How To Make Light Weight Tripods More User Friendly.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
- Entry level telescopes these day's are usually supplied with "cheap" light weight tripods that have sticky jerky movement and wobble all over the place.. Don't worry if you have one of these because in this video I will show you how to make these things a lot easier and less frustrating to use.
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It's like you read my mind...I just got.a celestron omni 102 alt AZ literally yesterday...I am used to a heavy eq mount so when I set this thing up and tried to use it I wanted to throw it as far as I could....then I look at my TH-cam feed and what do I see??? Jason to the rescue...lol...Thank you for doing what you do...I hope your channel continues to grow...and I'm glad you are feeling better
Have fun with your telescope ☺ I own the Celestron Nexstar Evolution 9.25", It's a fantastic telescope 👌 Here are some of my Astronomy videos......Moon th-cam.com/video/5MrMgiERAC0/w-d-xo.html celestron unboxing video th-cam.com/video/LP-pvPTH2UQ/w-d-xo.html
Mercury transit th-cam.com/video/f-rRqodMCz0/w-d-xo.html
planet Venus th-cam.com/video/DS0KdNvVo1E/w-d-xo.html
planet Jupiter th-cam.com/video/u-StujJjU7s/w-d-xo.html
Solar observations th-cam.com/video/jdB9yKtOeQs/w-d-xo.html
Hello James. That's great to hear pal glad to be of help... Thank you my friend :)
Good to hear you are feeling better now Jason. Love the idea of using a bag with beers in. The only problem i find is that with it being so cold in the UK atm, my chilled beer disappears throughout the evening and a tripod becomes too light again lol. Keep up the amazing work. You have helped me more than you know with your videos. Thankyou
Hello David Thanks pal...Hahaha! Yes that can be a problem when using beers for weight... You could always use alcohol-free, that would stop you from drinking it LOL.
Thank You Jason. Glad to see you back.
Thank you Jim, nice to be back :)
An alternative to pencil graphite is graphite dust that is sold for lubricating door locks. It can be bought in most hardware stores.
Yes this is readily available and comes in an easy applicator squeeze tube. I also use Boeshield T9 and get these cheap tripods butter smooth, with radically reduced start up friction.
Good to know you are fine and well.
Great video! No editing, natural speaking, ideas well explained.
Greetings from Panama.
Thank you for your kind words friend.
Glad you are feeling better! Thanks for the tips!
Exactly what i thought of doing REGARDING that FLIMSY TRIPOD .i have the celestron 70 with that tripod ,on turning the unit it creaks terribly . I thought of a micro drop of WD40 but as you showed a penciel does the job brilliantly & the weight in centre BANG ON MANY THANKS .
Decided to pick up stargazing as a hobby, been watching alot of your videos the past few days, I think ill start with a 10 inch dobsonian, your videos are really informative and helped me learn alot quickly, thanks
Go for it my friend ☺ I own the Celestron Nexstar Evolution 9.25", It's a fantastic telescope 👌 Here are some of my Astronomy videos......Moon th-cam.com/video/5MrMgiERAC0/w-d-xo.html celestron unboxing video th-cam.com/video/LP-pvPTH2UQ/w-d-xo.html
Mercury transit th-cam.com/video/f-rRqodMCz0/w-d-xo.html
planet Venus th-cam.com/video/DS0KdNvVo1E/w-d-xo.html
planet Jupiter th-cam.com/video/u-StujJjU7s/w-d-xo.html
Solar observations th-cam.com/video/jdB9yKtOeQs/w-d-xo.html
Hi fella I think a 10inch scope its a good idea (depending on where u r) if u got a lot of lights maybe not so good I would totally go to a shop and try moving around u might find its not practical to lug around depending on where u keep it 🤷♂️ I got an 8 and I don't get it out much for that reason, anyway good luck finding ur first scope 🤣 its not easy
Hey Brydon.. Welcome to the hobby my friend...Great to hear glad to be of help.. A 10" dob is a great choice for your first telescope and with that amount of aperture you've will have a telescope for life.. Whatever you buy hope you get a life time of enjoyment out of it :)
@@Nottsboy24 nice videos buddy
@@Brydonbrown thanks so much 👌👓🎓🔭🔬
Again, some very good tips. Glad to hear that you are feeling better. God bless you.
