I'm planning to buy a Swaro 12x50 EL SV bino, and am considering tripod options. The Outdoorsmans pan head, binocular adapter and tripod (probably a Medium) seem like a good way to go but I'd like to hear what others are doing before I make the leap.
Manfrotto MVH500A head and a Velbon carbon fibre tripod. I use the Outdoorsman adapter for my 15x56 Swaros. I have tried a LOT of guy's setups including the complete Outdoorsmans stuff. I like mine better. I cut the handle shorter but other than that-pretty dang good. Makes me a better glasser. I have a 701 HDV but they have discontinued it and this is the replacement which has an even better plate system.
Swaro 15x56, tripod is a swaro carbon tripod. (cant remember who makes these for them, bogen?)
Bino's are awesome (understatement), tripod is junk, I've broke it 4 times, in 4 years..the legs work fine and are light, but whatever head swaro puts on it is a POS,I expected a bit more for 800 bucks..I need to get a new head that will take some abuse.
Manfrotto MVH500A head and a Velbon carbon fibre tripod. I use the Outdoorsman adapter for my 15x56 Swaros. I have tried a LOT of guy's setups including the complete Outdoorsmans stuff. I like mine better. I cut the handle shorter but other than that-pretty dang good. Makes me a better glasser. I have a 701 HDV but they have discontinued it and this is the replacement which has an even better plate system.
I went back and forth on the Outdoorsmans lightweight aluminum tripod versus other offerings in Carbon fiber, which in some cases are lighter with greater compactness and extension. But those that use the OD tripods seem to really love them and rave about how bombproof they are.
Rosco, that's the same basic setup that I'm going after. I'm still on the fence about going for the tall tripod but it's what OD recommended for versatility, and it will be nice to stand and look out over bushes, etc., if I need to, but also be able to glass while sitting. That's too bad your carbon fiber gear is breaking down on you. Maybe return it as defective? For that money it should last.
I spend, conservatively, 300-400 hours a year behind my 15s. I, as well as several of my buddies tried the pistol grip heads. The original Bogen ones were junk. The spring would let them creep and required constant readjustment. The Outdoorsman one is better with the little finger hook thing but still not a good choice for grid glassing for unseen animals. I also have gone through two of the Swarovski adapters. They too loosen over time and cost more than the better Outdoorsman adapter. They are also heavier. Guys that don't glass off tripods a lot may not notice these thing but I literally spend day after day behind them.
I have a tripod that I can stand up behind. I do a lot of glassing this way. Sometimes you can't see very good on flat ground. I also do a lot of glassing from the top of my truck and this is where you have to stand as well. My tripod is an EL Carmagni model or something.
The guys at the Outdoorsman tried to tell me that the carbon fiber tripods set up bad vibrations when glassing. I have never observed this so I am glad I have the one I do.
A lot of guys like the Jim White head. I personally do not. It is very well built and serviceable but pales compared to the Manfrotto fluid heads. I had a little Bogen ball head for years and even it was better.
Other than the cheap, junky pan heads that come in some combos, the pistol grip ones look cool but are not much fun to use day in and day out and are the worst possible choice.
If you think the stuff you need to use the 15x56s is expensive, you should see what it costs to outfit a Kowa Highlander- the Cadillac of big eyes!
502HD head is the lightest one rated for 15 lbs. Outdoorsman recommends the 500AH which is only rated for 11 or 12 lbs but swear it works fine. We just use the 502HD and it works really well.
502HD head is the lightest one rated for 15 lbs. Outdoorsman recommends the 500AH which is only rated for 11 or 12 lbs but swear it works fine. We just use the 502HD and it works really well.
Dennis, that is a MONSTER! What's the magnification on that? Thanks for your input. It's really good to hear from guys who spend a lot of time behind big eyes.
Awesome feedback everyone! Thanks for contributing!
Swaro 15x56, tripod is a swaro carbon tripod. (cant remember who makes these for them, bogen?)
Bino's are awesome (understatement), tripod is junk, I've broke it 4 times, in 4 years..the legs work fine and are light, but whatever head swaro puts on it is a POS,I expected a bit more for 800 bucks..I need to get a new head that will take some abuse.
