height.

[DJVege]

Any that are around 170cm high, and take a 15x 70?


...DJVege...

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

You might be best off taking your binos with you when you purchase the tripod.
You don't want to be stuck with something totally unsuitable.
Give it a real workout before buying.

[Dennis]

Here are some important factors I have encountered in my short, tripod mounted, bino viewing experience. Note that this pastime is more of a sideline, as my mainstream activity is imaging, so I only bino watch whilst the ‘scope and mount are chugging away grabbing ccd images:

• If you are going to be viewing objects close to the zenith (i.e. above 75°) whilst standing up, you will require a stable tripod. Stable usually translates to heavy and expensive.
• My current Hama tripod height with legs fully spread and extended is 1.3 metres to the tripod head. If I extend the (substantial) centre column, the height increases to 1.7 metres and with my home made bino head Alt-Az mount, (see attached photos), this is fine for viewing objects at the zenith whilst standing up. (I am approx 176 cms tall). In practice, I usually try to view stuff below 75° as it is less demanding on the neck and spine.
• All tripod adjustments should be quick, easy and rigid when locked. Often, I observe from sloped sites and as you move around, it is nice to be able to adjust the legs in the dark, quickly and safely. You don’t want the tripod to collapse on you – so look for positive locking mechanisms.
• My Hama has a really nice (un-geared) centre column. By depressing a substantial red lever, you can slide the column up or down and releasing the red lever locks it. It is easy to find and operate in the dark, especially if e.g. you and your wife are sharing the set up.
• I prefer an un-geared column to one that you need to wind up or down with a handle.

Hope that helps.

Cheers

Dennis

PS – ignore the wooden structures in the photos – they are part of a parallelogram mount.