I was looking for a small tripod for my Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 20-60x80mm spotting scope. I have a decent Manfrotto tripod for standing, but I wanted something smaller that could fit in the Monoprice fake Pelican 1510 case with the scope. The scope weighs 4 pounds 11 ounces and is approximately 18.75” long. I looked on some forums, Amazon, etc and it seemed like the Vanguard VS-82 was the only choice. The Amazon reviews suggested it was “adequate” for a spotting scope on a bench. I kept looking and found another option, the Bestshoot Desktop Mini Tripod. I ordered both this and the VS-82 on 7/17 to evaluate. At the time of writing the Bestshoot is $31.49.
I received both on Friday 7/19 and evaluated. Right out of the box the vanguard feels like a kids toy. The center frame is plastic, the pan and tilt head feels cheap, the rubber feet don’t sit flat on the bench. It strained with the weight of my scope and flexed with the slightest pressure. The tilt on the head needed to be cranked down tight to keep the scope from moving, but the inherent shake from the flimsy plastic allowed the scope to shake. The measurements are as follows: circle covered by the legs, 12” collapsed/15” extended, height minimum 7.4”, maximum 10.25”, weight is 14.7 oz. Color me not impressed, it’s going back to Amazon.
The Bestshoot is a different animal, it’s all metal and feels substantial. The legs have three positions that are set by metal sliders fitting to metal lugs. The leg design is similar to my high end DSLR tripod. The three set heights make for the following measurements: lowest setting 3.9” high covering an 18” circle, middle setting 7.75” covering a 16” circle, high setting 9.4” high covering a 9” circle, weight is 19.3 oz. It is very stable on the low or medium setting, I wouldn’t use the high setting with a heavy spotting scope as the legs are pretty close together. The rubber feet articulate on metal balls and three spares were included in the box. The ball head is not as ideal as a pan and tilt head for a spotting scope, but it holds my scope adequately without cranking it down super tight. The ball head could loosen up later and cause issues, but initially it feels good. The ball head uses a pair of screw collars to secure the screw to the mount on the scope. There is no secondary pin to prevent the scope from rotating, just friction from the collar to the scope. Overall I’m impressed with the Bestshoot, especially at the price.
Amazon.com : Bestshoot Desktop Mini Tripod Load 3KG Universal 3 Legs Monopod Base Stand Unipod Support Compatible with Canon 60D 60D 5D Nikon D90 Sony A58 A7RII DSLR Cameras Video Micro Shooting : Camera & Photo
Amazon.com : Bestshoot Desktop Mini Tripod Load 3KG Universal 3 Legs Monopod Base Stand Unipod Support Compatible with Canon 60D 60D 5D Nikon D90 Sony A58 A7RII DSLR Cameras Video Micro Shooting : Camera & Photo
www.amazon.com
I received both on Friday 7/19 and evaluated. Right out of the box the vanguard feels like a kids toy. The center frame is plastic, the pan and tilt head feels cheap, the rubber feet don’t sit flat on the bench. It strained with the weight of my scope and flexed with the slightest pressure. The tilt on the head needed to be cranked down tight to keep the scope from moving, but the inherent shake from the flimsy plastic allowed the scope to shake. The measurements are as follows: circle covered by the legs, 12” collapsed/15” extended, height minimum 7.4”, maximum 10.25”, weight is 14.7 oz. Color me not impressed, it’s going back to Amazon.
The Bestshoot is a different animal, it’s all metal and feels substantial. The legs have three positions that are set by metal sliders fitting to metal lugs. The leg design is similar to my high end DSLR tripod. The three set heights make for the following measurements: lowest setting 3.9” high covering an 18” circle, middle setting 7.75” covering a 16” circle, high setting 9.4” high covering a 9” circle, weight is 19.3 oz. It is very stable on the low or medium setting, I wouldn’t use the high setting with a heavy spotting scope as the legs are pretty close together. The rubber feet articulate on metal balls and three spares were included in the box. The ball head is not as ideal as a pan and tilt head for a spotting scope, but it holds my scope adequately without cranking it down super tight. The ball head could loosen up later and cause issues, but initially it feels good. The ball head uses a pair of screw collars to secure the screw to the mount on the scope. There is no secondary pin to prevent the scope from rotating, just friction from the collar to the scope. Overall I’m impressed with the Bestshoot, especially at the price.