If I was looking for high magnification optics to be carried aroundI would have looked at Cannon binos with image stabilization. Evaluating both against star lit sky should help to evaluate quality of glass and coatings. If the Cannons past the test you would not have to carry "canes" with you. I suspect good deal of money could be saved as well.
I've not handled but have read reviews of the Canon s with Image Stabilizer--not good. IIRC, they don't have the objective size you need and the optics were poor relative to The Big a Three or Four.
Here's my Highlander---and a pair of Minox ED 15 x 56 (barely visible on the far right). Gonna test the Minox against a Doctor 15 x 60 this weekend and cull the loser.
You'll love the 12x50s on the Outdoorsmans set up. I have the pistol grip and medium tripod and love it with both 12x50s and 15x56s. Their bino adapter system works great.
I'll replace the pistol grip with a pan head before my next hunt, it's great with binos, but the pan head is better with a spotter.
I also have two carbon fiber tripods, but prefer the Outdoorsmans aluminum one for hunting, FWIW.
How do you like your medium tripod? The fellas at Outdoorsmans recommended the tall for its versatility. The liked the extra length for standing, sitting on slopes, etc. Do you ever wish you had the tall? I wish they were more compact at 21.5" compressed (versus 18.5" in the Medium or 13.5" in the compact Medium) but the versatility is good.
Do you guys that have had trouble with the Swaro adaptor take it on/off a lot? I've used my Swaro's a lot in the last 12+ years and have never had trouble. I think the only time it comes off is when I send them in for service.
I've spent a lot of money looking for the "one" do it all tripod and haven't found it yet.
I have no idea the weights of my setup. All I know it that its way lighter than all my buddies who lug around the Outdoorsmans stuff. Not sure what specific model they have -
OD Tall tripod...... 3 lbs OD pan head..... .6 lbs = 3.6 lbs.
I agree, the OD stuff is not cheap!
Eric
There isn't a head in the world that weighs .6 pounds that will handle a Swarovski 15x56. I think that weight is a typo.
As for the Swaro adapters wearing out or breaking, I take mine on and off some but usually leave it attached. It just wears from all the weight on the pivot. I had ruined two and lost one. They won't warranty them when they are worn out. They get loose and sloppy.
I haven't used the Vortex one but the OD adapter is good.
remember, I use mine a LOT, hundreds of hours a year. I am probably going to go through stuff more than the average guy. I just sent my 8x30s in and had 4 new lenses put in them and the focus mechanism replaced. They lasted 8 years before they broke. $150 for new lenses. they came back looking like new. They even replaced the armor.
OD Tall tripod...... 3 lbs OD pan head..... .6 lbs = 3.6 lbs.
I agree, the OD stuff is not cheap!
Eric
There isn't a head in the world that weighs .6 pounds that will handle a Swarovski 15x56. I think that weight is a typo.
As for the Swaro adapters wearing out or breaking, I take mine on and off some but usually leave it attached. It just wears from all the weight on the pivot. I had ruined two and lost one. They won't warranty them when they are worn out. They get loose and sloppy.
I haven't used the Vortex one but the OD adapter is good.
remember, I use mine a LOT, hundreds of hours a year. I am probably going to go through stuff more than the average guy. I just sent my 8x30s in and had 4 new lenses put in them and the focus mechanism replaced. They lasted 8 years before they broke. $150 for new lenses. they came back looking like new. They even replaced the armor.
Everyone's likes and experiences are different I'll share mine. I bought my Swaro 15x56's 10 seasons ago and purchased the tripod adapter at the same time, both still work like new and yes I use them a lot.
I have tried many tripod and head set-ups over that 10 years and for me I will never own another pistol grip head they seem to last a year or two then they are shot. For bino glassing I much prefer a ball head over anything else (currently using a Manfrotto 486 rc2). I can glass for hours fatigue free with this combo, only downside is that if you want to switch to a spotting scope then a ball head absolutely sucks. I have a seperate tripod and head for my spotter (Manfrotto 701RC2 pan head) that also works for bino's.
