Tripod selection for hiking for camera/spotting scope combined

[markr]

I am getting equipment which will allow me to do an offshoot of

digiscoping with an SLR camera. The setup will be a Nikon F100 with

a 70-300 zoom lens attached with an adapter to a Swarovski AT80 scope.

 

What I am looking for is advice on a good sturdy tripod that can

support the above equipment and is light weight enough to carry

while hiking with the above equipment.

 

Thanks for your help.

[markr]

I forgot to add that I would like to keep the tripod purchase below $300, preferrably around $200-225.

 

Thanks

[ShunCheung]

For tripod suggestons, we (or at least I) need two more pieces of info from you: (1) Do you expect to buy a tripod head, such as a ballhead? Does you budget include the cost of a head? (2) How tall are you? And how tall are the other people who will use this setup.

[markr]

My budget includes the tripod legs and a head - it can be a ball head, but can be something else like a pan/tilt head. Therefore, I can purchase the legs and head separately or as a unit.

 

I am 6' tall and my wife is 5'4". I will be the only one using this setup for photography. My wife will only use it for viewing, but she has a nice set of binoculars, so she probably won't use this setup much.

[kevin_lackey]

Mark, <BR>

If you need a good tripod on a tight budget, then you should look at the <a href="http://www.bogenphoto.com"> Bogen/Manfrotto </a> 3221WN tripod, with the 501 video head. You can get them at <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com"> B & H </a> for $270 total. <P>

 

Don't think I've flipped my lid, but a video head works best for spotting scopes as the fluid dampening in the head makes for smoother tracking than any ball head could provide.

[pathways]

It's always a matter of carrying too much but not having what you

need; I use a Bogen 3021 with a 3055 head. Both camera and

scope have an adapter so I can switch one off and the other on.

Not perfect but it works for me. I also carry another tripod for

video camera, but it is a bit light for a scope. I need the fluid

head for the video but the non-fluid head is not a problem with

the scope. John

[ShunCheung]

Mark, I am not that familiar with tripods and heads in your price range, but the <A HREF="http://www.photo.net/photo/nature/bogtri">Bogen 3021</A> is a popular model for less than $200. From the link, take a look at the review by Bob Atkins. Bogen tends to make sturdy tripod products but most of them are also on the heavy and bulky side (except for the carbon fiber models, of course). It should be sufficient for a Nikon F100 and a medium-size lens such as the 70-300. I am not that familar with your Swarovski scope. My wife uses a 77mm scope, and it is roughly like the size of a 300mm/f4 type lens. The Bogen 3021 should be sufficient for that as well. The 3021 may be just a bit short (without raising the center column) for someone who is 6 feet tall though. In this case, the main problem with the 3021 is that it is somewhat heavy for hiking, at least for me. Of course, your strength and hiking ability may vary.

<P>

A video head is fine for your scope. My wife shoots video and she also uses the video head for her scope. However, how are you going to shoot verticals with your F100 on a video head? (Unless you get the Really Right Stuff F100 plate that lets you mount the camera horizontally or vertically on a head)

<P>

Incidentally, this type of topics has been discussed quite a few times in this forum. Please do a search, but eventually, I think Mark needs to visit a camera store to try the tripods himself, like whether the size/length and weight meet his needs or not.

[raymond_petty1]

Lets see, you can get a Bogen 3021 and put a Canon ball head on it for less than $200 and have an outfit steady enough for your needs. I hope you own a pack mule if you're going hiking with it.

What you need is a carbon fiber tripod (Gitzo Mountaineer?) which would fit your needs perfectly but is WAY over your price range.

Gitzo also makes lightweight tripods (weekend series) that can be had for $150 - $250, depending on the versatility of the legs, that are rated at 5.5 pounds. I would not extend the center column however (a lot of people just toss it) and expect very good results. That situation does limit you to four to about four feet of extension but in return you get a very well made tripod that weighs just over 2 pounds. For less than $50 you can get a Slik compact ball head and you're ready to go. (Of course an Arca Swiss type quick release would make life MUCH simpler but that adds another hundred bucks easily).

[markr]

Thank you for your responses. After looking at my finances, I might wait a little longer and try to get carbon fiber legs.

[ShunCheung]

Mark, carbon fiber tripod legs would be a lot lighter, good for hiking. The Gitzo 1227 or 1228 are suitable for the kind of load you have in mind, but even fully extended, they will be too short for you. Raising the center column would affect stability. Gitzo prices are considerably lower in the UK compared to those in the US. So some people mail order them from <A HREF="http://www.robertwhite.co.uk">Robert White</A>.

