Decent Option for Tripod

[NDGuy]

Vanguard Espod CX 233 Tripod with PH-23 Pan Head

Is this brand decent? For $70 it seemed like a good buy.

I also was checking out the Vortex Pro GT but it's double the price and nearly 2 lbs heavier.

Vortex Pro GT Tripod Kit

Am I missing out on some solid budget options? I have Talon 10x42s and a Athlon 15-45x65 Ares spotter that I will be using on it.

 

[amp713]

I have a vangaurd, very happy with it and beats the hell out of my vortex.... granted I've never owned a high dollar tripod but so far this one has treated me very well!

 

[Camera Land]

Give me a call. We have a lot of great tripods and we always take care of Rokslide members plus we have a sale on thru Saturday

 

[rileybassman]

Vanguard tripods are great - very solid - a little heavy and don't compact super small, but work great none the less... Their heads aren't amazing, but decent for the price.

 

[NDGuy]

Give me a call. We have a lot of great tripods and we always take care of Rokslide members plus we have a sale on thru Saturday

Doug what have you heard regarding durability of the Vortex Summit vs the Vanguard Espod?

 

[Owenst7]

The 203 is quite a bit lighter and will still extend tall enough to use while standing (I'm 5'10" and don't have to max it out).

The legs are pretty decent on that tripod. The head gets a little wobbly in the wind with a 65mm spotter. It works fine at lower zooms, but can get annoying at 45x. The 203 and 233 have the same head btw.

My gripe is the legs are riveted to the head in a proprietary way, so there's no way to run a better head. It's about the cheapest tripod I'd say will work for a spotter, but it's not great. It's really a much better tripod for a camera or binos. I'd probably rather have a mid grade ball head for a little more rather than a low end pan head. The espods are plenty durable enough, I just don't think they track smoothly enough to be ideal for a spotter. I did find it to be more stable than the vortex summit btw.

Vanguard does make good pan head tripods around the $100 range that have the standard 1/4"-20 mount so you can upgrade later

 

[rlmmarine]

I have the vortex summit with a outdoorsman micro
I'm defiantly not impressed and will be finding an alternative before hunting season

 

[Mk7mmSTW]

Schonfeld with their pan head. It’s lightweight, carbon and compact but most importantly it’s sturdy as a rock. I hate vortex but tried there summit tripod and it was wobbly and useless. Vanguard makes tons of great tripods, it comes down to how well the legs spread/lock/adjust as being comfortable glassing at crazy angles/uneven ground is tough if you don’t have a great tripod.

 

[rileybassman]

Doug what have you heard regarding durability of the Vortex Summit vs the Vanguard Espod?

Have had both, vanguard is much more durable

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[idahohikker]

I've used a budget tripod--the Celestron Trailseeker for a while. It's nothing special but it works pretty well with my 65mm Vortex Viper spotter on it. I find it to be sturdy, though it's kinda heavy, and does shake some in the wind. The head on it is lower end, for sure, but it's useable, though I plan on changing it out shortly. The tripod itself is pretty good for the price in my experience.

 

[CorbLand]

I have that exact same tripod. Its a decent tripod overall. Nothing special but it works and its fairly priced. The head is pretty much all plastic so its not going to handle a ton of abuse. My number 1 complaint is that the handle isnt very long and is hard to move when using a spotting scope.

 

[Camera Land]

Hi
There are a lot of good options that don't have to cost you a ton of $$. Give me a call. We have sold a lot of tripods to members of Rokslide over the years. Right now we are having our 1/2 yearly photo accessory sale and tripods fall in that. So in addition to what we normally do for the members there is a little extra thru Saturday
516-217-1000. Here from 9-6 today thru Friday, Saturday 10-5:30

 

[NDGuy]

I have the vortex summit with a outdoorsman micro
I'm defiantly not impressed and will be finding an alternative before hunting season

What was your issue with it?

 

[ID_Matt]

The benro slim series with a benro s2 head is a great option for a good price. I had a schonfield and had to send in the head twice for repairs. The Benro set up has been great.