Tripod for a big lanky lump?

[lankywolf]

Yep... That's me.... As my username suggests, I'm a great big lanky lump....6' 4" to be precise.

Now, I have this pair of 15x70 revelation bins which I'm using hand held at the moment and as I'm sure you can imagine the stars in the FOV are dancing around like fire flies. So, me thinks I need to get a suitable tripod. Now being such a lanky so and so, I want it to extend up to the heavens as far as possible whilst still maintaining a reasonable level of stability.

I've noticed the Horizon 8115 on the FLO website which seems to be the most suitable I've seen so far. If I got that with the large binocular adapter I might be getting somewhere close to the level of my eyes. Is this setup any good? Or is there something else out there that might be better for me at around the same price?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers, Tony.

[John P]

I'm afraid I can't offer any help on this one Tony, but I will be keeping an eye on this thread as I have been looking at the same tripod and have the same size bins. I'm 6' so height is an issue. Also, I'm interested in hearing if the mount it comes with is good enough to observe the zenith, or if you need to spend even more on changing that as well.

[neilm]

The Horizon tripods are very sturdy, will easily take a pair of 15x70 no problem, don't dismiss the William Optic ones either.Get the large L adapter and you'll be fine.

If I were you I'd just check with FLO as the the max height for both, just in case...

Cheers

Neil

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Orion produce a binocular tripod suitable for use from a chair, but it is rather expensive. I plan to attach a home-made contraption with a simple pan/tilt option to an old reclining chair. Also simply using the roof of a parked car to support the elbows helps a lot.

I have to smile at 6' being tall. Here in the north of the Netherlands I am short with my 5'11", average height is about 6'1" in the Netherlands, and here in the north they are distinctly taller than in the south.

[WayBig]

Hi Lanky, I'm...erm...way big too...

I use one of these. Picked it up from ebay, the seller I used was solent_cables who delivered very quickly. It's wobbly as heck, but much better than just arms and costs very little. I couldnt find a tell enough tripod for less than double what i paid for the binos!

http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-discussion/119589-extra-tall-tripod-monopod-thing-my-binos.html

[rubberman]

I picked up a Benbo photographic tripod for use with bins & DSLR a few years ago at full extension gets up to a reasonable height for me at 6' 2"

[LukeSkywatcher]

The max height of the 8115 tripod is: 180cm. I'm not sure if that is with or without the central column extended. I think without.

[jonathan]

Couldn't you just take a cushion or poof and sit on the ground?

[nightfisher]

here is a bino tip, if you dont already know it.

possibly the best way to observe with bins is to lay on your back, you can put a camping mat on the ground or a sunlounger, support your elbows and you will get a near steady view and your arms wont tire nearly so much

[WayBig]

here is a bino tip, if you dont already know it.

possibly the best way to observe with bins is to lay on your back, you can put a camping mat on the ground or a sunlounger, support your elbows and you will get a near steady view and your arms wont tire nearly so much

That's a good tip. Though I'd probably be fast asleep within 10 minutes

[lankywolf]

Hi Lanky, I'm...erm...way big too...

I use one of these. Picked it up from ebay, the seller I used was solent_cables who delivered very quickly. It's wobbly as heck, but much better than just arms and costs very little. I couldnt find a tell enough tripod for less than double what i paid for the binos!

http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-discussion/119589-extra-tall-tripod-monopod-thing-my-binos.html

That's a nice bit of improvisation there Mr. Big. I would prefer a tripod though as I'll probably do a bit of photography off it as well in the future. But still, I like your style!!!

[lankywolf]

here is a bino tip, if you dont already know it.

possibly the best way to observe with bins is to lay on your back, you can put a camping mat on the ground or a sunlounger, support your elbows and you will get a near steady view and your arms wont tire nearly so much

I have tried slouching in a chair with my elbows on the arm rests which does help. Only problem is, I'm going to do most of my observing from my back garden which has the house at one end and big 6ft high fence panels round all of the other sides. This means the lower I am the less of the sky I can see. I could go out the front I suppose, but then I'd be lying on the pavement.

[JamesM]

In the meantime, you could just hold the binos near the objective glass end rather than the traditional position of holding them somewhere in the middle, does seem to make a bit of difference.

As an alternative to the tripod etc, there are devices out there which rely on the binos pointing down to a mirror that is angled up at the night's sky. I'll have to have a dig around for a link but it makes for the best position of all because you can place this device on a patio table with your maps, drink, torch etc by your side.

James

[astrokat]

ive the horizon tri and am 6 4 and fully extended works spot on also very stable bud

[lankywolf]

ive the horizon tri and am 6 4 and fully extended works spot on also very stable bud

Nice one, thanks.

And thanks everybody for the advice.

[Paulb3098]

Tony, I'm 6ft 6" and use the Horizon 8115 with my 15 x 70's. Have to bend the knees a bit when looking at the zenith but normal viewing is fine. I highly recommend them. Paul

[lankywolf]

Thanks for the advice folks..... So I've narrowed it down to 2 tripods... The Horizon 8115 from FLO looks good, but I'm really tempted by the Camlink TPPRO32B at the bottom of this page Binoculars UK Ltd. Camlink TP PRO Tripods.

It's a smidgeon cheaper than the Horizon and is significantly more expensive on most other websites (£140 on Amazon). It also opens up to 2m which is ideal for me.... Anyone have one of these or know if they're any good?