| This compact and very stable #3001BN tripod and #3126 pan head combination is a good choice for shorter birders. With its legs fully extended, the manually-adjusted center post puts spotting scope eyepieces 4’5" to 5’1" above ground level – so individuals up to 5’5" tall can use straight-through spotting scopes without stooping. Of course, even considerably taller birders can observe comfortably by using a 45° angled viewing scope. The tripod section has three-section black finish anodized aluminum legs that let it close to 25.5" for convenient carrying and storage. Wing-type levers lock the legs open at the appropriate height and unlock again with a minimum of effort. This is especially useful for those with weak hand strength, unlike flip lever locks which sometimes require significant effort to open and close if they are not adjusted properly. The levers provide fast set-up and takedown so you won’t miss your chance at a life bird while fumbling with your tripod. Simply turn each lever, let gravity pull the inner leg section out, and tighten the lever again. A quick way to close the tripod is to turn it upside down, loosen each leg lock lever, and let gravity slide the inner leg section closed. The legs are tipped with rubber caps for a non-skid grip on smooth surfaces. The legs can be set at any of four angles for setting up on very uneven surface. At the widest leg spread position, the top of the pan head is barely 11" above the ground, for very low level photography. The shoulder of the tripod is made of cast aluminum for strength, and has a 1/4"-20 thread bolt hole in its side for attaching an optional tripod strap. The center post height is locked by a fast-acting wing-type lever. If you use the tripod for photography, the center post can also be reversed for low-angle shots (shooting wild flowers from ground level, for example). The supplied #3126 pan head is fluid damped for smooth panning when tracking birds in flight. There are large separate vertical and horizontal lock knobs for adjusting the pan head drag so that your scope does not tilt abruptly if the pan handle is released. The angle of the pan handle can be changed to avoid poking the observer’s chest during use and can be set for either right or left hand operation. The #3126 head does not have a quick release mechanism, but its standard 1/4"-20 thread scope attachment bolt tightens easily by hand and works well when speed of setup is not critical. The tripod holds binoculars and scopes weighing up to 8.9 lbs., so it will support most spotting scopes with a camera attached. The attachment bolt on the pan head is mounted in a long slot so that the scope can be slid fore and aft on the head to easily balance the weight when a camera is attached to the scope. The tripod and pan head combination weighs only 6.2 lbs. An optional shoulder strap is available for no-hands carrying of the tripod in the field. An optional carrying/storage bag is also available.
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