Tripod for sky tracker

[msacco]

Hey, I'm kinda going the other way around, I want to start imaging wide field with a DSLR, I currently own a canon 450D, but I don't know if I'll get a new camera later on or not.
Anyhow, I don't have any sky tracker yet, but I'd like to start with getting a tripod first. I've seen some recommendations about Manfrotto, but honestly that's much more expensive than what I thought 😕

Are there some average budget tripods I could get? I don't think I need something that good, I'll probably image with a fairly wide field lens.
I did see the advertised star adventurer tripod, wondering if that would be good enough?

Not sure it's the correct place to ask. Thanks

[banjaxed]

I am not sure what fitting you need but I find the Skywatcher 3/8” stainless steel tripod a very stable and versatile tripod for just over £100.

[msacco]

6 minutes ago, banjaxed said:

I am not sure what fitting you need but I find the Skywatcher 3/8” stainless steel tripod a very stable and versatile tripod for just over £100.

Thanks for the comment, yes I did saw this tripod as well, if I won't be able to find anything normal I might get this, but I do want to aim for something that's a bit more portable, it doesn't have to like be suitable for a full day of hiking or be small enough to go inside a bag, but maybe something in between that.

[banjaxed]

I have the AZ5 Mount on mine and it is easily  carried by me and I am no youngster.😀

[msacco]

4 minutes ago, banjaxed said:

I have the AZ5 Mount on mine and it is easily  carried by me and I am no youngster.😀

Oh don't me wrong, I don't really have any issues with the weight, but if I'd have the option to easily walk with it for a short hike that would be a nice plus for me

[wormix]

I picked up a used Manfrotto 055 for £20 in great nick so there are bargains out there

In terms of quality, it’s head and shoulders above any of the cheaper photography tripods I’ve used in the past. 
 

 

[msacco]

27 minutes ago, wormix said:

I picked up a used Manfrotto 055 for £20 in great nick so there are bargains out there

In terms of quality, it’s head and shoulders above any of the cheaper photography tripods I’ve used in the past. 
 

 

£20?!?! what?! where?

[wormix]

I know! I got lucky on Facebook marketplace one evening. 
 

Depends how much of a rush you’re in I guess - I was happy to just keep an eye on the marketplace until something appropriate turned up.  

[msacco]

4 minutes ago, wormix said:

I know! I got lucky on Facebook marketplace one evening. 
 

Depends how much of a rush you’re in I guess - I was happy to just keep an eye on the marketplace until something appropriate turned up.  

Well I'm not in a hurry at all honestly, I don't even have anything else yet so it doesn't matter to me much.
What is the retail price for you? For me it's around £225. I don't know if I'll be able to find for such a good price ^^

[wormix]

I think they are around £150. I live just North of London so benefit from economies of scale I guess

[msacco]

43 minutes ago, wormix said:

I think they are around £150. I live just North of London so benefit from economies of scale I guess

I live in Israel, so besides rather high prices, there is not a lot of 2nd hand market here, my options are usually either buying from ebay/aliexpress, or just paying a lot more on shipping as well.
I guess I'll just wait for a good deal

I know it's probably gonna be a no, but someone told me that Zomei tripods with a good ball head could be good enough, something like this for example:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32821836880.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.57dd5227F8bDjf&algo_pvid=8ea86e1d-4731-4f1d-853b-41e7408e5ad7&algo_expid=8ea86e1d-4731-4f1d-853b-41e7408e5ad7-0&btsid=0b0a0ad815969104335988586e1bc0&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

What do you think?

Thanks.

Edited August 8, 2020 by msacco

[inapottingshed]

After much deliberation I've recently purchased a Manfrotto 055 (alu, 3-section) which is a tripod I had owned before for photographic use. My next choice was the iOptron Tripod for Skyguider Pro and Cube which retails for around £77 in UK. I also purchased the INNOREL B36N ball head (around £27) which seems satisfactory so far.

[msacco]

4 hours ago, inapottingshed said:

After much deliberation I've recently purchased a Manfrotto 055 (alu, 3-section) which is a tripod I had owned before for photographic use. My next choice was the iOptron Tripod for Skyguider Pro and Cube which retails for around £77 in UK. I also purchased the INNOREL B36N ball head (around £27) which seems satisfactory so far.

