We all know what a joy they are, but their simplicity does come with a price attached.<\/span><\/p>\n After 10 minutes of holding up a pair of 10x50s \u2013 far sooner with 20x80s \u2013 they begin to feel so heavy it\u2019s difficult to hold them steady.<\/span><\/p>\n Worse still, if you observe the portion of the sky high overhead from a standing position, you may well end up with a crick in the neck.<\/span><\/p>\n Manufacturers have applied their ingenuity to these issues and have come up with many different types of binocular mount.<\/span><\/p>\n For more advice, read our guide to the best binoculars for astronomy<\/a> and the best budget binoculars<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n A good binocular mount and tripod will ease the load on your arms and neck, and keep your binoculars steady so you can see those fainter stars, but of course they do vary in sophistication, effectiveness and price.<\/span><\/p>\n At one end of the scale, you have simple tripods with a built-in altazimuth mount.<\/span><\/p>\n More expensive setups feature independent mounts and tripods, which you can buy separately or as a package.<\/span><\/p>\n And, at the highest end of the scale, there are parallelogram mounts.<\/span><\/p>\n These have the advantage of allowing you to adjust the height of the mount while staying fixed on the same object \u2013 making them ideal for use in a group situation where observers have different heights.<\/span><\/p>\n The trouble is, they are bulky and costly.<\/span><\/p>\n What kind of binocular mount and tripod you choose will vary according to what binoculars you\u2019re using, what you\u2019re using them for and, of course, your budget.<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s why we\u2019ve put a selection of different models through their paces.<\/span><\/p>\n Read our DIY Astronomy guides on how to hold your binoculars steady<\/a> and how to make a binocular mirror mount<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n To test a binocular mount and tripod and decide whether it\u2019s for you, first look at the build quality, then, if you get a chance to test it in the field, check its impact when used in practice.<\/p>\n \u00a0The comfort of viewing when standing up, sitting down and lying on a garden recliner is also important.<\/p>\n One of the great pleasures of binoculars is their convenience of use: you point them and the fun starts.<\/p>\n If the mount makes things a lot more complicated, then some of the reason for using binoculars is lost.<\/p>\n So a mount requiring a lot of mucking about should be avoided at all costs.<\/p>\n Finally, look at whether the solutions provided by your binocular telescope and mount are expensive for the benefits they offer.<\/p>\n Would a low focal ratio refractor seem a viable alternative?<\/p>\n Good binoculars are expensive. You really don\u2019t want them falling off the mount and breaking. There\u2019s a lot of difference in weight and size between a pair of 7x40s and 20x80s \u2013 can the mount cope with all the possibilities? Similarly, does the mount \u2018droop\u2019 when you set a given elevation?<\/p>\n When you sweep across the sky the movement should be smooth, while remaining firm enough that simply touching the binoculars or mount does not bounce an object out of the field of view.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It must be easy to adjust the tripod so that the binoculars are at a level that comfortably accommodates your particular height. Are lots of adjustments needed and how easily is adjustment accomplished?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Is the tripod light enough to easily carry to the observing site? Will it provide a platform that is rigid, and easy to assemble and adjust? Do all the adjustment knobs operate smoothly and are they readily accessible \u2013 even in the dark?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The feet of a tripod are essential for making it stable, and so unlikely to move if it\u2019s accidentally kicked in the dark. Will they work well on different surfaces such as concrete and grass?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Horizon Heavy Duty tripod is advertised on its packaging as ideal for video and photo purposes, but it proved to be equally suitable for observing with our hefty Celestron 20\u00d780 SkyMasters, which weigh 3kg.<\/p>\n It is a nicely constructed three-part black aluminium tube tripod with good solid rubber leg-locks defining the height. It comes equipped with a bubble level, leg spreader and a pleasingly smooth altazimuth mount.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The height of the mount above the tripod is adjusted using a ratcheted shaft; in use it proved a little jerky sometimes, but it does provide the height needed for those over 6ft (1.82m) tall.<\/p>\n On the plus side, the plate onto which the binoculars or adaptor plate fit is well designed.\u00a0It is held in place by a sprung locking mechanism that has to be slid prior to release.<\/p>\n So, when used in its most comfortable arrangement, with the altitude adjustment arm pointing away, the binoculars could not easily fall off even if the spring failed \u2013 very reassuring.<\/p>\n Because of the tripod\u2019s design, looking at anything within 15\u00b0 of the zenith was difficult and caused some uncomfortable neck strain.<\/p>\n Still, it\u2019s a nice, lightweight (3.5kg) tripod to use with binoculars, and it\u2019s certainly affordably priced.<\/p>\n For our review we used an Italian Manfrotto tripod topped with a 390RC2 altazimuth mount head.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The leg spread limiter on the Manfrotto is built into the leg\/mount joint but, rather surprisingly, this doesn\u2019t seem to have any noticeable negative impact when using the tripod with binoculars.