Vortex summit 2 tripod

[Jaronmarkland]

I am interested in picking one of these lightweight tripods up to add to my pack because it’s light and well built. I know it’s to short to use at standing height which is fine by me does anyone have any experience with this tripod or any recommendations on a nice tripod. It will be used with binos and camera thanks guys


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[strongarm]

Bino’s and camera may be ok. That’s probably it. I was set on this one and went to a store to try out. No way can it handle my spotter after trying…far too lightweight even though it was rated for the weight. Too much forward weight. I’d even be careful what binos and what camera/lens setup. It’s lightweight, but not very stable. I’d think 15x binos may be out of the question. Any bit of wind, which is basically every day in high country, and I felt it would be a shaky mess. Again, I don’t have it, but after getting my hands on one decided to pass, so my experience isn’t entirely vetted.

 

[Jaronmarkland]

Bino’s and camera may be ok. That’s probably it. I was set on this one and went to a store to try out. No way can it handle my spotter after trying…far too lightweight even though it was rated for the weight. Too much forward weight. I’d even be careful what binos and what camera/lens setup. It’s lightweight, but not very stable. I’d think 15x binos may be out of the question. Any bit of wind, which is basically every day in high country, and I felt it would be a shaky mess. Again, I don’t have it, but after getting my hands on one decided to pass, so my experience isn’t entirely vetted.

Great to hear Thankyou


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[evergreenethos]

I have one, and I have used it effectively with spotters up to 65mm. I would never put my 85mm on it.

 

[strongarm]

Good info for others. Yes I’m using 85mm spotter.

 

[nobody]

Love mine. Picked it up late this past season. I did swap out the head for a Slik SVH-501 fluid-esque head, as the supplied "2-way pan head" was less than ideal for glassing with binos. It's still plenty lightweight and small enough that I don't notice a difference in practice. It was born to live in the backcountry, I recommend it highly for that role. It supports my 85mm spotter without issue, but don't push it above seated height or else you'll introduce some wiggle. But it handles 15's and 10's like a champ, which is what I bought it for. It doesn't go to the range, it doesn't get used while I'm sitting in a lawn chair at my grandpa's place looking at deer from his back porch, it doesn't get used when I'm scouting/spotting from the road (my Slik aluminum tripod pictured below for a size reference fills those roles). It's strapped to my pack and used from a seated position while hunting, 100% of the time, and it's phenomenal in that role. If you like it, run it. I love mine and wouldn't trade it. It fills the role I needed it to perfectly, but it would be a poor choice to push into any other role.

But hey, I'm just some random guy on the internet...

 

[evergreenethos]

I did swap out the head for a Slik SVH-501 fluid-esque head, as the supplied "2-way pan head" was less than ideal for glassing with binos.

Good call, the stock head leaves much to be desired. I'm shopping around for a replacement. I'll give that Slik a look.

 

[nobody]

Good call, the stock head leaves much to be desired. I'm shopping around for a replacement. I'll give that Slik a look.

The Slik can be found pretty easily for sub $100, it's really pretty solid too. The only thing to be aware of is that the set screw that counter tightens Vortex's stock head against the tripod neck is on their head, so you won't be able to have any type of set screw to help secure the connection since the tripod itself doesn't have a set screw. I remedied it by putting a rubber fender washer between the head and the neck of the tripod which gave me something to crank down on and acts as a lock washer of sorts. It's held up great so far.

There's better heads out there than the Slik too, like the Sirui VA5, but it weighs double what that little Slik head does and it's just physically much larger. The Slik isn't as refined as the sirui, but it's cheaper and weighs less, and it's still not flimsy by any stretch of the imagination. Give it a try, I think you'd like it. It's never been overwhelmed by any optic I run or have put on it.

 

[evergreenethos]

Found a good deal on a VA5 ($125) and SVH-501 was only $110 so I grabbed both. I imagine the VA5 will replace the Vortex head on my Ridgeview Carbon and the SVH-501 will live on the Summit Carbon II.

 

[nobody]

Found a good deal on a VA5 ($125) and SVH-501 was only $110 so I grabbed both. I imagine the VA5 will replace the Vortex head on my Ridgeview Carbon and the SVH-501 will live on the Summit Carbon II.

Sounds like a couple of winning combos to me, you should be happy. Double check if your tripod heads come with the bushing adapter for the screw insert on the head. Vortex runs a 1/4" x 20 threaded stud on the top of their tripods that the heads screw onto, the VA5 and the SVH-501 both have a 3/8" threaded insert on the bottom. You'll need the adapter to make them work. They're cheap on amazon, a couple bucks for a 5 pack, but it's worth double checking.

 

[evergreenethos]

Sounds like a couple of winning combos to me, you should be happy. Double check if your tripod heads come with the bushing adapter for the screw insert on the head. Vortex runs a 1/4" x 20 threaded stud on the top of their tripods that the heads screw onto, the VA5 and the SVH-501 both have a 3/8" threaded insert on the bottom. You'll need the adapter to make them work. They're cheap on amazon, a couple bucks for a 5 pack, but it's worth double checking.

I grabbed these, hopefully they're the right ones

 

[nobody]

I grabbed these, hopefully they're the right ones

They'll work, I would cancel and order these instead:

https://www.amazon.com/Foto-Tech-Convert-Adapter-Ballhead/dp/B00OKZVXFC/ref=sr_1_4?crid=379CT9CC0I3ID&keywords=tripod%2Bhead%2Badapter%2Bbushing&qid=1651162642&sprefix=tripod%2Bhead%2Badapter%2Bbushing%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-4&th=1

 

[evergreenethos]

They'll work, I would cancel and order these instead:

https://www.amazon.com/Foto-Tech-Convert-Adapter-Ballhead/dp/B00OKZVXFC/ref=sr_1_4?crid=379CT9CC0I3ID&keywords=tripod%2Bhead%2Badapter%2Bbushing&qid=1651162642&sprefix=tripod%2Bhead%2Badapter%2Bbushing%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-4&th=1

Done - thanks! I'll just send the others back. Appreciate the info

 

[evergreenethos]

CF handle for VA5

I think these just came out. I’ve been using their bino adapter and really like it. I’m going to give this a try.