Hello Gene. Thank you.. And you friend :)
Good idea about the way it's but I would suggest not lifting the weights totally off the ground to keep them from swinging that's how I do it
Great idea 👍😀
Glad you are feeling better.
Thank you my friend.. :)
Glad you are feeling better Jason. Great video full of useful information 👍 🙂
Thank you John. Hope you'r well too my friend :)
The best use I have found for the cheap tripods is using them as a light stand even then they are only fair . Another thing don’t use bug spray as lube for the tilt and pan the plastic turns to jelly it is something you will only do once or twice
Thanks Jason
Hey Mariusz. Your more than welcome my friend :)
I got a camera tripod from Walmart just go get something whilst I wait for a real one, it's heavier than that one but my scope is a bit of a monster.
What I do - Dangle a kettle bell from the centre top via a rope down to near the ground but not on the ground. This adds alot of stability t a cheap telescope !!
The tripod that came with my Celestron 130 is plenty tall to use standing up, even without extending the legs all the way, and there's room to hang plenty of balance weight, but oh my! The alt and azi movements are a joke! Sure, they manage, but like, "functional" but minus the "fun". The alt slow motion is so stiff I sincerely doubt my father's arthritis would let him turn the knob. I'll definitely be investigating the graphite lubrication trick.
Phew! I was starting to worry about you Jason, glad you're ok fella :) Is that the SVBONY tripod? I like the pencil trick, proper McGyver style solution. Glad you're feeling better :)
Ahh thanks for your concern pal.. You do get like that what with today's "situation" I'm the same, as soon as I realise I haven't heard for some body for a while I start thinking the worse... But no nothing serious just the typical winter sniffles and such.. All good now though thanks pal :D.. Yes it is the sv tripod... Wish they wouldn't provide those things with telescopes, I've always said they would be far better on a dob table top type mount like the first scope's, wouldn't think it would effect the overall price too much... But yeah, after giving it the "graphite" treatment and adding a bit of weight it make them at least usable. Take care pal :)
Nice one 🔭
Hi Jason I massively improved my skywatcher eq2 just by putting a bullseye level on the northern leg and getting a compass 🧭 sticking it with tape to the try, I also put a line in there too just to make its easier to get the tripod north, and i never poler align any more and it's only ever very slightly out if at all u just need to get the declination right for where u r, its very helpful when the moon is out before its dark, cost less then £10 I also put a few other bits on there but it cost me much more then I expected I could of got an eq 3/2 second hand for not much more 🤣🤷♂️😅 but I can swap telescopes over now for some photography 😀 so I guess it wasn't a waste of money 🤷♂️
Hello Andrew. Yes I mark the ground to make it easier to roughly polar align, because as you say precise polar alignment is only needed if you are doing photography.. I always say it really doesn't matter how much things cost as long as it does the job... Use it.... I'm all for astronomy on a budget :)
@@smalloptics753 that's not a bad idea there is too places I put the scope in my garden so definitely going to do that thanks Jason 👍 iv been getting right in to photography, especially the moon (been trying deep sky but still don't understand the processing 🤣)got a new camera and have had some excellent photos of the moon been trying mosaics 😅 (tacking the photos in section and putting them together) totally recommend trying it, its the only way ur get a photo of the moon with the sv105 if u don't have a short telescope 3/350mm
Great Hack Jason! I have a that Cheap Tripod To, LOL gotta Admit its Not Too Bad for Price, It works😃
Hey Avanteesh.. Thank you my friend.. As long as it works it doesn't matter what it cost is what I say.... Like your new Icon :D.. Take care my friend :)
Totally off the subject of this clip, but all I can say is that your channel has re-ignited my interest in astronomy. I bought a Skywatcher 130 newtonian a few years ago (the blue painted ones) and bought a Svbony 105 some four years ago. Did a moon capture about three and a quarter years ago, and was disappointed with the results from Registax, but since I watched your clips showing how to process the video, I have managed to get a good image of the moon. I am now going to get a good 6" reflector, mount and some decent lenses. Thank you for inspiring others with your videos.
