Budget Mount for Celestron 20 x 80 Binoculars

[Steve789]

I was given a pair of Celestron Skymaster 20x80 Binos for Christmas and have been wondering what is the best way of mounting them on a budget. To be honest when I unwrapped them I found it a bit hard to put on that happy appreciative face you're supposed to when receiving gifts. I don't mean to sound ungrateful but I'm not sure how often I'll use them as I already have a pair of 8x40s I use for scanning the sky while imaging with my scope.

Anyway last night I borrowed my father's camera tripod and had a quick look at the moon through my new 20x80s and was pretty blown away by how good they were. However the tripod was extremely clumsy and awkward to use and I found myself crouching and twisting into positions that were so uncomfortable it made the experiencing unenjoyable.

So what do other people use for mounting binoculars this size? I've seen the parallelogram mounts but I don't want to spend that sort of money and don't have the space to store it especially if I don't use it that often.

Would a monopod with a decent ball head be stable enough for these binoculars?

Also does anyone ever use shooting sticks (a kind of monopod seat that can be folded up and used as a walking stick) while observing? They seem like the perfect solution for adjustable seating.

[StarcrazyGeoff]

Hi Steve,

I have a Sunagor pair of binoculars that are quite heavy and I am having the same problems. I have had a good browse on Amazon and came up with this tripod, which can be extended high enough to attach binoculars for sky viewing. They don't cost an arm and a leg, so click on the link below and compare it against others. There are a few reviews that don't give top marks, but you always get this on Amazon, no matter what it is. But there are some positive reviews which seem good. I have ordered one so the result will be answered when it arrives.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Binoculars-Stargazing-Photography-Collapsable/dp/B0096QWQBA/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1419889833&sr=1-2-spell&keywords=Binnocular+tripod

Hope this helps.

Geoff

[jgbreezer]

I have 15x70 bins that I love and I agree about it being hard to stay in good viewing positions sometimes. I occasionally resort to lying down on my back if I'm outside looking near the zenith, as I don't carry a chair around but so want to find a good one I can lean back in safely to look up (that I can also carry around on the underground/bus in London - some fishing seats have almost been inspiring enough, so far, but seems a bit limiting).

My tripod head for bins has been recommended for monopods - its a trigger-grip ball head, I have the Manfrotto 222 and a Calumet 7033 copy of that (better than the Chinese copies which get a couple things wrong/missed, I also found it cheaper on a bank hols sale weekend). It avoids the adjustment for the ball head being too near the binoculars and in the way but it does mean the binoculars swing a fair bit from horizontal to zenith especially once you add the tripod adapter. The squeezing the trigger to move them thing is a bit tiring sometimes if you hop lots from one thing to another but its good finger muscle exercise...

I got a new tripod earlier this year which I also aim to use for hobbyist photography that goes to pretty much 6', I'm 6' tall so by the time I swing the bins down on the head they're still just about high enough for me to see vertically underneath. I do recommend (as I've read in my binocular astronomy research) to find a tripod that is quoted for a capacity about double what your bins weigh, in order to be solid enough with the extra magnification too - camera tripods usually expect a camera to be horizontal and while some makes will allow for big lenses and centre-of-gravity to be offset, cheaper/less well respected brands might over-egg their capacity a bit to only consider regular camera use, and you want to make sure they can hold it solid at higher than the usual camera zoom lens lengths - you need longer term stability to keep watching it, not just a moment when you click the shutter (dunno whether that really changes things lots but I noted it).

[Steve789]

I think the other evening has put me off using a tripod. It seemed too awkward as my feet always wanted to be where the tripod was. I think for now I'm going to buy the tallest monopod I can find for the money and maybe upgrade the head to a trigger/joystick head if needed.

Geoff, thanks for the link but I don't think a 160cm tripod is tall enough for me. Its fine if looking horizontally but as soon as you tilt the binoculars up I end up having to crouch. Of course you can just use a chair but I'm trying to find a standing solution so I can quickly look at anything that takes my interest while imaging.

[FenlandPaul]

Hi Steve

I used to very dismissive of bins when I had my 8" newt as I just didn't see the point of using lower aperture. A few months ago I sold the scope in order to pave the way for upgrading to a larger dob at some point (I don't know why, but just felt I had to sell my existing scope first). To fill the gap I bought some 20x80 Revelation bins, which I think are identical to your Celestrons. I have to say I haven't regretted it for a second. I see things in a completely different light - not necessarily better, but different. It's interesting to me comparing the descriptions of my views of messier objects in my scope with what I now see in my bins. I had some 50mm bins beforehand, and these are miles better. So what I'm saying is "don't be disheartened".

In terms of tripod, yes you obviously need one. I can't manage more than a few seconds without one. The one thjat came with mine as part of a package isn't terribly heavy duty (I think it's called the Astro 185 from Telescope House), so I don't think you need to spend a whole lot of cash to get something adequate. It's rubbish for the zenith, but goot up to about 70 degrees altitutde.

Good luck

Paul

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[baggywrinkle]

I have used a monopod and pistol grip (off Amazon) for my 15x70's. It works well, But to use it I sit back in a camping chair with the monopod braced into the ground between my legs. It is pretty steady. I also have a tripod but getting high angles is a problem.

[jgbreezer]

Steve789 (or others interested) - if you haven't already found something; for reference, my first monopod that lasted ok was a 7dayshop own-branded one, though that I think is a rebrand of a fairly generic tall one that goes to about 7' high and comes in 2 versions - either a permanent tilt head that isn't all that strong but might cope with the bins (obv. you don't need panning on a monopod, you just twist the pole), or one with a generic 1/4"-20 Whitworth-standard screw on top (as fits most cameras and all binocular adapters I've ever come across). That obviously would need a head of some kind, eg.:

* a ball trigger grip style as mentioned/other plain tilt-only head (often built for monopods, not too expensive for a good quality high-load-bearing one as they're a simple design)

* or generic ball head (though I'm not sure they work as well on monopods when the whole pole can move around more easily, pivotting at the ball, careful it doesn't slip sideways and get awkward)

* or even (though your bins are too big for this example I'm fairly sure, others are pretty expensive otherwise) a gimbal type head like the Manfrotto 393.

