tripod around$200

[sk1]

i personally would stay away from a ball head, not smooth panning at all....but thats just my experience! some people like em just fine.

are you wanting to be able to glass standing up? that would also change some suggestions depending on how tall you are and glassing capabilities of sitting only or standing also

 

[fillthefreezer]

i go about 6' but dont typically glass standing. i do snap some standing photos from the tripod but i usually stoop a little to do this pretty quickly

 

[Beastmode]

i personally would stay away from a ball head, not smooth panning at all....but thats just my experience! some people like em just fine.

are you wanting to be able to glass standing up? that would also change some suggestions depending on how tall you are and glassing capabilities of sitting only or standing also

I have a couple buddies that use ball heads. Mainly because the only time they use their spotter is after they have spotted a deer or something that needs a closer look. They rarely use a spotter for glassing extended amounts of time. They also dont use their tripod for their binos.

I have grow. Very fond of using my binos on a tripod. I will use my tripod standing up for this and would highly recommend a pan head for this method if this is something you plan on doing.

If you just use a spotter to get a closer look at something a ball head would work great!!!

 

[ElkNut1]

Yes, that's the idea behind a spotter hunters pack in with. The ball style heads will reduce wt. & in many cases height. You can still pan around with them looking for critters or after they are binoed up, it's not a real issue. Around the rig or not far from a road I will use a bigger spotter & rig all together, I use a manfrotto head that glides very smooth but it's a 1-1/2 pound head by itself & I don't care to pack it with a beefier tripod either along with other gear.

ElkNut1

 

[Matt Cashell]

I have had good luck panning with a ball head by setting the tension on the ball just right to hold the optic still, but also allow for movement by using pressure on the spotter or bins themselves to pan. This can be fairly smooth with a good ball head.

 

[sk1]

ive got two ball heads one manfrotto and the other a promaster....just not for me i guess!

i am liking that benro s2 head i got alot, just been too busy lately to say much about it

 

[BATTLEBORN]

Take a look at the Vanguard Alta 233 AO, very well constructed and comes with a great head. Can't be beat at around $130 bucks.

 

[Whisky]

Take a look at the Vanguard Alta 233 AO, very well constructed and comes with a great head. Can't be beat at around $130 bucks.

I have used that in the past. I dislike how tall it is once packed down. It was awkward to lash to my pack, but I do leave my spotter attached at all times. I do really like the head though, and continue to use it. I can't get used to ball heads.
This is what I currently use:

Slik Sprint Mini II $80
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=slik+sprint+mini+II

With Vanguard PH-21 head $60
http://www.amazon.com/Vanguard-PH-2...qid=1358866544&sr=8-1&keywords=vanguard+ph-21

For around $150, you get a pretty solid, lighter weight set up. If you do a lot of glassing standing up, I probably wouldn't recommend the Slik Sprint Mini II tripod. I do most all of mine from my butt.

 

[Matt Cashell]

ive got two ball heads one manfrotto and the other a promaster....just not for me i guess!

i am liking that benro s2 head i got alot, just been too busy lately to say much about it

Although I can get a ball head to work OK, I too prefer a pan head, especially a fluid head. I hope you get some time to let us know what you think of the Benro, sk1.

 

[sk1]

i also have a vanguard alta 2330 AO, and as stated it is a bit large collapsed for the pack and is why i finally changed tripods this year,

id recommend the one i bought but there is a little quirk about it that concerns me....there are two ways to tighten down the center extension pole, but the one is a screw with a little plastic horseshoe attached to a metal rod going through that screw used to tighten it down...am concerned it will eventually break and im left with a screw and not able to tighten it down. i will be replacing this with a more durable one from the hardware store.....that being said im pretty happy with the Promaster XC525, can get them on amazon for $160 and comes with a ball head (im not a fan of them but it works) and is advertised to weigh 2lbs 12oz but i havent put it on my scale to verify. packs down to 15 inches and extends to 59 inches. unfortunately its a package deal with the head and you cant buy just the tripod

http://promaster.com/products.asp?product=XC525

Although I can get a ball head to work OK, I too prefer a pan head, especially a fluid head. I hope you get some time to let us know what you think of the Benro, sk1.

i will let you know BB, soon. initial impressions i love it, talk about silky smooth panning and like tension setting on a ball head it stays where you leave it...the only dislike i have is the ability to really remove lots of tension on it and pan freely, but maybe this is common with fluid video heads? this is the first ive owned. In reality it doesnt effect its function but doesnt make sense to me why you cant adjust to less tension beyond a certain degree

 

[fillthefreezer]

this looks like a good deal..?
http://www.amazon.com/Slik-Tripod-S...358870914&sr=8-4&keywords=slik+sprint+mini+II

 

[BATTLEBORN]

I have used that in the past. I dislike how tall it is once packed down. It was awkward to lash to my pack, but I do leave my spotter attached at all times. I do really like the head though, and continue to use it. I can't get used to ball heads.
This is what I currently use:

Slik Sprint Mini II $80
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=slik+sprint+mini+II

With Vanguard PH-21 head $60
http://www.amazon.com/Vanguard-PH-2...qid=1358866544&sr=8-1&keywords=vanguard+ph-21

For around $150, you get a pretty solid, lighter weight set up. If you do a lot of glassing standing up, I probably wouldn't recommend the Slik Sprint Mini II tripod. I do most all of mine from my butt.

It is a bit big, but also very sturdy. The pan head (ph-21) is smooth as butter. I see you are using the ph-21 on a lighter tripod...might have to look into that.

 

[fillthefreezer]

ok HELP.
having a hard time making a decision, the ones im looking heavily at are
the vortex elknut posted
this http://www.adorama.com/SLSPM2GM.html
and this http://www.amazon.com/Slik-Tripod-S...358870914&sr=8-4&keywords=slik+sprint+mini+II
weight, height, head, packed length, price all kind of go back and fourth...

 

[AGPank]

I bought the Vanguard SBH-100 ball head. It also has a pan-style base with a separate adjustment. I found a reasonably priced carbon fiber tripod too ($140). http://www.adorama.com/FPTPF2127N.html
It is a Flashpoint 2127. It has 3 leg sections and lever legs which I wanted. It is about 2.7lbs. It has met my needs, but I haven't put it through heavy duty use like some might.

 

[luke moffat]

ok HELP.
having a hard time making a decision, the ones im looking heavily at are
the vortex elknut posted
this http://www.adorama.com/SLSPM2GM.html
and this http://www.amazon.com/Slik-Tripod-S...358870914&sr=8-4&keywords=slik+sprint+mini+II
weight, height, head, packed length, price all kind of go back and fourth...

As far as I can tell after looking them over the Vortex Summit ElkNut posted is simply a rebranded version of the velbon I own. Its a great little tripod for sure. I used a manfrotto head on it instead of the standard one, but the tripod it self goes from crazy small to crazy tall with just a twist of each leg. I prefer it over the flick lock style tripods now. Setup and takedown much fast IMO. The Slik Mini II is a great tripod as well and I have one of those for predator hunting to shoot off of while my wife is using the velbon. Not quite as light, but it certainly is a great value. Though for the money the velbon is lighter weight, goes taller, and packs down smaller. So my vote is for the Velbon er....I mean the Vortex Summit