heavy tall tripod required (3 Viewers)

[Val & Rex]

Hi all
I have now received my new scope a Swarovski ATM / STM 80HD straight body+ 25-50x Eyepiece and I am very pleased with it. but as warned previously
the Slik Pro 713EZ Complete With SH 707E Head been Carbon fibre it is very light,and unstable.as I am six foot tall I need to extend it to its near maximum and this makes it very unstable, As I have multi joint arthritis I am unable to bend my head to look through an angled scope. this will be fine when it is used in conjunction with me sitting down sea watching but useless for standing in any weather condition. my old slick D2 as now gone with the TSN 4 but this old tripod was quite stable under the same conditions,
Please can anyone tell me what is the tallest tripod before extending the centre column,or a very stable heavy one with extended centre column. I am not sure I want a wood tripod if I can get a heavy metal one.

Regards.
Rex

 

[Watts]

Try Gitzo GT5561SGT. Open height 260cm. Used at those photoshoots when the pros are arranged in ranks with those at the backs are on ladders.

Seriously, look at the rest of the Gitzo systematic range (http://www.gitzo.com/product_list/72038.71837.72020.0.0/systematic).

Bill

 

[General Melchett]

Hi Rex,

I'm 6'5 and have a Manfrotto 055XPROB. It's aluminium, very sturdy (with or without the centre column extended) and more than suitable for my height. I use it with a Canon EOS 40D and 100-400L lens ... a fairly heavy setup ... and it's like a rock.

Fully extended, it stands at 178.5cm (5'11'') or 142cm (4'8'') without extending the centre column.

More technical details here: http://www.manfrotto.com/product/055XPROB

Hope that helps.

Richard

 

[Val & Rex]

Thank you both for your helpful replies.
I have been checking the set-up all afternoon and still not sure of the problem I am experiencing, the tripod http://www.cliftoncameras.co.uk/Slik_Pro_713EZ_Complete_
The scope http://www.cliftoncameras.co.uk/Swarovski_ATM_STM_80_High_Definition Strait version.
When the scope is firmly fixed to the tripod with the centre column down. when focused at any setting 20x to 50x all I need to do is touch the scope or tripod for the image to shake the slightest touch sets it off. I would like to here if anyone else as experienced this or what you think is the cause.
I asked the supplier to check the scope and the binoculars before they were dispatch to me??
When this happens it is very upsetting,
I hope someone can throw some light on this.
Best Regards
Rex.

 

[John Russell]

Rex,

You are going to need around 160 cm tripod height, but what's poor Val going to do, stand on a ladder?
Being 6'3" with a 5'2" wife, I know the problem and am considering going from a straight scope to angled. You will just have to set the tripod height to accommodate your better half and adjust to your own height via the centre column.
Nevertheless, I think the Manfrotto 055 will be marginal with an STM80 at 50x magnification and extended centre column.
There are only two Gitzo Systematics in aluminium, the GT3330LS and GT4330LS and by the time you have added a centre column as accessory, they will be rather expensive.
I still think a Berlebach 4022 would be a good solution. There are good reasons why surveyors use wooden tripods.
However, if you want aluminium, Manfrotto have two models which would be suitable and not break the bank, the 475B and the 028B. Both weigh around 4 kg and have geared centre columns. Unextended, they have maximum heights of 162 cm and 179 cm respectively.

Good luck,

John

 

[Val & Rex]

Rex,

You are going to need around 160 cm tripod height, but what's poor Val going to do, stand on a ladder?
Being 6'3" with a 5'2" wife, I know the problem and am considering going from a straight scope to angled. You will just have to set the tripod height to accommodate your better half and adjust to your own height via the centre column.
Nevertheless, I think the Manfrotto 055 will be marginal with an STM80 at 50x magnification and extended centre column.
There are only two Gitzo Systematics in aluminium, the GT3330LS and GT4330LS and by the time you have added a centre column as accessory, they will be rather expensive.
I still think a Berlebach 4022 would be a good solution. There are good reasons why surveyors use wooden tripods.
However, if you want aluminium, Manfrotto have two models which would be suitable and not break the bank, the 475B and the 028B. Both weigh around 4 kg and have geared centre columns. Unextended, they have maximum heights of 162 cm and 179 cm respectively.

Good luck,

John

Hi John
Thank you again for your help, I spent all daylight hours with the set-up,trying to work out if it were the tripod,and after lowering the slick to a very stable hight,I still had the same problem ,if I just touched the scope or tripod the image would flicker, so I now must assume it is the STM80 at fault,Contacted the supplier and was told it was expertly checked out and they never have problems with Swarovski ATM STM 80 High Definition (Magnesium) Spotting Scopes. As a retired quality control engineer I have herd that statement a few times o Still finding what defect is causing the image to become unstable as me beaten.
Regards
Rex:t:
PS John, due to severe arthritis in my neck I could not bend my head long enough to use an angled scope:-C

 

[dantheman]

Tripods generally - I've just found that my lightweight tripod is a lot sturdier if I put the legs under a bit of stress, pulling them firmly out before putting it down on the ground. Rather than just placing it on the ground. Having the centre tube fully extended is not ideal however, I have to agree...

 

[Keith Dickinson]

I have found that a bag of earth/pebbles/stones etc slung from the tripod adds to it's stability, so I'd try that before buying new.