[markr]

Shun,

 

Which carbon fiber legs would you recommend for my height? Also, do you have an impression of Velbon/Hakuba which cost less than the Gitzos? What head would also work best? You can include ball and pan & tilt. I think it would work to limit the total cost to $500-600.

 

Thanks

[ShunCheung]

Mark, I am 6'1" and I use two Gitzo carbon fiber tripods, the 1228 and 1325 plus an Arca Swiss B1 ballhead. When fully extended, the 1325 plus head and camera reaches my eye level, and the 1325 can support 500mm/f4 and 300mm/f2.8 type lenses. Admittedly, I am not a very strong hiker. When I go hiking, I usually bring the 1228 and have to bend down to look into the view finder. The 1228 is lighter than the 1325 and is suitable for 300mm/f4 or smaller lenses as in your case.

 

My wife is 5'1" and just about any tripod can being the camera, scope, or camcorder to her eye level. She usually uses a Gitzo 1227, which is similar to the 1228 but has 3 instead of 4 leg sections (per leg).

 

I am not familiar with other carbon fiber tripods and will leave that to experts in those areas.

[darrell]

Mark,

I am 6' tall and use a Gitzo 1227 with short column. The short column can only be raised about a 1/4". I just purchased a Kirk BH-3, which is 4" tall. I find this height works fine for me. I shoot an EOS 3. In horizontal, the viewfinder is at eyelevel. There currently doesn�t exist a designed L-bracket for the PB-E2 or for the EOS 3, so I do loose a height in vertical mode when I have to flop the camera body 90 degrees when shooting non-tripod collar lenses, (like the EF 17-35 or 28-70). But with long lenses on tripod collar, the G1227 works fine for me.

 

The G1227 is 55" with column down. Add 4-5" for a small ball head. Now you�re up to 60". Finally a camera body with plate or tripod collar mounted lens will give 2-3 more inches. And 6 feet is the top of your head, not you eye level.

 

The G1325 is 58 3/4" tall with no center column, so you pick up almost 4". But it also weights about 1 1/4" lbs more. The G1325 is the next best combo for height vs. weight for the Gitzo CF pods. The G1329 is 57" but weight a lot more due to the center column. I guess you could get a short column to reduce some of the weight.

 

Before buying the G1227, I also looked at the Velbon/Hakuba. They are nice, but way too short.

 

The really nice thing about the G1227 is that I don�t hesitate to take it everywhere I shoot. My buddies and I try to make it to a couple of National parks each year. At first I owned a Bogen 3021 and that thing was so heavy that I hesitated to bring it with me. And when I did bring it, I dreaded lugging it up a trail, so it would stay in the car. I find it very valuable to have a tripod with me, so I was willing to pay for the weight reduction. I got the 3021 pretty cheap, but that did me no good as it stayed at home or in the car.

 

What ever you do certainly consider purchasing from Robert White. I saved considerable money by doing so.

[darrell]

I forgot to ask, have you visited the Bogen site for more details on the Gitzo CF tripods. They have lots of good info there: http://www.bogenphoto.com/

[ShunCheung]

As people say, a picture is better than a thousand words. Here is a (poor quality) picture of me with the Gitzo 1228 (shortest one in front), 1227 (with an A/S B1 ballhead and a Nikon F100 on top), and 1325 (tallest in the back). All three tripods are fully extended but without raising the center column. I only have a short column on the 1228 and the 1325 doesn't come with a column. Again, I am 6'1"/186 cm and clearly the F100 on the 1227/B1 is no where near my eye level. No that it is a huge problem, but if I use the 1227, I need to stoop down a bit. However, the 1325 is tall enough to reach my eye level.

[markr]

I just wanted to post an update and let you all know what I did. The Gitzos were just a bit out of my price range, so I got a Bogen/Manfrotto 3443D Carbon Fiber Tripod with a Bogen/Manfrotto 501 Video Head.

 

The complete setup includes:

 

The above tripod and head

 

Nikon F100

 

Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom Lens

 

Nikon MC-20 Remote Trigger Cord with Timer

 

Swarovski AT-80 HD Spotting Scope

 

Swarovski 20-60mm Zoom Eyepiece

 

LensPlus 2Plus LE-Adapter (to connect the camera lens to the spotting scope eyepiece)

 

 

About two weeks ago, I took this gear out for a field test. Carrying the weight of all the equipment was not a problem at all. I had the scope connected to the tripod and used a tripod strap. The camera was around my neck and I had a few extra items in a lumbar pack. The tripod setup proved to be sturdy enough. I setup near a great blue heron rookery and got some descent pictures (they could be better, but not bad for my first time with such a setup). I did get some vignetting because I forgot to set the aperture wide open as recommended by LensPlus for such a setup.

 

I have included a photo of the setup.

 

Thanks again for all your suggestions.<div></div>