Hi all -
Gary is right on in his comments. No matter what brand you choose, look
for tubular legs. They are far better in the wind, compared with the
channel legs found on cheaper tripods. The simple rule is, if you are
looking at a bird at 30x, then every jiggle in the tripod is magnified
30 times. I have had similar experiences, comparing identical scopes
and eyepieces on my Manfrotto, and a not-so-cheap other brand.

There is one other brand I have found that is quite good (I'm talking
affordable here) and that is a couple of models in the Slik line. I
think the numbers are 500 DL or something like that. They are not fluid
(i.e. video) heads but very smooth, with quick-release shoes. The
larger one (the 500) has a nice round shoe, which can be dropped in
place at any angle. The downside is that the last time I looked, the
shoes could not be locked in place, so there is a risk of accidentally
snagging the catch and losing your scope. But they're very nicely made,
in a kind of bronzy aluminum finish, extendable legs, and less
expensive than Manfrotto.


Bruce Whittington
Ladysmith, BC
mailto: fieldnat at pacificcoast.net