Today I finally completed my new spotting scope set-up. As I had mentioned in a post just prior to this, I had decided to return the tripod/head combination that I originally bought because of weight, and went with a new set-up. I purchased the Manfrotto Befree GT Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod, and the Befree Live Video Head. Total weight for both the scope, and the tripod combo is 8.2 lbs., a manageable weight in the field.
There definitely is a heft difference between my first purchase and this tripod/head combination. I think that there’s a bit more plastic employed in the Befree combination than the 055 tripod, which frankly is built like a tank for big video cameras. I’ve always had the unfortunate habit of over-buying in tripods, and this one certainly is different. It is very lightweight, and the head does suffer from some design flaws, notably if you are right-handed; I expect it easier for lefties, as the plate-locking mechanism and the tilt knob are both on the left side. And you can only mount the handle on the right side. My initial feeling is that the video head is a tad flimsy, but it is rated to hold 8.8 lbs. and my scope weights in a 3 lbs. less, so things should be fine. I will soon be doing reviews of both when I am able to get them out into the field.
On Monday morning, I scoped my 200th species in Ohio, the Eurasian Wigeon. This pretty duck was of course buried within a flotilla of Ring-necks, Mallards, Pintails, Canada Geese, and American Wigeons. He kept ducking behind other birds and diving, and was quite difficult to track for all of us birders there trying to tick him off our lists. But I finally did see him cross my field-of-view a few times. A pretty bird, rusty red head with cream line down the middle, a rosy-colored breast, he mixes in well with Redhead, but is a light gray overall with a white wing patch. This was at the Congress Road bridge over the Mogadore Reservoir, NE Ohio. Photo below by Joe Kollar from eBird:
Monday was also the first time that I used my spotting scope in the field. There was some good news and some bad news associated with it. The good, great, news is the performance of the Vortex Viper HD spotting scope: excellent field-of-view; clear, bright and crisp display; focus and zooming actions both very responsive and easy to operate… everything’s intuitive. The scope even comes with a case, which is kind of cheap and I don’t run with it, after all it’s waterproof right? This scope performs admirably when compared to my former scope, the Zeiss Victory Harpia 95.
The bad was the tripod. I just simply overbought, especially with the Manfrotto 502AH video head; it’s simply too heavy for me, and rather difficult to figure out and operate. Everything is too big on it, and I really didn’t like it. Also the legs – the Manfrotto MT055CXPRO3 carbon fiber tripod – is a bit too unwieldy to use in the field and also a bit too heavy to be lugging around. Overall tripod/head weight comes in at 8 lbs… plus the scope, that’s 12.8 lbs total. And I did research the hell out of this, but tripods are so difficult to figure out, especially as there are so many tripod models and separate panning heads to choose from. But at the end of Monday, I knew they had to go and I had to lighten my load.
So back to the webs and looking around, reading specs and reviews all over again. Interestingly, Manfrotto makes a backpacker carbon fiber tripod, which I checked out and also spoke with a B&H salesman about. Why didn’t I see this in my first search?? It’s called the Manfrotto Befree GT Travel Carbon Fiber tripod, and is sold only as a set with a different type of head. Its general weight with attached ballhead is 3.40 lbs., and it extends fully to 63.8″, perfect for me. Because of the packaging combos, I had to purchase a separate head, the Manfrotto Befree Live Videohead, for tilt/pan activities. It’s got an 8.8 lb. load capacity and weighs only .8 lbs. The tripod/panhead combo should weigh the same at 3.4 lbs., likely lower since the ballhead should weight more. So that’s a total combined weight of 8.2 lbs., and I am expecting it to come in under that, again depending on what the ballhead actually weighs. That’s a total weight reduction of over 4 lbs.! I went ahead and ordered the tripod and the panhead, and I should have them tomorrow, to take into the field on Friday.
So last night, I decided to take the plunge. Surfing different sites, and weighing a sales specialist’s thoughts on “reasonably priced” spotting scopes, I ordered a Vortex Viper HD 20-60×85 spotting scope. I was planning on purchasing it through Optics4Birding, which I highly recommend, but they currently have a 6-8 week backorder wait. I don’t like to wait. Now, the scope retails for $899 at almost all dealers. But, when I went to B&H Photo, they had an email connection for best price, which I hit up. The B&H price? $749, so even with sales tax, I was out at under $800, a $100 savings! And B&H offers free two-day FedEx shipping on its products, so as this seemed like a win-win for me, I ordered it.
The Vortex HD 20-60×85 angled spotting scope has a 20-60x magnification with an 85mm objective lens diameter, is 17.5″ long and weighs 4.8 lbs. It is made of ArmorTek, has a built-in sun shade, and its glass is XR fully multicoated. This scope is in fact a step down from what I had previously owned – Zeiss Victory Harpia 95 – but from all the reviews I have read and input from sales specialists, it’s supposed to be a great scope and a much more manageable price. The Harpia scope that I had currently retails for almost $5000 new, and weighs over 5 lbs. When I get my new scope and have time to take it into the field, I will post comments here about it.
So I got the scope. I checked out my current tripod, and it weighs a TON. That was the next thing that I worked on. There are so many different tripods and combinations that it’s dizzying. I looked at the Vortex carbon fiber, but got scared away from user reviews stating that it has issues with leg breaks and becoming unslotted, among other things. I looked at a couple of other brands, including Field Optics Research, Celestron, Slik, and Gitzo. It turned out that with the prices of these other companies, I could afford to purchase a Manfrotto tripod, which I love. They’re less expensive the Gitzo most of the time, and I feel just as good, if not better. What I went with is the Manfrotto MT055CXPRO3 tripod, and the Manfrotto 502AH pro video head, also ordered from B&H. Overall weight for both the tripod and head is less than 8 lbs. The tripod itself is carbon fiber, and extends to 66.9″. I’m not so sure how the spotting scope-tripod combo will work carrying into the field, but the system will be great along shorelines within a short walk from the car. Everything is expected to arrive on Thursday, which means I’ll be out on Friday testing the combo in the field, probably at Fairport Harbor State Park first.
In other news, I’m planning on attending the Shreve Migration Sensation on March 9th in Shreve and hosted by the Wilderness Center at Shreve. I’m particularly excited by the fact that Greg Miller of “BigcYear” fame will be there, and hopefully I can meet him and get a selfie! And of course there will be plenty of birding at various sites, including Killbuck Marsh and Funk Bottoms.
KeriBirder 