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<p class="MsoNormal">Good afternoon birders,<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I have a Kowa TSN-883 Prominar scope with a Manfrotto 3 section and 3W head tripod. I hike and travel with this set up in addition to birding locally.
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<p class="MsoNormal">The tripod is very sturdy, which I like. What I don’t like is how heavy it is (5.5 pounds!) and the 3-way head would be great for a camera but I find it fussy and unnecessary for my scope. Having 3 wand adjustments often makes it difficult
to get on a bird quickly. And it really kills the shoulder after lugging around for a few miles.
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<p class="MsoNormal">My only concern with finding a lighter weight tripod is that it won’t withstand the wind as well and I fear it will tip over.
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<p class="MsoNormal">I saw Really Right Stuff makes good quality, lightweight carbon fiber tripods but is a tripod really worth $1500+? Maybe. But I’m tempted to try the Manfrotto 290 Light Alu that weighs just under 4 pounds and costs a more reasonable $200.
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<p class="MsoNormal">Has anyone out there used a tripod lighter than 4 pounds and found it sturdy enough in light to moderate winds?
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<p class="MsoNormal">Cheers and good birding!<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Amy Powell<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Renton, WA<o:p></o:p></p>
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