If anyone has a Swaro adapter they aren't using, or any other that will work, I would be interested. I just purchased the 15x56's and they don't come with an adapter. Let me know. Thanks.
The Highlanders are an excellant setup but arguably at least not the top of the world for a hunter. Here in PA we consider our glasses the most important tool we have for long range hunting. You can kill a deer with about any decent rifle, but finding it is first on the list. For about 50 years now twin spotters in brackets top the list for choice among hunters here. 80 mm Swaros or Kowas are as common as bs among hunters here. A major advantage of the spotter setup is the advantage of realligning them in the event they get knocked or blown over. Fifteen minits with an allen wrench and your back glassing whereas with any standard type binnoc. it requires a trip back to the factory for repair. Yes, the twin setup is bulkier and might be a little heavier as a downside. There are also other excellant choices for a far more reasonable twin setup. I have a pair of the 15x58 Minox also in addittion to 5 or 6 different twin setups. Weve done alot of side by side testing with all the others including the 15x56 swaros and the leica 15x56 geovids. As might be expected the owners of the Swaros and leicas think theirs slightly better than the Minox. Others smile and say give me these and the difference in money. Side by side on the same day looking at the same object is the only way to see any differences in optics. On a good day their all good with some good ones a tad better than others. On a bad day their all bad, even the best ones. And that includes the highlanders and all the others including my own good ones. Bogen is very popular here for tripods. The 3031 tripod with the 3030 head is pretty compact for the smaller glass setups. I would be looking a little larger for a highlander or larger glass.
I have the center post extension on my medium tripod for added height, but I almost never use it standing up. Even when I do, the medium is tall enough for my use with an angled spotter, but I'm short.
What company makes a bracket for the twin spotters?? And can ya get them for all different spotters?? Are they truly adjustable for eye width??
Take care, Willie
Im not aware of any company per/se currently making brackets for twin spotter setups. Most im familiar with are made by machinists who are also hunters. They are fully adjustable for inter eye relief as well as for allignment. The design can vary somewhat and can influence the size, weight,and cost. The angled eyepiece scopes wont work in brackets. Reason being the scopes are rotated in the bracket to allow for inter eye adjustment. Id say most scope brands could be used in a bracket designed for it. Some however make for a pretty funky setup. Leica for example requires one scope to be mounted upside down in the bracket. Most scope makers today only offer zoom eyepieces for their scopes. Kowa is an exception to that and still offers various power eyepieces. Most zooms dont work well in twin setups due to the difficulty in matching the power of each exactly. Im told Swarovski is an exception but i havent seen that first hand. Good eyepieces can vastly improve the scope quality. Years back, probably in the 60s, Bausch&lomb marketed their still excellant balscope as a twin setup and it was a cataloug item. It was also offered with a rotating 3 eyepiece turret. We still have several sets of those here in this camp. The brackets and turrets were made for them by the Frank Meischner co. in Boston. He also sold them to the general public. When B&L discontinued the balscope, Meischner discontinued making brackets and turrets.
The Highlanders are an excellant setup but arguably at least not the top of the world for a hunter. Here in PA we consider our glasses the most important tool we have for long range hunting. You can kill a deer with about any decent rifle, but finding it is first on the list. For about 50 years now twin spotters in brackets top the list for choice among hunters here. 80 mm Swaros or Kowas are as common as bs among hunters here. A major advantage of the spotter setup is the advantage of realligning them in the event they get knocked or blown over. Fifteen minits with an allen wrench and your back glassing whereas with any standard type binnoc. it requires a trip back to the factory for repair. Yes, the twin setup is bulkier and might be a little heavier as a downside. There are also other excellant choices for a far more reasonable twin setup. I have a pair of the 15x58 Minox also in addittion to 5 or 6 different twin setups. Weve done alot of side by side testing with all the others including the 15x56 swaros and the leica 15x56 geovids. As might be expected the owners of the Swaros and leicas think theirs slightly better than the Minox. Others smile and say give me these and the difference in money. Side by side on the same day looking at the same object is the only way to see any differences in optics. On a good day their all good with some good ones a tad better than others. On a bad day their all bad, even the best ones. And that includes the highlanders and all the others including my own good ones. Bogen is very popular here for tripods. The 3031 tripod with the 3030 head is pretty compact for the smaller glass setups. I would be looking a little larger for a highlander or larger glass.