<\/p>\n The three-section uncoated aluminium tube legs with their associated locking knobs proved sturdy enough during the testing.<\/p>\n As you would hope, the tripod is easily set up. The height of the built-in mount above the tripod is changed by undoing the associated knob and then raising it by hand.<\/p>\n Not as elegant an adjustment solution as a ratchet, admittedly, but in use it worked fine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There was, however, a slight tendency for the altazimuth mount to droop when we attempted to lock it in a given position.<\/p>\n On several occasions we locked the SkyMasters onto a centred high elevation target only to find that the object of interest was now residing toward the bottom of the field of view.<\/p>\n It was a bit frustrating at first, but easily overcome with practice.<\/p>\n That said, the Manfrotto tripod is slightly lighter (3.2kg) than the Horizon tripod, very simple to set up and adjust, and long enough for tall people.<\/p>\n The T-Mount Light is one of two very similar mounts made by Universal Astronomics, the other being the UniMount Light.<\/p>\n They are both solidly constructed from 18mm tubing, but the UniMount has longer parallelogram arms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Setting up the counterweight arm, we noticed that it was not secured by a fail-safe method.<\/p>\n Its position is adjusted by undoing a securing bolt, sliding the arm and then re-tightening the bolt.<\/p>\n If you forget to re-tighten the bolt, there is nothing to prevent the arm sliding out and falling with the weight to the floor.<\/p>\n Due to the tolerances involved, this would not always happen \u2013 even when observing objects high overhead.<\/p>\n That aside, the mount performed well, moving smoothly on the special tripod adaptor.<\/p>\n The longer (508mm) armed UniMount<\/span> is a better choice for viewing from the relaxed position<\/span> of a garden recliner.<\/p>\n The adaptor is a very good idea as it means the weight of the binoculars, mount and counterweight is not being supported on a standard camera adaptor bolt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The tripod is also very impressive, with the leg spread limiter allowing each leg to be more than 1.85m from its neighbour \u2013 thus providing a good solid base for the heavier SkyMaster 20\u00d780 binoculars.<\/p>\n In fact, the setup we tested could have gone on to securely hold bigger binoculars than this, like a giant 100mm pair, for example.<\/p>\n The Binoflex is certainly different from most binocular mounts. You position the tripod so you can sit next to it and look through the mounted binoculars into the tilting mirror.<\/p>\n This allows you to view a swathe of sky roughly 30\u00ba wide, from the zenith to the horizon opposite.<\/p>\n Adjustment in altitude is achieved by moving the 99x202mm mirror and in azimuth by rotating the mount on its tripod post.<\/p>\n To see other parts of the sky, you simply move the chair round the tripod.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In use, this somewhat unusual system worked surprisingly well.<\/p>\n Not looking directly at the sky was a little disconcerting at first, especially as the image was upside down, but when observing something overhead it proved to be a great convenience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The design is well suited to 10\u00d750 binoculars. Image quality is great with the 10x50s, but seemed a little soft with our 20x80s, perhaps due to the mirror flexing slightly.<\/span><\/p>\n The Binoflex mount was let down, though, by the supplied Trigant tripod.<\/p>\n The legs are best adjusted prior to assembly, the threads on the locking knobs are of poor quality and the eyepiece tray is pointless.<\/p>\n Fortunately, though, the 2kg mount can be purchased separately from the 4.6kg tripod.<\/p>\n![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/25\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1288681549-d0b0e57.jpg?quality=90&resize=618%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Advantages of using a binocular mount<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How to choose a binocular mount and tripod<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/25\/2019\/12\/Celestron-SkyMaster-Pro-20x80-binoculars-and-10Micron-BM100-Leonardo-07054fa-e1576843003401.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C420"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Binocular mounts and tripods: 5 things to consider<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Mount capacity<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Movement<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Height adjustment<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Tripod construction<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Feet<\/strong><\/h3>\n
9 best binocular mounts and tripods<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Horizon Heavy Duty Tripod<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/25\/2022\/08\/Horizon-Heavy-Duty-Tripod-7b7d892.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C496"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nManfrotto Tripod<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nUniversal Astronomics T-Mount Light<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/25\/2022\/08\/Universal-Astronomics-T-Mount-Light-777798b.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C496"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nScopeTeknix Binoflex Mirror Mount<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/25\/2022\/08\/ScopeTeknix-Binoflex-Mirror-Mount-8b9f64f.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C496"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nOrion Paragon-Plus Binomount<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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