Spotting scope tripod question.

Hi

what is the fitting plate on the top of your current tripod- or is it an actual ball ?

Camera tripods do not necessarily make good Scope Tripods as they are not made to carry thwe weight:

A call to a reputable Optics shop ( In Focus , Cley Spy etc.) should give you more info:

posting photos of the tripod head here would help:

:)

S

Thanks for answering. I did ask at a branch of LCE that supposedly specialises in optics but the assistant there wasn’t much help. My current tripod and ball head will hold a 3kg lens/ camera combination happily.

Ball heads don't work brilliantly for spotting scopes - you have to loosen the ball, manhandle the scope to position then lock it. It's a bit of a faff. If you're already carrying the tripod for the camera it's better than carrying a second one for scope, but buying a proper spotting scope type head for your existing tripod would be a better solution. You get a long handle so you can pan easily and it's so much easier to use.
Presumably your existing ball head has a quick release plate, so just take it off the camera and stick it on the scope and try it a couple of times & you'll see what I mean