 

[poledark]

Or even a bungie and tent peg to hold it all down. Not sure what you can do in a wooden floored hide though, every time someone moves my setup shakes...
Den

 

[John Russell]

Rex,

I too would rule out the scope as being the source of your troubles.
Is the knob, which allows rotation of the scope about its longitudinal axis, fully tightened?
The set-up is only as good as its weakest link, so if there is compliance somewhere, you are going to get an unstable image. This could be the rubber surface of a Manfrotto RC quick-release plate, one of the reasons I changed to the Arca Swiss system.
One of my pet hates is these 1/4" to 3/8" adapters, which are supplied by scope and tripod manufacturers. I wouldn't want my scope hanging on two thread turns. If the tripod foot of the scope has a 3/8" thread, then use a QR plate with a 3/8" screw.

The straight scope, because of its additional height requirements, does does need a very stable support but one of the tripods mentioned with, for example a Manfrotto 701HDV head, should certainly be adequate.

John

 

[Johnny1]

Have a look at the Velbon D700. Very sturdy, I'm 6'4" and use mine when sea watching, I've had mine for about 10 years now so I'm not sure if they still sell them as the smaller D600 seemed to be more popular.

 

[Pinewood]

How about wood?

Hello Rex,

Would this wooden tripod do for you? It reads maximum height of 79 inches, but I am not certain if that includes the extended column.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:

 

[dafi]

I have had one of these for the last couple of years and am delighted with it! Its solid and has a smooth action head. If you are looking for a cheaper tripod than has been recomended so far then you wont go far wrong.

http://www.scopesnskies.com/prod/tripod/binocular/spotting-scope-tripod/1880.html

 

[mayoayo]

As far as a tall tripod,I used for years and really liked a Slik 700DX ATM..Aluminum,Titanium,MAgnesium alloy,..quite light for such tall tripod,,.about the same weight as a manfrotto 190.Very nice quality , solid stability, nice operation.The legs are of bigger diameter than those of a manfrotto 190,but of thinner material..I abused mine for years and never dented or nicked a leg .. It Locks the legs in three angles,and opens to an amazing low hight,just few inches to the ground.only limited by the center colum,really..The tripod with a fluid head on it is probably 6 feet !without the center column!..The center column is tall as well,I think(not sure now)that has two sections..I am 5´10,and never extended the column,so I cut it down to the lenght of the tripod collar...they sale a short column as accesory,but I just did the modification myself..Also features excellent ,oversized composite locks in the legs..super,super smooth,yet solid..heavy duty padding in the legs adds some weight but feels wonderful,...I used it with a classic 3160 manfrotto head..cheap,not too heavy and I think as good as a fluid head can really be..I Used a rather large Kowa 824 scope in this set up,and performance was excellent .

 

[dannat]

are you sure you have done up the screws underneath the tripod head -there are usually 3 little allen screws which keeps the head tight once you have screwed it on

if you are looking the davis & sanford has a good fluid head http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/349250-REG/Davis_Sanford_PROVISTAIR18_ProVista_Airlift_Tripod_with.html

 

[forent]

Change your tripod!

Hi Rex,

bad news:

The shake you describe is quite normal. To some extend, each and every scope/tripod/head combination vibrates. It is impossible to construct a mobile, lightweight and collapsible base for a scope that does not vibrate noticeably. The tripods we use were built to support photo cameras with 600 mm focal length at most. The magnification of your scope translates to 1,250 to 2,500 mm! So don’t expect any absolutely rock steady solution. It does not exist, sorry.

Good news:

1. Your scope is not defective. Your tripod and its head are just too weak. There are better ones available (although not perfect ones, see above) that shake much less and dampen vibrations within fractions of a second. The remaining shake is fully admissible.
2. You have detected the insufficiency of your tripod. Congrats! Much too many people buy expensive alpha scopes and mount them on cheap and shaky “jelly pods”, hereby degrading the image quality severely. Amazingly most of them do not notice.
3. Sorry to hear about your multi joint arthritis. But I don’t think that you have to find a giant tripod for your scope. (BTW: The larger your tripod is, the more it will shake.) Just buy a tripod for yourself, i.e. a small collapsible stool so you can sit behind your scope everywhere in the field (e.g. a Walkstool: http://www.walkstool.com/uk/product/indexframe.html). Hence a tripod of about 140 cm height is enough. It even does not need a wobbly center column.
4. Been there, done that: I have tried many tripods when I wanted to replace my Manfrotto 055 (it is actually to weak for a large scope, believe me). Metal tripods do vibrate too much, Carbon tripods are expensive and the ultra light ones (1 kg or less) are also too shaky. Ash wood tripods like the ones from Berlebach and Wolf (see http://www.berlebach.de/?bereich=produkte&kategorie=41&sprache=english and http://www.holzstative.de/Wolf_Wood_line_static.html) or Ries (http://riestripod.com/tripod.htm) are very stable but they lack in comfort and ease of use. The best tripod for my needs was the large carbon fibre tripod Feisol CT-3372 (http://www.feisoleurope.com/new-feisol-elite-tripod-ct3372-rapid-p-57.html). I am really picky about my equipment but the Feisol is just great and at least on par with a Gitzo 5 series. I doubt that you will find a tripod that is visibly less vibration-prone. Equally important is the head: I prefer relatively small ball heads (the Arca-Swiss P0 at the moment) but a larger video head like the Manfrotto 701 would be a no-compromise choice.
5. Every tripod, even a solid one like the Feisol 3372 becomes considerably sturdier when you hang your bag or coat over (!) the tripod legs. This works much better than some weight at the hook under the head because the additional load adds mass to the legs and dampens them.

Regards and good luck!