Need a cheap tripod for 10x50 Bino's

[lookupnow]

Hi guys.

As some of you may i'm a noob!

I bought a pair of 10x50 Bino's of amazon.

there amazing! for the price of £29.94

Here is what i have: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Binoculars-Lightweight-Astronomy-Magnification-Warranty/dp/B009M5LFQC/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t

So far i haven't been able to use them much due to the poor weather in the South East.

I have been able to see some starts but i can't hold the damn thing steady enough to have a good look at it.

So i need tripod right?

I don't want to sped more the the bino's and go too expensice just something that can hold them steady. 

Here are a couple ive' been looking at.

By the way i know i need a L adapater

Ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VISIONARY-LIGHT-WEIGHT-TRIPOD-VT6-BINOCULARS-SCOPE-/261136905310?pt=UK_Tripods_Monopods&hash=item3cccf8f45e

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-TRIPOD-FOR-ANY-CAMERA-BINOCULAR-OR-TELESCOPE-UNIVERSAL-STAND-VISIONARY-VT-50-/221120839992?pt=UK_Tripods_Monopods&hash=item337bd44138

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Binoculars-Stargazing-Photography-Collapsable/dp/B0096QWQBA/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1388431381&sr=1-2&keywords=binoculars+tripod

This one has good reviews of people who have been using them for Stargazing and also they are extra long for people who are over 5ft 9" (i am 5 "7).

so opinion would be nice please fellow gazers

[ToxoLight]

Hi lookupnow, have you found the Binocular Sky site, http://binocularsky.com/ its a great site, you will find plenty of info there.

[lookupnow]

Hi lookupnow, have you found the Binocular Sky site, http://binocularsky.com/ its a great site, you will find plenty of info there.

Yup yup been through it.

Still need a tripod lol!

[jonathan]

The cheapest option is probably an inverted broom, just let the brush take the weight of the binoculars.  A better alternative is a monopod, that's just an extending pole with a camera mounting point at the top, which you would fix your L bracket to; buy a large L bracket to get the best stability, the smaller ones are liable to allow vibrations.

I use an old camera tripod that I acquired from a car boot sale years ago, it's a big beast which has a built-in monopod, so I get the choice of which I want to use.  Unfortunately these days buying new usually means wobbly, although a bit of careful shopping can yield some gems...  look for a miniature tripod called Velbon, it is more of a table-top tripod but very steady for its size even when fully extended.  You could easily spend upwards of £100 on a full size tripod, it would be light, strong, and steady but probably not justified for the use you have in mind.

Given the choice between a slightly wobbly tripod and a decent monopod, I would go with the monopod, unless I had any inclination that I might actually want to use the tripod for photography in which case one would have far more value than a monopod.  The only thing about binoculars on a tripod is that unless it's a good height it's difficult to get close enough to look up through the binoculars comfortably, you really need to be able to sit practially inside the legs area.

[jabeoo1]

I use a Velbon for 10x50's & it works perfectly well, there are a number of models. They seem to be priced from £20 upwards.  Mine I think cost about £25 or so.  I also notice lots of these type of tripods in charity shops for around £5.  In one day I came across 2 or 3 in as many charity shops in one town !

[jonathan]

Aye, old tripods can be a good buy if they're £5 or so, neither of my old tripods have quick-release heads and I've never missed not having it because I don't usually need to switch cameras on them, I just attach whichever camera or camcorder I'm going to use at the time.  I honestly don't know who really needs quick-release tripod heads apart from maybe people who have to use a few different cameras for the same session.

Just make sure if it is a quick-release type that it has the quick-release plate, totally useless without it.

The best thing I like about my big old tripod is the head.  It has a very smooth action, far better engineered than most of those I see in Jessops and I'll wager most that cost under £100.  It's not accurate enough for use with an 80mm telescope, too much slop at high magnification, but for binoculars it's perfect.  It is a Cullmann in case anyone was wondering.

[YouCannotBeSirius]

I bought a tripod for about £12 (including P&P) off Amazon. It holds my Nikon D80 with a standard 18-3mm lens steady enough to photograph Venus and I have 10x50 binoculars too which are much lighter than my camera so it will definitely hold them well so there are probably even cheaper tripods that'll hold the binoculars.

[jabeoo1]

Just make sure if it is a quick-release type that it has the quick-release plate, totally useless without it.

This point could not be reiterated enough especially if grabbing it secondhand.  Very good point jonathan !  they can look complete until you get them home and try attaching your gear to them.  Not a good start.