good tripod for binoc (12x celestron)?

[traeba]

The 3yro and 1yro and I have been reading frank bramley's "The Big Dipper". They've memorized all the stars, but it is too hard for us to make out the dippers in our urban sky. With the binocs it is a lot easier but still difficult because they are so heavy. I had a dinky camera tripod, but it could not look up very well and it broke after bravely struggling for a bit. Any recommendations? i've heard about the Bushnell 784030 so far.

[Louis D]

I would try downsizing to an 8x40/42 bino or even pick up some vintage extra-wide field 7x35 binos off ebay.  You want wide angle and hand-holdability and probably no more than a 5mm exit pupil given your light polluted skies if you want to scan for constellations.  Next, buy a reclining lawn chair.  You will be much more stable laying back like the kids in that cover illustration.

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @traeba and welcome to SGL. 

I personally use a Manfrotto 055PROB and a joystick/trigger grip with mine... 

  

left: 7x50 - right: 20x80

Edited April 12, 2020 by Philip R

[bryand]

It's not so much the tripod as the mount. 

With such a narrow field of view, you need to be able to lock the bins in place exactly where you want them, which I found very difficult/impossible with a joystick type mount (which is essentially a spring-loaded ball and socket joint).

An alt-az mount which allows seperate adjustment in each plane is much less frustrating.

[traeba]

Thanks everyone! Hm. This is the one I have: Celestron 15x70 Skymaster. Yeah, if I were to do it again I'd go 8x42. That said, when I do actually get a sight picture the view is marvelous. The 3yro keeps bonking himself in the face when we try to lie down, though. They are just too heavy. So.. tripod it is until a new pair of binocs comes along. Wow, joysticks and altaz tripods... hm. anything recommendable on a budget of about $120?  Or are you guys saying that there is no sense throwing good money after bad and just get an 7x35mm instead? If so, any that you recommend? I found this one: https://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Falcon-133410-Binoculars-Black/dp/B00004TBLW . But it is not vintage - is vintage quality better?

This is the Bushnell tripod I've been previously recommended from an opticsplanet article, and the binocs I currently have:

[Louis D]

Vintage Japanese made binos can sometimes be better (it was the golden era of extra-wide fields in the 50s & 60s), but they can be a crap shoot due to age.  Here's a pair on ebay that doesn't look too bad.  Looks to be mid-60s to mid-70s era.  If you're not a seasoned ebayer buying second-hand binos, you're probably better off going for Chinese made new.

Aside from the instafocus feature, which is counterproductive in astronomy, that pair you referenced would be a good choice.

For a 3 year old, you might want to go even lighter in the future.  However, that gets expensive if you still want a quality view.

I have those same 15x70 binos in Galileo branding.  Yes, very heavy even for full grown man, but great when properly braced.

[Geoff Lister]

I use a monopod with my 15x70s. The monopod takes the weight, and I can scan a segment of sky using small body movements.

Geoff