Misguided or in the know ?

[neilm]

There’s a nice looking pair of 100m 45degree bins on the bay at the moment, I’m not posting a link as last time someone moaned that they’d been watching an item and I alerted the whole world to it! And no I’m not looking to buy myself, I’ve already got four pairs of bins which is two pairs too many must downsize...

Anyway, back on thread, said bins weigh in at 6kg, there on a head that takes 6kg and the seller advises “and in any case, as per normal with Manfrotto heads, they will cope well with over the stated carry weight”

Is he “in the know” or just slightly misguided, do Manfrotto's regularly take “well over the stated carry weight ?

Cheers

Neil

[BinocularSky]

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Manfrotto kit is designed for photography, not astronomy. It is superb at doing what it is designed for. In my experience, for astronomy you need to at least double the weight of the binocular to arrive at a suitable carrying capacity for a photographic tripod and head. The reason is that photographic kit is usually used approximately horizontally with the weight close to the head , where the turning moment is relatively small; astronomy kit is usually mounted further from the head and used at a higher elevation, so the turning moment is much larger.

PS: I have Manfrotto kit.

Tab on Tapatalk

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I agree. I tried using an 80mm refractor on a photographic head (a Manfrotto, actually) designed for twice the weight of the scope, and it was dismal at any altitude above about 20-30 degrees. You need a head in which the axis of rotation goes more-or-less through the centre of mass of the scope or bins, otherwise you are dead in the water.

[ollypenrice]

I totally agree with Michael. As you tip back towards the zenith the mass of the binoculars shifts to a point behind the pivot and they no longer want to stay where you've put them.

Olly

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

The point about centre of mass is reflected in the way I designed the altitude axis of my P-mount

[E621Keith]

No sure what type of Manfrotto head you are talking about, but as others said, astronomy needs much steadier kit than terrestrial application. A gimbal head is best for balance. Geared is next best. Ball head should be avoided, especially for scope.

45 deg binocular isn't quite enough for astronomy, ideally they should be 90deg.

[neilm]

Thanks guys,

I rather suspected a "misguidance" on the sellers behalf though thought it worth checking with those more knowledgeable members.

Cheers

Neil