Is INNOREL a good brand? I've seen the following carbon fiber tripod:
https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Carbon-Digital-tripode-Suitable/dp/B07HD6V5HH/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=innorel+Rt55c&qid=1596972395&sr=8-1

[johninderby]

Never heard of the brand but a quick googling found a very positive review for one of their CF tripods.

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/61561468

[msacco]

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

Never heard of the brand but a quick googling found a very positive review for one of their CF tripods.

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/61561468

Ok, afte seeing some reviews, I think I'm gonna go with this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Carbon-Digital-tripode-Suitable/dp/B07HH442G7/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=innorel+rt70c&qid=1596986806&sr=8-1

Does anyone knows anything about it? Good/bad things?

Thanks

[callisto]

I've got my iOptron SkyGuider Pro on a Horizon 8115 tripod and its solid.......https://www.firstlightoptics.com/tripods/horizon-8115-2-way-heavy-duty-tripod.html

 

Mark

[msacco]

10 minutes ago, callisto said:

I've got my iOptron SkyGuider Pro on a Horizon 8115 tripod and its solid.......https://www.firstlightoptics.com/tripods/horizon-8115-2-way-heavy-duty-tripod.html

 

Mark

That's an interesting tripod...Looks pretty good actually. Shipping is quite expensive though. Total price including shipping is $130, I think the INNOREL RT70C might be a better value for the money by it being ligher than that, what do you think? I can't find any payload specs for it.

[callisto]

Yeah, its not the lightest......found this review- http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/user/FirstHorizon8115Review_GuideToOptics15.pdf

[msacco]

12 minutes ago, callisto said:

Yeah, its not the lightest......found this review- http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/user/FirstHorizon8115Review_GuideToOptics15.pdf

Yeah that indeed looks pretty good. But it's kinda heavy, I think that currently the INNOREL RT70C would be a better fit for me.

Thanks!

[callisto]

For the weight I would agree

[johninderby]

10 minutes ago, msacco said:

Yeah that indeed looks pretty good. But it's kinda heavy, I think that currently the INNOREL RT70C would be a better fit for me.

Thanks!

It’s not too expensive and seems pretty good so worth giving it a try. Pity that no one on SGL seems to have actually had the chance to try one. 

[msacco]

6 minutes ago, johninderby said:

It’s not too expensive and seems pretty good so worth giving it a try. Pity that no one on SGL seems to have actually had the chance to try one. 

Yeah, I think I'm gonna do it, I'll surely give an update how it goes if that happens 

Edited August 9, 2020 by msacco

[soundwave]

I use a tripod very similar to the one you're considering with my SkyGuider Pro.

It's sturdy enough for the purpose, however, the middle pole can sometimes cause some headaches because it can still spin (although a bit force is required) even when it's locked tightly, which might turn the whole assembly if not handled carefully (at least on my tripod).

I'm considering getting this tripod at some point - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000163721906.html (just the tripod itself), but my current tripod hadn't given me enough headaches yet to actually make the upgrade.

[msacco]

3 minutes ago, soundwave said:

I use a tripod very similar to the one you're considering with my SkyGuider Pro.

It's sturdy enough for the purpose, however, the middle pole can sometimes cause some headaches because it can still spin (although a bit force is required) even when it's locked tightly, which might turn the whole assembly if not handled carefully (at least on my tripod).

I'm considering getting this tripod at some point - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000163721906.html (just the tripod itself), but my current tripod hadn't given me enough headaches yet to actually make the upgrade.

Thanks for the comment, I actually already purchased the INNOREL RT70C as it looks like it should be good enough for my needs, it also comes with an INNOREL B44 ball head which looks pretty good...
What is the exact tripod you're using?

[soundwave]

7 minutes ago, msacco said:

Thanks for the comment, I actually already purchased the INNOREL RT70C as it looks like it should be good enough for my needs, it also comes with an INNOREL B44 ball head which looks pretty good...
What is the exact tripod you're using?

This one - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32623885562.html , it's a tripod my brother had and gave me.

Now that I look at the specs (and price), yours seem to be much sturdier, so I assume it's a better build and probably a better locking mechanism 😀 

Which star tracker are you thinking about getting?

Edited August 12, 2020 by soundwave