RRS Anvil 30 for Binos?

clrems77

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Minuteman
Feb 27, 2013
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Orange County Ca
Curious if any of you who’ve had the opportunity to handle the Anvil 30 can comment if it would work well for glassing with Binos?

Id mount it on my Manfrotto 190CF that I’ve used for years with my hog saddle. I figured the Anvil can double as a bino mount and a rifle tripod (With sawtooth rail)dropping weight while hunting.
 
I have an Anvil-30, and use an outdoors men bino mount and it works well. Not as smooth as a traditional ball head like a BH-40/55 but totally great for not to have two setups.
 
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I used it along with an outdoorsman bino hand all hunting season, worked great. The head won’t be getting replaced, way too versatile.
 
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I too glass with the anvil 30 and it works well. Maybe not as well as a dedicated ball head for panning but for both shooting and glassing I have a hard time believing it could be beat in stability and versatility
 
That head works great. Easy to adjust the tension with the level. I think it pans very nice. Get the outdoorsman bino adapter and your good to go.
 

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I love my Anvil for shooting, but I find it frustrating for spotting. I could never get the tension just right to let me do what I can do with even a cheap ball head. My cure was a cheap ball head (until I can justify a RRS head) with an arca plate attached to the bottom of the ball head. When I am running glass, I plop the ball head on top of the Anvil and hook the binos up on the mount on top of the ball head.
 
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I love my Anvil for shooting, but I find it frustrating for spotting. I could never get the tension just right to let me do what I can do with even a cheap ball head. My cure was a cheap ball head (until I can justify a RRS head) with an arca plate attached to the bottom of the ball head. When I am running glass, I plop the ball head on top of the Anvil and hook the binos up on the mount on top of the ball head.

I'm the opposite. I love the Anvil for spotting with binos, but would much rather shoot off of the leveling head.
 
I love my Anvil for shooting, but I find it frustrating for spotting. I could never get the tension just right to let me do what I can do with even a cheap ball head. My cure was a cheap ball head (until I can justify a RRS head) with an arca plate attached to the bottom of the ball head. When I am running glass, I plop the ball head on top of the Anvil and hook the binos up on the mount on top of the ball head.

I'm kind of in the same boat as you, it works ok for panning, but a pita to get set right, especially with a bigger spotter while hunting. Just curious, what cheap head did you go with for panning? I'd like something small, lightweight, and cheap, to augment my spotting while hunting backcountry.
 
I'm kind of in the same boat as you, it works ok for panning, but a pita to get set right, especially with a bigger spotter while hunting. Just curious, what cheap head did you go with for panning? I'd like something small, lightweight, and cheap, to augment my spotting while hunting backcountry.

I bought a cheap Chinesium one off Amazon. Neewer or something like that. Eventually it'll get replaced with a RRS head, as the Chinesium one is...meh. It's not very smooth, and the panning function has some hitches in it at times, probably from dirt.
 
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I bought a cheap Chinesium one off Amazon. Neewer or something like that. Eventually it'll get replaced with a RRS head, as the Chinesium one is...meh. It's not very smooth, and the panning function has some hitches in it at times, probably from dirt.

Copy, thanks. I'm looking at this for now-

ProMaster Specialist SPCH20 Cine Head https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J9KRS43/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_7qobEbE5KPY1Z

I think @gr8fuldoug could do a better price than that. Rokslide seems to have good things to say about it for the money.
 
I use the Anvil30 with a spotter. It's not as smooth as a ball head by any means. However, the advantages it provides when I do throw a rifle on it outweigh the disadvantage with the spotter for me.
 
If people are concerned with the idea of running just the anvil 30 because it gets rid of the best part of a standard ball head (the panning feature). You can buy panning bases and attach the the bino mount to the panning base (can get them with a built in arca plate bottom). Many companies make them from RRS to super cheap without adding too much bulk to the setup.

I personally have my small 10x spotter on a cheap ball head to get the panning on my leveling base tripod setup. Kinda wish I went with a riser and a panning base (riser to get my head above the apex of the tripod like how a set of binos work) because I find myself getting the area aligned with the leveling base then using the ball head's panning feature to get from target to target.

https://www.reallyrightstuff.com/pc-pro

to

 
I am 5' 11" and I have run the 24L and the 34L with the anvil-30. To be comfortable fully standing I need the L, I have the last set of legs about 3-4 inches out.