Tripod Adapter for Binoculars?
I have Nikon Action 10x50 binoculars that I bought for stargazing last year, I haven't been use it yet cause it is a little too heavy for me to keep steady, so I was wondering what type of tripod adapter could I get for those binoculars, that I could attach to a camera tripod? Is that even possible? I don't want to spend a lot of money on this, and so something maybe < 25ish? Thank you! Oh, and the tripod I have is a MX 2000 standard weight tripod.
Nikon Action binoculars have a tripod adapter thread. It is behind the focuser. It has a black cap on top to be removed. You will have to buy a tripod adapter from either Nikon or any alternative make. The fixing thread is usually 1/4"-20 TPI, the same standard thread that you will find under most cameras. Orion sells an tripod adapter for $19.99 that can be used too. Go to www.telescope.com and search for "Orion Versatile Tripod Mounting Adapter for Binoculars".
If you are a handy man, you can make one yourself. It is very simple.
Sure, you can build one easily with a little hardware. Use your ingenuity. You need a lid from a large can, such as a coffee can. Cut it so you have a strip about 2 inches wide through the center of the lid. Drill a 1/4" hole in the center. Put this on top of the tripod and use a 1/4" nut to hold the plate to the tripod. You may have to enlarge the hole slightly to get it to fit properly. The nut size is 1/4"-20. Which means 1/4" thread with 20 threads per inch. THAT is the size of the knob and screw used to fit the base of a camera. Use two lids and make a double layer for extra support. Curl the ends to make a J shape hook on each end of the metal parts. Those hook shapes are where you will lace rubber bands, as many as you can to hold the binoculars down against the metal. You can do whatever you want here to firmly clamp down the binoculars to the metal strips. The key is the strips are supported by the tripod and the binoculars are supported by the metal strips. Just watch out for the sharp edges. You can use a file, to shave off any sharp edges, but that takes a bit skill to dull the edge instead of sharpening it. Once you have the binoculars clamped down, you use the pan and tilt controls just as you would with a camera. The easiest way to view the sky with this arrangement is to put a mirror on the ground and look into the mirror so you are looking down into the eyepieces instead of up and looking at a reflection of the sky aboveā¦ Many sky maps come in mirror images so you can see the star formations directly or as they would appear in a mirror. It really helps to have a constellation map so you can identify what you are looking at.
Here you go-
http://www.telescope.com/...p/5250.uts
Wally