The Swarovski rep told me that over 40% of the 15x56 sold in America are sold in Arizona. I think we pretty much rule the roost when it comes to big eyes.
As far as the twin scopes we tried that and they were quite a hassle as well as heavy, awkward and hard to use. They pale compared to the Highlanders and even the Doctor 30x80s.
Now as to resolution. At a Coueswhitetail.com get together we set up a number of tripods with various quality glass on them, put up a Vortex optic test chart and had about 15 people who regularly use glass compare them all. We noted the finest lines they could resolve on the chart.
I don't remember the numbers, but the Swarovski 15x56s were better than everything else we tested. The second place was the Vortex Kaibabs. They were about tied with the $3000 Leica Duovids.
The Minox were not in the running. We had no glass over 15x in this comparison. The top two results were unanimous and there was a little discussion over the next 2 or 3 places.
This correlates well with what I have seen. I had a demo pair of Kaibabs sent to me when they first came out. I used them, my Swaros and Minox quite a bit.
The new HD Swaros are better yet.
I didn't have the 15x Leica to compare but I have since used them and feel they are not as good as the Swaros either.
They are good mind you but they don't resolve as well nor are they as comfortable to spend hours behind as the SLCs.
well the rep might be correct in that statement, but what does it prove? Maybe that more people in Arizona can afford expensive glasses? Will sheep follow others over a cliff? Your Kowa Highlanders are 14 lb for one reason, that being the housings are made of in plain words plastic. Is (any) set of glasses worth $5000 with plastic type housings? Ive spent many hours glassing with highlanders. A very old and close friend who hunted from this camp was a Kowa dealer. I recently sold his personal highlanders for his wife.$3200 with the flurite glass and a pelican case. I could have owned them for about any price i offered. As for brackets, there are for sure good and not so good ones just like pizza shops and everything else. People in every state are willing to spend their hard earned cash for quality, not just in Arizona. Also remember this, long range hunting as we know it today started here in PA, and spread west. The early choice in optics were the various large military glasses primarily German and Jap. They have lossed popularity because it's not practicle to own and use them for hunting. I could change the minds of most hunters in 5 minits regarding their 15x56 swarovskis with a $500 set of spotting scopes. Anyone within reach of me is welcome to come see for themselves. I can have the Swaro and Leicas here also. I'll even include a good deal on my junk swaro rangefinder.
Yobuck- I have used the double spotting scope setup. David Miller in Tucson is the one who pioneered that technology back when he was on his coues deer quest. We all abandoned them for a reason. You keep using them and telling yourself that long range hunting started in PA.
I have hunting in PA and none of the places I have been could you even see 500 yards. It's thick out there. I'm sure there are places you can see far but they are not the norm.
As far as the proliferation of good optics in Arizona it is because of coues deer hunting. You won't do well unless you bait or glass. Period. Now that baiting has been banned we are back to glassing.
Using high power binoculars on a tripod is the norm here, not the exception. I don't think that is the case in PA. You guys do have far more long range target shooting competitions than we do, however.
The Highlanders have a die cast aluminum body, they are not plastic. Guess you don't know as much as you think.
I am done on this subject. I don't need to prove to anyone, anything. I know what works and what doesn't.
Oh, I don't like Swarovski scopes either- just their binoculars. I don't like their rangefinder either- especially the new ranging binoculars.
Not that I have much to add, but on my recent trip to ID my par had a pair of Swaro 15X mounted on a tripod. It made spotting game almost too easy. Hella useful.
Hey guys, I received my big eyes setup over the holidays and am super stoked on the purchase. I can't wait to do some field testing. The Outdoorsmans tall tripod with pan head is smooth as hell, and solid. The Swaro 12x50's click into the bino adapter in one quick motion and easily detach. The panning is just awesome. I'm going to use this on a West TX Aoudad hunt in Oct. and will report back once I have more time with the system.
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