A reclining chair with arms (to rest your arms on) might be a completely alternative option instead of the monopod - notably more to carry but saves your neck and provides somewhere to rest your arms on. There's even a "neckpod" from 7dayshop (and others probably) but its somewhat plasticy - I've tried it, and the strap attachment came loose while using it with my camera (not even a very big lens) at the Olympics in 2012 after only a few months of ownership - avoided carrying anything big in through the gates. Let us know what you go for in case I've missed it in my research and to add to the collective advice on here!

My tripod is high (176cm) at full extension and still copes with my 1.8kg 15x70 binoculars at that height as long as I don't pull sideways on them too much, but doesn't fix the neck thing on its own. Some tripods have centre columns you can rotate (Vanguard, Manfrotto, Benro and Giottos though I'm not a big fan of Giottos quality) in one way or another so you can extend the binoculars out to the side and not have the legs in the way - a colleague at work does that with his notably smaller bins and a small ball head - but of course you don't get the height then and need to be sitting down underneath. And it doesn't help stability with all that weight hanging off to one side - maybe a weight/whatever bag or stones you have to hang between the legs to help counterbalance/reduce centre of gravity would be a requirement, which of course adds to the weight the tripod is carrying and needs to have capacity for!

[jgbreezer]

That 7dayshop branded tall (170cm?) tripod I mentioned in previous post broke due to my carelessness pulling on the tilt handle when it was done up once (was only £10, oh well), so I replaced it with another better tall one (Giottos MML3290B) which has since (after a few months) had one leg section stop fail and drop out the pole segment when extending it once, have read of this happening on several other Giottos tripods, but otherwise its been great, and is amazingly tall and feels otherwise stable and solid enough.

[Alfian]

Came across this a while back:

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p5006_Triton-monopod-with-ball-head---67-to-175cm---max--5kg.html

Max height very tall. Construction looks very similar to the tripod I have similar to this - ie heavy duty. With current exchange rates its less than £40.

[Steve789]

In the end I went for the tallest and cheapest monopod I could find on ebay which was one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fancier-WT1005-Light-Weight-Quallity-Monopod-Stand-with-3-Way-Pan-Tilt-Head-UK-/351262012996?pt=UK_Tripods_Monopods&hash=item51c8d8f644

I've only used it once since getting it due to the permacloud that has set in here in "sunny" Cornwall! It seems to work fine and I'm really pleased I went for a monopod for its mobility and zero setup. I like the fact that I can just extend it to its maximum length and simply tilt the pole to alter the height. It was perfect for looking at the moon but for observing Jupiter and its moons you could do with something a bit more stable. The head on it feels really cheap and plastic and will probably break eventually but it will do for now.

I don't intend to spend long observing individual objects with my bins (I've got the scope if I want a really good look at something) so the monopod setup is perfect for having a quick look at something while my scope is tied up imaging.

FenlandPaul I have already found a new appreciation for binoculars. I was very pleasantly surprised on the 2 nights I've used them so far. I also think its better being blinded in both eyes when observing a full moon than only one!

[cheolk]

Hi

I have this Celestron 20x80.

My tripod is Polaroid 72 in. Very cheap. US$30.00 only. I got it from Ebay Db roth.

very good and steady.

[LukeSkywatcher]

These tripods look really sturdy and not very expensive:

http://redsnapperuk.com/camera-accessories/RedSnapper_Tripods.html

I use a Horizon 8115 tripod for mounting my 20x90 bins on and also for my solar observing 70mm scope etc. Its a really good tripod but there is better out there. One day i will upgrade to a red snapper. 

[Paz]

I've got a horizon 8115 and it's great. You can tension everything and lock everything, and I find it really solid.

One thing I would say though is I have a weak plastic mounting bracket between my binoculars and my tripod (it came with some binoculars, not with my tripod) and I get wobbles that I have traced to that bracket.

I don't envisage ever needing a better tripod, but I would benefit from a solid mounting bracket.

[Icicle19]

I appreciate it's now early 2020, but I found this thread very useful....................I recently received a gift of Celestron 20x80 binoculars, and I'm 6'6'' (1.96m) tall, so have been considering all the issues re tripod height etc and how to achieve comfortable viewing.  Virtually all tripods and monopods don't go tall enough for me, and many tripods are simply too light to offer a stable platform. 

I've opted for a Orion Paragon Plus XHD Heavy Duty Tripod (second hand off Ebay) with a Manfrotto 322 trigger grip ball head (also second hand) on top - this combination works pretty well.  I've also just ordered a 3 Legged Thing Trent Monopod + Docz2 Foot Stabiliser - this combination goes to about 2.09m tall, so with another trigger grip ball head on top should be more than tall enough to make for comfortable viewing standing up.  And of course both retain the option of sitting on a shooting stick or camp chair.  

So, even if you're on the tall side, a little bit of digging around throws up some possibilities for binocular mounting, without going the whole hog with a parallelogram mount.

 

[Dark Vader]

I managed to find a Giottos 3290B monopod on fleabay for about 30 quid. It's huge - fully extended it's 190 cm, then the pistol grip ball head and binocular mounting bracket puts another 28cm on it. If I'm viewing around zenith I'm normally on a recliner or a sun lounger but when you have to stand it's ideal for a 6 1/2 footer.

Andy