Hi all, Apologies if this question has been asked before: I recently invested in a pair of Celestron 20x80 Skymasters to compliment my 10" Orion reflector. I'm pleased with the improved portability and reduced set-up time, however there is one thing I am having difficulty with. When I alter the angle of the binoculars I also need to alter the height of the tripod (or myself) in order to comfortably look through the eyepieces. Altering the tripod is awkward, especially with the binoculars attached, and I haven't found a way of altering my own height without simply bending my knees which quickly becomes uncomfortable. This is a particular problem when viewing objects high in the sky. I can't help thinking this is an easy one to solve, but I can't come up with a good solution. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance, Ed.

Hi, Ed.

You've found the fundamental limitation to tripod mounted binoculars.  There are a couple of solutions, one is a parallelogram style mount like this one;

http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=bino_accessories/~pcategory=bino_accessories/~product_id=05376

Another solution is to build something like this;

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/howto/diy/Image-Stabilize-Your-Binoculars.html

That's what I use and am very happy with it.

Hi Thanks for your reply. Those two options look like definite possibilities. Thanks! The only other thing I could come up with was a stool of adjustable height. Do you think this would work? Cheers, Ed.

Because of the central post, tripods are very difficult to use near zeinith where the best seeing conditions are.  But a stool might be worth a try.  Another option is to use no mount and lie in a chaise lounge lawn chair.  You can then brace your arms more easily.  With 20 X 80's however that might still be a challenge.