Charlie Spencer Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Tripod opinions, please. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/802662122-USE/manfrotto_mkbfrla4bk_3wus_befree_3_way_live_advanced.html/specs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestranger Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 13 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said: Tripod opinions, please. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/802662122-USE/manfrotto_mkbfrla4bk_3wus_befree_3_way_live_advanced.html/specs If I was shopping online for a tripod to use with a scope, I think I'd be happy with your selection, more so if I was shopping with your money.👍 Opinion offered. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 (edited) And of course the package with the tripod arrives several days before the next package / scope is scheduled. , in that order. Edited January 19 by Charlie Spencer 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirVive Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 On 1/19/2023 at 11:43 AM, Charlie Spencer said: And of course the package with the tripod arrives several days before the next package / scope is scheduled. , in that order. I want to see that picture your wife took of you out in the back yard gazing excitedly through your 'air scope' on top of your carefully set brand new tripod. Maybe the birds looked bigger because they all came closer to get a better look at you 😋 Assume it's arrived by now - how do you like it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 I've had it out twice and am pleased so far. The first time was a wastewater treatment pond. I spent over an hour mostly getting comfortable with the rotation and elevation locks, focusing, getting the tripod at a comfortable height, etc. I set a personal record for that location that day, not because of the scope but because I was there much longer than usual. People usually hit this site to count migrant waterfowl and gulls for a half-hour or so and then leave. I picked up more passerines and raptors than normal. The second time was a week ago at a nearby farm pond that has been lowered for dam maintenance. It's exactly the type of circumstances I bought the scope for. This is the third time it's been lowered in the pass two years. The last two times have been in fall and the exposed lake bed attracted a variety of migrating shorebirds. I got great views of areas my binos and camera haven't been able to reach. However, since we're in the dead of winter, there were no migrants or anything unusual. I'm going on a three-day festival next week with scheduled trips. I don't think it will be practical to carry it on any of the trips. I'm bringing it anyway, and hope to set it when not on the scheduled activities. And I guess I have to get an adapter for my phone. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 3 hours ago, Charlie Spencer said: I've had it out twice and am pleased so far. The first time was a wastewater treatment pond. I spent over an hour mostly getting comfortable with the rotation and elevation locks, focusing, getting the tripod at a comfortable height, etc. I set a personal record for that location that day, not because of the scope but because I was there much longer than usual. People usually hit this site to count migrant waterfowl and gulls for a half-hour or so and then leave. I picked up more passerines and raptors than normal. The second time was a week ago at a nearby farm pond that has been lowered for dam maintenance. It's exactly the type of circumstances I bought the scope for. This is the third time it's been lowered in the pass two years. The last two times have been in fall and the exposed lake bed attracted a variety of migrating shorebirds. I got great views of areas my binos and camera haven't been able to reach. However, since we're in the dead of winter, there were no migrants or anything unusual. I'm going on a three-day festival next week with scheduled trips. I don't think it will be practical to carry it on any of the trips. I'm bringing it anyway, and hope to set it when not on the scheduled activities. And I guess I have to get an adapter for my phone. What scope did you get again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 (edited) 3 hours ago, Charlie Spencer said: And I guess I have to get an adapter for my phone. This is something that I always get confused about. When I tried out using the phone adapter on the scope, it was super easy to get photos with your phone through the scope( those are called digis, I think). But, it really made my viewing the birds through the scope much more difficult, the image was much less clear when viewing on the phone’s screen because you have it attatched to the scope. I didn’t find it easier to only attach the phone to the adapter when I needed it—attaching the phone to the adapter is harder than you think, intakes a while to get it to the right position. What I’ve decided on is just holding the phone up to the scope when I need to take a photo. It can be difficult to get the whole picture through the phone(if it’s not lined up correctly you’ll have parts of black in the image, see example below). But, it’s easier than the adapter for me, so I deal with it. The hardest part of taking digis is actually getting the phone to focus on the birds. Even if the scope is perfectly focused on the bird, when you hold the phone up to it, the phone still has to focus on the birds as well.In the first photo below, notice how the skimmers are not in focus, but in the next shot they are. I didn’t change a thing with the height/focus of the scope. The only things that changed was that the phone focused on the skimmers in the first shot, but not the second one. The way you know that an iPhone is focused, I think, is that it will show a yellow box briefly. I may be wrong about that, but you do have to have it focus. Edit: it looks like whatbird really compressed the quality of these, but the difference it quite big when I view them full resolution. Edited February 5 by IKLland 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 38 minutes ago, IKLland said: What scope did you get again? I looked at used https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1475914-REG/celestron_52350_ultima_80_20_60x80mm_spotting.html At the time, there wasn't much saving between new and the available used ones. Then I noticed there was a sale on the next model up, a new https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/320308-REG/Celestron_52252_Ultima_100_4_0_100mm_Spotting.html, so that's what I bought. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 Just an FYI for all of you, I purchased the Vortex Viper 20x60x85 scope, and it’s amazing for the price! I got to test it out this morning for real on some scoters. Super good image, even up to 60x zoom. A huge improvement over my previous $175 scope. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Fingers Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 5 minutes ago, IKLland said: A huge improvement over my previous $175 scope. Do you have a job??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 6 minutes ago, Snake Fingers said: Do you have a job??? No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Fingers Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Just now, IKLland said: No. Are you like a part time criminal or something? How you afford this stuff? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 12 minutes ago, Snake Fingers said: Are you like a part time criminal or something? How you afford this stuff? I’m not comfortable saying anything other than that I’m not a criminal. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Fingers Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 1 hour ago, IKLland said: I’m not a criminal. Sure, sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 11 minutes ago, Snake Fingers said: Are you like a part time criminal or something? How you afford this stuff? He has a money tree. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirVive Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 10 hours ago, Snake Fingers said: Are you like a part time criminal or something? How you afford this stuff? 9 hours ago, IKLland said: I’m not comfortable saying anything other than that I’m not a criminal. 4 hours ago, Kevin said: He has a money tree. Maybe he won the lottery and @Snake Fingers is his third cousin once removed trying to find him. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Fingers Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 7 hours ago, SirVive said: Maybe he won the lottery and @Snake Fingers is his third cousin once removed trying to find him. You may or may not be correct… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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