Hello there.. Your more than welcome..That's fantastic to hear.. Comments like yours are what makes it all worthwhile.. Take care my friend.. And welcome back to the hobby :)
Great advice, thank you!
Would there be an issue using a silicone based lubrication spray instead of the graphite dust?
Hey Jason great little tips on these cheap tripods to make them better! I still got that cheap one so I'll give these tips a go. Lightweight would be a winner if you could take them camping and even using phone on one to do astrophotography. In camping everything Lightweight and ultralight is essential these days. OK abit too light but no wind then they'd be useful.
Any way to make those legs better? I like how you got hook so you'd put abit more weight on.
Thanks for the video friend and glad your staying safe! Take care and clear skies!
Hey Bushcraft. Hope your well pal.. I don't think there is any way of making the actual legs better on these super light weight tripods the only sure way is not to use them lol, but use them fully collapsed and graphite/weight them they are at least usable . Take care pal, clear skies :)
Another great video, great tips Jason!!
Thank you my friend... Hope you are well :)
@@smalloptics753 All good.. hope you are completely well now!
Glad you're doing better.
Looking for an eyepiece around 25-30mm, low to mid price range, ideally a wide field of view. Any recommendations? Thank you
Thank you my friend.. My usual recommendation for eyepieces is usually any size plossl design. Plossl's are relatively cheap and will give you great views with a 52 degree FOV . Another option is the BST StarGuider range which are a 62 degree FOV and fantastic for the money.. I'll leave a link so you can check them out.. Hope this helps.
www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces.html
Excellent. Thanks for the info and link. Actually ended up going with the OVL nirvana. They are an 82 fov eyepiece for just £85. Might be good next eyepiece for yourself haha
Thanks, great video. I tether mine down with a turnbuckle and cable into concrete slab. The inexpensive tripod that came with my celestron is remarkably robust. It do need tightening of the hardware. How do you feel about other tie down systems, like bungee cables or a spring loaded tension device? 😃Cheers
Thank Scott appreciate it my friend... Great Idea.. Whatever device you use, if it works.. Use it is what I say :D
Would WD40 work as an alternative to the second problem?
I recently tried several methods to solve balance issue on SV105p scope with this cheap tripod. Actually quite successfully.
I finally got into two method:
(a) a rope with few rubber rings that connected in one side to the tip of the scope (dew shield) and another via rubber rings to a hook. You balance the scope by adding - removing few rubber rings according to angle.
(b) another method is to add a counterweight - but instead of adding it on the tip of the rod that increases shaking substantially I add a rope to the end of balancing rod and a rope goes via hook to a counterweight. This both balances the scope on all angles and provides dampening effect: th-cam.com/video/nN19EdEGB90/w-d-xo.html
With both methods I managed to work at x100 and track stars and planets.
Does it have to be graphite? Can we use other types of powder?
Any tips to improve the mount handling for a long tube astromaster refractor? I find that the altitude keeps slipping if I observe at a steep angle when using a phone adapter...
Search at cloudy nights forum "Replacing the head of Astromaster tripod" - all you need is small DIY counterweight (take a look to the end of the thread to see a picture)
It makes mediocre tripod to fantastic and smooth (I track planets with ease at x165 and makes it smooth up to zenith
Now recommendations for a good inexpensive tripod and mount?
K&F, Manfrotto and Benbo are the trusted brands. Neewer and Amazon do cheaper versions. For a proper mount, I'd say something in Skywatchers EQ range. If its for a lightweight telescope, or a DSLR, iOptron cube pro. its fairly compact, can run on a set of AA batteries, and as its got a built in GPS it knows where it is in the world.
Thank you for your suggestion. I'll keep it in mind :)
Can i use WD40 ?
just dip in concrete , when dry repeat , till they weight around 100 lbs LOL
LOL! .. yeah that would do the trick.
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Sir you did not explain how to do the video right